At the forefront of the historic auto workers’ strike that’s roiling Detroit’s Big Three automakers—General Motors, Stellantis, and Ford—is United Auto Workers (UAW) president Shawn Fain, and he’s often literally wearing an “EAT THE RICH” t-shirt. Fain hasn’t been shy about voicing his opinions on the ultrawealthy. “Billionaires, in my opinion, don’t have a right to exist,” Fain said last month, and he's bringing a favorite theory of firebrand Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders to the forefront of the labor movement.
For years, the progressive lawmaker has been voicing his sentiment that, “There should be no billionaires,” making it the centerpiece of his two presidential campaigns and even proposing a wealth tax to make them obsolete. Fain’s anti-billionaire rhetoric is the logical extension of Sanders’ argument—and the narrative has become central to the ongoing auto strike.
