Autoworkers Union Chief Gives Trump's Tariffs a Mixed Review
The head of the United Automobile Workers union voiced partial support on Thursday for the Trump administration's tariffs, saying targeted duties on other countries could help bring some manufacturing jobs back to the United States.
But the union's president, Shawn Fain, described President Trump's across-the-board global tariffs as 'reckless.' In an address to U.A.W. members that was streamed on YouTube and other social media, he also strongly criticized the administration for firing federal workers and slashing key government agencies, and accused it of violating the civil rights of students and others.
'We support use of some tariffs on automotive manufacturing and similar industries. We do not support tariffs for political games about immigration or fentanyl,' Mr. Fain said. 'We do not support reckless tariffs on all countries at crazy rates.'
The address appeared aimed at distancing the union leader from Mr. Trump. In previous weeks, Mr. Fain praised the White House's tariff plans and faced some criticism for moving closer to an administration that often shows hostility to organized labor. He campaigned frequently and enthusiastically last year for former Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, often rousing crowds by referring to Mr. Trump as a 'scab.'
'We are not aligning everything we do with the Trump administration,' Mr. Fain said on Thursday. 'We are negotiating with the Trump administration.'
Mr. Fain used the address to repeat familiar claims that free trade agreements — in particular, the North American Free Trade Agreement — allowed corporations to move U.S. factories and jobs to low-wage countries. He said some 90,000 factories in the United States closed in the last 30 years, hollowing out once thriving manufacturing cities like Flint, Mich., and Gary, Ind.
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Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
From School Bus to Showstopper: ‘Yeti' Skoolie Rolls Into Mecum's Summer Auction
'Labor of love' is a phrase that doesn't really do this auction-bound build justice. It was somehow bigger than that—driven by a force arguably even more powerful than love. This was an act of survival—a defiant stand against death itself, or at least against the death of one man's heart and soul, and what could be more powerful than that? This custom-built 2006 Thomas Freightliner FS65 Skoolie Mobile Home, now headed for the Mecum auction this July in Kissimmee, Florida, was born of the tumultuous time when the COVID pandemic was at its peak, an event that forever altered the course of human history in ways both big and small. They were difficult years for many, and transformational ones for many others. But for each and every person alive on this earth, something shifted; few emerged unchanged, and for better or worse, things have never been the same. Eddie Kreder was living in Florida with his wife, Sherrie, and son, Nicholas, when the pandemic hit. He'd made a career remodeling homes, owning and operating his own very successful remodeling company, called Veterans Home Improvements LLC. It was a skill that he'd picked up after high school, when he was hired by a local Tour de France cyclist named Joe, who'd been paralyzed after being struck by a car while biking. Joe purchased an old sprawling colonial home that he wanted to renovate from the ground up. He had the skills, but not the physical ability, so he brought in Eddie right out of high school to serve as something of a surrogate and protege, and he taught him many of the skills he still uses today. Eddie didn't set up shop as a home remodeler right away. He first served in the United States Army as a paratrooper, and he served most of his tour in Panama, Central America. After being Honorably Discharged from the military, he earned a bachelor's degree in elementary education and then taught for a handful of years. However, the creativity that was required by the remodeling industry was something that continued to call his name. Eventually, Eddie got back into remodeling homes and quickly earned a solid reputation as a project manager at Grayhawk Remodeling in Bradenton, Florida. As most creatively driven individuals can attest, there is a lot of inspiration to be found in the art and accomplishments of others with like minds, and Eddie soon found a pivotal source in the work of one now very popular YouTube channel, 'The Nomadic Movement.' 'I started following 'The Nomadic Movement' on YouTube just before COVID,' Eddie explained, 'and I also started following a bunch of other nomads who were transforming buses and vans and traveling across the United States. I was checking it out to see how they were doing it and the lifestyles they were living. 'Jordan and Kaylee started 'The Nomadic Movement.' They traveled all over the United States, and then they traveled down to Panama, Central America, and ended up in a small mountain town called Boquete, which I'm very familiar with because I was stationed in Panama in the military. It's a small mountain town; it's like 3,000 feet above sea level, and it's like 70 degrees all year long. Jordan and Kaylee ended up creating a homestead down there, and they're thriving. So that's what got me the bug, and I hope to meet them both someday as well.' Just before COVID hit, Eddie said he went out in search of a bus to begin converting. He contacted a company called BGA School Buses in nearby Hudson, Florida, as the company is solely dedicated to purchasing decommissioned school buses from around the country and claims to seek out the absolute best available examples anywhere. 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Eddie had one special request for BGA before he took delivery of the bus: he wanted it painted in the ultra-cool all-black finish that it currently wears today. The company obliged, and Eddie took on the rest of the work himself. 'The only thing I didn't do,' he noted, 'was the electrical, the plumbing, and the gas. I wanted a licensed electrician and a licensed plumber to do all that, so that it's all certified.' To create his dream skoolie, Eddie first had to strip the bus down, including the seats, insulate the heavy-duty steel walls, and then build something of a framed-out interior using 2x4s and plywood, as he said he didn't want to use prefab materials that often lack in quality construction. As a result, the entire interior of the bus is custom-built, from the custom cabinetry with soft-close hinges and the cedar tongue-and-groove ceilings, to the diamond-plated shift column and driver-side floor. And it's not just pretty finishings either; the functionality is just as well thought-out, with stunning custom modern appearances. The back of the skoolie bus houses a full-size bed with storage and water tanks underneath, along with one of the bus's two air-conditioning units mounted to the ceiling above. Next comes a functional water closet with a custom cedar barn door on one side of the bus and a full stand-up shower directly across, which includes a convenient instant water heater. Beyond that are large sections of drawers and cabinets for an abundance of storage needs, and then comes the most welcoming part of all: the skoolie's custom kitchen and adjacent sitting area. A full-size sink, two-burner stovetop, brand-new mini fridge, and tons of additional storage make the space exceptionally practical, while a black granite countertop, rustic multicolored barnwood backsplash, white cabinetry, and wide-plank wood floors give it a stunning modern appearance that is hard not to swoon over. Eddie said that although the build took considerable time to finish (on and off for a year), there weren't too many hiccups along the way, at least not with the bus itself. The world around him, however, was undergoing dramatic changes, and none of it was going as smoothly as the building of his skoolie. COVID struck first, and as the global landscape seemed to crumble before his eyes, Eddie found that his job and family were far from immune to its effects. Throughout the earthly upheaval, his job shut down temporarily, and his family's dynamics would also suffer. While Eddie and his wife, Sherrie, managed these difficult times, they weren't destined to make it through the changing landscape as a married couple. Eddie was able to help his son, Nick, establish his own remodeling business called Shooting Star Home Improvement LLC, which is doing very well. 'Nick and I had a couple of difficult years; however, we worked through it. He even helped me out with the build, which helped strengthen our relationship again,' Eddie said. 'Now, he has his own business doing renovations, and he's doing amazing.' Eddie said his ultimate goal for the bus was to serve as a retirement plan, not to make money off it, but to take him around the country to see as many national parks as possible. 'So, then what happened was,' Eddie paused to collect himself before continuing, 'I had it all done, and I was looking forward to retirement and everything, and then my mom, Mary, had a severe stroke.' 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Special thanks to Mecum Auctions for allowing us to share this feature. All photography by Matt Mahan, courtesy of Mecum Auctions, Inc. This article has been syndicated with permission. All rights reserved by Mecum Auctions, Inc.
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27 minutes ago
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