For U.S. President, the UAW said it needs a leader with experience on trade, who will focus on raising workers' income, strengthen manufacturing investment and work to protect collective bargaining rights and healthcare. Watch video
DETROIT - For U.S. President, the UAW said it needs a leader with experience on trade, who will focus on raising workers' income, strengthen manufacturing investment and work to protect collective bargaining rights and healthcare.
That leader is Hillary Clinton, the UAW said.
"While both Secretary Clinton and Senator Sanders are good friends of the UAW, we have to unify behind one candidate," the union said in a post Sunday. "Secretary Clinton has received over 3 million more votes in the Democratic primary and over 1 million more votes than any candidate overall. The choice was clear."
While the UAW had already reportedly endorsed Clinton last week, the union had yet to have publicly endorsed a candidate when UAW president Dennis Williams met with members of the media May 19.
At that meeting in Detroit, Williams said both Clinton and Sanders "bring a lot to the table."
But the UAW said after engaging more than 1 million of its active and retired members, it came to its decision.
As much as it is backing Clinton the union also appears to be warning against a Trump presidency.
It posted this video Sunday:
In the media roundtable earlier this month, Williams also said the UAW "ruled him out real quick" after hearing comments Trump made to the media about lowering workers' wages to increase competition with foreign labor.
"I don't know how that's helping the middle class or how that's helping American workers, and it's certainly not helping UAW members," Williams said at the time. "That's the wrong kind of leadership. So we ruled him out real quick."
The Trump campaign did not respond to a message seeking comment from MLive.
The UAW also noted that "one party is already unifying behind Trump."
It said its workers' futures and livelihoods depend on who is the net president.
"We now take the next step toward ensuring that our president is a pro-worker leader by unifying behind the strongest candidate in this race, Secretary Clinton," the UAW said.