DETROIT (Michigan News Source) – As the deadline for United Auto Workers’ contracts with the Big Three Automakers draws near, the UAW President is admitting a strike is not outside the question if a new agreement isn’t reached. 

Recently, UAW President Shawn Fain was asked if a strike would embarrass the President. 

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“I don’t think a strike would embarrass President Biden,” Fain said, “I think a strike can reaffirm to him where the working class people in this country stand.  You know, it’s time for politicians in this country to pick a side.  Either you stand for a billionaire class where everybody else gets left behind or you stand for the working class- now the working class people vote.” 

He was also asked whether or not the auto workers union would endorse the president in a second election. 

“As far as our endorsements go, as we’ve said our endorsements are going to be earned not freely given,” Fain added, “Actions are going to dictate who we endorse.”

The auto union has been advocating for expanded contracts ahead of the mid-September contract deadline. 

“The union’s demands include the elimination of tiered wages and benefits, wage increases to offset inflation and match the generous salary increases of company executives over the last four years, the re-establishment of cost-of-living allowances and defined benefit pensions and retiree healthcare, the right to strike over plant closures, significant increases to current retiree benefits, and more paid time off to be with family,” according to UAW officials. 

Before Labor Day, President Joe Biden predicted that a strike would not happen. 

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“No, I’m not worried about a strike until it happens,” he said. “I don’t think it’s going to happen.”

UAW President Fain responded to the President’s remarks, sharing his shock and the union’s intent. 

“He must know something we don’t know. Maybe the companies plan on walking in and giving us our demands on the night before, I don’t know, but he’s on the inside on something I don’t know about,” Fain said. “Our intent is not to strike. Our intent is to get a fair agreement. That’s been our intent from Day One.”

A recent study from the University of Michigan found that a UAW strike could temporarily increase Michigan’s unemployment rate, assuming roughly a six week strike, like the 2019 strike at General Motors. 

“Obviously, you know, we will see that show up in the jobs numbers, but we don’t expect that to fundamentally alter the trajectory of the state economy,” said UM economist Gabriel Ehrlich, one of three co-authors. “There’s a risk if we had a much more severe strike scenario that the economic fallout would be greater.”

UAW covers more than 150,000 employees across Ford, GM, and Stellantis and some have voiced concerns that prolonged strikes could drive the cost of cars up.