Key facts
- United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain is seeking reelection for a second four-year term.
- Fain is considered the favorite due to his leadership during a 2023 strike that secured significant wage increases.
- The union's organizing efforts at non-union automakers have faced setbacks, including a lost vote at Mercedes-Benz.
- Fain faces allegations of retaliation and lack of transparency from a federal watchdog overseeing the union.
- Several opponents, including Brian Keller, Will Lehman, Greg Mooney, and Tricia Geiger, are running against Fain.
United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain is seeking a second four-year term, entering the race as the favorite following a successful 2023 strike against Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis that secured historic wage increases. The 57-year-old former Chrysler electrician has garnered broad support among union members for his combative bargaining approach, which included leading simultaneous strikes against all three Detroit automakers for the first time in the union's history.
However, Fain's leadership has also faced challenges. The UAW's ambitious $40 million campaign to organize non-union automakers nationwide has yielded only one major win at Volkswagen, losing momentum elsewhere, including a failed unionization vote at a Mercedes-Benz plant in Alabama. Additionally, a federal watchdog, appointed in 2021 to oversee union management after a corruption scandal, has accused Fain of retaliating against other UAW leaders and of a lack of transparency. The union's executive board has also been scrutinized over its investment portfolio management.
Despite these issues, labor experts suggest that the contract gains achieved under Fain's tenure are likely to outweigh the organizing setbacks and allegations of mismanagement. Rivals, including Brian Keller, Will Lehman, Greg Mooney, and Tricia Geiger, are challenging Fain, with platforms that include calls for responsible AI implementation, significant wage hikes, and increased union transparency. Fain, who is the first UAW president elected directly by members, maintains that the union has prioritized its membership and adopted nearly all reforms suggested by the monitor.