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2 rivals
from
factory
floors
facing
off in
race to
lead UAW
By TOM
KRISHER
and MIKE
HOUSEHOLDER
apnews.com
DETROIT
- Two
men who
began
their
careers
on
factory
floors
are
competing
to lead
the
373,000
members
of the
United
Auto
Workers,
a union
that
helps
set
standards
for
wages
across
the
nation’s
manufacturing
sector.
It will
be the
first-ever
direct
election
of a UAW
president
in the
union’s
88-year
history.
The
election
pits the
57-year-old
incumbent,
Ray
Curry,
who
started
his
career
on the
assembly
line at
a
Freightliner
truck
plant in
North
Carolina,
against
Shawn
Fain,
54, who
began as
an
electrician
at a
Chrysler
metal
casting
plant in
Kokomo,
Indiana.
Curry
and Fain
were the
top two
finishers
in a
five-candidate
race
held in
December
for a
four-year
term as
UAW
president.
Because
neither
man won
more
than 50%
of the
vote,
they
were
placed
in a
runoff
election,
with
ballot
counting
to start
March 1.
Separate
runoff
races
are
being
held for
two
other
UAW
positions
— a vice
president
and a
regional
director.
Until
this
year,
the
leaders
of the
UAW had
always
been
chosen
by
delegates
to a
convention
rather
than by
rank-and-file
union
members.
But in
the
aftermath
of a
bribery-and-embezzlement
scandal
involving
union
officials,
members
voted to
hold a
direct
election
this
time.
Candidates
who have
positioned
themselves
in
opposition
to the
established
union
leadership
won six
of 14
seats on
the
International
Executive
Board
and
could
end up
capturing
as many
as eight
seats.
Under
Curry’s
leadership
for the
past 19
months,
the UAW
has
taken a
more
aggressive
stance
in labor
talks,
having
gone on
strike
against
Volvo
Trucks,
John
Deere,
the
University
of
California
and
CNHI, a
maker of
agricultural
and
construction
equipment.
In
forthcoming
contract
negotiations,
Curry
and Fain
have
each
said
they
would
seek to
restore
traditional
pensions,
which,
beginning
in 2007,
were
replaced
by a
401(k)-style
defined
contribution
plan for
new
hires.
Both
also
want
cost-of-living
and
general
pay
raises
and an
end to
differing
tiers of
wages
and
benefits
for
workers
doing
the same
jobs,
depending
on their
length
of
service.
Here’s
where
the
candidates
stand on
some of
the
issues,
edited
for
length
and
clarity:
Curry,
Fain
square
off in
historic
UAW
election
WHAT
HAVE YOU
DONE, OR
WOULD
YOU DO,
TO
CHANGE
THE
UNION
AFTER
THE
SCANDAL?
FAIN:
Let’s
look at
the
reform
of this
union.
The
Curry
slate
didn’t
want
every
member
to have
a right
to vote
in this
election.
They
want to
keep the
same
tired
system
where
the
International
Executive
Board
controls
the
convention,
and they
control
the
election.
We’ve
been a
one-party
state
for
longer
than
I’ve
been
alive. A
true
reformist
would
want the
membership
to have
a right
to vote
in the
election.
These
guys
still
ascribe
to the
company-union
philosophy
(where
company
and
union
are
business
partners).
The
company
continually
violates
our
agreements.
There’s
no
action
taken to
stop it.
They are
not
reformers.
CURRY: I
came off
the
assembly
floor.
I’ve had
an
opportunity
to serve
on a
staff in
a
12-state
region
in the
South. I
bring a
wealth
of
knowledge
and
experience,
having
served
as
secretary-treasurer,
leading
reforms
that
started
in 2019.
I was
the one
who put
in place
the
request
for
proposals
with
vendors
for
top-to-bottom
reviews.
We were
responsive
to the
membership.
We’ve
offered
training.
We want
to have
the
members
fully
engaged.
All
those
pieces
are
transparent
and will
move us
forward.
We’re
not just
changing
policies
and
rules.
We’re
also
listening
to their
voice
and
going to
give
them a
forum to
have
discussion
with the
leadership.
WHAT DO
YOU WANT
IN
CONTRACT
TALKS
WITH
DETROIT
AUTOMAKERS?
CURRY:
Members
would
like to
maintain
current
provisions,
but they
want
improvements.
Those
include
wage
increases.
We’ve
got to
have
buying
power
that’s
greater
than
2019 in
2023.
We’re
also
looking
at
reinstatement
of
cost-of-living
allowance.
We got
that in
the
truck,
defense
and
aerospace
sectors.
Our
members
are
really
demanding
it. In a
number
of other
sectors,
we have
seen
pension
increases
back for
active
and
retired.
We’d
also
like to
talk
about
those
who are
post-2007
(hiring
date) in
the auto
sector
who do
not have
a
pension.
They’ve
got
traditional
401(k)
and
savings
plans.
When we
talk
about
tiers,
there’s
levels
of
health
insurance,
levels
of
retirement,
post-retirement
benefits
that we
believe
need to
be level
for all
employees.
FAIN: Go
back to
bankruptcy.
The
government
basically
mandated
“these
were the
cuts.”
Those
weren’t
to be
forever.
They
were for
companies
to get
back on
their
feet.
The
companies
got
back,
and
they’ve
done
amazing
ever
since.
But our
workers
have
been
still
going
like
this
(motioning
horizontally).
When
those
two
things
don’t go
hand-in-hand,
there’s
a
problem,
and the
workers
are fed
up.
Ending
tiers is
an issue
everywhere
in our
union.
People
that
have
pensions.
That
don’t
have
post-retirement
health
care.
It’s
taking
care of
retirees
who have
been
neglected
for the
last 15
years.
Our
active
workers.
With the
cost of
living
rising,
we have
to do
better.
Look at
what
ending
pensions
has
done. We
used to
set the
standard.
WILL
THERE BE
MORE
STRIKES
IF
YOU’RE
ELECTED?
FAIN:
That’s
up to
the
companies.
Our job
is to
fight
for our
members.
It’s not
to fight
for the
International
Executive
Board.
It’s to
prepare
our
members
for
whatever
action
we have
to take
to
protect
job
security.
Job
security
comes
first.
Would we
strike?
Yes, we
would.
But
that’s
going to
be up to
the
companies
if they
don’t
treat
our
workers
fairly.
CURRY: I
see that
happening
when the
members’
demands
aren’t
being
met.
We’re
going to
be
rational
in our
conversation.
We will
utilize
all the
meeting
time up
to
whatever
contractual
deadline
that we
have.
But when
the
members
believe
that the
process
isn’t
moving
forward
in their
best
interest,
I will
be
supportive
of
authorizing
strikes.
STELLANTIS
WANTS TO
CLOSE
THE
BELVIDERE,
ILLINOIS,
PLANT.
CAN IT
BE
SAVED?
CURRY: I
wasn’t
involved
early in
the
process
because
of not
having
the
assignment
and not
being
president
at the
time.
But when
the
announcement
came
about,
we
immediately
started
having
conversations
with the
corporation.
We also
started
raising
awareness
nationally.
I had a
chance
to talk
to
(Stellantis
CEO)
Carlos
Tavares.
I
alerted
(President
Joe
Biden)
that we
had a
product
in a
U.S.
state,
and the
future-generation
product
for 2023
was to
be built
in
Mexico.
We
believe
we’re
making a
good
business
case why
Belvidere
survives.
We’re
going to
keep
fighting.
FAIN:
That’s
the
problem
with our
leadership:
They’re
too
reactive
instead
of being
proactive
in
addressing
these
things
up
front.
When you
know
that
three
years
ago, and
there’s
product
coming,
the
leadership
should
have
taken
action
to
secure
that
work,
and they
failed
to do
so. We
have
language
in our
contract
that
says the
companies
will not
spin
off,
split
off,
sell or
close or
idle any
plant.
And
there’s
only a
couple
exceptions,
which
are an
act of
God, a
severe
economic
downturn.
That’s
not the
case. A
strike
is not
the only
option.
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