Fain declares victory, Curry concedes in UAW presidential race

United Auto Workers presidential candidate Shawn Fain declared victory Saturday in a historic, first-ever direct election for the union’s highest office, while incumbent Ray Curry conceded defeat, clearing the way for the challenger to take office head of the UAW’s critical bargaining convention that opens Monday in Detroit.

The federal monitor administering the election had not provided an official count of the race between Fain Curry as of midafternoon Saturday. The results, if finalized today, would come after weeks of delays in vote tabulation as a thin margin between the two candidates showcased divisions in the Detroit-based union as it emerges from a years-long corruption scandal and faces the threats of transformation in its core industry.

United Auto Workers presidential challenger Shawn Fain has declared victory over incumbent Ray Curry in the race for the president's seat.

Fain, 54, an international administrative representative in the Stellantis Department running on the Unite All Workers for Democracy Caucus-backed UAW Members United slate, claimed he beat Curry, 57, by 483 votes.

More:UAW presidential challenger Fain promises sweeping change to union culture, strategies

The election’s outcome arrives just in time for the union’s quadrennial bargaining convention at Huntington Place, where UAW leaders and delegates will determine what the priorities for negotiations later this year with Detroit’s three automakers will be.

In a Saturday statement, Fain said: “I want to thank each and every member who cast a vote in this historic first direct election of our top leadership. This election was not just a race between two candidates, it was a referendum on the direction of the UAW. For too long, the UAW has been controlled by leadership with a top-down, company union philosophy who have been unwilling to confront management, and as a result we’ve seen nothing but concessions, corruption, and plant closures.

“While the election was close, it is clear that our membership has long wanted to see a more aggressive approach with our employers. We now have a historic opportunity to get back to setting the standard across all sectors, and to transform the UAW into a member-led, fighting union once again, and we are going to take it. The future of the working class is at stake.”

In a video posted on Twitter Saturday afternoon, Fain added: “My message to employers: The UAW is ready to fight back. That’s not a threat. That’s a promise.”