Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) appeared to make a slight dig at her Ohio delegation colleague Sen. J.D. Vance ® during an interaction on a United Auto Workers (UAW) picket line in their home state.

“First time here?” Kaptur asked Vance, according to a video from local station WTVG 13 Action News.

“First time here, yeah,” Vance responded.

“Thank you for coming,” she then said.

The brief conversation followed an awkward interaction during which Kaptur held out a fist as Vance extended an open hand for a shake. Vance then attempted to extend his hand for a fist bump as Kaptur drew her hand back.

The two Ohio politicians were on a picket line at the Toledo Assembly Complex in Toledo, Ohio, according to a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter by 13Action News. The plant appears to be aligned with Stellantis, one of the Big Three auto companies UAW workers are striking against.

Vance has said that UAW members should compel President Joe Biden and the Biden administration to end the subsidization of the electric vehicle (EV) industry.

“Those who have claimed there will be a ‘just transition’ to EVs should visit Northeast Ohio for a glimpse into the industry’s bleak future,” Vance wrote in an op-ed for the Toledo Blade in September.

He also called on UAW leadership to act, arguing this is “an opportunity they cannot let slip through their grasp.”

“Rather than relenting to the Biden administration’s unjust transition to EVs, the UAW should use their leverage and force the President to stop subsidizing an industry that benefits Communist China more than it does American workers,” he continued.

  • fubarx@lemmy.ml
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    9 months ago

    Switching to EV is an opportunity for car companies AND labor to get ahead of the global demand curve and create opportunity. Anyone arguing against it should be questioned on their motives and relation to the fossil industry.

    It’s like mobile phone makers getting attacked by the rotary phone industry.

    • mosiacmango@lemm.ee
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      9 months ago

      The UAW union president Fain just got GM to agree to unionize their EV plants, something even he called “unthinkable” earlier this year. Those plants are going to be union, part of UAW soon.

      Ohio senate dude Bros attempt to drive a wedge between gas and EV workers just got completely undermined.

      • Jonna@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        EVs do require fewer workers as they have fewer parts. Which is why the UAW demand of a 32 hour work week at the same pay is relevant: less work, so we should work less and maintain jobs.

        It is fucking amazing how a militant and democratic leadership (Fain is the first UAW president elected by direct member vote) turned the UAW around.

      • AA5B@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        Their battery plants. This is a huge deal and just days ago everything I read was that this will never happen. Parts and assembly were already likely to be union, but batteries “are outsourced to this subsidiary down south where there are no unions and we can pay less”.

        This is also a huge deal because of government subsidies to bring battery manufacturing to US, tax rebates targetting batteries built in US … let’s not just bring more manufacturing back to US but let’s make them good union jobs!

        Even if they got no other concessions, this is huge for UAW future, a huge investment into our economic base

  • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    It just shows what restraint UAW protesters are using that they didn’t tar and feather him and run him out of town on a rail.

    • AA5B@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      I Don’t know if this is why, but it became a big thing over COViD. I don’t think I’ve seen first hand anyone shake hands since then

  • AutoTL;DR@lemmings.worldB
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    9 months ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:


    Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) appeared to make a slight dig at her Ohio delegation colleague Sen. J.D.

    “First time here?” Kaptur asked Vance, according to a video from local station WTVG 13 Action News.

    The brief conversation followed an awkward interaction during which Kaptur held out a fist as Vance extended an open hand for a shake.

    The plant appears to be aligned with Stellantis, one of the Big Three auto companies UAW workers are striking against.

    “Those who have claimed there will be a ‘just transition’ to EVs should visit Northeast Ohio for a glimpse into the industry’s bleak future,” Vance wrote in an op-ed for the Toledo Blade in September.

    “Rather than relenting to the Biden administration’s unjust transition to EVs, the UAW should use their leverage and force the President to stop subsidizing an industry that benefits Communist China more than it does American workers,” he continued.


    The original article contains 274 words, the summary contains 150 words. Saved 45%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!

  • AA5B@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    stop subsidizing an industry that benefits Communist China more than it does American workers

    Tell me again what company is the dominant EV seller in the US? What country they’re headquartered in? Where they build all their vehicles for sale in US? Where most of their parts are from?

    You don’t have to like the CEO, to face reality