“Senior White House aides have been trying to quell tensions with the United Auto Workers since remarks by President Biden last week inadvertently upset union leadership,” the Washington Post reports.
“Speaking from the Roosevelt Room on Friday, the first day of the UAW’s strike against the nation’s three largest auto manufacturers, Biden said that he was dispatching acting labor secretary Julie Su and senior White House adviser Gene Sperling to Detroit ‘to offer their full support for the parties in reaching a contract.’ Internally, Biden aides regarded the brief announcement as an inoffensive gesture aimed at providing support in the talks, particularly because the president coupled it with a strong endorsement of the union’s demand for a better wage proposal from the Big Three automakers.”
“But Biden’s comments instead antagonized UAW officials, who feared the presence of Su and Sperling would be interpreted by some workers as a sign that the administration was swooping in to control the negotiations.”
