A change is coming to the top of the leadership of the National Auto Workers Union.
That was one of the points on Friday as vote tallies closed in the first-ever direct election of members of the Detroit-based union’s international executive committee. These elections determine who will hold the IEB’s 14 positions: President, Treasurer, 3 Vice-Presidents and 9 Regional Directors.
The unofficial results of eight of the union’s nine regions, reported by court-appointed monitors tasked with overseeing unions and elections, gave challengers three regional director positions and the IEB’s secretary-treasurer position. I was ready to take over the position.
Another Regional Director race heads to the runoff. His other five regional director elections were not contested.
The results of the presidential election indicated that a runoff vote was all but certain as neither incumbent President Ray Curry nor his opponent met the 50% vote threshold required for victory. . And while the results of the three international vice-presidential candidates’ campaigns remained unclear, at least one of his opposition candidates appears to have crossed the necessary threshold for victory.
“This is a truly rocking victory within the UAW and a blast that will certainly change the direction of the union, but the presidential election is set,” said Harley Sheikhen, a labor expert at the University of California, Berkeley. said. Whatever the end result, it’s a big win for the opposition. And no matter who takes the presidency, it really becomes a burden to pull the union together. ”
This election was the first time that lay members voted directly for the union’s supreme leader. For some 70 years, members elected delegates from the local population, who voted for his IEB members. However, union members decided last year to implement a “one person, one vote” electoral system in a referendum.
The referendum was one of the terms of a consent decree the UAW agreed with the Justice Department after a landmark corruption scandal that led to the conviction of 18 former union and auto executives. The consent decree also installed court-appointed monitors.
In the election, a number of independent candidates and candidates from UAW Members United, who campaigned for promised reforms, challenged the Curry Solidarity Team, a group of candidates affiliated with the Lutheran Administration Caucus. . The caucus has effectively ruled the IEB for over 70 years, and this election was the first time in over 30 years that a non-caucus candidate has won a seat on the board.
According to unofficial results, UAW Members United candidate Margaret Mock beat incumbent Curry Solidarity team candidate Frank Staglin 61% to 39% in the treasurer’s secretary competition.
Meanwhile, the union’s current president, Curry, appears to be headed for a runoff against UAW Members United’s Sean Fain. Fain is the International UAW Administrative Representative for the Stellantis Division. Nearly 85% of the votes were counted, with Curry getting about 39% of the votes and Fain’s about 37%. His three other presidential candidates fell behind.
Eight candidates ran for three international vice-president positions. It was unclear Friday whether some candidates would have to go to the runoff vote. According to unofficial results, the top three vote-getters were Members United candidates Mike Booth and Rich Boyer, and incumbent Curry Solidarity team candidate Chuck Browning.
Results, on the other hand, showed significant variation within the ranks of regional directors.
Running without competition for the position of Regional Director of the Curry Solidarity team were Laura Dickerson returning to Taylor-based Region 1A, Steve Dawes returning to Flint-based Region 1D, and Brandon Campbell. was running for Illinois-based Region 4, and Mike Miller was running for the new Region 6. In the US West, Tim Smith is running for Region 8, based in Tennessee.
In three regions, however, challengers defeated candidates who were part of Curry’s contenders.
In Region 2B, independent candidate Dave Green defeated incumbent Director Wayne Blanchard with 59% of the vote. Region 2B covers Ohio and Indiana. In Region 9A, which includes eastern New York and much of New England, UAW Members United contender Brandon Manscira beat incumbent Beverly Brakeman with 58% of his vote.
And in Region 1, which represents locals from eight Michigan counties, UAW Members United candidate LaShawn English defeated incumbent James Harris 53% to 47%.
The top two vote earners in the Region 9 Director’s race will advance to the runoff vote as no candidate has exceeded the 50% vote threshold required for victory. In that race, Members United candidate Daniel Vicente received about 40% of the vote, while Curry Solidarity team candidate Lauren Farrell received about 31%, covering New Jersey, Central and West. led the region. New York, and most of Pennsylvania.
The candidate who won the race as part of the UAW Members United Slate, endorsed by a political rally that unites all workers for reform-minded democracy within the union, is more transparent about union membership workers’ companies represented by the UAW.
The Curry Solidarity Team campaign declined to comment on the results until they are finalized.
Of the nearly one million current and retired UAW members sent ballots, less than 11% voted, according to figures released by the observers tasked with overseeing the union. A total of 106,790 votes were returned.
“A lot of that[low voter turnout]reflected anger, and a lot of it was like, ‘Why are you voting when you can’t change anything?’ This election is confirmed. to change.”
jgrzelewski@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @JGrzelewski