United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain is throwing his hat back into the ring for a second four-year term at the helm of the 400,000-member union. He enters the race as the frontrunner, riding the wave of a successful walkout three years ago that resonated strongly with workers.
Despite that momentum, setbacks in organizing efforts and accusations of mismanagement have stirred unease among some union members.
Fain, who has confirmed his intention to run, along with his challengers, is expected to be formally nominated by delegates at a UAW convention in Detroit this week. The actual election is scheduled for the fall.
The outcome will be closely monitored by Detroit’s major automakers — Ford Motor, General Motors, and Stellantis — whose U.S. factory employees are predominantly UAW members.
During the most recent contract negotiations in 2023, Fain emerged as the most aggressive union leader those companies had faced in decades. The 57-year-old, who previously worked as a Chrysler electrician, earned widespread backing from UAW members after steering a six-week strike against all three automakers simultaneously — a first in the union’s history. The effort resulted in landmark 25% wage increases.
Since those victories, though, Fain has hit some roadblocks. A $40 million effort to unionize non-union autoworkers across the country yielded one notable success at Volkswagen but lost steam in other locations, including a failed unionization vote at a Mercedes-Benz facility in Alabama.
Fain pushed back on criticism in an interview, saying,
