MACOMB, Mich.—Trade unionists and retirees gathered at noon Thursday outside the headquarters here of United Auto Workers Region 1 as part of the AFL-CIO’s “Better In A Union” bus tour. The federation’s tour will crisscross the country over the next several weeks leading up to Labor Day to denounce the billionaire-backed Trump administration’s attacks on working families and trade union freedoms.
Especially on workers’ minds here is the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill,” just passed by the Republican-controlled Congress. The bill slashes worker protections, guts safety nets and healthcare for millions, eliminates environmental protections, and locks in indefinite, massive tax cuts for the capitalist class.
The rally brought together members from unions like the UAW, Service Employees, Postal Workers, Sheet Metal Workers, Electrical Workers, Teachers, Nurses, Government Employees, and Steelworkers. AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler had planned to be there but was in Washington, D.C., speaking up for the Protecting America’s Workforce Act—a bill that would restore the contracts and bargaining rights of federal workers after Trump executive orders axed them.
Michigan AFL-CIO President Ron Bieber was blunt in his opening remarks. “For decades, workers were told to wait, to settle, to sacrifice. But this Trump-GOP-led agenda is different. People will die because of it,” he said. “All so the filthy rich can get even more filthy rich.”
He called out every Michigan Republican who backed the bill, including Rep. John James, R-Mich., who represents Macomb County in the House. The workers in attendance booed and shamed a cardboard cutout of the congressman.
UAW Region 1 Director LaShawn English didn’t hold back in her criticism. “This bill isn’t just bad—it’s a full-blown attack on America’s working class,” she said.
“This is class warfare. But we outnumber them. We just have to fight. The art of fighting has been lost. We need to get mad, get organized, and push back.”
English laid out the UAW’s core demands: livable wages, affordable healthcare, retirement security, and a shorter work-week. “People shouldn’t need two jobs,” she said. “This country ranks 22nd in healthcare, but we’re the richest. That’s a disgrace.”
The GOP bill, she said, is nothing but setbacks. It cuts Medicare by $1 trillion over a decade and strips coverage from 17 million. “These aren’t numbers on a spreadsheet. These are real people losing lifesaving care.”
She slammed the bill’s temporary “tax cuts” on tipped wages and characterized it as a distraction from the deep cuts on social services.
“Tipped wages shouldn’t exist. Pay people fairly. But no—they want other workers to subsidize their workers while companies make massive profits.” Meanwhile, the tax cuts for the rich are indefinite, she said.
“They promised trickle-down. It never came,” English said. “The rich got richer.” Instead of reinvesting profits back into production and workers, corporate stock buybacks “made sure it never trickled down.”
English then called out Congressman James, who claimed workers could care for their elderly parents at home to cope with the loss of healthcare and nursing homes. “With what time? We work two jobs. When do we see our families?”
Everyone needs to fight
Yvonne Renee Evans, an AFGE member and retired nurse with 38 years in the field, spoke on the need for all workers to fight. “Unions fought for the rights we take for granted—collective bargaining, safe workplaces, a voice,” she said. “Now, Trump’s executive orders aim to crush those rights.”
She singled out James again. “He voted for this bill twice. The same man who won’t even meet his own constituents.”
Evans warned against relying on politicians or courts. “We have to fight! For ourselves, our families, our future.”
Dina Carlisle, president of OPEIU Local 40, lives in James’ district. She just led a massive unfair labor practice strike at McLaren Hospital last week. She directed fire at James also.
“Your vote was an attack on your constituents—on me, my members, our patients,” she said. “We won’t forget.”
She dismissed claims of a nursing shortage. “We have a shortage of respect. 50,000 nurses left the bedside because they can’t work safely. Rep. James made it worse.”
The bill cuts Medicaid, starves hospitals, and puts patients at risk. Rural hospitals could close. Kids on Medicaid will suffer. Mental health services, already overwhelmed, will crumble, she emphasized.
“James hides from the people he hurt,” Carlisle said. “That’s not leadership. It’s cowardice.”
Stathis Paul, of AFT-Extension United Local 1855, called the bill a direct attack on American families. “It will wipe out a quarter of our workforce,” he said. Nutrition educators, who serve all 83 Michigan counties, would be gutted, including upwards of 120 of his coworkers.
The bill’s proposed SNAP cuts will mean fewer meals for kids, he said. “Trump’s billionaire buddies don’t care if children starve. And Trashcan James”—he used the nickname—“voted for it. Twice.”
The message from the stop in Macomb was that this fight isn’t just about one bill—it’s about survival for the labor movement and all working people. The GOP’s class war bill is a wrecking ball aimed at the foundations of working-class life.
But as LaShawn English put it at the rally, the working class outnumbers the billionaires. The labor federation’s bus tour could travel the entire country, she said, but without any action it would be for nothing. Now, it’s time to prove it through struggle.
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