United Auto Workers (UAW) President Shawn Fain stated on Thursday that the potential victory of Republican former President Donald Trump in the upcoming Nov. 5 election could jeopardize hundreds of thousands of U.S. jobs if he follows through on his threat to revoke electric vehicle investments. Fain’s comments come amid heightened political tensions surrounding the future of the auto industry, particularly concerning the transition to electric vehicles (EVs).
Democrats have highlighted Trump’s running mate, U.S. Senator JD Vance of Ohio, who recently declined to affirm the continuation of a $500 million investment aimed at converting a General Motors (GM) facility into an electric vehicle manufacturing plant. Fain emphasized that the withdrawal of these funds would endanger approximately 650 jobs at the Lansing, Michigan, plant and significantly affect the broader workforce across the country. “It’s a lot bigger than just the Lansing Grand River investment. It’s factories all over the United States, and it’s supply chain factories all over the United States that are being put in place now. So you’re talking hundreds of thousands of jobs that Donald Trump is just writing off,” Fain told reporters ahead of Trump’s visit to Detroit.
Last week, Vance faced criticism from the UAW for his vague responses regarding the funding allocated to GM for the electric vehicle initiative. When questioned again on Tuesday, Vance remarked that neither he nor Trump had indicated plans to remove “any money that’s going to Michigan auto workers out of the state of Michigan.” He added, “What we’ve said is that Kamala Harris is offering table scraps—$500 million—when you have an EV mandate that’s going to cost 117,000 auto worker jobs,” asserting that electric vehicles were selling slower than gasoline-powered cars.
Vice President Kamala Harris addressed the concerns during a rally in Michigan last week, asserting that she has no intention of imposing an all-EV mandate and instead supports consumer choice and competition with China in the automotive sector. Despite some autoworkers’ fears that the shift to electric vehicles could diminish job opportunities, Harris and her advisors maintain that jobs in manufacturing EV parts will also be generated in the U.S.
Fain reiterated the UAW’s support for Harris, noting the Biden administration’s implementation of a 100% tariff on Chinese EVs to protect U.S. automakers as they expand in the electric vehicle market. He dismissed the notion that a significant portion of autoworkers favor Trump, referencing internal polls indicating that 65% of union members consistently vote for Democratic candidates. “It’s a very clear picture for us on who stands with working-class people,” he stated, recalling that Harris participated in a picket line during the 2019 GM strike while Trump remained silent.
Source: Reuters
