The nearer the UAW gets to new contracts with the automakers, the tougher its anti-executive rhetoric is getting.

Why it matters: The union's aggressive turn is setting a new tone for the labor movement at a time when public support for unions is at a six-decade high, even as membership is at a record low, Nathan writes.

Catch up quick: Wearing an "eat the rich" T-shirt while addressing union members, UAW president Shawn Fain on Friday ratcheted up the us vs. them rhetoric, putting auto executives on blast.

• "They look at me and they see some redneck from Indiana," said Fain, who grew up in Kokomo. "They look at you and see somebody they would never have over for dinner or let ride on their yacht or let fly on their private jet."
• His comments came in the same speech where he said negotiators had made "significant progress" toward a deal.

Context: The anti-executive attacks come amid a furious fight between the UAW and the automakers over compensation.

What they're saying: "He's tapping into a sentiment that's fairly widely held among the workforce," Kate Bronfenbrenner, director of labor education research at Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations, tells Axios.

• But, she adds, it's a departure from tamer words used by other union leaders in recent years.

Be smart: Fain is under pressure to deliver a big win for members — but he's also under pressure to reclaim the moral authority that the UAW lost in recent years.

The bottom line: Rhetoric is a strategy that can resonate long after the initial dispute is over.

Go deeper

Americans are bulking up on ARMs, Nathan writes.

• Adjustable-rate mortgages fell out of favor when the housing market collapsed during the Great Recession — but rising interest rates are giving them new life.

By the numbers: ARMs represented 9.2% of total mortgage applications the week ending Oct. 6, marking their high point since last November, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported today.

• ARM volume rose 15% from the previous week.
• The average interest rate for 5/1 ARMs — which carry a fixed rate for the first five years, after which they adjust annually — was 6.33%, compared with 7.67% for the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage.

Yes, but: Overall home mortgage activity remains "close to multi-decade lows," MBA deputy chief economist Joel Kan said.

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The FTC proposed a new rule today that would make businesses disclose all mandatory fees when listing a price, Axios' Ivana Saric writes.

• It would have "enforcement teeth" by allowing the FTC to get refunds for consumers and seek penalties against offending companies, the agency says.

The big picture: It would level the playing field for businesses, encourage competition on pricing and make it easier for consumers to compare offers, the agency says.

• It estimates consumers would save "more than 50 million hours per year" trying to decipher total prices in live ticketing and short-term lodging alone.

The other side: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce argues that regulating these fees would be "government price-regulation and price-setting by a different name" and would hurt consumers.

Family Dollar says it'll keep the rats out this time, Nathan writes.

What's happening: The Family Dollar distribution center shuttered in 2022 by a devastating rat infestation — which triggered a massive recall — is coming back after renovations.

• Dollar Tree, which owns the Family Dollar chain, had closed the West Memphis, Arkansas, warehouse after officials captured thousands of rodents there.
• "The facility is being rebuilt with a strong emphasis on safety, sanitation and compliance," the company said today in a statement.

What to watch: The company on Tuesday announced another sweeping recall — the list of affected products goes on for eight pages — after the FDA said "items were stored outside of labeled temperature requirements."

"[SBF] said he was a utilitarian. ... He didn't think rules like 'don't lie' and 'don't steal' fit into that framework."