Reform Leader Wins Historic UAW Presidential Election

Shawn Fain, an electrician and an insurgent candidate, has won the presidency of the United Auto Workers union, defeating the incumbent, Ray Curry, potentially setting the organization on a more confrontational path as it heads into contract talks this year with the three Detroit automakers. Fain and his allies won seats across the union’s executive board, reflecting the members’ desire for significant change at the top of the union. Fain intends to be more confrontational in contract negotiations, a position that appealed to members after years of concessions on wages and benefits and following corruption scandals that ended with two former presidents serving time in prison.