UAW Pres. Fain Fights for His Political Life – and that Could Trigger a Wave of Strikes

The UAW plans to fatten up its strike fund as it prepares for fights with big, corporate employers. But union Pres. Shawn Fain also faces a potentially explosive re-election campaign in the months to come as the union moves to fill spots on its executive board.

The United Auto Workers Union tallied up its losses over the past four years during this week’s Constitutional Convention as it moved forward towards a contentious and potentially divisive election season – an election which will test firebrand Pres. Shawn Fain’s grip on the union.

During his keynote speech, Fain highlighted the challenges the UAW faces from the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence which threatens the elimination of millions of jobs and the growth of income inequality, which has concentrated far greater wealth in fewer and fewer hands while working Americans face more and pressure to make ends meet,

In the run-up to this year’s union election, meanwhile, Fain signaled the growing likelihood for confrontation with automotive suppliers who the union accuses of failing to share their wealth with workers. This week’s convention began just as workers began returning to their posts after a bitter strike at Dauch Corp.’s American Axle unit.

Fain argues that without strong unions, income inequality flourishes

Fain used slides to show how the 26 large corporations represented by the UAW posted more than $563 billion in profits in the past decade and spent more than $530 million on dividends and stock buybacks. The buybacks amounted to direct transfer of corporate cash, which could have been used for pay increases or new products, Fain said.

“The fruits of our labor have multiplied like never before, but workers have not reaped the benefits and that’s theft, and if AI continues to be an accessory to that crime, it has to be stopped,” he declared.

The antidote for both challenges is greater union “density,” which increases the power of working people whose only effective weapon in the face of the power of the ultra-wealthy is their solidarity, Fain said.

Building solidarity

Building solidarity, however, requires the union to develop new tactics such as the “Stand-Up Strike” that proved so effective against General Motors, Ford and Stellantis during contract talks in 2023. Breaking with the tradition of focusing on one manufacturer at a time, Fain ordered select strikes at all three of the automakers, targeting their most profitable operations.

He also cited active campaigns such as those used at Daimler Truck and Dauch Corp. where the union won improvements in wages and benefits. The UAW also turned to allies from other countries such as in the campaign for a first-time contract at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Fain noted,

But the union also has faced setbacks, particularly in the South where efforts to organize, union officials stalled after the victory at VW, union officials admitted. While Mercedes did improve wages and benefits it also fought off a union vote.

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Union prepares to fatten up strike fund for future battles

Fain said the union has to be willing to fight corporate power head on, and the convention  adopted a series of changes around the UAW’s strike fund, which locked in current dues structure – 2.5 hours of a member’s wage for monthly dues – until the fund tops $1.3 billion in the future.

The old trigger for a 20% reduction in the monthly dues had been a strike fund of $850 million. Prior to the convention, the union was close to reaching the now obsolete trigger point.

Additionally, based on a recommendation endorsed by Fain, the UAW executive board will have the authority to divert $100 million from the strike fund for organizing drives and the “corporate campaigns” similar to the one that caught Detroit’s automakers off balance during negotiations in 2023.

On the outs with Israel

The convention also voted to have the strike fund disinvest its holdings of bonds sold by the government of Israel.

The union local representing adjunct faculty at New York University forced the delegates to take up the issue and a resolution, stating “No UAW funds shall be invested in Israeli bonds.”

The final vote to disinvest passed 321 to 287, according to an informal tally posted on social media, and reflects growing dissatisfaction with Israeli handling of the war in Gaza and the issue around Palestine, UAW members said.

Bitter internal election battles lie ahead

The fight over UAW’s future direction is certain to escalate as the union moves to elect its top officers. Every union member will have the right to vote directly for top officers for only the second time in union history.

The vote is dictated by the terms of a court-approved settlement, which resolved a racketeering lawsuit filed against the union in 2019 by the U.S. Department of Justice after seven top UAW officials, including two past presidents, received prison sentences for theft and misuse of union dues.

In the upcoming election, Fain will face five challengers, including former ally Rich Boyer, who was part of the same slate of candidates which lifted him to the union presidency under the first direct vote by members. Prior to 2022 the officers had been chosen by convention delegates. Boyer headed the Stellantis department prior to a rift with Fain.

A long list of challengers

The other challengers include Brian Keller, another former Fain supporter more aligned with the conservative wing of the UAW, which leans towards Donald Trump politically. Another candidate, Will Lehman, comes from the opposite end of the political spectrum and is calling for greater activism. The other two candidates, Tricia Geiger and Greg Mooney, are newcomers to battle for top union office and are challenging Fain’s management of the union.

There will also be a contentious battle for Secretary Treasurer where the incumbent Margaret Mock, who is facing two challengers Roc Cier and Brandon Campbell. The latter candidate, backed by Fain’s Stand-Up Slate, is hoping to move up from his post as Regional Director. Mock had been a Fain supporter but the two had a bitter falling out over Mock’s unwillingness to approve spending without taking multiple bids for contracts. Fain argued the no-bid contract was dictated by the need to act quickly during an organizing drive at VW.

A free-for-all also is assured in the race for the union’s three vice presidencies. Two incumbents, Mike Booth, head of the UAW’s GM Department, and Laura Dickerson, now the head of the Ford Department, are facing a field of nine different challengers.