It's a labor victory for the United Auto Workers (UAW), and a political success for Joe Biden, who made the trip to Detroit, Michigan, on September 26 to support strikers who are the beating heart of this industry. The appearance of the US president on a picket line, unprecedented in the country's history, was proof of his conviction that reindustrialization also requires the revival of the unions.
Fighting their cause since mid-September, Ford's unionized employees, followed by those of Stellantis, have pulled off a 25% wage increase over five years, guarantees of plant maintenance and better social security coverage. Of the "Big Three," only General Motors is yet to be convinced, stubbornly refusing to reach an agreement with its army of casual workers, but also the UAW rank and file, who will be consulted over the next few days. This will be a test for Shawn Fain, president of this powerful union who has played a major role in this longstanding conflict, using numerous ploys to destabilize the bosses of the major automakers.
"This is a historic agreement that will guarantee workers the pay, benefits, dignity and respect they deserve," Biden said in a statement. This is nothing short of a fair return for workers who during the 2008-2009 crisis made heavy sacrifices to save the auto industry, and who now work for companies that are making substantial profits, as former president Barack Obama recalled at the start of the conflict.
The day after the president's visit to Detroit, Donald Trump spoke not far from there – to non-unionized workers at a plant spared from the conflict. As one might expect, he offered no support to the strikers, but told them they were on the wrong track and criticized the risks of the green transition for the automotive sector: "It doesn’t make a damn bit of difference what you get because in two years you're all going to be out of business," said Biden's likely Republican opponent.
The working-class vote will be decisive in old industrial America, symbolized by the key states of Michigan and Ohio. Will voters follow Trump in his crusade against the unions and the environment, or the outgoing president, who is working on giving industry a boost while ensuring the ecological transition? Polls show that "Bidenomics" have failed to convince half of them. Trumpism continues to wreak havoc.