UAW members should begin receiving ballots in the mail later this week for the first direct election of the union’s top leaders.
More than 900,000 members were slated to receive their ballots in the first batch of mailings that began Monday, according to a representative for the UAW’s independent monitor in response to questions from the Free Press.
Additional mailings to another 100,000 members are planned over the next few days, followed by more ballot distributions on Monday and Nov. 11. Those additional mailings will include members who have become active or joined the union in recent weeks, according to the monitor’s office. The monitor, former assistant U.S. attorney Neil Barofsky, was picked to oversee the union and the election process as part of an agreement between the federal government and the union in connection with the union’s corruption scandal.
Members must be in good standing as of Oct. 31, and part-time as well as reinstated members and retired members are eligible to vote, according to the rules.
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Those in the first batch of mailings can expect to get them within five to seven days, according to the monitor’s office.
If union members have not received a ballot after next Monday, they can go to uawmonitor.com/ballots or call 855-433-8683 to request one. Ballots can be obtained through Nov. 11, according to the monitor. Ballots should be returned by Nov. 18 to meet the Nov. 28 deadline.
The monitor’s office noted that “the monitor and UAW are working closely with election vendors Merriman River Group (MRG) and Election Systems & Software (ES&S). ES&S is specifically responsible for direct oversight of the ballot mailing process.”
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The direct election, a result of the fallout from the corruption scandal that sent ex-union officials and auto executives to prison, involves candidates for president, secretary-treasurer, vice president and regional directors and was made possible following a successful referendum vote on changing the way leaders are picked.
Previously, the union’s top leaders were selected by delegates at union conventions, but at the UAW convention in Detroit this summer, delegates nominated candidates for office instead, setting up the current election through a process known as “one member, one vote.”
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The race for president includes five candidates: Brian Keller, Will Lehman, Mark Gibson, incumbent Ray Curry and Shawn Fain. Curry and Fain are both also at the top of two candidate slates, Curry Solidarity Team and UAW Members United, respectively.
Aside from the corruption scandal, issues in a recent candidate forum included concerns about tiered wages at the auto companies, concessionary contracts and upcoming bargaining next year with the Detroit Three.
Contact Eric D. Lawrence: elawrence@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter: @_ericdlawrence. Become a subscriber.