UAW members send presidential race to runoff, oust 4 incumbent leaders

DETROIT — UAW members have voted out at least four high-ranking leaders in the wake of the union's corruption scandal and sent the race for president to a runoff next month, according to unofficial results.

None of the five candidates for president, including incumbent Ray Curry, received a majority of votes in the union's historic first direct election of officers, a condition of its six-year consent decree with the federal government.

Curry, 57, garnered 37.7 percent of the votes and will go head-to-head against Shawn Fain, a 54-year-old international administrative representative who got 37.2 percent, according to unofficial results posted by the union Friday evening.

The two candidates were separated by just 614 votes out of about 105,000 cast.

The number of ballots received represents only about 11 percent of the active and retired members who were eligible to vote, according to a tally from the office of Neil Barofsky, the court-appointed independent monitor. Those who did vote appeared to have an appetite for change, as incumbents from the Curry Solidarity slate either lost or are headed to a runoff in all races.

"Our members have spoken," Curry said in a statement late Friday. "We are confident that all reelected and newly elected UAW International Executive Board members look forward to leading all of our sectors and membership with a vision of strengthening our great union."

Curry, in a statement released Saturday, said the members who won outright will be sworn in Dec. 12 while details on the runoff election for the three remaining undecided races will come later.

Fain, in a statement earlier Friday, said the challengers who won "will be strong voices on the International Executive Board for reform and democracy."

"No matter what company our members work for, whether it's the Big Three auto companies, Caterpillar, or the University of California system, we want to put every employer on notice: Prepare for a new, more aggressive UAW," Fain said. "The cozy labor-management relationship is on its way to the dustbin of history."

Secretary-Treasurer Frank Stuglin and three regional directors lost their seats, based on the numbers released by the union.

Labor experts had expected Curry to sail to reelection. Curry had expressed confidence that he would win his first full term based on the record of his year-plus in office.

Stuglin, who became secretary-treasurer in 2021 when Curry was promoted to president, was defeated 62 percent to 38 percent by Margaret Mock, a member of the Unite All Workers for Democracy reform caucus.

The unofficial results indicate that Mike Booth and Rich Boyer, both members of the reform caucus, won two of the three available vice president spots. Chuck Browning, who leads the UAW's Ford department, will head into a runoff for the final vice president spot, the union announced Saturday.

Tim Bressler and Bryan Czape, both backed by the Curry Solidarity caucus, were not among the top three vote-getters. Vice President Cindy Estrada is retiring at the end of this month.

The winners will lead the UAW as it enters contract negotiations with the Detroit 3 automakers next fall.

Incumbent regional directors were ousted in three of the four regions with at least two candidates. The fourth race is headed to a runoff. Even in that race, the Curry Solidarity slate candidate did not receive the most votes.

Races in regions 1A, 1D, 4, 6 and 8 were uncontested, with Curry slate members automatically winning reelection.