Auto union withholds support for Biden, citing electric vehicles

Politics

The United Auto Workers is holding back on endorsing President Joe Biden for reelection for now, citing concerns over his electric vehicle policies.

In a memo sent to UAW members Tuesday, President Shawn Fain said the union wants to see Biden push more forcefully for better wages and benefits for workers at EV facilities. He cited factors like a battery plant that General Motors Co. is helping to develop in Ohio, where workers will start at $16.50 per hour, nearly half of what GM workers made at a nearby GM plant before it closed in 2019.

“The federal government is pouring billions into the electric vehicle transition, with no strings attached and no commitment to workers. The EV transition is at serious risk of becoming a race to the bottom,” Fain wrote in the memo. “We want to see national leadership have our back on this before we make any commitments.”