Many voters still feel dour about the overall economy, and there is an open question as to whether the UAW contract and signs of wages outpacing inflation can change their views. But the success of the factory and of the tentative contract with workers will ultimately hinge on the ability of automakers to keep generating profits as they shift toward electric vehicles in a competitive market. The resolution of the strike was an early victory for what Biden says is a worker-centered economy. Stellantis agreed to hire back 1,200 employees to build pickup trucks and to add 1,300 more workers for a battery factory.
