WENTZVILLE — U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley on Monday visited striking autoworkers here, where he called himself “pro-worker†and encouraged higher pay for autoworkers.
“I want to stand with them and their bold struggle to actually get what they deserve,†Hawley told reporters after visiting with about 30 autoworkers who were standing outside entrances to the GM plant in Wentzville. “We need to make things in this country. We need to keep the jobs that we have, increase their wages, and we need to get more jobs back here.â€
U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., speaks with Brian Davis as he visits with striking United Auto Workers on the picket lines outside the General Motors truck plant in Wentzville on Monday, Sept. 25, 2023.
But Hawley, a Missouri Republican, has a 0% agreement rating in the and an in the government employees’ labor union, the AFL-CIO — slightly lower than the average Senate Republican.
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Hawley took stances in recent years that were frequently counter to the positions held by organized labor. Before joining the Senate in 2019, he indicated support for a “right to work†law that would have allowed Missouri workers to reap the benefits of a union-negotiated contract without having to pay union fees, and he opposed a statewide minimum wage hike. Missouri voters rejected the former and approved the latter in 2018.
When asked about the scorecards, Hawley said he is “pro-worker†and added, “What organizations rate me doesn’t matter to me.â€
“These guys deserve a raise,†said Hawley, who arrived to the picket line in a white GMC truck. “They’ve worked hard. They all just deserve better, and the company can absolutely afford to pay it.â€
U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., visits with striking United Auto Workers on the picket lines outside the General Motors truck plant in Wentzville on Monday, Sept. 25, 2023. Hawley visited with workers at two gates and gave media interviews before departing in a GM pickup truck.
Workers at the Wentzville plant first went on strike Sept. 15. The plant was one of several across the U.S. where the UAW, the union that represents auto workers, took the unprecedented move to strike in an effort to force the nation’s three largest car companies to boost pay and benefits.
With hands tucked in his jean pockets, Hawley told the striking workers on Monday he “hopes they pay you what you deserve.†Hawley also passed out water bottles to the workers, who were walking on black pavement as temperatures hovered in the upper 80s.
The senator’s visit came one day after Democratic U.S. Reps. Cori Bush, D-ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., rallied workers at the local union hall on Sunday.
Wentzville Mayor Nick Guccione said Monday it was “heartwarming†to see bipartisan concern and support for the striking autoworkers. He extended an invite to Missouri’s other elected officials, both statewide and federal, to visit the autoworkers.
“I’m glad that they are coming out to support the workers. It is good to see everybody coming forward supporting them. I think they need to come out and see what their fight is for,†said Guccione, who added that the labor strike and the work of the UAW have not yet impacted Wentzville’s economy.
U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., talks with Kara Cunningham of Troy, Mo., as the senator visited with striking United Auto Workers on the picket lines outside the General Motors truck plant in Wentzville on Monday, Sept. 25, 2023. “I appreciate him coming out and supporting us,” said Cunningham. Photo by Robert Cohen, rcohen@post-dispatch.com
Workers on the picket line largely said they were glad to meet Hawley, though one said she was uncomfortable with his past support for “right to work†legislation in Missouri.
“We are not going to ever be a ‘right to work’ state. It is not good for the union. It is not good for workers,†said Jeanette Davis, who has worked for GM for nine years as a trim installer. She said she hoped Monday’s visit represented a change in Hawley’s policies.
Hawley said Monday he respected the decision Missouri voters made in reject “right to work†laws by a margin of nearly 2 to 1.
“That’s the decision the people of Missouri made, and I wouldn’t countermand that at all,†Hawley said. “I think now we’ve got to do everything we can to try to strengthen the hand, the bargaining position of these workers, get their wages up and get jobs back from overseas.â€
Hawley also defended his vote against the CHIPS and Science Act, saying that the CHIPS Act “was stuffed with giveaways to the very corporations that are screwing these people over.â€
The CHIPS Act, signed into law last year by President Joe Biden, is aimed at bolstering American semiconductor research, development and production by offering millions of dollars in manufacturing incentives and billions of dollars for semiconductor research.
In St. Charles County, the CHIPS Act has been a boon for the economy. In July, GlobalWafers Co. cited the CHIPS Act as the catalyst for the company’s $300 million expansion of a facility in O’Fallon that produces wafers that are used in the making of semiconductors, chips and microchips for electronic devices. The company says the wafers can power everything from household appliances to cellphones and automobiles to aerospace technologies.
U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., speaks with David Corona as he visits with striking United Auto Workers on the picket lines outside the General Motors truck plant in Wentzville on Monday, Sept. 25, 2023. Hawley visited with workers at two gates and gave media interviews before departing in a GM pickup truck.
