Biden to UAW Workers at the Picket Line: You Deserve a 'Significant Raise'

President Joe Biden told auto workers picketing outside General Motors' Willow Run Distribution Center in Wayne County, Michigan, that they deserve a "significant raise." Speaking through a bullhorn in front of a United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 174 crowd, the president reiterated previous statements that the auto workers "saved the automobile industry back in 2008 and before" and made plenty of sacrifices when the auto companies "were in trouble." "And now they’re doing incredibly well, and guess what, you should be doing incredibly well, too," President Biden said alongside UAW President Shawn Fain. "You deserve what you've earned, and you've earned a hell of a lot more than you get paid now." Mr. Fain accused CEOs of taking all the profits and leaving workers "left to fight for scraps and live paycheck to paycheck." "That's got to end," Mr. Fain said as he stood in front of the president. "These CEOs sitting in their office, they make the decisions, but we make the product," he added. "We do the heavy lifting. We do the real work. The economy is of our making." When someone in the crowd asked if workers deserved a 40 percent pay increase, President Biden responded, "Yes!" The union welcomed the president’s attendance, saying it "underscores support of labor unions that appears to be unparalleled in presidential history." Many workers were pleased to know that President Biden was visiting the picket lines.