The United Auto Workers (UAW), the nation’s largest industrial union comprised of more than 400,000 members, is withholding its support of President Biden over his administration’s push towards electric vehicles.
In an internal memo, UAW President Shawn Fain stated that the union will not be endorsing Joe Biden’s re-election bid unless he makes significant commitments to protect auto industry jobs. “We want to see national leadership have our back on this before we make any commitments,” Fain wrote in the memo.
Automakers have been struggling to cut costs as they attempt to revamp their businesses in order to satisfy the push toward electric vehicles. This has oftentimes resulted in job cuts to both the electric and gas-powered vehicle sectors as electric vehicle investments continue to bleed money in the short term.
Just this week, Ford Motor announced that it will be laying off at least 1,000 salaried workers in North America, citing rising costs associated with electric vehicles. Ford has said that it expects to lose roughly $3 billion in operating profit on its electric vehicle business this year.
The Biden Administration has set several “green energy mandates” that aim to increase electric vehicle sales to ten times what they are right now over the next decade.
Just last week, the Biden the Department of Energy announced that it would Ford Motor $9.2 million in a joint venture to support the production of electric vehicle batteries across three factories in the United States, the largest such loan in the program office’s history.
“We have been absolutely clear that the switch to electric engine jobs, battery production, and other EV manufacturing cannot become a race to the bottom. Not only is the federal government not using its power to turn the tide – they’re actively funding the race to the bottom with billions in public money,” Fain said in a statement after the loan was announced.
“These companies are extremely profitable and will continue to make money hand over fist whether they’re selling combustion engines or EVs. Yet the workers get a smaller and smaller piece of the pie. Why is Joe Biden’s administration facilitating this corporate greed with taxpayer money?”
The 400,000-member United Auto Workers union previously endorsed Biden’s White House bid in 2020.
Original Article: https://nworeport.me/biden-loses-support-of-major-auto-industry-union-over-electric-vehicle-push/
