Logo for InfluenceWatch InfluenceWatch

Donate
Person

Shawn Fain

Occupation:

President, United Auto Workers

Contact InfluenceWatch with suggested edits or tips for additional profiles.

Shawn Fain is the president of the United Auto Workers (UAW). Fain was unexpectedly elected in early 2023 by a narrow margin after working in the union for almost 30 years. Shortly after his election, Fain launched an aggressive strike against the Big Three car companies (General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis), which resulted in substantial gains for the UAW. Fain has been praised for his personal charisma and honesty after decades of corrupt UAW leadership.

Fain has expressed left-wing economic views. Fain received support from President Joe Biden during the 2023 strike and has publicly criticized former President Donald Trump for allegedly operating in the interests of the billionaire class.

Early Life and Family

Shawn Fain grew up in Kokomo, Indiana, a conservative stronghold that once hosted the largest Ku Klux Klan rally in history. Fain’s grandfather worked in Kokomo for Chrysler (now called Stellantis) for 35 years, and other relatives worked for General Motors. Fain’s parents worked as police chief and a nurse. Fain’s father, Rodger Fain, ran for the Indiana legislature as a Democrat in 1986 but was narrowly defeated. 1

Fain attended the Kokomo branch of Indiana University but dropped out before finishing his degree. 2

In 1991, Fain married a classmate, and they had two kids. They later got divorced. As of late 2023, Fain was engaged to Keesha McConaghie, a financial analyst at the United Auto Workers. 3

Early Career

Shawn Fain became an electrician on the advice of his neighbor in Kokomo, Indiana. In 1994, Fain began working at the local Chrysler plant as a member of the United Auto Workers. Over the following decades, Fain was elected skilled trades committeeman and to other posts five times at the local UAW chapter at his plant. 4

In 1998, Fain ran for the local school board and was defeated. 5

In 2007, Fain led a movement within the UAW to reject a Chrysler contract offer that paid new workers a lower rate. Fain told UAW leaders that if they accepted the offer, “you might as well get a gun and shoot yourself in the head.” The contract was ultimately accepted. 6

In 2009, Fain became a national negotiator for the UAW during Crysler’s bankruptcy. 7

In 2012, Fain moved from Kokomo to Detroit, Michigan, to work directly for the UAW. Fain grew increasingly disgruntled with corruption in the union’s leadership, including the arrest and imprisonment of two successive UAW presidents for fraud and embezzlement. 8 9

UAW Presidential Election

Prior to the 2023 United Auto Workers presidential election, UAW leaders typically selected their own successors who were approved by elected representatives. According to the Associated Press, this process engendered corruption among the union’s higher ranks. Numerous criminal investigations in the early 2020s resulted in 17 convictions. Findings included a UAW executive spending $13,000 of union money on cigars in a single day, and another executive embezzling $2 million for gambling. 10 11

Incumbent UAW president Ray Curry was a member of the caucus that had dominated the UAW for decades and was the first UAW president in three years to not be indicted. However, he survived a bribery scandal that resulted in the U.S. government forcing the UAW to open up its leadership to a union-wide popular election that would be monitored by federal agents. In 2022, Fain launched his campaign for the UAW presidency. Fain ran a fiery campaign against UAW management, which he called a one-party state. His campaign motto was “No concessions, no corruption, no tiers.” 12 13 14

In the first round of voting, Fain finished in second place with 38%, 600 votes behind Curry. In the run-off between Fain and Curry, Fain won by 500 votes. 15 Curry initially contested the results with allegation of “election irregularities and campaign finance violations” but eventually conceded. 16

2023 Strike

Days after being elected president of the United Auto Workers, Shawn Fain announced that the union would take a more aggressive stance toward negotiations with Big Three American car companies (General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis). Fain told reporters that the UAW was “fed up with the status quo,” and “our members are not getting their fair share.” 17 At the opening negotiation meeting between the UAW and the Big Three, Fain refused to make the traditional handshake with the Big Three executives. 18

Fain’s demands included reinstating cost-of-living salary adjustments (which had been revoked in 2007 19), a moratorium on closing American factories, no concessions on health benefits, and an end to the two-track salary system between new workers and union members with five or more years on the job. 20 These demands later expanded to a 40% wage hike over four years (later lowered to 36% 21), an increase in retirement benefits, and a shortening of the workweek from 40 hours to 32 hours with no change in pay. 22

On August 25, 97% of UAW members voted in favor of authorizing a strike against the carmakers if the union’s demands were not met. 23

On August 31, the UAW filed an unfair labor practices charge with the National Labor Relations Board against General Motors and Stellantis for allegedly failing to respond to negotiations in a timely manner. The UAW did not file against Ford. 24

On the eve of the strike, the UAW maintained demands for a 36% wage increase over four years. General Motors and Ford offered 20%, while Stellantis offered 17.5%. 25

On September 15, the UAW went on strike for the first time since 2019, and for the first time against all the Big Three simultaneously in the union’s entire history. The first wave of strikes consisted of just under 10% of all American auto workers, who were based at three plants. 26

Shortly after the strike commenced, President Joe Biden dispatched two aides to resolve the strike. President Biden also issued a statement wishing for an end to the strike, but broadly supporting the UAW: “The companies have made some significant offers, but I believe they should go further to ensure record corporate profits mean record contracts for the UAW.” 27 President Biden later attended a UAW rally and spoke alongside Fain. Left wing U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) also attended a UAW rally. 28

On September 28, former President Donald Trump attended a rally at a non-union factory in Clinton Township, Michigan, where he expressed support for the UAW but criticized Fain for not giving Trump an endorsement. President Trump stated that without an endorsement, “You’re not going to have jobs. You’re not going to have anything.” Trump invited Fain to a meeting, but Fain declined. 29

Fain rose to national prominence during the strike due to his aggressive manner and energy. He utilized social media to be the face of the strike, for instance, by recording himself on Facebook throwing away a contract proposal from Stellantis. 30 Fain also received praise for the unorthodox strategy of striking against all three major automakers simultaneously, which Fain intended as a tactic to cause the automakers to pressure each other to fold. 31

On October 5th, the New York Times published a profile of Fain describing him as “a union leader whose rhetoric is aimed at toppling the conservative and moneyed classes — a rebel who rejects the niceties of an earlier era in favor of a sharp-edged confrontation.” 32

The piece quotes Fain as saying, “Billionaires in my opinion don’t have a right to exist,” and “We’re all expected to sit back and take the scraps and live paycheck to paycheck and scrape to get by. We’re second-class citizens.” Fain also acknowledged that he is as “subtle as a hammer.” 33

According to labor historian Nelson Lichtenstein, Fain “is using more forceful rhetoric than any U.A.W. leadership in a long while, reaching back to the 1930s and 1940s… the idea of mutual accommodation with the companies is gone.” 34

Fain organized the strike to operate in a series of shifting waves where multiple factories across the country would strike at once and then resume work when another wave began. This was intended to pressure all three major automotive companies, spread the burden among UAW workers, and slow the drain of the strike pot. At its peak, 46,000 of 146,000 UAW members were on strike. 35 36

On October 30, the UAW ended the strike after reaching a tentative deal with General Motors, the final hold-out of the Big Three. Fain announced the end of the strike through a video on X, formerly known as Twitter. Like Stellantis and Ford, General Motors offered a 25% pay increase over four and a half years with cost-of-living adjustments, as well as an end to the two-tier wage system. President Biden congratulated the UAW, “This historic tentative agreement rewards the autoworkers who have sacrificed so much with the record raises, more paid leave, greater retirement security, and more rights and respect at work.” 37

The strike cost UAW workers an estimated $488 million in wages and cost the Big Three $4.2 billion. 38

Beliefs

Shawn Fain is a Christian and regularly evoked religious imagery and Biblical verses during the 2023 United Auto Workers strike. 39

Fain has espoused left-wing economic views, often summarized as “eat the rich.” 40 41

After the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza, numerous chapters of the UAW called for a ceasefire. When asked about his stance on the war in November 2023, Fain declined to comment. 42 The UAW adopted a resolution demanding an immediate armistice between Israel and the terrorist organization in December 2023. 43

In November 2023, Fain met with President Joe Biden to discuss the UAW’s interests in the 2024 election. 44 Fain has publicly criticized former President Donald Trump: “I don’t think the man [Trump] has any bit of care about what our workers stand for, what the working class stands for… He serves the billionaire class and that’s what’s wrong with this country.” 45

References

  1.  Streitfeld, David. “New U.A.W. Chief Has a Nonnegotiable Demand: Eat the Rich.” The New York Times. October 5, 2023. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/05/business/economy/shawn-fain-uaw-profile.html.
  2. Streitfeld, David. “New U.A.W. Chief Has a Nonnegotiable Demand: Eat the Rich.” The New York Times. October 5, 2023. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/05/business/economy/shawn-fain-uaw-profile.html.
  3. Streitfeld, David. “New U.A.W. Chief Has a Nonnegotiable Demand: Eat the Rich.” The New York Times. October 5, 2023. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/05/business/economy/shawn-fain-uaw-profile.html
  4. Streitfeld, David. “New U.A.W. Chief Has a Nonnegotiable Demand: Eat the Rich.” The New York Times. October 5, 2023. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/05/business/economy/shawn-fain-uaw-profile.html.
  5. Streitfeld, David. “New U.A.W. Chief Has a Nonnegotiable Demand: Eat the Rich.” The New York Times. October 5, 2023. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/05/business/economy/shawn-fain-uaw-profile.html.
  6. Streitfeld, David. “New U.A.W. Chief Has a Nonnegotiable Demand: Eat the Rich.” The New York Times. October 5, 2023. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/05/business/economy/shawn-fain-uaw-profile.html.
  7. “[1] Isidore, Chris. “How 500 votes made Shawn Fain one of America’s most important people.” CNN Business. September 12, 2023. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://edition.cnn.com/2023/09/12/business/uaw-president-shawn-fain/index.html.
  8. [1] Streitfeld, David. “New U.A.W. Chief Has a Nonnegotiable Demand: Eat the Rich.” The New York Times. October 5, 2023. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/05/business/economy/shawn-fain-uaw-profile.html.
  9. Isidore, Chris. “How 500 votes made Shawn Fain one of America’s most important people.” CNN Business. September 12, 2023. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://edition.cnn.com/2023/09/12/business/uaw-president-shawn-fain/index.html.
  10. Streitfeld, David. “New U.A.W. Chief Has a Nonnegotiable Demand: Eat the Rich.” The New York Times. October 5, 2023. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/05/business/economy/shawn-fain-uaw-profile.html.
  11. Streitfeld, David. “New U.A.W. Chief Has a Nonnegotiable Demand: Eat the Rich.” The New York
    Times. October 5, 2023. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/05/business/economy/shawn-fain-uaw-profile.html
  12. Isidore, Chris. “How 500 votes made Shawn Fain one of America’s most important people.” CNN Business. September 12, 2023. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://edition.cnn.com/2023/09/12/business/uaw-president-shawn-fain/index.html.
  13. Rubin, April; Borney, Nathan. “What to know about UAW president Shawn Fain.” Axios. September 25, 2023. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://www.axios.com/2023/09/25/uaw-strike-shawn-fain-president.
  14. Krishner, Tom; Householder, Mike; Seewer, John. “Workers strike at all 3 Detroit automakers, a new tactic to squeeze companies for better pay.” AP News. September 15, 2023. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://apnews.com/article/auto-uaw-workers-strike-gm-ford-stellantis-7ce3ca9d94b911250d07556b7af376c7.
  15. Isidore, Chris. “How 500 votes made Shawn Fain one of America’s most important people.” CNN Business. September 12, 2023. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://edition.cnn.com/2023/09/12/business/uaw-president-shawn-fain/index.html
  16. [1] Rubin, April; Borney, Nathan. “What to know about UAW president Shawn Fain.” Axios. September 25, 2023. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://www.axios.com/2023/09/25/uaw-strike-shawn-fain-president.
  17. White, Joseph; Shepardson, David. “New UAW leader tells automakers: ‘Our membership is fed up’.” Reuters. March 27, 2023. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-auto-union-leader-promises-fight-get-workers-fair-share-2023-03-27/.
  18. Streitfeld, David. “New U.A.W. Chief Has a Nonnegotiable Demand: Eat the Rich.” The New York Times. October 5, 2023. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/05/business/economy/shawn-fain-uaw-profile.html.
  19. Krishner, Tom; Householder, Mike; Seewer, John. “Workers strike at all 3 Detroit automakers, a new tactic to squeeze companies for better pay.” AP News. September 15, 2023. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://apnews.com/article/auto-uaw-workers-strike-gm-ford-stellantis-7ce3ca9d94b911250d07556b7af376c7.
  20. White, Joseph; Shepardson, David. “New UAW leader tells automakers: ‘Our membership is fed up’.” Reuters. March 27, 2023. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-auto-union-leader-promises-fight-get-workers-fair-share-2023-03-27/.
  21. Krishner, Tom; Householder, Mike; Seewer, John. “Workers strike at all 3 Detroit automakers, a new tactic to squeeze companies for better pay.” AP News. September 15, 2023. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://apnews.com/article/auto-uaw-workers-strike-gm-ford-stellantis-7ce3ca9d94b911250d07556b7af376c7.
  22. Cheung, Brian. “Potential UAW strike: Where labor talks stand and what’s at stake.” NBC News. September 8, 2023. Updated September 14, 2023. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/what-know-uaw-strike-auto-companies-ford-general-motors-rcna103725.
  23. Weyland, Michael. “UAW workers overwhelmingly vote to authorize strikes at GM, Ford, Stellantis.” CNBC. August 25, 2023. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/25/uaw-strike-vote-to-authorize.html.
  24. Weyland, Michael. “UAW president says union has filed unfair labor practice charges against GM, Stellantis over contract talks.” CNBC. August 31, 2023. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/31/uaw-files-nlrb-complaints-against-gm-stellantis-over-contract-talks.html.
  25. Boak, Josh. “Biden sending aides to Detroit to address autoworkers strike, says ‘record profits’ should be shared.” AP News. September 15, 2023. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://apnews.com/article/biden-strike-automakers-uaw-gm-50d3fbb70714b2faff3b87b596fc0455.
  26.  Krishner, Tom; Householder, Mike; Seewer, John. “Workers strike at all 3 Detroit automakers, a new tactic to squeeze companies for better pay.” AP News. September 15, 2023. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://apnews.com/article/auto-uaw-workers-strike-gm-ford-stellantis-7ce3ca9d94b911250d07556b7af376c7.
  27. Boak, Josh. “Biden sending aides to Detroit to address autoworkers strike, says ‘record profits’ should be shared.” AP News. September 15, 2023. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://apnews.com/article/biden-strike-automakers-uaw-gm-50d3fbb70714b2faff3b87b596fc0455.
  28. Streitfeld, David. “New U.A.W. Chief Has a Nonnegotiable Demand: Eat the Rich.” The New York Times. October 5, 2023. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/05/business/economy/shawn-fain-uaw-profile.html.
  29. Roth, Andrew. “Trump to UAW: Endorse me or you won’t have a union.” Michigan Advance. September 28, 2023. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://michiganadvance.com/2023/09/28/trump-to-uaw-endorse-me-or-you-wont-have-a-union/.
  30. Streitfeld, David. “New U.A.W. Chief Has a Nonnegotiable Demand: Eat the Rich.” The New York Times. October 5, 2023. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/05/business/economy/shawn-fain-uaw-profile.html.
  31. Brooks, Khristopher J. “UAW ends historic strike after reaching tentative deals with Big 3 automakers.” CBS News. October 30, 2023. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/uaw-strike-update-gm-tentative-agreement/#:~:text=UAW%20ends%20historic%20strike%20after%20reaching%20tentative%20deals%20with%20Big%203%20automakers,-By%20Khristopher%20J&text=The%20United%20Auto%20Workers%20called,a%20deal%20with%20the%20union.
  32. Streitfeld, David. “New U.A.W. Chief Has a Nonnegotiable Demand: Eat the Rich.” The New York Times. October 5, 2023. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/05/business/economy/shawn-fain-uaw-profile.html.
  33. Streitfeld, David. “New U.A.W. Chief Has a Nonnegotiable Demand: Eat the Rich.” The New York Times. October 5, 2023. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/05/business/economy/shawn-fain-uaw-profile.html.
  34. Streitfeld, David. “New U.A.W. Chief Has a Nonnegotiable Demand: Eat the Rich.” The New York Times. October 5, 2023. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/05/business/economy/shawn-fain-uaw-profile.html.
  35. Brooks, Khristopher J. “UAW ends historic strike after reaching tentative deals with Big 3 automakers.” CBS News. October 30, 2023. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/uaw-strike-update-gm-tentative-agreement/#:~:text=UAW%20ends%20historic%20strike%20after%20reaching%20tentative%20deals%20with%20Big%203%20automakers,-By%20Khristopher%20J&text=The%20United%20Auto%20Workers%20called,a%20deal%20with%20the%20union.
  36. Streitfeld, David. “New U.A.W. Chief Has a Nonnegotiable Demand: Eat the Rich.” The New York Times. October 5, 2023. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/05/business/economy/shawn-fain-uaw-profile.html.
  37. Brooks, Khristopher J. “UAW ends historic strike after reaching tentative deals with Big 3 automakers.” CBS News. October 30, 2023. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/uaw-strike-update-gm-tentative-agreement/#:~:text=UAW%20ends%20historic%20strike%20after%20reaching%20tentative%20deals%20with%20Big%203%20automakers,-By%20Khristopher%20J&text=The%20United%20Auto%20Workers%20called,a%20deal%20with%20the%20union.
  38. Brooks, Khristopher J. “UAW ends historic strike after reaching tentative deals with Big 3 automakers.” CBS News. October 30, 2023. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/uaw-strike-update-gm-tentative-agreement/#:~:text=UAW%20ends%20historic%20strike%20after%20reaching%20tentative%20deals%20with%20Big%203%20automakers,-By%20Khristopher%20J&text=The%20United%20Auto%20Workers%20called,a%20deal%20with%20the%20union.
  39. Rubin, April; Borney, Nathan. “What to know about UAW president Shawn Fain.” Axios. September 25, 2023. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://www.axios.com/2023/09/25/uaw-strike-shawn-fain-president.
  40. Nolan, Hamilton. “Shawn Fain Talks About Class War, Biden, and How to Eat an Elephant.” Hamilton Nolan. November 22, 2023. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://www.hamiltonnolan.com/p/shawn-fain-talks-about-class-war.
  41. Streitfeld, David. “New U.A.W. Chief Has a Nonnegotiable Demand: Eat the Rich.” The New York Times. October 5, 2023. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/05/business/economy/shawn-fain-uaw-profile.html
  42.  Nolan, Hamilton. “Shawn Fain Talks About Class War, Biden, and How to Eat an Elephant.” Hamilton Nolan. November 22, 2023. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://www.hamiltonnolan.com/p/shawn-fain-talks-about-class-war.
  43. “United Auto Workers Calls for Ceasefire in Gaza – the Largest Union to Do So.” The Guardian, December 1, 2023. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/dec/01/uaw-ceasefire-gaza.
  44. Boak, Josh. “Joe Biden will meet with UAW’s Shawn Fain, but what he really wants is the union’s endorsement for the 2024 election.” Fortune. November 8, 2023. Accessed Janaury 16, 2024. https://fortune.com/2023/11/08/joe-biden-meet-uaw-shawn-fain-auto-strike-union-endorsement-2024-presidential-election/.
  45. Roth, Andrew. “Trump to UAW: Endorse me or you won’t have a union.” Michigan Advance. September 28, 2023. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://michiganadvance.com/2023/09/28/trump-to-uaw-endorse-me-or-you-wont-have-a-union/.
  See an error? Let us know!