UAW's Fain blasts Trump, praises Harris, quotes Nelly at Democratic convention

UAW President Shawn Fain on Monday night capped off an evening of speeches from union leaders blasting Republican former President Donald Trump as a scab and corporate lapdog and repeatedly praising Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, has someone who has stood "shoulder to shoulder" with workers.

Fain began his remarks, which lasted just under 10 minutes at the United Center in Chicago where the Democratic National Convention is taking place this week, by thanking President Joe Biden, who stepped down as the nominee in late July, for becoming the first sitting president to walk the picket line with any union when he joined the UAW strike of the Detroit Three outside a plant in Belleville last September.

"For the UAW and for working class people everywhere, this election comes down to one question, which side are you on?" said Fain. "On one side, we have Kamala Harris and (Minnesota Gov.) Tim Walz (her running mate) standing shoulder to shoulder with the working class. On the other side, we have Trump and (Ohio Sen.) JD Vance (Trump's running mate), two lapdogs for the billionaire class who only serve themselves."

"So for us in the labor movement, it's really simple," Fain continued. "Kamala Harris is one of us. She's a fighter for the working class and Donald Trump is a scab."

After that, the audience began to chant, "Trump's a scab."

For months now, Fain and Trump have been launching verbal insults at each other, as the former president has suggested the UAW's successful strike will ultimately cost union jobs, even as Trump has embraced the endorsement of Tesla founder Elon Musk, who doesn't operate any union plants. Last week, the UAW filed federal labor charges against Trump and Musk accusing them of trying to intimidate and threaten workers in a conversation held on the social media platform X, which Musk owns.

The UAW suggested Trump was referring to Musk when he talked about threatening to fire workers who considered striking. Musk did not respond to the comment when Trump made it.

Fain has also repeatedly noted that while Trump falsely claimed to have opened auto plants during his time in office, auto jobs in Michigan actually declined, even before the shutdowns caused by COVID-19. "Trump told workers in Lordstown, Ohio, that he'd bring all the auto jobs back (lost when General Motors closed the plant there in 2019) and Trump did nothing." Meanwhile, Fain said Harris, as a U.S. senator from California, walked the picket line when the UAW went on strike against GM that year.

"Donald Trump is all talk and Kamala Harris walks the walk," Fain said. A short time later, referring to a rapper, Fain whooped and said, "In the words of the great American poet, Nelly, it's getting hot in here," shedding a sport coat to reveal a red UAW T-shirt saying, "Trump is a scab, vote Harris."

Fain also referenced a strike started by 1,000 UAW-represented maintenance, facilities, dining and other workers at Cornell University this week, saying they have been denied a fair contract offer as well as the prospect of another national strike against Stellantis, the maker of Jeep, Ram, Chrysler, Dodge and Fiat, for failing to keep production promises at Belvidere, Illinois, made to end last year's strike.

Fain said the UAW was prepared to take “whatever action necessary … to hold corporate America accountable."

Fain's remarks came several speakers after remarks by the leaders of several other unions, including the AFL-CIO, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the Service Employees International Union and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

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April Verrett, president of the Service Employees International Union, said, "We're all in for Kamala Harris because Kamala Harris has always been all-in for us."

Contact Todd Spangler: [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter@tsspangler.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: UAW's Fain blasts Trump, praises Harris, quotes Nelly at convention