DETROIT — The UAW endorsed a plan to reopen the economy proposed by presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden after the union was left off President Donald Trump’s task force on that topic.
The union, which represents hourly workers at General Motors, Ford Motor Co. and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, has yet to officially endorse a candidate for president. But UAW President Rory Gamble, who’s pressuring automakers not to resume production until it’s safe to do so, called Biden’s plan a “nonpartisan, science-based approach.”
“The only litmus test in reopening the economy is whether you would send your son or daughter into the workplace,” Gamble said in a statement. “Former Vice President Biden’s plan relies on experts and science-based factors, acknowledges the need for adequate testing and oversight of safety in reopening workplaces, and is devoid of partisan acrimony.”
President Trump included leaders from the Teamsters union and the AFL-CIO, as well as the heads of GM, Ford and Fiat Chrysler, on his task force to reopen the U.S. economy. But the UAW, the top U.S. auto union, was not invited to participate.
The union has been the focus of a multiyear federal corruption investigation that has so far resulted in charges against 14 people and guilty pleas from 13 of them. Former UAW President Gary Jones is expected to plead guilty to charges of embezzlement.
In the last presidential contest, the autoworkers union endorsed Democratic contender Hillary Clinton in May 2016.