President Joe Biden is asking main U.S. automakers and their staff’ union to succeed in an settlement that takes “every possible step to avoid painful plant closings” because the sector transitions to electrical autos.

The president has not but been endorsed by the United Auto Workers as he seeks reelection, regardless of his broad help from organized labor going into the 2024 marketing campaign. The UAW represents 146,000 staff at Ford, General Motors and Stellantis, that are generally often known as the large three automakers. The staff’ contracts expire at 11:59 p.m. Sept. 14.

Biden mentioned in an announcement Monday that because the market strikes away from gasoline-powered autos, the auto business nonetheless should present “good jobs that can support a family” and be sure that “transitions are fair and look to retool, reboot, and rehire in the same factories and communities at comparable wages, while giving existing workers the first shot to fill those jobs.”

“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 mentioned.

GM mentioned in an announcement that it’s bargaining in “good faith” with the UAW on “a contract that provides job security and supports good wages and benefits for our team members while enabling companies to compete successfully domestically and globally.”

Shawn Fain, president of the union, has requested for an finish to completely different wage tiers amongst staff. He can also be in search of double-digit pay raises and restoration of cost-of-living pay, outlined profit pensions for all staff, and restoring retiree well being protection. The union has proposed a 32-hour workweek, as a substitute of the traditional 40.

Facing the danger of a possible strike, automakers have mentioned they face improvement prices because the business shifts to EVs and spends billions of {dollars} setting up battery crops.

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