President Joe Biden weighed in Monday on contract talks at the Big Three automakers.
Biden, a vocal union supporter, issued a statement calling for the companies to "forge a fair agreement" with the United Auto Workers.
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"The need to transition to a clean energy economy should provide a win‑win opportunity for auto companies and unionized workers," Biden said in the prepared statement. "It should enable workers to make good wages and benefits to support their families, while leading us into a future where America is leading the way in reducing vehicle emissions."
While labor negotiations can be fraught even under normal circumstances, UAW's latest contract talks are complicated by a push to promote electric vehicles that Biden is also championing. Labor leaders say EVs, which use fewer parts than internal combustion engines, could lead to fewer manufacturing jobs for the Detroit-based union's members.
Biden's statement alluded to this dynamic as well.
"Companies should use this process to make sure they enlist their workers in the next chapter of the industry by offering them good paying jobs and a say in the future of their workplace," it reads. "I’m asking all sides to work together to forge a fair agreement."
The deadline for a new contract is next month, and a strike could commence if a deal isn't reached.
The UAW is one of a small number of unions yet to endorse Biden for reelection, owing largely to tension over the electric vehicle push.
Noting the controversy, former President Donald Trump has tried stepping into the void by saying he'll fight harder for manufacturing jobs than Biden does.
"I think you'd better endorse Trump because I'm going to grow your business, and they are destroying your business," he said in a mid-July video aimed at the UAW.
Trump got into office in part by flipping the "blue wall" states of Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, where the UAW is based. Biden then flipped them back by touting his "Scranton Joe" roots and embracing some of Trump's policies in 2020.
The odds of a UAW Trump endorsement are slim to none, as UAW President Shawn Fain has said another Trump presidency would be a disaster.
Biden said that auto companies should honor the right to organize, work to avoid closing plants, and that any transitions involve retraining and rehiring workers in the same factories at comparable wages. But the statement also made clear he supports moving to a "clean energy future."
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This week marks the one-year anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act, which includes a $7,500 tax credit for American-made EVs.
"The UAW helped create the American middle class and as we move forward in this transition to new technologies, the UAW deserves a contract that sustains the middle class," Biden said.