The president of the United Auto Workers, Shawn Fain, has easily won his re-election bid after an campaign period marred by accusations of corruption and election interference.
The union’s election of leadership for a four-year term began with mail-in ballots being sent out in late August 2026, with vote tabulating commencing on 6 October.
Fain won with over 68% of the vote as of Friday evening, with additional 13 candidates on his slate, United UAW, winning their elections. The closest opponent to Fain, Rich Boyer, received just over 13% of the vote.
“The membership has spoken. UAW members are united and want us to keep fighting and building on what we’ve done,” said Shawn Fain in a statement on his re-election win, citing upcoming contract negotiations at John Deere, Volvo and General Dynamics Land Systems in 2027, and the big three automaker contracts expiring on May Day in 2028.
“These results are about taking on corporate America and reversing the worst out-of-control wealth inequality in America’s history,” added Fain. “We are fighting for the entire working class, whether that’s at the bargaining table, organizing new members or in the political arena.”
In July 2026, the Department of Justice announced it was investigating Fain over allegations he pressured Boyer, another union official, to provide benefits to his fiancee and sister and then retaliated against him when Broyer refused to cooperate. Fain denied the allegations and characterized them as an attempt to interfere in the election.
Fain won his first election to serve as the union’s president as a reform candidate in March 2023.
He has clashed with the union’s independent monitor, Neil Barofsky, claiming the monitor was weaponized by his re-election opponent. The monitor was also accused of pressuring Fain over the UAW’s passing of a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Fain led the union during a roughly six-week strike in September 2023 through October 2023 at the big three automakers, General Motors, Ford and Stellantis, highlighting corporate greed through the strike and citing the companies’ stock buy-backs and record profits.
Joe Biden joined the union on the picket line, the first sitting president to ever join a strike picket line.
