Hawley: Auto workers deserve raise, protection from ‘Biden’s stupid climate mandates’

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) came out in support of the United Auto Workers’ strike on Friday, using the opportunity to attack President Biden.

“Auto workers deserve a raise — and they deserve to have their jobs protected from Joe Biden’s stupid climate mandates that are destroying the US auto industry and making China rich,” Hawley said on X, formerly Twitter.

United Auto Workers began a strike against the “Big Three” automakers — Ford, General Motors and Stellantis — Friday morning, a first in the union’s history. The union is demanding increased wages, shorter work weeks and better retirement benefits.

Biden on Friday called on the auto makers to increase their offer to workers to make a deal.

“I believe they should go further… Record corporate profits, which they have, should be shared by record contracts for the UAW,” Biden said Friday.

“Let’s be clear, no one wants a strike. No one wants a strike. But I respect workers’ rights to use their options under the collective bargaining system and I understand the workers’ frustration,” he added.

The Commerce Department shared similar sentiments, backing the strike and citing its success to Biden administration policies.

But Hawley blamed the strikes’ necessity on the Biden administration, saying federal regulations have driven up automaker expenses that would otherwise be spent on workers.

“Every dime the auto industry is spending on Joe Biden’s radical climate mandates should be spent on workers,” Hawley said. “They deserve better wages, better hours, and a guarantee their jobs will be safe — not shipped off to China.”

Former President Trump has also repeatedly used the UAW negotiations to attack Biden’s push for a transition to electric vehicles, an effort he has promised to halt if he return to the White House.

Profits at the Big Three automakers increased by 92 percent in the last decade, totaling $250 billion, according to an analysis released Tuesday. CEO compensation rose by 40 percent through the same period.

The union reportedly rejected the latest counteroffers from all three automakers, which say the workers’ demands are not realistic and unaffordable, in part due to the cost of the shift to EVs.

“We are committed to winning an agreement with the Big Three that reflects the incredible sacrifice and contributions UAW members have made to these companies,” Fain said in his Thursday address.

The Hill’s Taylor Giorno contributed to this report.