UAW staffers accuse union of illegally firing organizer, stalling contract talks

United Auto Workers employees say the union uses union-busting tactics against its own staff.

UAW Staff United, which represents hundreds of employees across 34 locals, accused the union this month of stalling contract negotiations and illegally terminating the contract of a labor organizer. 

UAW Staff United was formed in March in the wake of the election of UAW President Shawn Fain, who ran as a reform candidate after a series of corruption scandals rocked the union. While Mr. Fain may have painted himself as the reform candidate, USU says the UAW under his leadership has stalled contract negotiations for over a year and has not negotiated in good faith. 

.@UAW fired my coworker because of their organizing with @UAWStaffUnited. We’ve been negotiating for a year and STILL the UAW refuses to give us basic protections like just cause, cost of living adjustments, or elimination of tiers. pic.twitter.com/NDRQSD0BXE

— Molly Ragan (@molly_ragan) September 3, 2024

Mr. Fain is under investigation by an independent UAW monitor for accusations that he participated in retaliation against other labor leaders this year. Mr. Fain encouraged investigators to look into the accusations and claimed that he is “committed to serving the membership, and running a democratic union.”

Tensions between the UAW and its staff increased after USU learned that temporary organizer Alex Chan will be let go by the end of this month. According to USU, this is the first time a temporary organizer has been let go before the end of a three-year term. 

“Terminating me doesn’t just hurt me as an individual; it hurts the union drives and thousands of union members that I’m supporting & organizing with,”  Ms. Chan wrote on X. “UAW needs to afford its staff the same basic rights, just cause and job security as the UAW workers that we fight for.”

Some UAW employees are hired as temporary organizers and have their contracts renewed every three months. According to USU, the practice is a holdover from the auto industry and has remained a target for elimination by the UAW during its contract negotiations with car companies. 

USU believes that UAW terminated Ms. Chan in retaliation for her part in forming the union last year. The union plans to hold a picketing demonstration outside the UAW’s Political Leadership Conference in New York City on Friday.