The United Auto Workers (UAW) Union has been running an offense against Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump this week.
First, it circulated a video calling Trump “all talk” compared to UAW-endorsed Democratic Presidential Nominee Kamala Harris.
Second, it initiated federal labor charges against Trump and technology billionaire Elon Musk following a live-streamed conversation between Trump and Musk Monday night.
UAW’s Video Labels Trump as “All Talk”
UAW’s video, where the union called Trump “all talk,” is the latest spat between Trump and UAW President Shawn Fain. In the video, Fain said, “Donald Trump is all talk and no action when delivering for autoworkers. But you know who did walk the picket line in 2019 with striking [General Motors] workers? Kamala Harris.”
Fain’s Accusations Against Trump
Recently, Fain has also charged that Trump is only working for the “billionaire class” and called him a “scab” when endorsing President Joe Biden earlier in January.
Trump’s Response to UAW and Fain
For his part, Trump has also chided Fain, calling him a “dope” and “stupid person” after Fain endorsed first Biden and then Harris in July.
Harris Meets with UAW Members
Harris and her Vice Presidential running mate, Governor Tim Walz, met with UAW members in Michigan last week. Harris said she is a “lifelong supporter of union labor.”
UAW’s Legal Action Against Trump and Musk
The feud escalated to the legal realm Tuesday, as UAW filed federal labor charges asserting that Trump and Musk acted to “intimidate and threaten” workers during a public interview hosted live on X Monday night.
Trump’s Comments on Musk’s Labor Practices
During the two-hour conversation between Trump and Musk, Trump spoke approvingly of Musk’s actions to fire workers at X over a protracted labor dispute.
Trump said, “I mean, I look at what you do. You walk in, you say, ‘You want to quit?’ They go on strike, I won’t mention the name of the company, but they go on strike, and you say, ‘That’s okay, you’re all gone. You’re all gone. So, every one of you is gone.'”
Federal Law and UAW’s Complaint
The UAW complaint about Trump and Musk in the interview on X concerns the federal law protecting striking workers from being fired. According to federal law, it is against the law to threaten to fire workers for striking.
Fain’s Critique of Trump and Musk
Fain explained his rationale, “When we say Donald Trump is a scab, this is what we mean. When we say Trump stands against everything our union stands for, this is what we mean.”
Musk’s Legal Battles and Implications
Musk is also involved in labor dispute lawsuits. His company, SpaceX, has argued that the National Labor Relations Board is unconstitutional. If his suit is successful, it could significantly impede the National Labor Relations Board’s ability to carry out its mission of investigating allegations of illegal labor rules and activities by employees, unions, and employers.
Fain Links Trump and Musk
Fain spoke out following the X interview, linking Musk and Trump to prove a point. He said, “Donald Trump will always side against workers standing up for themselves, and he will always side with billionaires like Elon Musk, who is contributing $45 million a month to a Super PAC to get him elected.”
Fain’s Condemnation of Trump and Musk
Fain continued, “Both Trump and Musk want working-class people to sit down and shut up, and they laugh about it openly. It’s disgusting, illegal, and predictable from these two clowns.”
AFL-CIO’s Commentary on the Situation
Another union group, the AFL-CIO, chimed into the conversation, posting on X, saying, “Scab recognize scab.”
Trump Campaign’s Response to UAW’s Attacks
The Trump Campaign spoke out Monday following the UAW video, saying that Fain is “a puppet for the Democrat Party who is sadly not serving the millions of hardworking union laborers across the country who are supporting President Trump because they know he will protect their jobs and put them first.”
The Trump campaign has been undertaking efforts to reach out to labor unions for support. They invited the Teamsters president to the Republican National Convention in July.
