White House Cancels Plans To Send Officials To Detroit Amid UAW Strikes

The Biden administration has withdrawn plans to send two key officials to Detroit for in-person negotiations amid ongoing strikes by the United Auto Workers (UAW), CNBC reported.

Last week, President Joe Biden announced he would send Senior Advisor Gene Sperling and Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su to help facilitate dialogue between the Big Three automakers – Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis – and the striking UAW. However, it was mutually agreed that these discussions would instead take place virtually via Zoom, a White House official disclosed on Tuesday.

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Despite the change in plans, the possibility of Sperling and Su traveling to Detroit next week hasn’t been ruled out, as the White House official stated they would “continue to assess travel timing based on the active state of negotiations.”

The UAW, representing nearly 13,000 strikers across three plants in Michigan, Missouri, and Ohio, has shown a lukewarm reception to White House involvement. Union President Shawn Fain stated that the dispute was about “workers standing up for economic and social justice,” rather than political intervention.

As the strikes continue, Fain has warned of additional strikes at more Ford, GM, and Stellantis plants if “serious progress” is not made in the negotiations by midday Friday, Sep. 22.

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