The UAW and tariffs

I watched UAW president Shawn Fain last night attempting to make arguments for supporting Trump’s tariff regime. After listening to him I had a few reactions.

First of all, Trump’s tariff regime is already unraveling the larger U.S. and global economy in which the auto industry is embedded. One isn’t separable from the other. If Trump’s tariff regime slows growth, or worse still, throws the economy here and worldwide into a recession, neither the autoworkers nor the industy will emerge unscathed by any stretch.

Second, the auto industry and its workforce are regionally and globally integrated to a much great degree now than they were a half century ago when I landed in Detroit. Undoing that would be a huge undertaking that, among other things, would create major divisions among autoworkers across national borders. In fact, it already is. Canadian autoworkers and their union are outraged by the action of the UAW here.

Third, not a word was said about other alternatives such as a shorter work week with no cut in pay or restraints on the free movement of investment capital across borders.

Finally, making deals with a neofascist regime while rights (including union rights) and living standards are being attacked by the same regime isn’t a good way to make friends and build broader unity, both of which are absolutely necessary at this grave moment in the life of our country.