Belvidere auto union leader to attend tonight’s State of the Union address

March 7, 2024|By Kevin Haas|In Local, Belvidere, 815 News
UAW Local 1268 President Matt Frantzen hands President Joe Biden a “We are Belvidere” T-shirt on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023, before Biden delivered remarks at the Community Complex of Boone County in Belvidere. (Photo by Susan Moran/Special to the Rock River Current)
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ROCKFORD — UAW Local 1268 President Matt Frantzen will be a special guest tonight when President Joe Biden delivers his State of the Union Address.

Congressman Bill Foster is bringing Frantzen as his guest before the joint session of Congress. The address begins at 8 p.m.

“Matt’s leadership of UAW Local 1268 over the past year was crucial to our efforts to save the Belvidere Assembly Plant, as was the solidarity of UAW members in Belvidere and across the Midwest,” Foster said in a news release. “The Assembly Plant has been the beating heart of the Belvidere community for decades, providing good jobs and serving as an economic engine for the entire region.

“I’m proud that we were able to work together – all levels of government, the UAW, and Stellantis – to forge a deal that won’t just allow workers to get back on the job at the Assembly Plant, but will also bring billions of dollars in new investments to Belvidere.”

Frantzen previously joined Biden on stage in November during the president’s visit to the Community Building Complex of Boone County in celebration of a deal between Stellantis and the UAW that allowed for the reopening of the Belvidere Assembly Plant as a distribution center and the creation of a new electric vehicle battery plant.

“After Stellantis idled the Assembly Plant last February, Bill was one of the first to call asking how he could help. From getting the White House involved to securing federal incentives, he played a vital role in ensuring the plant reopened and workers could return to Belvidere,” Frantzen said in a news release.

Frantzen had the honor of introducing Biden when he spoke in Belvidere, and he handed the president a shirt on stage that read “We are Belvidere.” The president swapped his blue sport coat for the T-shirt that day.

“Thanks to the tenacity of UAW leadership and workers across the country, last year was a historic year for labor,” Frantzen said. “I look forward to hearing President Biden’s plan to build on that momentum to strengthen unions and build an economy where workers get the pay, benefits, and job security they deserve.”