As Trump promotes America First nationalism at South Carolina Boeing plant
UAW to launch “Buy American” campaign
By
Shannon Jones
18 February 2017
United Auto Workers President Dennis Williams said Thursday that the union would intensify its reactionary “Buy American” campaign. At the same time, the UAW chief praised President Donald Trump for his call to renegotiate the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
The announcement by Williams underscores the full solidarity of the UAW with the right-wing nationalist demagogy of the Trump administration. The day after Williams announced the Buy American campaign, President Trump declared in a speech to workers at the Boeing factory in North Charleston, South Carolina that his mantra was, “Buy American. Hire American.”
The occasion for Trump’s speech was the launch of Boeing’s newest aircraft, the Dreamliner 787-10. Significantly, the president did not mention the crushing defeat the International Association of Machinists suffered earlier in the week in a union recognition vote at the North Charleston facility. In a bow to the steelworkers union bureaucracy, Trump restated his order calling for use of American steel in the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. He concluded his remarks declaring, “God Bless America and God Bless Boeing!”
In his announcement, Williams indicated that the union aims to develop a television advertising campaign to promote the purchase of American made products and is developing a list to make it easier for consumers to identify US-built vehicles. He added, “We’re seeing a trend – the boycott may be coming” back, referring to non-US manufactured vehicles.
The revival of the Buy American campaign and the alignment of the UAW with the Trump administration on…