On Tuesday, President Joe Biden made an unprecedented visit to the United Auto Workers picket line, drawing even more attention to the already high-profile strike by the UAW against General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis. In his call for better contracts, the picketer-in-chief encouraged the strikers.

On the picket line, he shouted, “You guys saved the automobile industry.” You sacrificed a lot. When the companies were in trouble, you gave up a lot. Currently, they are doing incredibly well. What’s more? In his brief remarks, Biden played on the frustration many workers have been feeling, both union and nonunion, in recent years. Career paths, job demands, and work-life balance were reassessed as a result of the pandemic. As a result of a tight labor market, many people left and searched for other jobs.

However, the 6% of US workers represented by unions had another option: to negotiate a better contract or, if refused, to strike.

“It’s been a good year for unions,” said Art Wheaton, director of labor studies at Cornell University’s Industrial and Labor Relations school in Buffalo. You’ve seen a lot of successes, and that will help in the future. My grade for them is B+. I didn’t get an A.”

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In addition to Biden’s appearance, the UAW strike was historic because it was the first time the union walked out of all three unionized automakers simultaneously.

To date, UAW members have rejected automakers’ offers for immediate pay raises of at least 10% and additional pay increases that could increase hourly wages by about 20% between now and spring 2028.