Biden Pushes Electric Vehicles, Which Kill Union Jobs
This article originally appeared in the Wall Street Journal on August 24, 2023.
Joe Biden calls himself the most pro-union president in history, but he’s pushing policies that would eliminate tens of thousands of United Auto Workers members’ jobs. More surprising, UAW leadership is going along with it.
The policy at issue is the Environmental Protection Agency’s recent proposal to require that electric vehicles make up two-thirds of U.S. auto sales by 2032. While these regulations carry serious implications for American drivers—who largely prefer gasoline-powered cars—they’ll have even worse ramifications for auto workers.
A gasoline-powered car has about 2,000 moving parts in its powertrains, whereas a Tesla has 17. That means electric vehicles require one-third fewer workers to assemble than conventional vehicles—and none of the workers who make engines or engine parts. As UAW research director Jennifer Kelly has explained, the “workers who are making engines and transmissions today” will see their jobs “eliminated when we make a transition to electric vehicles.”
Read the full op-ed in the Wall Street Journal.