Joe Biden just nailed it
It didn’t make headlines for very long, particularly in the shadow of the much longer progressing WGA writers’ strike and the SAG actors strike which is currently being negotiated, but for about a month, UAW workers went on strike for better wages – closing down Detroit’s Big Three in the process.
Democrats immediately came to support their cause, while the former guy pretended he could make a deal and then went to an event outside the motor city where he only met with former members. President Biden made history by being the first president to join the picket line and fight on the side of workers – something sure to go down as a prime example of executive powers being used as a force for good.
Now, Ford Motors, Stellantis and General Motors have all made deals that give their employees a 30% raise on average with better retirement security and more paid leave. This is probably one of the sharpest contrasts to having a Democrat like President Biden in office as opposed to Republicans in office – such as President Reagan who infamously fired and blacklisted striking air traffic control workers on television.
It’s a strong reminder of why we can’t afford to deal with Republican presidents in power for any time in the foreseeable future, something President Biden alluded to when he announced the progress made in the strike at the White House on Tuesday, properly crediting the striking workers as being builders of America, with unions having created the middle class. Let’s do everything we can to get him re-elected in 2024.
James Sullivan is the assistant editor of Brain World Magazine and an advocate of science-based policy making