UAW President Shawn Fain declares victory in race for second term

On October 9, United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain declared his re-election victory in the race to lead the 400,000-member union. Fain, 57, received a majority of votes and topped five challengers according to preliminary ballot totals released by a federal monitor. The UAW race drew significant attention from the Detroit Three automakers, who are wary of raising labor costs at a time when the industry is struggling with weaker vehicle demand and intensifying competition.

Fain, who rose to prominence during a 2023 strike against General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis-parent Chrysler, expressed his members' readiness to fight for better terms. He emphasized the upcoming 2028 contract negotiations as an opportunity to secure gains beyond the union's 2023 contract, which delivered over 25% wage increases.

The UAW has already called for a possible strike in the spring of 2028, when current contracts with the automakers expire. Fain has indicated his intention to push for the restoration of pensions for all workers in 2028, a benefit that ended for new hires in 2007. The automakers, facing tariff expenses, higher raw-materials costs, and a costly rollback of their electric-vehicle plans, are expected to resist any meaningful labor-cost increases.