By Christopher Otts

President Trump has an unlikely ally in his auto tariff push: United Auto Workers' President Shawn Fain.

The union leader was among Trump's biggest critics during last year's presidential campaign, but on the matter of foreign-built cars, Fain agrees the U.S. needs to do more to protect the American worker.

Fain called the 25% tariffs announced late Wednesday "a major step in the right direction for autoworkers and blue-collar communities across the country."

"It is now on the automakers, from the Big Three to Volkswagen and beyond, to bring back good union jobs to the U.S.," he added.

The UAW's stance contrasts with Unifor, Canada's top auto-workers union, which view the tariffs as detrimental to the car sector.

The UAW represents about 150,000 U.S. hourly workers at factories owned by Ford, GM and Jeep-maker Stellantis. It has also organized Volkswagen's factory in Tennessee where it is negotiating a new contract for plant workers.

For the UAW, tariffs represent the best chance in decades to restrict free trade with Mexico, which the union blames for U.S. plant closures and the loss of well-paying American jobs.

Trump has said the tariffs will spur an influx of investment in U.S. auto production and create factory jobs. Analysts are skeptical because it takes years to build a new factory and rework supply chains. If high prices dent consumer demand, automakers might end up doing the opposite: cutting back on U.S. production and laying off workers.

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(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 27, 2025 12:14 ET (16:14 GMT)

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