United Auto Workers president Shawn Fain has filed a National Labor Relations Board complaint against Sen. Tim Scott, accusing the South Carolina senator of “engaging in unfair labor practices” over a remark he made during a campaign event Monday.
The comments in question came at a presidential campaign event in Fort Dodge, Iowa, where an audience member asked Scott a question about the United Auto Workers strike.
After an Iowa voter asked him about the labor talks, Scott repeated the question back to the audience: “Would I as president of the United States insert myself into this labor dispute?”
“Let me answer the first question,” he said. “I think Ronald Reagan gave us a great example when federal employees decided they were going to strike. He said, you strike, you’re fired. Simple concept to me. To the extent that we can use that once again, absolutely.”
In the complaint filed Thursday, Fain accused Scott of violating the National Labor Relations Act in his capacity as an employer through “Tim Scott for America,” his political campaign.
“Within the past six months, the employer has interfered with, restrained, or coerced employees in the exercise of the rights guaranteed in Section 7 of the Act,” the complaint reads. “On Monday September 18, 2023, Tim Scott threatened employees with adverse consequences if they engage in protected, concerted activity by publicly responding to a question about striking workers as follows: “You strike, you’re fired.”
Scott blasted back at the UAW in a statement.
"The UAW is one of the most corrupt and scandal-plagued unions in America," Scott said in the statement. "They are showing their true colors once again and autoworkers and taxpayers will be left holding the bag. They want to threaten me and shut me up. They don't scare me."
The Intercept first reported on the complaint.
Scott attempted to clarify his remarks days later, at a “Politics and Eggs” event in Windham, New Hampshire on Wednesday, where the senator was asked to expand on his comments.
"Obviously, the president doesn't fire folks to the private sector, but he can do so in the public sector," Scott said. "And, importantly, as a note, and I think this is really important, I use that as a bridge to have a conversation about the fact that unions negotiating too often over-promise and under-deliver."
Scott added, "I bought up the Reagan years because I do think that we need to have front and center the example of a president who stood strong and today’s president who stands weak, so weak that he’s using your — there’s no such thing as a federal dollar. They’re all your dollars, our dollars as citizens, taking $86 billion out of our collective pocket to use that to shore up the unions is, in my opinion, wrong.”
