Reformers take 6 of 14 UAW board seats, could win majority - WGAU

DETROIT — (AP) — Reform-minded candidates won respective races arsenic members of the United Auto Workers national voted connected their leaders successful an predetermination that stemmed from a national bribery and embezzlement ungraded involving erstwhile national officials.

In unofficial results posted aboriginal Sunday connected a national court-appointed monitor's website, challengers took six of 14 seats connected the union's International Executive Board. They could triumph arsenic galore arsenic eight, including the presidency, and power a majority, depending connected the result of 3 runoff elections.

The betterment candidates, astir portion of a slate called UAW Members United, campaigned connected taking a much confrontational stance successful bargaining with Detroit's 3 automakers. They privation to rescind concessions made to companies successful erstwhile declaration talks, restoring cost-of-living wage raises and eliminating a two-tier wage and payment system.

The adversarial stance is apt to rise costs for General Motors, Ford and Stellantis, which astir surely would beryllium passed connected to consumers. Even without the election, costs apt would person gone up arsenic workers question a bigger stock of billions of dollars successful profits.

In the contention for president, incumbent Ray Curry defeated challenger Shawn Fain by 614 votes. Curry had 38.2% of the ballot to Fain's 37.6%. But neither got a bulk successful the five-candidate field, truthful determination volition beryllium a runoff predetermination successful January.

Mike Booth and Rich Boyer, some from Members United, took 2 of 3 vice president slots. Two vice president candidates from Curry's Solidarity Team slate, incumbent Chuck Browning and Tim Bressler, volition vie successful a runoff for the 3rd vice president slot.

Members United campaigner Margaret Mock ousted existent Secretary-Treasurer Frank Stuglin. Reform-minded candidates took 3 determination manager slots, with different headed for a runoff.

Winners volition beryllium sworn successful connected Dec. 12. Ballots for the runoff elections volition beryllium mailed Jan. 12 with a Feb. 28 deadline to instrumentality them. Votes volition beryllium counted starting March 1, according to the website of Monitor Neil Barofsky.

In an interview, Fain said the predetermination puts the companies connected announcement “to get ready. We're coming for you.” He said companies are making billions of dollars and person closed oregon spun disconnected plants and failed to springiness the Stellantis works successful Belvidere, Illinois, a caller conveyance to physique aft it stops making its existent model.

“It's conscionable a information that implicit the years our enactment has go mode excessively adjacent to management,” helium said.

Curry's slate said successful a connection that it is warring for each progressive and retired members. “Our subordinate expectations are high, and our squad has the acquisition and proven way grounds to some physique coalitions for the combat and present results,” it said.

Curry, elected by a ballot of the International Executive Board successful 2021 to regenerate retiring Rory Gamble, said astatine a September candidates' forum that helium has enactment fiscal safeguards and reforms successful spot and has plans to bring national members “back into greater days.” He said the national besides has plans to enlistee caller members.

“We don’t conscionable marque mendacious demands and present mendacious hopes,” helium said.

Turnout successful the predetermination for the 372,000-member national was low. Of astir 1 cardinal ballots mailed to progressive members and retirees, lone 10.5% were returned.

The 2023 declaration talks travel astatine a captious juncture for the union, which faces a modulation from interior combustion vehicles to those that tally connected batteries. With less moving parts, less radical volition beryllium needed to marque electrical vehicles, and jobs making engines and transmissions could beryllium shifted to artillery assembly plants that mightiness not beryllium unionized.

The predetermination came aft national members past December decided to straight ballot connected leaders for the archetypal clip alternatively of having them picked by delegates to a convention.

Under the aged system, normal delegates were picked by section national offices. But the caller slate of officers was selected by the existent leadership, and determination was seldom immoderate superior opposition.

The voting happened aft 11 national officials and a precocious official’s spouse pleaded blameworthy successful the corruption probe, including the 2 erstwhile presidents, Gary Jones and Dennis Williams. Both were sentenced to prison. The archetypal transgression charges successful the probe were filed successful 2017.

To debar a national takeover, the national agreed to reforms and Barofsky’s assignment to oversee the UAW and elections of the enforcement board.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.