VAN BUREN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — President Joe Biden stopped in Van Buren Township Tuesday to talk with striking United Auto Workers members on the picket line and join their cause.
Marick Masters, a business professor at Wayne State University, joined 7 Action News Tuesday evening to discuss the impact of the visit as well as the ongoing strike.
Masters believes the visit could be beneficial to contract negotiations between the UAW and the Big Three.
“Well I think it helps in the sense it keeps the attention of the public on these negotiations, and all parties know that they’re being watched,” Masters said. “When parties feel under scrutiny, I think they tend to try and stand up to their best level of performance."
He said the public is evaluating the negotiations continuously and hopes both sides come to an agreement that meets their mutual interests.
A source familiar to the ongoing talks told 7 Action News that Ford Motor Co. continues to be the most active in the contract talks.
“Well, I think they still have some issues to iron out. I would say that they probably have to settle on wages and address some issues associated with retirees and retirement packages for active workers. But I think those things are in the realm of possibility,” Masters said.
He said once both sides realize they aren’t going to get everything they want, they’ll come to a bargain.
The strike is approaching two weeks. If a tentative deal isn’t reached by the end of the week, the UAW could step up the pressure and add more plants to the strike strategy.
“I think they’ve got to ratchet up the pressure… they’ve got now close to 20,000 people out on strike and some of them have been, as you’ve said, for 12 days. That’s a long period of time, and they’re going to grow increasingly impatient on the picket line if they don’t see progress.”
You can watch the full interview with Masters in the video player above.
