Biden Joins Autoworkers on Picket Line in Michigan

President Biden grabbed a bullhorn and joined striking autoworkers in Michigan on Tuesday, becoming the first sitting president to join a picket line in an extraordinary show of support for workers demanding better wages.

Auto companies were doing well, Mr. Biden told dozens of workers outside a General Motors facility that employs more than 200 people in Belleville, Mich., outside Detroit.

"Guess what? You should be doing just as well," Mr. Biden told the crowd, drawing applause. He fist-bumped several members of the United Auto Workers union.

"You've heard me say many times: Wall Street didn't build this country," he said. "The middle class built this country. And unions built the middle class. That's a fact. Let's keep going. You deserve what you've earned, and you've earned a hell of a lot more than you get paid now."

The president's 15-minute visit, held under gray skies as classic-rock songs by John Mellencamp and Aerosmith played in the background, came at the invitation of Shawn Fain, U.A.W.'s president, as Mr. Biden tries to solidify support in a key swing state.

Mr. Biden's visit looked like a capstone for a politician who for decades has positioned himself as a champion of the middle class, but other political forces were at play as well. He joined the workers one day before his predecessor and likely 2024 rival, former President Donald J. Trump, is scheduled to visit a nearby county and deliver remarks to current and former union members.

Mr. Biden spoke for only a couple of minutes before turning the bullhorn back to Mr. Fain, who has criticized Mr. Trump's planned visit. While the president watched, Mr. Fain railed against executives and the billionaire class.

"They think they own the world," Mr. Fain said. "But we make it run."

The White House has been hesitant to say whether Mr. Biden supported what U.A.W. workers were asking for, but when asked whether the workers deserved a 40 percent pay raise, he responded: "Yes. I think they should be able to bargain for that."

Automakers, who have argued that wage increases beyond what they have already offered could damage their competitiveness as the industry shifts to embrace electric cars, did not exactly hail the president's visit. "Our focus is not on politics but continues to be on bargaining in good faith with the U.A.W. leadership to reach an agreement as quickly as possible that rewards our work force and allows G.M. to succeed and thrive into the future," General Motors said in a statement, adding that "nobody wins" from a strike.

Still, the White House is betting that Mr. Biden's visit is enough to help counter Mr. Trump's visit to the area and earn the president points with U.A.W., which backed him in 2020 but has not yet endorsed him, citing concerns over the administration's push for a transition to electric vehicles.

It is the first time this campaign season that Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump, whose political styles are as divergent as their visions for the country, will be competing in real time for a powerful bloc of working-class voters.

In one corner, Mr. Biden has argued that his clean-energy agenda — including a shift toward electric vehicles — will create new manufacturing jobs, even as companies that make batteries and other electric-vehicle parts resist unionizing their workers.

In another, Mr. Trump has channeled the growing frustration among workers who fear for the future of their jobs. "REMEMBER, HE WANTS TO TAKE YOUR JOBS AWAY AND GIVE THEM TO CHINA AND OTHER FOREIGN COUNTRIES." Mr. Trump wrote of Mr. Biden on social media on Monday, adding, "I WILL KEEP YOUR JOBS AND MAKE YOU RICH!!!

Officials with both campaigns, of course, have pounced.

"No self-serving photo op can erase Trump's four years of abandoning union workers and standing with his ultrarich friends," Ammar Moussa, a spokesman for Mr. Biden's campaign, said in a statement.

Jason Miller, a senior adviser for Mr. Trump, said the president's visit showed he was on the defensive.

"This underscores the fact of how perilous Biden's political footing is: a state that Democrats would have you convinced is safely blue, to talk with a constituency that Democrats would have you convinced are safely in their camp," Mr. Miller said in an interview.

In the White House, Mr. Biden's advisers have insisted that his visit has little to nothing to do with his predecessor's, though they say Mr. Biden's appearance is sure to strike a contrast with Mr. Trump's planned visit to Drake Enterprises, a nonunion plant in Macomb County.

Michigan is seen as a critical state for Democrats in 2024. While it was one of Mr. Trump's most surprising victories in 2016, Mr. Biden carried the state in 2020.

Mr. Trump has no plans to meet with Mr. Fain, who has publicly criticized the former president's plans to travel to Michigan: "We can't keep electing billionaires and millionaires that don't have any understanding what it is like to live paycheck to paycheck and struggle to get by and expecting them to solve the problems of the working class," Mr. Fain said last week.

Still, many workers in his union have balked at the Biden administration's proposal of the country's most ambitious climate regulations, which would ensure that two-thirds of new passenger cars are all-electric by 2032, up from 5.8 percent today.

Presidents are typically expected to be neutral arbiters between striking laborers and the companies they work for, and many modern presidents have struggled to find a middle ground.

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In 1981, President Ronald Reagan fired over 11,000 striking air traffic controllers, undermining a union effort by arguing that federal workers were in violation of an employment oath not to strike against the government. The decision traumatized the labor movement for decades and caused Democratic presidents to speak delicately about the power of unions.

Mr. Biden has stood firmly stood with U.A.W., which is calling for increased wages, shorter work hours and expanded benefits from three Detroit automakers: General Motors, Ford and Stellantis, the parent of Chrysler.

Since the strike began on Sept. 15, Mr. Biden has been calling on companies and workers to reach an agreement that would spare a ripple effect through the economy that could raise auto prices and disrupt supply chains.

Historians said that Mr. Biden, who came of age during an era of strong unions, is returning Democrats to their roots.

"The recent Democrats have slipped a little," said Ileen A. DeVault, a professor of labor history at Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations, "but I think Biden really is pro-union and pro-labor, and he really is trying to improve working conditions for workers in the United States."

She did not see the same with Mr. Trump. "I do not see any evidence that he has done anything at all to either help unions in this country," she said, "let alone to help ordinary people."

The trip to Michigan is part of a gantlet of a week for Mr. Biden, who hosted a summit with Pacific island leaders on Monday before starting a three-day sprint across the country, beginning in Wayne County, which includes Detroit.

On Tuesday, Mr. Biden was scheduled to travel to San Francisco, where he will hold a campaign reception. On Wednesday, he will host a meeting with advisers who develop recommendations on science, technology and innovation policy.

On Thursday, he is set to deliver remarks centered on the state of democracy in Arizona, an appearance that is expected to be an implicit rebuttal to the Republican presidential debate and Mr. Trump's campaign activities. He will also honor the legacy of John McCain, the longtime Republican senator from Arizona who died in 2018 and who was a frequent foil of Mr. Trump's.

Before making his way to the picket line in Michigan, Mr. Biden asked what it would take to receive the U.A.W.'s endorsement.

"I'm not worried about that," he replied.

Jack Ewing contributed reporting.

Sept. 26, 2023, 3:53 p.m. ET

Jack Ewing

General Motors did its best to ignore the president's visit, saying in a statement: "Our focus is not on politics but continues to be on bargaining in good faith with the U.A.W. leadership to reach an agreement as quickly as possible." The company added that "nobody wins" from a strike.

Sept. 26, 2023, 2:41 p.m. ET

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President Biden joined scores of striking autoworkers on a picket line in Michigan on Tuesday, urging them to "stick with it" as they fought for better pay and benefits from the nation's largest automobile companies.

Mr. Biden joined members of the United Automobile Workers union at a General Motors facility, west of Detroit, where picketers clad in red shirts and carrying signs yelled: "What do we want? Contracts! When do we want them? Now!"

It was an extraordinary scene for a sitting president to be seen on the front lines of a major labor dispute, in what the White House called a historic visit from Mr. Biden.

Mr. Biden slung his arm around a picketer as the union's president, Shawn Fain, praised him for being the first sitting president to join a picket line. "Thank you!" several of them called out to him.

In his speech, Mr. Fain railed against the elite and billionaire class.

"They think they own the world," he said. "But we make it run."

Dressed in a baseball cap, zip-up sweater and brown shoes, Mr. Biden grabbed a bullhorn from Mr. Fain. "Unions built the middle class," Mr. Biden shouted through the bullhorn. "It's a fact!"

Mr. Biden told the crowd that they made a lot of sacrifices when their companies were in trouble. "Now they're doing incredibly well," he said. "And guess what: You should be doing incredibly well, too."

Mr. Biden's visit to one of the picket lines — outside a parts storage facility that employs roughly 200 people — came one day before former President Donald J. Trump was due to give a speech to hundreds of current and former union workers.

Mr. Biden has attempted to separate his re-election campaign from his unapologetic stance as the "the most pro-union president leading the most pro-union administration in American history." In his short remarks — Mr. Biden's entire visit lasted only 15 minutes — he emphasized that he had been a labor supporter for decades and had picketed before, just not as president.

The White House has been hesitant to say whether Mr. Biden supported what U.A.W. workers were asking for, but when asked whether the workers deserved a 40 percent pay raise, he responded "Yes," along with the crowd of picketers.

Before making his way to the picket line, he was asked what it would take to receive the U.A.W.'s endorsement. He replied: "I'm not worried about that."

Sept. 26, 2023, 2:33 p.m. ET

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The Michigan that Donald J. Trump won in 2016 had a Republican governor, Republican majorities in the Legislature and a well-earned reputation for being a presidential battleground.

Since then, Michigan voters have elected a Democratic governor and enacted a sweeping overhaul of their state's voting and redistricting laws that helped usher in Democratic majorities in the Legislature. In 2020, Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s margin of victory in Michigan — 2.8 percentage points — was larger than in any other major battleground state he carried, and was more than twice as much as Mr. Trump won by in North Carolina, the most competitive state he carried.

Mr. Biden's visit on Tuesday and Mr. Trump's planned trip on Wednesday illustrate that the Democratic-controlled version of Michigan — where the second-term governor, Gretchen Whitmer, is regularly mentioned among those who could lead the party in a post-Biden world — remains at the center of the national political discussion.

For both men, the attention this week may be less about whether Mr. Trump can actually carry the state next year, and more about sending signals to voters elsewhere.

Democrats, for their part, generally seem far more worried about Mr. Biden's prospects in other states. By becoming the first president to visit an active picket line in the modern era, Mr. Biden is aiming to cement his image as being in solidarity with workers.

Mr. Trump's visit, meanwhile, is intended to help him claw back support from union and blue-collar workers across the country — voters who helped him to victory in 2016 after he forcefully opposed international free-trade agreements.

While aligning himself with striking workers is a bit of a political layup for Mr. Biden, it comes with significant risks. The internal politics of the United Automobile Workers are dicey. The union has so far resisted endorsing Mr. Biden, even though its president, Shawn Fain, appeared with Mr. Biden on Tuesday and praised him for joining the picket line. And a protracted work stoppage could damage the economy, not just in Michigan but across the country.

Even though Mr. Fain has warned that the Biden administration's push for electric vehicles could leave workers behind, he has been far more critical of Mr. Trump, regularly denouncing him and Republican policies in the run-up to the strike. The U.A.W. has sought to distance itself from Mr. Trump's planned event on Wednesday.

Sept. 26, 2023, 1:49 p.m. ET

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President Biden has for decades built his political identity around close ties to America's labor unions, and former President Donald J. Trump is aiming to once more eat into Democratic margins among union workers he wooed in 2016 by railing against free-trade agreements.

Over the next two days, the once and likely future presidential opponents are expected to cross paths in Michigan, where each is scheduled to appear before supportive current and former union workers — with Mr. Trump's campaign saying the only reason Mr. Biden visited on Tuesday was because the former president had announced he'd be there on Wednesday.

But in truth, Mr. Biden faced more pressure from within his own party and the United Automobile Workers than he did from Mr. Trump's visit. After an array of elected Democrats visited the picket lines in the opening days of the strike, Shawn Fain, the U.A.W. president, made a public invitation to Mr. Biden on Friday morning to join as well.

At first Mr. Biden's top advisers and allies assumed he would not take the bait. Appearing on a picket line, they said, could compromise federal agencies that might have to mediate labor disputes between the automakers and the union, and could allow for questioning of the loyalty of his appointees to the National Labor Relations Board, which is supposed to be an independent agency.

By Friday afternoon, Mr. Biden had changed his mind. He would stop in Michigan on Tuesday on the way to California, where he has a fund-raiser scheduled for later in the evening.

"I'm happy to have President Biden in Michigan fighting in solidarity alongside workers," Senator Gary Peters, a Michigan Democrat who has been on the picket lines twice already, said late Monday.

Mr. Biden is reaching out to perhaps the most prominent labor union that has yet to formally support his re-election bid. While Mr. Biden won endorsements in June from an array of unions, the U.A.W. notably withheld backing him, in part because of questions over how his administration's efforts to fight climate change will affect jobs in auto manufacturing.

No president in modern times has been as vocally supportive of union workers as Mr. Biden. While he didn't deliver a long speech to the crowd of gathered autoworkers, it was a symbolically important trip: Mr. Biden was the first sitting president in modern times to visit a picket line, according to Michael Beschloss, the presidential historian.

Sept. 26, 2023, 1:46 p.m. ET

Katie Rogers

Traveling with the president

The president's motorcade has pulled up to Air Force One. This was a brief visit before he departs to the San Francisco area for a campaign event tonight.

Sept. 26, 2023, 1:37 p.m. ET

Erica L. Green

The White House has been hesitant to say whether Biden supports what U.A.W. workers are asking for, but when asked whether the workers deserve a 40 percent pay raise, he responded "Yes," along with the crowd of picketers.

Sept. 26, 2023, 1:33 p.m. ET

Katie Rogers

Traveling with the president

The president mentioned he has been a labor supporter for decades and has picketed before — just not as president. The White House is betting that this visual is enough to help counter Trump's visit to the area tomorrow.

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Sept. 26, 2023, 1:22 p.m. ET

Katie Rogers

Traveling with the president

After a 15-minute visit with the workers, we have climbed back into the motorcade.

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Sept. 26, 2023, 1:19 p.m. ET

Erica L. Green

Biden tells picketing workers that they made a lot of sacrifices when their companies were in trouble. "Now they're doing incredibly well," he said. "And guess what: You should be doing incredibly well, too."

Sept. 26, 2023, 1:18 p.m. ET

Katie Rogers

Traveling with the president

Biden grabbed a bullhorn from Fain and yelled: "Unions built the middle class. It's a fact! So let's keep going." He then shook hands with a waiting line of picketers.

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Sept. 26, 2023, 1:17 p.m. ET

Katie Rogers

Traveling with the president

Fain, the U.A.W. president who criticized Donald Trump's planned visit to Michigan tomorrow, is railing against the elite and billionaire class. "They think they own the world," he said. "But we make it run." It is a powerful way for Biden to hammer home his bottom-up, middle-out message without being the person to say it.

Sept. 26, 2023, 1:15 p.m. ET

Katie Rogers

Traveling with the president

Biden, who is dressed in a baseball cap, zip-up sweater and brown shoes, put his arm around a picketer as Fain praised him for being the first modern president to join a picket line. "Thank you!" several of them called out to him.

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Sept. 26, 2023, 1:11 p.m. ET

Katie Rogers

Traveling with the president

"Stick with it. You deserve a significant raise and other benefits," Biden tells the picketers to applause before introducing Shawn Fain, the U.A.W. president.

Sept. 26, 2023, 1:10 p.m. ET

Katie Rogers

Traveling with the president

Biden's motorcade has pulled up next to a line of picketers at a General Motors facility west of Detroit.

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Sept. 26, 2023, 12:55 p.m. ET

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Once President Biden was invited to join United Auto Workers on the picket line Tuesday, it was hard to imagine him saying no.

From the moment he entered the White House, Mr. Biden has boasted that no other president has been more supportive of labor unions. It is a refrain he uses for private fund-raisers, economic speeches, meetings with foreign leaders and off-the-cuff exchanges with journalists.

"In America, I'm proud that my administration is characterized as the most pro-union administration in American history," he told President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil in New York last week. "No, I really mean it."

In a Labor Day speech this month he said "I make no bones about that." During a speech in Chicago in June he noted that "I make no apologies for it." In an address to the Canadian parliament, he added: "And I speak to a hell of a lot of Canadian union members."

Many of Mr. Biden's Democratic predecessors have been careful to avoid becoming entangled in messy, high-profile labor disputes. Rather than take sides, former presidents have tried to serve as somewhat neutral brokers, using their position to nudge the parties to an agreement.

In 2015, President Barack Obama sent his labor secretary to mediate a labor dispute between shipowners and the longshoremen which had disrupted shipping at a West Coast port. During a strike by UPS workers in 1997, President Bill Clinton said he believed they should "redouble their efforts to settle the strike and they ought to do it today."

There are political risks from Mr. Biden's all-in posture. A lengthy strike that disrupts auto production could be a drag on the economy and anger car buyers just as Mr. Biden's re-election campaign gears up next year. Voters could blame the president for taking sides in the dispute should its effects ripple across the country.

But support for unions is at the heart of Mr. Biden's economic vision. In his telling, the growth of the middle class in America during the last century is a direct result of labor unions pushing for better wages and better working conditions.

However, he has also been aggressive about pushing for an environmental agenda that includes a transition to the manufacture of electric vehicles and the batteries that power them. Most of that work is not done by union workers, a fact that has angered the members of the U.A.W. and threatened to undermine labor support for Mr. Biden in crucial Midwest states.

Appearing side-by-side with workers on the picket lines is intended to send a message that he remains committed to their futures despite his backing of electric vehicles.

Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, said on Monday that there was little debate inside the West Wing about whether to accept the invitation to join the picket line.

"He has made it very, very clear that he supports union workers; he supports the U.A.W. workers," she told reporters. "What you're going to see is — is historic. Right? This is going to be a historic visit."

Sept. 26, 2023, 12:45 p.m. ET

Katie Rogers

Traveling with the president

We are in the motorcade headed to a still-secret picket location. There are a handful of possible facilities in Wayne County.

Sept. 26, 2023, 12:38 p.m. ET

Katie Rogers

Traveling with the president

After stepping off Air Force One, Biden was asked about what it would take to receive the U.A.W.'s endorsement. He replied: "I'm not worried about that."

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Sept. 26, 2023, 12:21 p.m. ET

Katie Rogers

Traveling with the president

Biden just landed in Detroit. Our motorcade is rolling to the still-undisclosed picket location shortly.

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Sept. 26, 2023, 12:00 p.m. ET

Katie Rogers

Traveling with the president

I am sitting in a waiting motorcade at the airport in Detroit, where President Biden is expected to land shortly for his trip to visit autoworkers on the U.A.W. picket line. I spotted Debbie Dingell and Rashida Tlaib, two Democratic congresswomen from Michigan, among the greeters waiting for his arrival.

Sept. 26, 2023, 12:14 p.m. ET

Katie Rogers

Traveling with the president

None of us in the motorcade knows where Biden is going once he lands. On Air Force One, the press secretary did not disclose a location or say who from the administration, if anyone, would be joining the president on the picket line. It is unusual for a trip the White House has called historic to be so shrouded in mystery.

Sept. 26, 2023, 11:59 a.m. ET

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The autoworkers strike began on Sept. 15 with one plant run by each of the Big Three Detroit automakers — Ford, General Motors and Stellantis, the parent of Chrysler, Jeep and Ram — and expanded last week to include 38 parts distribution centers at G.M. and Stellantis. The United Automobile Workers did not include Ford in the expansion, citing progress in talks.

Here's a look at the what the union is seeking, and what the automakers have offered:

What does the union want?

The U.A.W. has demanded a 40 percent wage increase over four years — an amount that union officials have said matches the raises the top executives at the three companies have received over the last four years. Those raises are also meant to compensate for more modest increases the autoworkers received in recent years and concessions the union made to the companies after the 2008 financial crisis.

The union is also seeking cost-of-living adjustments that would nudge wages higher to compensate for inflation. And it wants a reinstatement of pensions for all workers, improved retiree benefits and shorter work hours, as well as an end to a tiered wage system that starts new hires at much lower wages than the top U.A.W. pay of $32 an hour.

What have the companies offered?

When the strike started, the companies had offered to raise pay around 14.5 percent to 20 percent over four years. Their offers include lump-sum payments to help offset the effects of inflation, and policy changes that would lift the pay of recent hires and temporary workers, who typically earn about a third less than veteran union members.

On Sept. 16, a top Stellantis executive said the company had proposed "job security" for about 1,350 people who lost their positions at a plant in Belvidere, Ill., that was closed indefinitely in February. Saving the plant was one of the U.A.W.'s priorities going into bargaining. The union rejected the Stellantis proposal before the strike started.

The U.A.W. president, Shawn Fain, said on Friday that the union has made "some real progress" with Ford, which was why it did not target any of its distribution centers. Ford conceded on cost-of-living adjustments for wages, the right to strike over plant closures and benefits for workers who are laid off, Mr. Fain said.

"At G.M. and Stellantis, it's a different story," he said in a Facebook livestream.

What have the negotiators said publicly?

The companies say that they are investing billions in a transition to battery-powered vehicles, which makes it harder for them to pay substantially higher wages. They say they are at a disadvantage compared with nonunion automakers like Tesla, which dominates the sales of electric cars.

Mr. Fain has consistently said that the union will not settle for less than the 40 percent wage increases.

"If we don't get better offers and we don't get down to taking care of the members' needs, then we're going to amp this thing up even more," Mr. Fain said in an interview with CBS's "Face the Nation."

How are the automakers doing financially?

The Big Three have had a lucrative year so far.

Stellantis reported a profit of $11.6 billion in the first half of 2023, a 37 percent increase from the same period last year. The company also reported a 24 percent increase in sales of battery-electric vehicles and low-emission vehicles.

Ford reported a first-half profit of $3.7 billion, up from a loss of $2.4 billion in the first half of 2022, with revenue growing 16 percent.

General Motors reported a first-half profit of $5 billion, up from $4.6 billion in the same period during 2022. Revenue rose 18 percent during the first half.

Sept. 26, 2023, 11:44 a.m. ET

The last few months have seen a surge in labor organizing and stoppages, which have idled assembly lines in the heartland and shuttered productions in Hollywood.

The high-profile contract fights have played out across the country, just as public opinion has been turning more in favor of organized labor. According to a poll conducted by Gallup in August, 67 percent of Americans approved of labor unions, up from 48 percent in 2009, the lowest since Gallup started asking the question in 1936.

Despite some notable gains for unions in recent years — including successful efforts to organize workers at more than 300 Starbucks locations and Amazon's Staten Island warehouse — union membership remains low by historical standards. The share of Americans who belonged to a union in 2022 was 10.1 percent, the lowest figure on record, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Here's what to know about several notable labor disputes from recent months:

The Hollywood Strikes

More than 11,000 movie and television writers went on strike on May 1, walking out right before their three-year contract expired. Among the screenwriters' core demands were an increase in a type of royalty payment knows as residuals, for which they cited stagnant growth in compensation for writers even as television expanded rapidly in the streaming era, and employment protections against the growing use of artificial intelligence.

The Writers Guild of America, which represents the striking screenwriters, reached a tentative deal for a new contract with Hollywood companies on Sunday night, marking the likely end of the work stoppage.

But most shows and productions are likely to remain sidelined for even longer, as Hollywood actors have been on strike since July 14. The actors are also at odds with entertainment companies over compensation and the use of A.I., and they've called for a 2 percent share of the total revenue earned by streaming shows. The union representing the actors, SAG-AFTRA, currently has no talks scheduled with the studios.

UPS

The union representing more than 325,000 UPS workers, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, spent months negotiating a new contract with the company. The workers' key demands included better pay for part-time workers, whom the company relies on heavily during busy periods, and improved heat safety.

In making its demands, the union cited the company's strong growth since before the pandemic: UPS's adjusted net income grew more than 70 percent from 2019 to 2022.

The union and UPS reached a tentative deal on July 25, and then workers approved a new five-year contract on Aug. 22 with 86 percent support, averting a shutdown that would have sent ripples throughout the American economy.

The terms of the new deal included an increase in the minimum pay for part-time workers, to $21 an hour from less than $17; requirements for air-conditioning in new delivery trucks; and a growth in compensation for full-time delivery drivers, to $49 an hour after four full years of service from $42.

U.A.W.

Thousands of members of the United Auto Workers union went on strike against three large U.S. automakers — Ford, General Motors and Stellantis — at three plants after the workers' four-year contract expired at 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 14. The work stoppage has grown in scope since, with the union expanding its strike to include spare-parts distribution centers for G.M. and Stellantis.

Led by its new president, Shawn Fain, the union has taken a more aggressive approach to negotiations, calling for a 40 percent increase in compensation for workers over the course of the new four-year contract, the improvement of retiree medical coverage and pensions, and the end to a system that pays newer workers much less than more veteran ones.

Like the Teamsters, the U.A.W. has pointed to growth in profits and chief executive compensation in making its demands for improved compensation for its members.

Sept. 26, 2023, 11:40 a.m. ET

Neal Boudette

Stellantis, the parent company of Chrysler and Jeep, said in a statement on Monday: "On the first day of the strike, President Biden said U.A.W. workers 'deserve a contract that sustains them and the middle class.' We agree and presented a record offer."

Sept. 26, 2023, 11:41 a.m. ET

Neal Boudette

The company added that it needs "a balanced agreement" that fairly rewards workers without significantly disadvantaging it against non-union competitors. It said the company's offer includes a 21.4% compounded wage increase, $1 billion in retirement security benefits, inflation protection measures and job security provisions.

Sept. 26, 2023, 11:01 a.m. ET

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Former President Donald J. Trump is planning to travel to Detroit on Wednesday, while the rest of the candidates vying for the Republican presidential nomination are debating in California.

Mr. Trump is set for a prime time speech to current and former union members the same night the other candidates are in California at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum.

The former president also skipped the first G.O.P. debate in August, opting instead for an interview with the former Fox News host Tucker Carlson that was posted online as the debate began.

Mr. Trump has not directly addressed the wage demands of striking workers and has attacked the union leadership, but he has tried to more broadly cast himself on the side of autoworkers. He has long prided himself on his appeal to rank-and-file union workers — even as most union leaders have remained hostile to him, and as Mr. Biden has called himself the most pro-union president in history.

Mr. Trump won Michigan in the 2016 election, one of the states in the so-called blue wall that crumbled for Democrats that year. But Mr. Biden carried Michigan by more than 150,000 votes in 2020, and it is seen as a critical state for Democrats in 2024.

Sept. 26, 2023, 11:01 a.m. ET

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He has promised to be "the most pro-union president leading the most pro-union administration in American history," but like other occupants of the Oval Office, President Biden has at times run afoul of labor groups.

In December, he signed legislation that imposed an agreement between rail companies and workers who had been locked in a bitter dispute. The bill averted a strike that could have upended the economy just before the holiday season, but it also curbed the efforts of workers and advocates who were fighting for provisions such as guaranteed time off and paid sick leave.

Presidents are typically expected to be neutral arbiters between striking laborers and the companies they work for. On Monday, however, Mr. Biden told reporters that he firmly stood with the United Automobile Workers, which is calling for increased wages, shorter work hours and expanded benefits from three Detroit automakers: General Motors, Ford and Stellantis, the parent of Jeep and Ram trucks.

Other modern presidents have found it difficult to find a middle ground between employers and employees.

In 1952, President Harry S. Truman tried to avert a strike of the United Steelworkers of America by nationalizing the steel industry, only to be met with a lawsuit from steel companies.

Ten years later, President John F. Kennedy signed an executive order that gave federal employees the right to collectively bargain, but he warned flight engineers and pilots against striking that same year, telling them that it would be too damaging to the economy.

In 1981, President Reagan fired over 11,000 striking air traffic controllers, undermining a union effort by arguing that federal workers were in violation of an employment oath not to strike against the government. The decision traumatized the labor movement for decades.