Challenger wins UAW labor union presidency, vows reforms

Fox Business ^ | 3/27/2023 | Reuters

[bert]

https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/challenger-wins-uaw-labor-union-presidency-vows-reforms

Curry and a court-appointed monitor said Fain will be sworn in Sunday, a day ahead of the start of the union's bargaining convention.

Fain's election comes at a critical time for the union. Labor contracts with Detroit's Big Three automakers expire in September and Fain has vowed to take a tough line with them.

Fain said in a statement Saturday the "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."

Fain has been a UAW member for more than two decades, serving as an officer at a local in Indiana representing workers at a Stellantis NV (STLAM.MI) casting plant.

Stellantis congratulated Fain on his win "in a historic election" and said it looked forward to working "on issues that will further contribute to our mutual success while securing Stellantis' position in this highly competitive market."

General Motors (GM.N) congratulated Fain and said it is "committed to building a working relationship based on trust and mutual respect, operating in the best interest of our employees and stakeholders."

The UAW is working to organize new battery plants and members worry that shifting to electric vehicles will cost jobs.

The UAW won a key victory in December, when workers at an Ohio General Motors-LG Energy (373220.KS) battery cell factory voted to join the union.

Fain added Saturday "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."

UAW officers previously were elected through a delegate system. Members approved direct elections in a 2021 referendum required as part of a 2020 Justice Department settlement to resolve a corruption probe which resulted in the incarceration of two former UAW presidents.

The UAW has about 375,000 U.S. members, down from 1.5 million in 1979. The union has unsuccessfully sought to organize workers at foreign-based U.S. auto plants including Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) and Nissan (7201.T).

[bert]

The UAW feels the Tesla heat and attempts to be relevant by seeking changes that will exacerbate the failure of the companies upon which it depends.

Ford and GM are in serious decline and faced with competition they don't understand. The UAW which totally fails to understand the danger of the changes in process makes efforts designed to increase costs

[uranium penguin]

These guys will take a page out of the UK autoworkers’ union of the 60s and 70s...

[Chad C. Mulligan]

I served a 15 year sentence in Detroit, developing and installing high tech process control for the powertrain plants. The UAW fought us all the way; even outright sabotage wasn't beneath them. This was the rank and file, not union leadership, corrupt as that was.

I'll believe they've reformed when I see concrete evidence. Which I won't because I joyfully retired and fled Michigan in 2009. Want nothing more to do with United Against Work.

[BobL]

The UAW and other unions have convinced me that they measure their success by how plants they’re able to shut down, as they look at those shutdowns as ‘sticking it to the man’.

But if the workers keep wanting those kinds of unions ‘representing’ them...then I guess they’ll keep getting the same results.

[Alberta's Child]

I have suspected that one of the major factors in the Big Three embracing EVs was that they saw an opportunity to replace UAW-staffed powertrain suppliers with non-union battery plants.

If the battery plants are going to organize as UAW shops anyway, then maybe these companies will lose interest in producing EVs.

[Robert DeLong]

Ford and GM are in serious decline

Due to their own making, by focusing on EVs, which few people want.

Tesla's role is minor, if at all, to the problems they are seeing.

[VTenigma]

Back to the ‘70s all over again. With an economic dunce as president and tone deaf labor unions. This won’t end well.

[ridesthemiles]

I have belonged to 5 different unions in my younger working life.

MY take-away was that the UNIONS exist to make jobs for people who do NOT work-—have no work ethic—and would NEVER be self-employed.

Those who DO work as a union member can actually get into trouble for working to the best of their ability-—

I KNOW—I was warned 2 times by the “Union Rep” that I WAS PRODUCING TOO MUCH WORK & that if I slowed down—ANOTHER PERSON COULD BE HIRED at an office job I had.

I ignored her—she went to management & demanded I be fired-—for BEING TOO GOOD AT MY JOB-—or she would call a strike.

THEY FIRED ME because they were intimidated over her threats.

That was 1966-—WILL NEVER FORGET THAT

I secured other jobs in my life & was congratulated in the companies that were NOT union.

I became self-employed in 1980-—NEVER LOOKED BACK

I HATE UNIONS.

[ridesthemiles]

I remember when automation caused fewer employees to be needed-—

GM & others agreed to contracts that paid a UNION employee 90% of their pay if they were laid off & would “Sit all day in the Union hall-playing cards with others—so they could be “on call”.

YOU wonder WHY a new car costs so much????

[ridesthemiles]

South Bend, Indiana is still waiting for Studebaker to “Come back from Canada”