Michigan Once Again Looms Large in U.S. Politics
Blog Post Number 2
Many of us are frustrated with the political situation in our country and the way the U.S. keeps interacting with the rest of the world as if it can force other countries to act the way it wants them to act. Ordinary citizens cannot ignore foreign policy any more than we can ignore our fractured politics, polarization, and the multiple crises we are facing. Is Gaza the single thread that, if we can pull our government toward action for peace and justice, begins to end our dysfunctional politics? Perhaps those in the United Auto Workers (UAW) and the peace group Listen to Michigan calling for a ceasefire can help us find that path.
The UAW is headquartered in Michigan and has long had a sizeable role in the state’s social and political life. Some members of the UAW have protested the union’s endorsement of Joseph Biden because of the ongoing genocide in Gaza. That Biden’s appointments have been more favorable to unions than that of his predecessor or Republican presidents generally is without question, but critics of the union’s early endorsement think U.S. responsibility for the devastation and deaths in Gaza is too great to put on the back burner.
In November 1947, at the onset of the cold war, an anti-Communist faction in the United Auto Workers (UAW) led by Walter Reuther triumphed over a left-center coalition. The left-center coalition, as I noted in UAW Politics in the Cold War Era, had been critical of the Truman Administration and “resisted the new directions in U.S. foreign and domestic policy.” As a result of the anti-communist victory in the UAW, the Congress of Industrial Organization (CIO) tipped decisively in the same direction and opposed the third-party candidacy of former Vice President Henry Wallace, dooming him to a modest vote of 2.4 percent.
Wallace had been the most popular liberal figure in the country but his opponents in the UAW, the CIO, and Democratic Party marginalized him as a “captive of the Communists” for his advocacy of cooperation between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. Little attention was paid to Wallace’s promotion of a world New Deal and his civil rights partisanship. The UAW and theCIO helped Harry Truman prevail in the 1948 election and wedded themselves more tightly to the Democratic Party than had previously been the case. The resulting consolidation of cold war anti-communism led to more than four decades of nuclear weapons build-up and confrontations with the Soviet Union. On the home front, many on the left were blacklisted and most left-wing leaders and activists in the labor movement were marginalized.
The results of the UAW’s close alliance with Democrats and its often-influential role in national politics have been mixed. Truman did not seek reelection in 1952 and Carter was defeated when he did so in 1980. The anti-communist leadership of the UAW elected in 1947 continued to represent the economic interests of its members for a time but not only went along with anti-communist foreign and domestic policies but also trimmed its sails on national health insurance, workplace struggles, and grass roots mass mobilizations. Eventually leaders of the administration caucus became so distant from the rank-and-file activism and progressivism of the union’s origins in the 1930s that it failed to represent members’ interests. Union officials agreed to take-backs of benefits and a two-tier pay system; some embezzled funds and accepted bribes.
Protests by UAW members and federal prosecution of UAW and Chrysler-Fiat officials led to a new day for the union. Direct election of union officers and board members took place in March 2023. President Shawn Fain led the UAW in the first simultaneous strike of the Big Three auto makers in September 2023. The union eliminated the two-tier pay system and won significant pay raises and other gains. Fain has announced plans for a general strike of the biggest auto companies in 2028 and invited other unions to join that effort. Although the UAW president led the union to endorse the reelection of Joe Biden, he has also called for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Gaza is the focus of Listen to Michigan, a “multiracial and multifaith, anti-war campaign.” It calls on Democratic primary voters to vote for uncommitted candidates this year. Participants in the campaign include residents of Dearborn and Detroit who are “acutely aware of the devastation in Gaza - a crisis we feel intimately connected to, as it impacts our friends, families, and broader communities.” Despite letters, phone calls, and demonstrations, these activists feel ignored and hope to pressure Biden to rethink his pro-Israeli government policies.
Michigan, a swing state in presidential elections, is once again at the center of U.S. politics. This presidential cycle finds the leadership of the United Auto Workers (UAW) and grass roots activists in Michigan entering presidential politics in significant ways. At a time when we face multiple crises and polls show most dissatisfied with the choices we likely will face, innovators in Michigan may point a way forward. Ending the genocide in Gaza and securing justice for Palestinians are the most urgent issues facing our country and the world.