Jamie L. LaReau and Eric D. Lawrence write for the Detroit Free Press:
For the first time, the UAW has a leader elected by the rank-and-file. On Saturday, Shawn Fain was declared the winner over incumbent President Ray Curry in a runoff election. On Sunday, Fain was sworn in and the next day he took to the podium at the union’s bargaining convention in Detroit to declare it is “a new day in the UAW.” Fain said the union must present a united front after the divisive election and when it comes to contract talks this year, the union will be ready to fight for more gains. […]
For more than 70 years, the UAW had one group in charge. That group, which came to be known as the administration caucus, oversaw a growing union that was able to deliver for its members in the years when the domestic auto industry was the undisputed king. In recent decades, however, the caucus was in charge as the domestic auto industry faced increased competition from foreign automakers and a reckoning during the financial crisis that led the union to agree to concessions such as tier wages. Efforts to challenge the administration caucus gained momentum after a corruption scandal, involving the misuse of millions of dollars of worker training funds and dues money. The scandal sent former top union officials and auto executives to prison. The union avoided a federal takeover by agreeing to reforms that included a referendum — which a dissident group known as Unite All Workers for Democracy championed — on the way the union picks its top leaders. That dissident caucus increasingly began to challenge the administration caucus, and with the success of candidates associated with Unite All Workers for Democracy in the recent election, the union now has two clear factions operating.
Read more in the Detroit Free Press.