Shawn Fain took the stage of the UAW special bargaining convention Monday, a day after being sworn in to the presidency, preaching a united front after a divisive election and telling hundreds of delegates that the union is ready for the battles ahead.
“It’s a new day in the UAW,” Fain declared.
The union’s International Executive Board is “united to serve you,” Fain said, an apparent nod to a board nearly split between the caucus led by Fain and the caucus that supported his opponent, former president Ray Curry.
Fain unseated Curry in a runoff election marked by delayed counting attributed to challenged ballots after neither candidate secured a majority in the initial election round last year in the union’s first direct election of top leaders.
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During his speech, Fain thanked Curry for his service, garnering a hearty round of applause.
As the United Auto Workers prepares for a consequential year where its negotiators will face off against those representing Ford Motor Co., General Motors and Chrysler-parent Stellantis, Fain sought to recast the narrative of a closely divided union to one focused on a common enemy.
“We’re here to come together to ready ourselves for the war against our one and only true enemy − multibillion-dollar corporations and employers who refuse to give our members their fair share,” Fain said.
Fain, whose campaign focused on the need to pursue a more aggressive bargaining approach and which indicated in a leaked document a plan to shake up the union, acknowledged challenges ahead but said the union is choosing to fight after a historic election. He also tied the mission of the union to a broader fight for worker and human rights, referencing messages in the writings of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
“Our union is moving from rights on paper to rights in action,” Fain said.
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He listed areas where the union has work to do on eliminating tiers (equal pay for equal work), ending plant closures and improving health care and retirement security for all.
Fain highlighted the “united” in United Auto Workers, noting that “even when we disagree, we’re in this fight together.”
Speakers on the first day of the three-day convention at Huntington Place that will set priorities for bargaining in the auto sector as well as other industries included U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Michigan. Peters gave a rousing address, exclaiming that Michigan is a “pro-union state,” and he noted the state’s recent repeal of right-to-work legislation and return of prevailing wage rules.
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There’s a “need to stand up and fight. Nothing is given to you,” Peters said, rattling off figures about how much more CEOs make than their workers and promoting the need to “make things here.”
U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Michigan, and Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan provided recorded messages for the convention attendees, and representatives of other unions also urged a united front for worker rights, including Unifor National President Lana Payne. Canada’s Unifor union will bargain with the Detroit Three this year as well, a break from recent past practice.
The convention offered an opportunity for new leaders, recently elected, to lead part of the proceedings, including Margaret Mock, the first Black woman to hold the union’s secretary-treasurer post.
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It also highlighted a more open process for journalists, who were allowed access to the convention hall, a departure from the union’s convention held over the summer in Detroit.
The most contentious moments during the convention’s first day came as disagreement roiled over the issue of amending rules to close debate. Numerous delegates, supporting a push by the dissident caucus Unite All Workers for Democracy, sought to change the threshold to close debate on convention questions from about 33 delegates to one-third of the delegates, a move pitched as one that would bolster democracy by preventing a minority of delegates from stopping debate. That effort was defeated.
Another effort, pushed by the dissidents, focused on expanding cost-of-living adjustments but also failed.
During a meeting with journalists after the convention adjourned for the day, Fain reiterated many of the points he’d made from earlier.
He called it a great day and said the debate and decisions by the delegates reflected an open process.
However, he also said the divisions on display and what appeared to be a pushback against reform efforts also reflected the effects of 70 years of an entrenched pro-administration caucus. Fain said some of what was decided in the convention hall was not indicative of the membership based on what he’s seen in meeting with rank-and-file members during his campaign.
“Our membership’s fed up. They’re fed up with the status quo,” he said.
Fain was asked about possible deal breakers in bargaining. He said he didn’t know what would reach that level necessarily, but he did highlight issues like job security and ending wage tiers as top priorities.
Fain said members deserve “their share” and he said the union would “use every resource we have” in the efforts ahead.
Contact Eric D. Lawrence: elawrence@freepress.com. Become a subscriber.