UAW slams Trump-Vance as 'menace to the working class'
Jessica Corbett, Common Dreams
October 5, 2024
The United Auto Workers this week reiterated its warning that the Republican presidential ticket of Donald Trump and JD Vance is a threat to working-class Americans in response to a refusal by Vance to commit to honoring a $500 million federal grant for an electric vehicle plant in Michigan.
Both Trump and Vance—a venture capitalist turned U.S. senator from Ohio who often postures as a working-class ally—are campaigning in Michigan, a key swing state, this week.
The Detroit Newsreported Wednesday that on the campaign trail, Vance was "noncommittal" about the promised funding, part of $1.7 billion distributed by the Biden administration. The $500 million grant would help General Motors convert its Lansing Grand River Assembly Plant into an EV facility.
The UAW, one of several labor unions that have endorsed Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, fired back Thursday, echoing its previous criticism of Trump and Vance.
"Donald Trump was the job-killer-in-chief while in the White House," the powerful union said in a statement. "His failed United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement—or Trump's NAFTA as we prefer to call it—has led to the mass exodus of good, blue-collar jobs from the United States. In sharp contrast, the Biden-Harris administration has bet on the American worker and thanks to their policies, hundreds of thousands of good manufacturing jobs are returning to the United States."
"Now, Trump and JD Vance are invading Michigan and threatening the $500 million investment the Biden-Harris administration made in the General Motors Grand River Assembly Plant and the union jobs that investment would provide," the UAW continued. "The bottom line is that Donald Trump and JD Vance are a menace to the working class and are openly threatening to double down on Trump's legacy of job destruction."
In a potential boost to Democrats ahead of November 5, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced Friday that in September federal unemployment hit 4.1% and the U.S. economy added 254,000 jobs, over 100,000 more than economists projected.
UAW president Shawn Fain, who led a major strike against Big Three auto companies last year, is set to join U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) for weekend events in Michigan to support Harris. The pair plans to visit Warren, Grand Rapids, and East Lansing to discuss "the American healthcare system, the fight against corporate greed, and shoring up Michigan's manufacturing future."
Harris was in Michigan on Friday for events in Detroit and Flint, where she was set to "meet with leaders from the Arab American community," according toReuters. "Meeting participants include leaders from the Muslim advocacy group Emgage, which recently endorsed Harris, the American Task Force on Lebanon, and a long-standing friend of Harris, Hala Hijazi, who has lost dozens of family members in Gaza."
"Other such as Jim Zogby, founder of the Arab American Institute and a longtime member of the Democratic National Committee, said he declined the invitation," Reuters reported. "Leaders from the Uncommitted National Movement protest campaign said they have not been invited to the meeting."
October 5, 2024
The United Auto Workers this week reiterated its warning that the Republican presidential ticket of Donald Trump and JD Vance is a threat to working-class Americans in response to a refusal by Vance to commit to honoring a $500 million federal grant for an electric vehicle plant in Michigan.
Both Trump and Vance—a venture capitalist turned U.S. senator from Ohio who often postures as a working-class ally—are campaigning in Michigan, a key swing state, this week.
The Detroit Newsreported Wednesday that on the campaign trail, Vance was "noncommittal" about the promised funding, part of $1.7 billion distributed by the Biden administration. The $500 million grant would help General Motors convert its Lansing Grand River Assembly Plant into an EV facility.
The UAW, one of several labor unions that have endorsed Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, fired back Thursday, echoing its previous criticism of Trump and Vance.
"Donald Trump was the job-killer-in-chief while in the White House," the powerful union said in a statement. "His failed United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement—or Trump's NAFTA as we prefer to call it—has led to the mass exodus of good, blue-collar jobs from the United States. In sharp contrast, the Biden-Harris administration has bet on the American worker and thanks to their policies, hundreds of thousands of good manufacturing jobs are returning to the United States."
"Now, Trump and JD Vance are invading Michigan and threatening the $500 million investment the Biden-Harris administration made in the General Motors Grand River Assembly Plant and the union jobs that investment would provide," the UAW continued. "The bottom line is that Donald Trump and JD Vance are a menace to the working class and are openly threatening to double down on Trump's legacy of job destruction."
In a potential boost to Democrats ahead of November 5, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced Friday that in September federal unemployment hit 4.1% and the U.S. economy added 254,000 jobs, over 100,000 more than economists projected.
UAW president Shawn Fain, who led a major strike against Big Three auto companies last year, is set to join U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) for weekend events in Michigan to support Harris. The pair plans to visit Warren, Grand Rapids, and East Lansing to discuss "the American healthcare system, the fight against corporate greed, and shoring up Michigan's manufacturing future."
Harris was in Michigan on Friday for events in Detroit and Flint, where she was set to "meet with leaders from the Arab American community," according toReuters. "Meeting participants include leaders from the Muslim advocacy group Emgage, which recently endorsed Harris, the American Task Force on Lebanon, and a long-standing friend of Harris, Hala Hijazi, who has lost dozens of family members in Gaza."
"Other such as Jim Zogby, founder of the Arab American Institute and a longtime member of the Democratic National Committee, said he declined the invitation," Reuters reported. "Leaders from the Uncommitted National Movement protest campaign said they have not been invited to the meeting."
Jon King, Michigan Advance
October 5, 2024
Sen. JD Vance (R-OH).\u00a0(Photo by Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says comments made in Michigan Wednesday by vice presidential candidate U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) are a “middle finger to Michigan auto workers.”
Whitmer was responding to comments reported by The Detroit News when Vance was asked while stumping in Michigan whether a second former President Donald Trump administration would commit to upholding a $500 million federal grant from the Biden administration that would convert the General Motors Lansing Grand River Plant, which currently makes Cadillac sedans, into a future electric vehicle plant.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks at a Lansing event announcing that a future expeditionary fast transport ship will be named “USS Lansing,” July 22, 2024 | Lucy Valeski
Officials say the conversion would save an estimated 650 jobs while creating up to 50 new positions.
Despite that, Vance twice declined to say whether a commitment would be forthcoming, instead claiming the grant came with “ridiculous strings and no protections for American jobs,” which he claimed could get shipped overseas as the minerals needed to produce electric batteries are produced in China.
“[S]o, when we write massive checks on American taxpayer expense to these companies, a lot of times what we’re doing is selling American middle class jobs to the Communist Chinese, and we ought to be doing exactly the opposite,” Vance said, as reported by the Detroit News.
The News, however, reported that GM says the assembled battery packs for the Lansing plant would be produced at the new battery plant currently under construction in Delta Township, just west of Lansing.
Whitmer and other Democrats criticized the remarks. She said they were akin to the Trump campaign turning its back on Michigan workers, noting that in 2016, Trump promised auto workers in Warren that if elected, they would “not lose one plant,” although during his administration GM ended up closing the 78-year-old plant in 2019.
“When you have a chance to save hundreds of good-paying Michigan auto jobs and create more, you take it,” said Whitmer. “Instead, the Trump-Vance ticket is giving the middle finger to Michigan auto workers by refusing to support their jobs at GM. The Biden-Harris administration acted to save this plant. But all Donald Trump cares about is billionaires like Elon Musk, not Michigan auto workers.”
Whitmer, a co-chair of the Harris campaign, said that the Biden administration had worked to secure thousands of good-paying jobs, including in Michigan, to manufacture cars, batteries and semiconductor chips.
“On Donald Trump’s watch, Michigan lost 280,000 jobs and the companies that sent those jobs overseas got huge tax breaks. Donald Trump turned his back on Michigan the last time he was in the White House, and he’s telling us loud and clear that he will do it again if he wins this November,” said Whitmer.
Michigan Advance is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Michigan Advance maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Susan J. Demas for questions: info@michiganadvance.com. Follow Michigan Advance on Facebook and X.
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