Exclusive-UAW considering next steps amid concerns Trump could defeat Biden, sources say

By Nora Eckert and Nandita Bose

DETROIT/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain met with the union’s executive board on Thursday night to discuss his deep concerns about President Joe Biden’s ability to defeat Donald Trump in the midterm elections. November, three sources familiar with the matter said.

Fain brought together senior officials from the nearly 400,000-member union to discuss the concerns and what the union’s options are, according to the sources, who asked not to be identified. The union is considering its next steps, the sources said.

Fain and the UAW, which endorsed Biden in January, are key Biden allies and are expected to play a critical role in helping Biden win key swing states, including Michigan, where the UAW is headquartered.

Biden and Trump have made several appearances in Michigan to attract voters, especially those employed by American automakers such as Ford Motor, General Motors and Jeep maker Stellantis.

UAW communications director Jonah Furman and the Biden campaign declined to comment.

Fain, who announced the UAW’s endorsement of Biden in January, has repeatedly rebuked Trump, the former Republican president.

“Donald Trump stands against everything we stand for as a society,” Fain said in his January endorsement of Biden.

On Wednesday, Biden met with the executive board of the AFL-CIO, the largest union federation in the US, to bolster support among unions. Fain attended that meeting.

“I think of you as my domestic NATO – it’s not a joke,” he said. Biden also thanked union leaders for their support and shared his plans for the future, seeking to dispel doubts about his re-election campaign.

Fain supported Biden after the president joined a union picket line during a six-week strike by auto workers last year that resulted in historic pay raises for workers at the Detroit Three automakers. Biden was the first US president to walk with striking workers. Fain also received a mention from Biden in this year’s State of the Union address, which Fain attended.

Biden, who has characterized himself as the most pro-union president in US history, has recently leaned on top labor leaders to drum up support among his base.

Biden is facing growing calls to step down as the Democratic nominee after a shaky debate performance that raised questions about his mental fitness for the job. For nearly two weeks, Biden, 81, has tried to stem defections from Democratic lawmakers, donors and other allies worried about losing to Trump, 78.

So far, at least 12 US Congressional Democrats have called on Biden to end his re-election bid. On Wednesday, actor George Clooney, a Democrat who supported Biden, withdrew his support in an op-ed in the New York Times.

(Reporting by Nora Eckert in Detroit and Nandita Bose in Washington; Editing by Ben Klayman and Deepa Babington)