The head of a key UAW region violated an election rule prohibiting retaliation against a union member seeking international office when he denied his opponent a pass to this summer’s UAW convention in Detroit, according to a copy of a letter obtained by the Free Press.
The letter, dated Saturday, said that UAW Region 1 Director James Harris waived his right to a hearing and “acknowledged that he inappropriately denied” a request for a pass by LaShawn English, his opponent in the UAW’s first direct election of top union leaders. Ballots for the election were mailed out beginning in mid-October, ahead of the Nov. 28 deadline to have them returned.
The monitor notified Harris on Oct. 14 after concluding an investigation into the matter and issued a “formal admonishment to Director Harris for this conduct” on Saturday, according to the letter.
A message was left for Harris and an email was sent to UAW spokeswoman Sandra Engle seeking comment on Tuesday.
It’s not clear what, if any, penalty Harris might face. The letter said the monitor considers the investigation officially closed. It’s also not clear if the monitor’s office has taken action on any other complaints from candidates. A message seeking comment was sent to the monitor’s office on Tuesday.
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The letter noted that in July English had contacted the monitor’s office about the convention pass issue and that the monitor then reached out to the UAW’s general counsel. The letter said English was issued a pass to attend the convention, where she was later nominated as a candidate, after a “direct appeal” from English to UAW President Ray Curry.
English, noting that she’s the current three-term president of Local 1264 and the only Black woman of a UAW local union in the country, issued a statement, referencing the long-running corruption scandal that sent former top union leaders and auto executives to prison.
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“I will not back down. These leftover beneficiaries of that culture of corruption that ruined the UAW must be replaced with true representatives of the rank and file. This uncontested formal admonishment of Harris by the UAW monitor is the tip of a corrupt iceberg of democracy destroying company union bosses that have now been slammed by federal monitors,” English said in her statement. “We will keep fighting, keep organizing to return the UAW leadership where it belongs — to the rank and file.”
English, whose local represents workers at Stellantis’ Sterling Stamping Plant in Macomb County, is running on the UAW Members United slate of candidates, which includes Shawn Fain, seeking the presidency, and Margaret Mock, seeking the secretary-treasurer spot. Harris, the incumbent, is running as part of the Curry Solidarity Team slate, led by the current president. Frank Stuglin is the slate’s candidate for secretary-treasurer.
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UAW Region 1 represents local unions in eight Michigan counties, including Macomb, Oakland and Wayne, as well as those in Canada. The region represents 50,000 active members and more than 100,000 who are retired, according to information on the region’s website.
The current election is a result of a prior referendum vote, where union members opted to change how top leaders were elected. Previously, the leaders were selected by delegates at UAW conventions. The referendum was a result of an agreement between the federal government and the union, which avoided a government takeover in negotiations related to the scandal.
The agreement also paved the way for the appointment of former U.S. Assistant Attorney Neil Barofsky as monitor to oversee the union and the election process.
Contact Eric D. Lawrence: elawrence@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter: @_ericdlawrence. Become a subscriber.