With one man providing clout and the other expected to deliver cash to close the deal, President Joe Biden and Gov. J.B. Pritzker joined members of the United Auto Workers on Thursday to celebrate the planned reopening of the Stellantis vehicle-assembly plant in Belvidere.
Faced with declining poll numbers and a crisis in the Middle East, Biden leaned in to his chance to fire up a crowd rejoicing over the UAW’s historic gains from its targeted strike against the Detroit Big Three automakers. In its deal with Stellantis, the union secured a pledge to restart Belvidere, adding thousands of jobs.
