FOX News contributor Liz Peek says the free market should decide when and whether to go full electric vehicles amid the left’s green energy push on “The Evening Edit.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders addressed striking United Auto Workers (UAW) employees in Detroit, Michigan on Friday, calling on the automakers’ CEOs to “end their greed.”
The far-left senator’s comments came Friday afternoon on the first day of the union’s “stand up” strikes against General Motors, Stellantis and Ford.
“The fight you are waging here is not just about fair wages, fair benefits and fair working conditions in the automotive industry,” said Sander. “No. The fight you are waging is a fight against the outrageous levels of corporate greed and arrogance that we see on the part of CEOs who believe they have a right to have it all and can do it all.” [not] care less about the needs of their employees.
Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont, speaks during a UAW rally in Detroit, Michigan, USA, on Friday, September 15, 2023. (Emily Elconin/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Sanders went on to attack General Motors CEO Mary Barra, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares and Ford CEO Jim Farley, saying they were “acting like bandits.”
Biden accuses the three major automakers of making “record profits” that must be “fairly” shared with the UAW strikers
“We refuse to live in an oligarchy,” Sanders said. “We refuse to accept a society in which so few have so much and so many have so little.”
Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and UAW President Shawn Fain (left) speak at a rally in support of members of the United Auto Workers striking the three major automakers on September 15, 2023 in Detroit, Michigan. (Bill Pugliano/Getty Images / Getty Images)
Sanders concluded his speech with remarks to automaker leadership, urging them to negotiate a “fair” contract.
“I would like to say a word to the CEOs of General Motors, Ford and Stellantis. “Understand, CEOs, the enormous financial sacrifices your employees have made over the years,” he said.
The UAW strike will be felt outside Detroit, the National Association of Manufacturers warns
“It’s time for you to put an end to your greed,” Sanders continued. “It’s time you treat your employees with the respect and dignity they deserve. It’s time to sit down and negotiate a fair contract.”
On September 15, 2023, workers at the “Big Three” US automakers went on strike in the first coordinated action to demand wage increases. This tested the resilience of the US economy and threatened President Joe Biden’s re-election momentum in 2024. … (MATTHEW HATCHER/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
The main point of contention between the two sides is higher wages. Fain said the union is seeking an across-the-board pay increase of more than 40% for rank-and-file members over four years.
Full-time workers at Ford and GM assembly plants earn $32.32 an hour, while part-time workers currently earn about $17 an hour. Full-time employees earn $31.77 per hour at Stellantis, while part-time employees earn nearly $16 per hour.
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The union is also pushing for all temporary workers at automakers to be permanently employed, cost of living adjustments, increasing pension benefits for current retirees and restoring pensions for new hires, among other things.
After failing to reach an agreement Thursday evening, workers at a GM plant in Wentzville, Missouri, went on strike. a Stellantis plant in Toledo, Ohio; and a Ford plant in Wayne, Michigan. Plants that were not called to strike would operate without a contract, said UAW President Shawn Fain.
FOX Business’ Megan Henney contributed to this report.