Chuck Browning had a message for delegates during the final day of the UAW special bargaining convention in Detroit and for anyone else who cared to hear it:
The United Auto Workers isn’t a divided union; the election is over, and the companies better get ready.
“Let the world hear: We’re united when it comes to our enemies and bargaining,” said Browning, a UAW vice president and director of the Ford department. “We’re sticking together, and we’re taking on the boss.”
That’s when chants of “U-A-W” broke out from the crowd, with most in attendance sporting red shirts for Wednesday, Solidarity Day. U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Ann Arbor, said during her own rousing call to action a bit earlier in the day: “Solidarity is the word for the next few months. … At the bargaining table, there is no room for division.”
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The division referenced stems from the union’s first direct election and campaign that wrapped up last weekend, with a new president, Shawn Fain, and new officers holding seats on the International Executive Board.
Browning ran with Fain’s opponent, former UAW President Ray Curry, but Browning told the crowd that Fain is his president, a clear statement about the leadership moving forward together as one and an urging for the membership to put any differences aside.
Differences were on display at times during the convention at Huntington Place, formerly Cobo Center. Efforts pushed by dissidents to prevent a minority of delegates from ending debate, to prioritize expanding cost-of-living adjustments and to end tiers related to pay for electric vehicle production failed to garner enough support to move forward. At times, the clapping in the convention hall was clearly limited to certain sections.
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But the convention also saw standing ovations for members in both factions of the union, polite exchanges as members rose to speak and the celebratory singing of “Solidarity Forever” at the conclusion.
Browning reiterated a theme Fain stressed during the campaign when Browning said he’s fed up, “we’re fed up.”
That message was designed to push the two factions in the union past a divisive campaign in preparation for the bargaining fights ahead with Ford, General Motors and Stellantis, owners of Jeep, Ram, Chrysler, Dodge and Fiat as well as other industries. Browning introduced the Ford bargaining committee as well as the bargaining teams at Caterpillar, CNH Industrial and John Deere during his time at the podium. The union struck both CNH and John Deere in recent years and Browning, who offered an emotional recounting of those efforts, noted that “strikes are effective.”
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Fain delivered a closing speech that sought to drive home a message of common purpose and reinforced the idea that the UAW plans to adopt a significantly more aggressive and even militant approach going forward.
Fain’s speech aligned the UAW and a membership representing not just the auto sector, but also higher education, gaming and other industries, with the fight for worker rights elsewhere, specifically naming Starbucks.
He said the founders of the UAW didn’t wait for the law.
“They wanted their dignity and they wanted their fair share, and they did what the hell they had to do to get it,” he said. “Employers don’t give a damn about breaking the law if it serves their interests.”
The UAW, he said, is ready to go from defense to offense, shortly before Van Halen’s “Right Now” rang out in the hall for emphasis.
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“When will we say enough is enough? Right now. The question is, when will we demand what we deserve?” Fain said, as the crowd chimed back, “Right now.”
Fain continued: “Another question: When will we unite in a common cause?”
“Right now,” echoed through the hall as the crowd responded, standing and clapping.
“That’s right,” Fain said, as the cheering continued.
“I want to be clear. This is what democracy looks like.”
Contact Eric D. Lawrence: elawrence@freepress.com. Become a subscriber.