The United Autoworkers are preparing for a strike that could begin as early as Sept. 15 after the latest offers from U.S. automakers were dismissed out of hand by the UAW's radical president, Shawn Fain.

Fain — part clown, part radical revolutionary — ran on a platform of restoring concessions made by workers during the 2009 recession, raising wages by 46% over four years, and ending the two-tiered employment system that benefits employees who've been with a company for a long time with better pay and benefits than newly hired workers.