DETROIT – On this edition of Flashpoint, we’re going to discuss the UAW president’s approach and how the primary election could change the landscape in Lansing.
The UAW president brought his very different approach out into the open and trashed the latest contract offer. Meanwhile, the primary election makes it a real possibility that the Democratic majority in Lansing could end.
Local 4 has been following the negotiations between the UAW and the automakers. If you saw the discussion with UAW president Shawn Fain on Flashpoint a few weeks ago, you knew this wasn’t going to be the usual bargaining process.
In keeping with that unconventional approach, Fain this week took the first offer from Stellantis and tossed it in the trash while sharing more about the UAW’s demands. They want things like a 32-hour work week. But how much of this is theatre and how much of it is a telegraph warning us that a strike is coming?
We’ll also talk about a very unusual situation in state government. The Democratic majority that took over the Capitol for the first time in 40 years allowed the governor to tick off almost everything on the State of the State bucket list. Yet, the curtain could close on that majority very quickly.
Two Democratic legislators advanced in their mayoral primaries on Tuesday. Should they win in November, we’re back to a tie in the House.
You can watch the Aug. 13, 2023, episode of Flashpoint in the video player above.