UAW candidates for the union’s top office faced off Thursday night in a candidate forum, setting another milestone in a year of firsts.
It’s a milestone because members were able to hear from five candidates for president ahead of an upcoming election. Previously, the president and other top union leaders were picked by delegates at the UAW’s convention.
But in the fallout from the long-running corruption scandal that sent ex-union and automaker officials to prison, the union agreed to a direct election process, often referred to as “one member, one vote,” that set the stage for the forum moderated by journalist Steven Greenhouse. Ballots will be sent out to members beginning next month.
The candidates — Shawn Fain, Brian Keller, Will Lehman, Mark Gibson and current President Ray Curry — weighed in on the corruption scandal as well as a range of other issues, from concerns about tiered wages and how to address them to experience in the face of negotiations next year with the Detroit Three.
The forum ran for more than two hours.
Curry, in his remarks, focused on his efforts to lead reforms, asserting that corrupt leaders have been removed, and defended the current union leadership’s efforts to push for better contract results, noting that he’s “not afraid to authorize a strike.”
“The corruption’s been removed. There’s no ongoing corruption in our union,” he said.
Others challenged Curry’s assessment, pointing to a recent report by the independent monitor overseeing the UAW that was critical of the union’s cooperation. Curry noted that the monitor had also pointed out that the union had worked cooperatively following a meeting with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Shawn Fain, administrative assistant to the vice president over the union’s Stellantis Department, talked about getting rid of tiers, saying it can be done by targeting companies if they are unwilling to negotiate.
“As far as (the) plan for ending tiers, first we have to change the mindset,” he said. “It isn’t impossible, but we have to elect leaders who will fight for it.”
Fain, who has been involved in previous contract bargaining, said it’s essential for new leaders to be prepared on day one.
Lehman, a Mack Trucks worker in Pennsylvania, challenged the entire structure of the union, calling for the abolishment of the union bureaucracy and the need for workers to create rank-and-file committees. When the topic turned to experience, or lack of it, Lehman noted that the corrupt leaders also had experience.
Gibson, of UAW Local 163 and a shop chairman at Detroit Diesel, noted that he had previously declined offers to work in the international, deciding that his best work could be done at the local level.
Keller, who works at Stellantis’ Quality Engineering Center in Auburn Hills, noted that those who have held positions within the union have had years to fix problems and get better contracts. Auto companies, he noted, have made billions in profits and he questioned why concessionary contracts have continued.
“We want to talk about that we got rid of the corruption, but is the collusion still there? That’s the question I have because these contracts are still negotiated in the company’s interest, not the members,” he said.