CNN’s Jake Tapper asked Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) if Biden should have done more before the UAW strike, and Sen. Sanders turned the tables.
Tapper asked Sanders if Biden should have done more before the strike, and he replied:
Well, President Biden gave a speech a few days ago in which he made the absolutely correct point: corporate profits for the automakers are being saved and that they should use those profits for the benefit of their workers. And he has emphasized many times that a strong labor movement benefits us all. So I think the president has made it clear which side he’s on in the fight.
But I think Jake needs to tell you the truth: all of us in this country need to stand with the UAW right now. They’re not just fighting against decent wages and benefits for autoworkers. They’re really opposing the kind of corporate greed that affects tens of millions of Americans, and what they’re really saying is they’re saying this to the big three. But I think that message needs to be spread across corporate America. You people at the top, you have never had it better, there is more income and wealth inequality today than ever in the history of America. The richest people are getting phenomenally richer, but 60% of American workers live paycheck to paycheck. So UAW is standing up to corporate greed and I applaud them for what they are doing.
Video:
Senator Sanders was right. This is not the time to blame Biden games on the media. The UAW strike is about greed. Autoworkers took a pay cut when the industry needed it most during the Great Recession. In the time since, corporate profits have soared, executives’ wages have skyrocketed, and workers have been left behind.
Sanders pointed out that the starting wage for autoworkers is now $17 an hour. Some workers have been given permanent temporary status and earn even less.
The strike is about workers being fairly compensated for their work, and the media is blaming Biden Games for missing the point about what’s really happening.