Biden to meet with UAW workers in Illinois to tout deal with auto companies

President Biden will head to Illinois on Thursday, where he will meet with United Auto Workers (UAW) president Shawn Fain and union workers to highlight a recent agreement between the union and the Big Three automakers that ended a weeks-long strike.

Biden will travel to Belvidere, Ill., the White House said, where he will deliver remarks and meet with UAW members. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) will also be in attendance.

The president’s visit is intended to “highlight his commitment to delivering for working families and creating good-paying union jobs, as well as the UAW’s historic agreement that includes bringing thousands of UAW jobs back to Belvidere and reopening a plant,” per the White House.

UAW leaders reached tentative deals late last month with Ford, General Motors and Stellantis, bringing to an end weeks of strikes.

The agreements with the auto companies included a 25 percent general pay increase over the course of a four-year contract, increased retirement benefits and more paid leave.

Biden, who has boasted that he is the most pro-union president in history, was steadfastly supportive of union workers and joined striking workers on the picket line in Michigan in late September.

The deal between organized labor and the companies marked a significant win for Biden, who has simultaneously fought for the rights of unions while pushing for more investments in electric vehicles, one of the issues that was at the center of the negotiations between the UAW and automakers.