DETROIT — UAW President Shawn Fain struck a defiant tone in his inaugural address to members on the first day of the union's special bargaining convention, laying the groundwork for potentially contentious contract talks with the Detroit 3 automakers this year.
"We're here to come together to ready ourselves for the war against the one and only true enemy: multibillion dollar corporations and employers who refuse to give our members their fair share," Fain said to members. "It's a new day in the UAW."
Fain was sworn in as the UAW's fifth president in five years a day before the convention opened following a prolonged, contentious election.
He defeated incumbent President Ray Curry by fewer than 500 votes. As the count neared an end, Curry filed a protest alleging widespread disenfranchisement.