Joe Biden has said: Wall Street didn’t build this country, the middle class did

American automakers have made significant strides in restoring lost benefits and securing new gains for workers, including across-the-board wage increases and the reopening of the Belvidere Assembly Plant for Stellantis, the company behind Jeep.

During a visit to Belvidere, Illinois, surrounded by auto workers and sporting a red UAW T-shirt, President Biden emphasized the role of unions in building the middle class and America itself. He has been vocal about his support for unions, declaring himself the "most pro-union president in American history" and joining the picket line during the UAW strike last month.

Workers at Ford who have already voted have overwhelmingly supported the agreements, and an additional 146,000 union members will vote on the tentative agreements in the coming weeks.

Labor reporter Steven Greenhouse sees this victory as a pivotal moment for the UAW, which has faced challenges such as years of concessions and past leadership corruption scandals. Greenhouse believes this success could improve the union's image and demonstrate its effectiveness to workers.

The strikes have garnered widespread support among Americans, with only 9 percent favoring the automakers over the workers, according to an AP-NORC poll.

UAW President Shawn Fain described the agreements as a turning point in the ongoing class war in the country, noting that the working class has often been on the losing end for the past four decades.