WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — The week after United Auto Workers members walked off the job, their protest could expand.
Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., said the workers "have sacrificed" and are due a fair share of automakers' record profits.
"Particularly when senior executives and the CEO continue to get huge increases in their pay, workers believe they should have their fair share as well," Peters said.
Ford, General Motors and Stellantis say they want to strike a deal by Friday to avoid an even larger strike. All three companies have offered better pay and benefits, but rejected the union's demands to increase pay by 40%, citing the high cost of making electric vehicles.
"Ford alone lost $4.5 billion on their EV line last year," Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., said.
He blamed Democrats' clean energy policies for putting autoworkers in a bind.
"This is a direct result of this radical climate agenda that the Biden administration has been pushing," Schmitt said. "And now it's having a real-life impact on the workers in my state."
President Joe Biden says he supports workers, but at the request of the union, his administration is taking a back seat at the negotiation table.
Former President Donald Trump plans to head to Michigan next week to support strikers. Peters said it's just an act.
"The former president has been anti-labor union his entire life … and he can't change his past record," Peters said.
