WASHINGTON — The United States' top automotive union leader has condemned President Donald Trump's threat to issue 50% tariffs on Canadian automotive goods beginning Jan. 1, 2027.

"The UAW rejects any escalation on Canada, a country with strong unions and labor standards," United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain said in a statement shared with The Detroit News.

The comment came a day after Trump made the threat on social media, writing that "Canada has been ripping off the United States of America for years."

The UAW has generally supported Trump's past use of import taxes meant to induce businesses into manufacturing more products in the United States, but the president's dispute with Canada is, according to Fain, inconsistent with the Detroit-based union's priorities.

"If we’re going to increase tariffs anywhere, it should be on countries where automakers continue to offshore jobs because they can pay workers $3 an hour, force them to work in unsafe conditions, and crack down on independent unions," Fain said of Trump's latest tariff vow. The UAW similarly criticized the administration in 2025 for reaching trade deals with overseas partners like Japan, claiming those deals disadvantage U.S. companies.

"Here at the UAW, we are fighting to end the free trade disaster," Fain added. "Free trade pits workers against each other across borders and is fueled by corporate greed. That’s why we will always support strategic tariffs, including the 232 tariffs on auto and heavy truck."

Fain's comment referenced Trump's blanket 25% tariffs — enabled by Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 — on automotive goods from countries that do not have trade agreements with the United States.

He concluded: "Tariffs work, but only if they are deployed intentionally to protect workers and grow our manufacturing communities. It’s time to permanently end offshoring and the race to the bottom. We need well-designed tariffs, and a comprehensive rewrite of the USMCA and other bad trade deals."

Unifor, the Canadian union that represents auto workers and employees in several other sectors, also condemned Trump's tariff threats hours after he issued them.

"Another Monday, another threat. Same message. President Trump’s latest intimidation tactic, threatening to impose 50% tariffs on Canadian cars, trucks, auto parts & steel is another attempt to force Canada into surrendering our auto industry & the good jobs that it supports," the union said.

The statement continued: "The U.S. administration fails to recognize that our highly integrated auto industry means ongoing instability hurts workers on both sides of the border & makes it increasingly difficult to build cars in North America. That’s the opposite of what auto workers need right now."

The two unions have previously been at odds over their positions on tariffs within North America, triggering a cross-border labor rift that echoed Trump's own spat with Canada. Neither union immediately commented on whether they have been in communication following the U.S. president's latest threat.

Warren Browne, an automotive consultant and former General Motors Co. executive, issued a warning for the auto sector if Trump's 50% tariffs do come to pass.

"This scenario is an economic disaster," he said in a report published August 25. "The U.S. and Canada will both face serious hardship if this scenario becomes policy."

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