UAW Pres. Fain Delivered “Historic” Labor Contracts – But He Now Faces a Revolt Within the Ranks

Shawn Fain’s grip on the Presidency of the United Auto Workers Union is under siege as more locals ask the UAW’s board of directors to consider removing Fan from office under the watchful eye of an independent monitor.

A long-simmering dispute about Shawn Fain’s management of the United Auto Workers is coming to a boil as more and more union locals take steps that could see him removed as president of the powerful labor group.

The opposition has been growing despite Fain’s delivery of what he called a set of “historic” contracts with the three Detroit-based automakers two years ago.

Critics come from within the UAW’s battered Stellantis department where locals from a number of Stellantis plants have voted to approve charges which theoretically could lead to Fain’s removal from office.

Fain gained UAW Presidency after battle

Fain became president of the UAW in the spring of 2023 after a contentious election campaign in which he wrestled control of the union’s top office and board of directors from the complete domination by the bureaucratic-minded but scandal-scarred Reuther caucus, which had controlled the UAW’s internal politics for decades, relying on an artful combination of patronage, nepotism and, at the end, outright corruption. A number of senior UAW officials, including two former presidents, were jailed.

During contract negotiations with Detroit’s three automakers that followed his installation as UAW President, Fain quickly built a reputation as a militant, working-class leader, demanding General Motors, Ford Motor Co. and Stellantis repay the concessions the union made over the previous fifteen years.

A bitter strike ensued, Fain breaking new ground by hitting all three manufacturers simultaneously. In the end, the three automakers each buckled on a variety f key demands, including a restoration of modest-cost-of-living allowances and greater restrictions on the use of temporary workers. The settlement also elevated the pay for workers across the industry as non-union automakers followed suit.

Union victory fell short of goals

Fain, however, was not able to secure all his demands, notably the kind of job and investment guarantees which would insulate workers from layoffs. And while he launched one of the most aggressive organizing efforts in UAW history, the union has largely failed to win representation rights for non-union plants except for Volkswagen in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

The lack of job protections quickly became apparent at Stellantis, which canceled programs and laid off employees, including hundreds of the temporary employees Fain had vowed to protect during the contract negotiations.

Those failures have tarnished Fain’s reputation. But there were other problems brewing for him.

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Infighting

Critics argue that Fain has been abusing his power and taking aim at senior UAW officials who disagree with him. While promising to run a corruption-free organization, Fain has been accused of nepotism and using threats against the union’s professional staff.  Fain, according to documents filed with a court-appointd monitor, told about 300 union officials that he would “slit” or “cut” the “fucking throats” of anyone who “messed” with the key members of his staff brought in from outside the union after Fain became UAW president.

Among those Fain allegedly targeted: union Vice President Rich Boyer, a political ally during his fight for the union presidency who had been elected to the UAW’s top board of directors and headed the Stellantis department during the 2023 negotiations. He also curtailed the influence of another key ally, Margaret Mock, during a dispute over the organizing drive at Volkswagen.

Fain, who wore a flashy “Trump is a Scab” t-shirt while speaking at the 2024 Democratic convention also raised flags when he then turned around and endorsed Pres. Donald Trump’s tariffs

Both Mock and Boyer remain on the UAW’s executive board even though the power has been circumscribed by Fain’s executive actions. Both have also taken their complaints to the federal monitor installed after the bribery and corruption scandal that helped propel Fain to power.

Federal monitor could step in

The monitor is , now responsible for overseeing the union’s internal affairs under the terms of a settlement of corruption and racketeering charges to which the union agreed in 2020 after several top officers, including two past presidents, Gary Jones and Dennis Williams, pled guilty and went to prison for misusing union money.

The monitor, Neil Barofsky, answers to both a federal judge and the U.S. Department of Justice.

Fain has sent the UAW’s attorneys to court to try and neutralize the influence of the independent monitor but is unlikely to have much success since the International Brotherhood of Teamsters operated under an outside monitor for a quarter of a century.

Locals vote to oust Fain

On August 3, locals in two Detroit suburbs voted to file administrative charges against Fain. Another two already passed similar measures.

If at least six locals pass so-called Article 30 charges a trial will be ordered. Fain will be forced to defend himself in front of a 12-member committee appointed by the UAW’s executive board. Following the trial, they will cast their own vote. If two-thirds were to find Fain guilty he would face a sentence that could range from a reprimand to removal from office. He could even be kicked out of the union.

On the other hand, if the committee decided the charges were brought with “malicious intent,” Fain’s accusers could face similar actions.