The United Auto Workers defended a Michigan autoworker who heckled President Donald Trump during a Tuesday tour of a Ford plant.

“Workers should never be subjected to vulgar language or behavior by anyone — including the President of the United States,” UAW Vice President Laura Dickerson said in a Wednesday statement.

Dickerson said the autoworker “believes in freedom of speech, a principle we wholeheartedly embrace,” adding, “We stand with our membership in protecting their voice on the job.”....

The “pedophile protector” heckling incident isn’t the first time Trump has clashed with the UAW. Trump called UAW’s president a “dope” after the union endorsed former President Joe Biden during his reelection bid in 2024.

Dickerson promised that the union would “ensure that our member receives the full protection of all negotiated contract language safeguarding his job and his rights as a union member.”

A GoFundMe page set up for Sabula had raised over $360,000 as of Wednesday afternoon. Sabula was suspended following the incident, according to the page. He later told The Washington Post that he had been “targeted for political retribution” for “embarrassing” the president.