It was right on time. Pitch perfect. Thank you. Everyone take note. Yes. Victor is complementing me. Good morning, everyone. Welcome to cnn this morning. So great to have you. Im amara walker. Im victor blackwell. Good to be with you. The United Auto Workers is entering the third day of strikes against three automakers, ford, Ge General Mo and stellantis. The union says they remain far apart in terms of a deal on pay increase and benefits. Former president barack obama weighed in on the strike saturday. He called on the Auto Companies to do right by their workers. Hundreds of Union Members walked the picket lines. They say they are prepared to stick it out in order to get an agreement. Cnns gabe cohen is in ohio with more. Reporter victor, amara, saturday we saw the first small signs of any progress in these negotiations between the union and any of the big three automakers. This after the union met with ford. A source with union telling cnn, we had reasonably productive conversations with ford today. Certainly no deal. But a big step in the right direction after days of this hostile back and forth between the sides. Ford saying in a statement that they are committed to reaching an agreement with uaw that rewards our workers and allows ford to invest in the future. We are starting to see the Ripple Effect from these three plants that are shut down by the strike. General motors and ford announcing at least 2,600 workers will be laid off in the days ahead because their facility cant operate while these three factories are on strike. Still, so many of the workers i have spoken with on picket line now making 500 a weak in strike pay tell me they are ready to strike as long as they need to. Their 20 proposal is to pay is ridiculous. Six years and i have not had a raise in almost two years now. I cap out at 19. 28. I have been making that two years, trying to raise a family, and with inflation, its hard. It makes me hopeful they are getting the message we are on strike and ready for this and we have been preparing and, you know, bring a good offer to the table. Reporter why did you want your daughter to be here today . I brought her out to kinda get her involved, just so she knows, you know, whats going on with dad at work. Reporter and the head of the auto workers union, shawn fain, said that more factories could go on strike in the days ahead depending how the negotiations play out. Thank you. Joining me is the Executive Director for the center for labor and a just economy at harvard, sharon block. Thank you so much for being with me. You know, when the uaw characterizes their talks with ford as reasonably productive, it reinforces that this is not one Big Conversation with four players. These are three individual negotiations and conversations. How does this unprecedented trio of strikes influence uaw strategy, but also the individual automakers and how they approach these negotiations . Sure. And youre absolutely right. This is an unprecedented strategy. So were all just speculating as to how its going to play out. But i think as shawn fain has said, one of the benefits from his perspective of the strategy is that it gives him maximum flexibility. Im sure he is now thinking about what the next step is. Is he going to ask his members at other facilities to go out on strike and now he can respond based on how the negotiations are going with each of the companies because youre absolutely right. These are three separate negotiations. They are, obviously, informed by whats happening with each company, but ultimately the union will sign separate contracts with each of the big three. So you think that having all three at once gives the uaw an advantage that they would not have otherwise if they were striking just against ford or just against stellantis . Absolutely. They are putting pressure on all three companies, but they have the ability to ratchet, sort of calibrate that pressure depending how negotiations are going. The companies can see which company is having more pressure applied, where the negotiations are going better. It puts a lot more variables on the table so that the companies, you know, dont as shawn fain said, the companies dont know whats going to come next. I mentioned in the intro to gabe, the former president , barack obama, weighed in and said its time for the automakers to do right by the workers. Of course, we heard from President Biden that said that record corporate profits should mean record contracts. And let me put up one nor variable here. A gallup poll taken around labor day, it shows 75 of the people polled support or side with the workers versus 19 who side with these automakers. What is the value, the influence of public support on what happens inside these rooms . I think its incredibly important. This is something that makes this strike and this, you know, getting to a resolution of this labor dispute different than, i think, we have seen certainly in the past couple of cycles of uaw negotiations because public support for the workers is higher than its been in decades. And what that does, i think it gives some confidence to the union, to those workers, like you were just talking to, out on the picket line, that the customers are going to understand and they are going to stick with them. And i think that puts a lot of pressure on the companies representatives at the bargaining table. This is a union, for lots of reasons, that the company should believe can sustain a strike. And so there is going to be no easy out for the correspondents without, as President Obama said, coming up with a contract thats fair. I think its really important that came from President Obama because, obviously, he was president when this union made great concessions to save the Auto Industry in our country. Really, what they are saying now, and i think this is resonating with the public, one reason why you see such high public support for this strike, is that its time for the eurunion to share in the success of these companies. They bore a really heavy burden when the companies werent doing well, and now that the companies are taking in record profits, its time for the companies to share those profits, share that success with these members. I introduced you by reading off your current role at harvard, but are also a former Assistant Secretary of policy at the Department Of Labor in the obama administration. Weve heard from those around the white house. We spoke with congresswoman Debbie Dingell yesterday, that she does not see that there is a role for the administration in mediation or negotiating here. To you see a role for this administration in trying to end this strike . I think the administration right now is doing exactly what they should be doing, which is expressing support for workers getting a fair share. Its really a tenet of bidenomics to have a strong middle class. Thats what the uaw has really stood for in this country for a very long time, of creating middle class jobs and thats central to our economy being successful. You think continuing to reenforce that message, but this is a negotiation between the union and the companies. Thats the system that we have. You know, it does seem to be working. A strike doesnt mean that our system doesnt work. Its a way of influences what happens at the negotiating table. You know, as you said in your in the intro, there does seem to be some progress with the negotiations at ford. So, no, i dont see a role for the administration to actually intervene in the in whats happening at the negotiating table. Its creating the right environment. Sorry. I apologize for interrupting there. I think we got your message. Sharon block, appreciate you waking up early on a Sunday Morning and helping us understand what is happening with these three simultaneous strikes. Thanks so much. With roughly four monthsing in the Iowa Caucuses, republican president ial hopefuls spent yesterday courting the states conservat evangelical activists. Nearly all addressed the faith and Freedom Coalition banquet saturday. Of course, former president trump, who is confident in his poll numbers, did not show up for the event. Four months before the Iowa Caucuses open, the field of candidates were in iowa on saturday evening with the exception of frontrunner donald trump. The candidates were reaching out to evangelical voters, a critical part of the constituency here. There were several distinctions made on key issues. Most snoetably on military promotions. Of course, one issue on capitol hill In Washington has been alabama senator Tommy Tubervilles blockade of military promotions. Well, Florida Governor ron desantis, the only veteran in the race, said he supports the senators actions. Yes. I support what he is doing. First of all, what the Defense Department is doing is outside the law. They are breaking, violating the law by Funding Abortion Tourism with tax dollars. Reporter former South Carolina governor nikki haley, whose Husband Michael is currently serveong a tour of duty, disagreed and she said military members should not be used as political pawns. So why go and create all of this and hold those who sacrificed so much for our free toms . Why hold them as political pawns when all you have to do is get in there and can for an Up Or Down Vote in the house and the senate. Reporter those differences underscore an increasing sense of competition between desantis and nikki haley as they try to reach out to undecided Iowa Republican voters. Now, later in the evening former Vice President mike pence said he supported the house Impeachment Inquiry against President Biden. I dont want to jump to conclusions about this, but i must tell you, where there is smoke, there is usually fire In Washington, d. C. And the American People, the American People deserve the facts, and i am going to be out there championing and defending House Republicans as they bring the facts to the American People and hold joe biden and his family accountable. Reporter so President Biden, of course, the center of much of the criticism. Former President Donald Trump not on hound and rarely spoken. His supporters were here in force though and they say he will be campaigning aggressively. In fact, he is coming back to iowa on wednesday. The question is, can any of these rivals catch him or is this a race for second place . Victor and amara. Thank you. Texas embattled attorney general ken paxton will keep his job. He has been acquitted in his impeachment trial. The Conservative Ag and trump ally faced 16 articles of impeachment. They will stemmed from accusations that he abused his office to help a donor. Its not the end of his legal trouble. Ed lavandera has details. Reporter ken paxton is celebrating his victory by calling the case that was brought by the house Impeachment Managers as a sham and a shameful experience. Paxtons lawyers say that at vote in the texas senate was a vindication and was a resounding victory for ken paxton of the 18th republican senators voting on the 16 articles of impeachment, only two of them voted to convict ken paxton. He was acquitted on all 16 of the 20 articles of impeachment that were brought this trial. The other four charges were dismissed. Paxton says he is ready to get back to work. This is a trial that should have never happened. Period. Full stop. The right result happened, but it shouldnt have gotten this far. We are proud of the case we put on. We should not have had to prove our innocence. But thats what we did. And we believe that the court reached the right verdict. We are very proud of the work we did. Reporter this Peimpeachment Vote has erupted an allout civil war among texas republicans. The republican Lieutenant Governor dan patrick who oversees the senate after the trial spent several minutes blasting House Republicans for voting on these articles of impeachment and bringing these charges to the senate side on the house side the speak of the house, dave feelings, shot back at dan patrick, saying that it was clear, based on that speech, that this entire voting process was orchestrated from the beginning, essentially accusing senators of predetermining their vote before hearing all of the evidence and going on to say that this process cheated the voters of texas of justice in this case. And also democrats and some republicans saying that this vote essentially condoning corruption at the highest levels of texas politics. Our lawyers, the board of managers presented overwhelming evidence that ken paxton is the most corrupt politician in the state of texas at this time. And the republicans in the texas senate just returned him to the office of top cop. I will rely on what i said on the floor of the texas house. God help us. Reporter ken paxton is still facing legal troubles. He has state Securities Fraud charges, charges that loomed over him since he first took office, and those charges are expected to continue moving through the court system. He is also under federal investigation for the same issues that came up during this impeachment trial. So there are still many legal troubles that ken paxton will be facing in the weeks and months ahead. Amara and victor. Ed lav andera, thank you. President biden set to address the United NationsGeneral Assembly this week as he gets ready to meet with several world leaders. Also, it appears china suspended surveillance Balloon Program after one was shot down by the u. S. By american fighter jets back in february. The number of People Killed in libya, its unimaginable because of those devastating floods. Searchers expect to find even more victims. We are live with the latest. 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