WASHINGTON—Hundreds of auto workers gathered for their legislative conference here this week talked with one another and some of those talked with People’s World about politics. They made one thing clear: They will only back a pro-labor president. In a good sign for Biden, their union endorsed him this week.
The union hopes that when they go home they will convince their friends, family, and union colleagues to vote for Biden and for strong pro-labor local candidates.
The election is ten months away. It was once common “wisdom” that Americans don’t pay attention to politics till after the end of baseball’s World Series. This year it seems that might not be the case with lots of people engaging in political talk now.
People’s World talked to a random and small sample of UAW attendees, just after the union endorsed Democratic President Joe Biden.
“We need a labor-friendly president,” said Trenton Williams of Local 685, which is 40 miles in rural country northwest of Indianapolis. “Is he (Biden) getting that point across? So far, I don’t think so.”
Kim Green thought that the Democrats need to do more to show workers the positive things that the party and Biden have done for them. “I haven’t seen them”—the Democrats—“put their foot on the gas” to laud Biden’s achievements for workers, said Green.
One group of respondents, including an attendee from Local 892 in Louisville, Ky., on his way to meet friends at a D.C. restaurant, reported great interest at home, especially in the presidential race between Biden and his likely Republican foe, Donald Trump, the 91-times-indicted misogynist who directed schemes to overthrow the U.S. Constitution on Jan. 6, 2021, to keep himself in power.
Local political wins stoke interest, said John Amosky of Local 668 in Saginaw, Mich.
“They are talking politics,” energized by the labor movement’s successes there after the 2022 sweep of state offices, including the legislature, explained Arnosky. “The first thing they did was repeal right-to-work, and there’s more coming.” The prior Republican-dominated legislature and governor imposed RTW in the Wolverine State.
Joseph Callahan of Local 405 in West Hartford, Conn., said his members are concentrating on two specific issues: Social Security, in particular, and retirement security in general, and the transition of the economy—and the auto industry—to green jobs. The green economy was a big topic at the conference.
A second but smaller group, as might be expected, reported disinterest from their friends, colleagues, and neighbors. “A lot of people are on the fence,” commented Green. “They don’t want Trump in there, but they also talk a lot about Biden’s age, and his needs, medical-wise.” Biden turns 82 just after Election Day. Trump is overweight verging on obese. He turns 78 in June.
“The hardest thing we’ve had to do is to explain what we’ve accomplished, and get them all on the same page,” said Jeff Bisi of Local 204 in Latrobe, Pa. “We try to stress that we’re a labor organization that deals with issues” that go “beyond putting food on the table.
“But the younger generation isn’t getting this,” Bisi lamented. “They’re not receiving the message yet.”
The third group was the most interesting: Pro-Democratic “blue” unionists stuck in the middle of a deep “red” state, both at home and at their plant. They wanted to talk politics—but couldn’t. They don’t want to start fights on the shop floor. That describes Local 685, in Trump country.
Michael O’Bannon said Trump “wants to separate us—and that’s not good. He uses fear.”
Almost everyone talked about the importance of preserving democracy. It was clear from their interviews that many auto workers feel they have their work cut out for them in the coming election. The UAW endorsement will be a big help, they say, but nothing should be taken for granted.
We hope you appreciated this article. At People’s World, we believe news and information should be free and accessible to all, but we need your help. Our journalism is free of corporate influence and paywalls because we are totally reader-supported. Only you, our readers and supporters, make this possible. If you enjoy reading People’s World and the stories we bring you, please support our work by donating or becoming a monthly sustainer today. Thank you!
CONTRIBUTOR
Comments