The UAW orchestrated a worker strike at 3 manufacturing facilities in Missouri, Ohio and Michigan today, something that has been brewing for months. Although they have already backed down from their initial bargaining point of a 40% wage increase to match CEO salary increases, this is a step in the right direction. It isn’t yet clear how much of an impact this initial strike will have, but make no mistake, the Excel sheet warriors are going to see it.

With the auto industry’s recent trend, like many corporate sectors, of spending a large portion of profits on stock buybacks, this was an inevitable situation. I went to The University of Toledo, and to see the Jeep factory there be on the forefront of this was my education coming full circle. I took American Labor History as a Junior at Toledo and it is so evident to me that the continuing cycle of unbridled capitalism is unsustainable in a modern western society. The same things that were happening a hundred years ago are happening again, and because of our celebration of this economic system, we fight, fight again.

Make no mistake, the Gen Z kids are going to see it too. They are forming, and have been forming, their own political perspectives for years now amidst runaway gun violence in schools and in general. I want to ally with these young people, as one should always want to do to see a youthful perspective in politics. In the face of Vivek Ramaswamy suggesting raising the voting age to 25, where are these young voters supposed to turn to make a difference in their lives if the Republican answer is to silence them?

This union strike, and the rise of interest in forming labor unions in this country is the slow, but necessary microbial rebuilding of the labor infrastructure Reagan destroyed. I would probably be laughed out of the room on the way to filing unemployment papers if I suggested forming a union in my workplace, but that won’t stop me from supporting every effort to move in that direction. Make no mistake, I’m looking at you Bazooka Joe Biden, this is an opportunity.

With all the noise surrounding Trump’s myriad of absolutely justified indictments, Biden has a chance to stand with the UAW, and show he’s not just going to be doing a ribbon cutting tour for the next year. As much as the Inflation Reduction Act seems to be making an impact so far, I think it will have a limited impact on the idealistic Gen Z voters they absolutely need to reach. The American people are industrious, creative, inspiring, and make no mistake: the world is watching.