White House Sends Team to Detroit to Help Resolve UAW Strike with Big Three Automakers

The White House has dispatched a team to Detroit to help resolve the strike between the United Auto Workers union and the Big Three auto companies. According to an administration official, White House adviser Gene Sperling and Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su will be in Detroit early this week to support the talks.

Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, who has long standing ties to the automakers, believes this is the most important negotiation she has witnessed in her lifetime. She was asked if it was more significant than when the Bush and Obama administrations bailed out the automakers.

“I think it’s more significant because it’s about the future of the auto industry,” Dingell said in an interview on “Face the Nation” on Sunday. “It’s about the future of the workers and the future of the industry. We need to make sure that the industry is competitive and that the workers have good wages and benefits.”

The UAW strike began on Friday and has already had a major impact on the auto industry. All three automakers have declined to appear on the show to discuss the negotiations.

Sperling and Su have been engaging with the parties by phone for weeks and are now in Detroit to help end the walkout. It is unclear how long the negotiations will last, but the White House is hopeful that a resolution can be reached soon.