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Biden will deliver remarks praising gains for workers in the
deals the UAW won, talk about how his economic policies, dubbed
"Bidenomics", is working and highlight plans to reopen an auto
factory that Stellantis wanted to close, according to the White
House.
He will also meet with other UAW members, Illinois Governor J.B.
Pritzker and attend a political fundraiser.
In September, Biden joined a picket line with striking UAW
workers in Michigan, where he also met Fain. The appearance was
the first by a U.S. president with striking workers in modern
history and showed the importance of union support in the 2024
presidential election, even though unions represent a tiny
fraction of U.S. workers.
Thursday's appearance will once again allow Biden to showcase
his pro-union credentials to the UAW, which has yet to endorse
Biden, making the union one of the major holdouts as other labor
organizations have backed the Democratic president.
In September, UAW's Fain ruled out meeting Trump, casting him as
an out-of-touch billionaire, who does not have "any bit of care
about what our workers stand for, what the working class stands
for."
Labor leaders and Democratic officials said an endorsement from
the UAW for Biden is expected after the union's members approve
their tentative contract agreements, which dramatically raises
pay for auto workers and ended a strike targeting General
Motors, Ford and Stellantis, the maker of Jeep, Dodge and Ram
vehicles.
The relationship between Biden and Fain "didn't start as cozy as
it is now," said Mark Burton, a partner at the law firm of
Honigman and a former chief strategist of Michigan Governor
Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat.
But Biden taking on a "more supportive but silent role" during
the UAW negotiations improved the relationship over the last few
months, he said.
Biden "has formed a good working relationship with Shawn Fain
and I think the near-term result will be an endorsement," Burton
said.
The White House said the meeting will take place in Belvidere,
where Stellantis agreed to reopen a stalled plant and add
additional jobs. The plant's fate was a key discussion point in
negotiations between the UAW and Stellantis.
(Reporting by Nandita Bose in Washington; Editing by Christian
Schmollinger)
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