In today’s News and Commentary, the Writers’ Guild of America concluded the second longest strike in the union’s history today, the Big Three Automakers’ reputations plummet, and President Biden joins the UAW picket line.

The Writers’ Guild of America ended a 148-day strike at 12:01 am today. Union leadership emphasizes that while this means writers may go back to work, it does not mean that the tentative agreement with studios is set in stone. Union membership still plans to vote on ratification of the agreement between October 2, and October 9.  SAG-AFTRA, the other half of Hollywood’s historic labor stoppage, still remains on strike with no scheduled dates to resume bargaining. Even with writers back at work, production on many projects will remain stalled.

In a recent survey by Caliber, Ford, Stellantis, and General Motors have all taken a reputational hit since the UAW began their strike. 58% of Americans surveyed supported auto-workers, including 72% of Democrats. A further 87% of Americans had heard about the UAW strike. According to the survey Americans are also less likely to consider purchasing from the Big Three, recommending their products to others, or working for them.  

President Biden also joined this historic auto-strike on Tuesday, joining striking workers on the picket line. This marked the first time any sitting U.S. president joined a picket line. Biden’s team explains that this is part of making good on his promise to be the most “pro-union president in history.”