On Monday’s broadcast of CNN’s “The Lead,” UAW President Shawn Fain discussed endorsing a candidate in the 2024 presidential race and stated that there are issues with workers possibly being left behind in the transition from internal combustion engines to electric vehicles, and stated that “20% of the powertrain workers in the Big Three stand to lose their jobs down the road” if that transition occurs. He also argued that “you can’t call this a just transition if you’re going to go from $32 an hour wages down to $16 an hour.”
Host Bianna Golodryga asked, “So, is an endorsement contingent upon a deal with the administration on these specific asks that you have?”
Fain answered, “We’ll see. It’s — there’s a lot of work to be done still. But, I mean, naturally, all of these things are a big part of it. Again, workers can’t be left behind in this transition. When we talk about the EV transition, you’re talking about 20% of the powertrain workers in the Big Three stand to lose their jobs down the road if we go from [internal combustion] engines to the battery power. And you can’t call this a just transition if you’re going to go from $32 an hour wages down to $16 an hour.”
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