UAW Leaders Prepare for Contract Talks with Defiance and Audacity

Shawn Fain, the president of the United Auto Workers (UAW), is taking a tough stance in contract negotiations with automakers, demanding a 40 percent wage increase and criticizing corporate greed. Union members will vote on whether to authorize a strike when the contract expires in September. Fain's ambitious and belligerent approach is setting a tense tone for negotiations that could have significant implications for the economy, the green-energy transition, and middle-class manufacturing wages. The labor movement has seen a surge in strikes this year, fueled by a tight labor market and rising public support for unions. Fain is also pushing for fair pay in electric vehicle and battery factories, which could complicate the Biden administration's green-energy agenda.