The Biden Administration announced it will give added consideration to applicants with pro-union stances for the $15.5 billion in aid and incentives available it will distribute to help American automotive companies transition to building electric vehicles, the Washington Post says.
The move helps quiet some of the fears felt by the United Auto Workers and other related unions that believed the switch to manufacturing electric vehicles would mean a weakened membership. The UAW could call a strike in September against Detroit’s Big Three over long-standing wage and benefit conflicts.
“Building a clean energy economy can and should provide a win‑win opportunity for auto companies and unionized workers who have anchored the American economy for decades,” Biden said in a statement. “This funding from my Investing in America agenda will further that goal by creating auto manufacturing jobs here at home and helping companies avoid painful plant closings — and to retool, reboot, and rehire in the same factories and communities with high wages.”