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Why the UAW Endorsed Biden in 2024—and Why Shawn Fain Called Trump a “Scab”

The UAW’s 2024 Biden endorsement rested on labor priorities and Biden’s picket-line visit. Shawn Fain’s “scab” label was a political rebuke rooted in the union’s account of recent disputes.
From TheFinanceBase Team2 min to read
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The United Auto Workers (UAW) endorsed Joe Biden for president on January 24, 2024, arguing that his support for workers and his appearance on a UAW picket line set him apart from Donald Trump. At the announcement, UAW President Shawn Fain called Trump a “scab”—a pointed political charge tied to the union’s account of the 2019 and 2023 labor disputes, not a factual finding about Trump’s employment history.

What the UAW announced

The UAW announced its endorsement at its national Community Action Program (CAP) conference in Washington, D.C., with union members, leaders, and activists present. Fain framed the choice as a question of who would support workers, organizing, and strong contract negotiations. The union’s official announcement recorded his declaration: “Donald Trump is a SCAB.”

“Scab” is a labor term commonly used for someone who works during a strike or crosses a picket line. In this announcement, Fain used it as political rhetoric to condemn Trump’s relationship with organized labor; it should not be read as an independently established description of Trump’s employment history.

Why the union said Biden had earned its support

Fain pointed to Biden’s record and conduct toward the union, especially his visit to a UAW picket line during the 2023 strike. The Associated Press described Biden’s appearance as unprecedented for a sitting president. For the UAW, it was a visible show of support during a labor dispute, consistent with the union’s emphasis on worker power and contract negotiations.

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That was the union’s case for Biden, not evidence that every UAW member agreed with the endorsement. The AP and Reuters both reported the picket-line visit and Fain’s favorable comparison of Biden’s labor record with Trump’s. The AP’s contemporaneous report and Reuters’ report, carried by Investing.com provide context for the union’s explanation.

Why Fain criticized Trump

Fain’s criticism drew on the union’s experience of recent labor disputes. The AP reported that Fain said Trump had been silent during the 2019 UAW strike. Reuters reported that Fain also faulted Trump over his response to a GM assembly plant closure and his appearance at a non-union event during the 2023 strike. These were arguments made by Fain and reported at the time, rather than a neutral adjudication of every campaign claim.

The contrast was central to the endorsement: the union presented Biden’s picket-line visit and labor record as supportive, while Fain portrayed Trump’s actions and responses as hostile or inadequate. The UAW’s announcement and its newsroom release document the union’s position.

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Why the endorsement attracted political attention

Contemporaneous coverage noted that UAW members and retirees lived in electorally important auto-producing states, including Michigan, and that union members were not politically uniform. The AP also reported that Biden could face dissent among some voters over his administration’s support for Israel. Those factors help explain why the endorsement received attention; they do not show how many votes it changed or establish that it determined an election result.

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The distinction matters: the endorsement expressed the union leadership’s choice and offered a campaign argument grounded in labor priorities. The cited coverage discussed potential political reach, but did not measure the endorsement’s effect on members’ votes.

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