MATTHEW HATCHER
Ex-President Barack Obama has weighed in after the United Auto Workers went on strike following failed contract negotiations, calling on car manufacturers to take care of their employees.
“Now that our carmakers are enjoying robust profits, it’s time to do right by those same workers so the industry can emerge more united and competitive than ever,” Obama said.
On the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, Obama recalled the controversial government bailout of the automakers now facing a labor action during the late-2000s financial crisis. The extension of more than $80 billion in federal assistance began in late 2008 under Obama’s predecessor, then-President George W. Bush, and was coupled with wage and benefit concessions from the UAW—which the union now seeks to reverse.