- Shawn Fain has thrown his support behind Kamala Harris in next month’s federal election.
- Trump has said he would consider repealing the $7,500 federal EV tax credit.
- Trump’s running mate has refused to commit to retaining a $500 million investment to help GM convert a factory to EV production.
The president of the United Auto Workers union has labeled Donald Trump as a “job killer” and said that hundreds of thousands of automotive jobs are at risk if he returns to the Oval Office.
Shawn Fain first endorsed Joe Biden for November’s election, but when he dropped out of the race, threw his support behind Kamala Harris. While the Democrats have provided billions to support the EV industry, Trump has threatened to repeal electric vehicle investments. Recently, Trump’s running mate JD Vance refused to commit to retaining a $500 million investment to help GM convert a Cadillac plant into a site to build EVs.
Read: UAW Files Federal Charges Against Musk And Trump For Threatening Workers
According to Fain, canceling this investment could put 650 jobs in Lansing, Michigan, at risk.
“The job-killer in chief is once again back in Michigan to do what he does best: He’s going to lie about bringing our jobs back, and it’s nothing new,” Fain said. “We’ve seen this same song and dance from Trump over and over, but the reality is, Trump never brought back squat. 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.”
The Trump administration has denied Fain’s allegations and claimed that nearly six out of every 10 members of The International Brotherhood of Teamsters union supports the former president’s candidacy for a second term, The Washington Times reports. Fain says internal polls within the UAW show 65% of union members have consistently voted for Democratic candidates.
Trump has said he would consider repealing the $7,500 tax credit for electric vehicles if he was elected President. He may also reverse Treasury Department rules that have made it easier for car manufacturers to take advantage of this credit, Reuters reports.
Stellantis strikes
Fain’s comments came shortly before the UAW announced that “members, lawmakers and allies” are rallying in Washington on Thursday afternoon. The union fears that Stellantis is backing out of a commitment to reopen its idled assembly plant in Belvidere, Illinois.
“Stellantis made a promise to invest in America and we’re making sure they keep the promise,” Fain said in a statement. “The commitments we won in our contract aren’t goals, they’re guarantees. The company claims they don’t have the money to make these investments. But since the year began, they’ve dumped more than $3 billion into stock buybacks. They have the money to Keep The Promise.”
