The Detroit Autoworker Flipped off by President Trump Is Reportedly No Longer Suspended
Detroit autoworker T.J. Sabula, who was flipped off by President Donald Trump, was suspended after the incident. That is reportedly no longer the case.
The Ford Motor Company employee called Trump a “pedophile protector” during the President’s tour of the F-150 plant in Dearborn, Michigan, in January. Someone at the plant shot a video on their phone that showed Trump mouthing the words “f— you” at Sabula while raising his middle finger.
After T.J. Sabula was suspended, the United Auto Workers (UAW) union issued a statement backing him. “Workers should never be subjected to vulgar language or behavior by anyone—including the President of the United States,” the union wrote.
Now, CarScoops reports that, according to Shifting Gears, which cites “sources close to the situation,” Sabula was no longer under suspension as of the beginning of this week. Author Phoebe Wall Howard added Sabula “remains a member of UAW Local 600 in Dearborn and employed by Ford.”
Laura Dickerson, UAW vice president and director of the Ford Department, told Shifting Gears that the union continues to stand by Sabula. They are still attempting to ensure he continues to receive all the negotiated benefits and rights under his contract.
T.J. Sabula reportedly now has the option of returning to work at the Ford plant
It is currently unclear whether Sabula has returned to his job at the factory or is taking personal time off. A Ford spokesman told Shifting Gears the company does not comment on personnel matters.
That stance echoes a similar statement made by Ford spokesperson David Tovar after the incident with President Trump, who said, “One of our core values is respect, and we don’t condone anyone saying anything inappropriate like that within our facilities. When that happens, we have a process to deal with it, but we don’t get into specific personnel matters.”
Should T.J. Sabula decide to take some personal time off, he won’t have a shortage of funds. Two GoFundMe campaigns raised more than $800,000 for him after the incident with President Trump.
