Shawn Fain

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Shawn Fain

| image = File:Shawn Fain portrait (SOTU 2024) (cropped).jpg

| alt =

| caption = Fain in 2024

| office = 15th President of the
United Automobile Workers

| term_start = March 26, 2023

| term_end =

| predecessor = Ray Curry

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1968|10|30}}

| birth_place = Kokomo, Indiana, US

| death_date =

| death_place =

| occupation = {{hlist | Labor leader | Electrician}}

| spouse =

| module = {{Listen|pos=center|embed=yes|filename=Shawn Fain speaks on the benefits of Unionization.ogg|title=Shawn Fain's voice|type=speech|description=Fain speaking on the benefits of unionization
Recorded November 14, 2023}}

}}

Shawn Fain (born October 30, 1968) is an American labor unionist who has served as president of the United Auto Workers (UAW) since March 2023. An electrician by trade, he worked at a Stellantis automotive parts plant in Kokomo, Indiana. He has been a UAW member for 29 years, and is a member of the reform caucus, Unite All Workers for Democracy (UAWD).{{

cite news |last1=Boudette |first1=Neal |title=President Is Ousted in United Auto Workers Election |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/25/business/uaw-autoworkers-union-election.html |work=The New York Times |date=March 25, 2023}}{{cite news |last1=Wayland |first1=Michael |title=Historic UAW Election Picks Reform Leader Who Vows More Aggressive Approach to Auto Negotiations |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/25/uaw-presidential-election-runoff-results.html |access-date=15 April 2023 |work=CNBC |date=March 25, 2023}}{{cite news |last1=Gonyea |first1=Don |title=Newly Elected United Auto Workers Leader Strikes Militant Tone Ahead of Contract Talks |url=https://www.npr.org/2023/04/04/1167902956/united-auto-workers-president-shawn-fain |access-date=15 April 2023 |work=NPR |date=April 7, 2023}}{{Cite web |date=2023-08-24 |title=UAW President Shawn Fain |url=https://uaw.org/executive-board-2-2/uaw-president-shawn-fain/ |access-date=2023-09-27 |website=UAW |language=en-US}} The first UAW president directly elected by union members, Fain was a central figure in the 2023 United Auto Workers strike.

In 2023, Fain ran for the presidency of the union against incumbent Ray Curry, leading a slate named UAW Members United that focused on opposing corruption, concessions, and tiered pay structures.{{Cite news |last=Boudette |first=Neal E. |date=2022-12-02 |title=United Auto Workers Appear to Rebuke Leaders in First Vote by Members |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/02/business/uaw-union-election.html |access-date=2023-09-16 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20221202234728/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/02/business/uaw-union-election.html |archive-date=2 Dec 2022}} In the first election in which members of the union directly elected the president, Fain won the election by 477 votes{{Cite web |title=2023 UAW Officers Runoff Results |url=https://static1.squarespace.com/static/610844f6010cdc16a11b15aa/t/648cb5fe061a584b78ac8d74/1686943230730/FINAL+CUMULATIVE+ALL+REGIONS+%28Post+5.22%29.pdf}} and took office in March.{{Cite news |last=Boudette |first=Neal E. |date=2023-03-27 |title=United Auto Workers Usher In New Era of Leadership |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/27/business/united-auto-workers-shawn-fain.html |access-date=2023-09-16}}

In office, he advocates a more aggressive negotiating style, more member participation, and for the union to actively support politicians who share the union's agenda. Fain's relative labor militancy and bargaining style contributed to the UAW's decision to authorize the 2023 United Auto Workers strike. The strike resulted in wage increases, cost of living adjustments, and the elimination of the tiered wage system.

Fain spoke at the 2024 Democratic National Convention on August 19, 2024.https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2024/08/19/uaw-president-shawn-fain-speak-at-democratic-national-convention-dnc-kamala-harris-walz-labor-unions/74852999007/

Early life

Fain was born in Kokomo, Indiana, on October 30, 1968.{{Cite news |last=Streitfeld |first=David |date=2023-10-05 |title=New U.A.W. Chief Has a Nonnegotiable Demand: Eat the Rich |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/05/business/economy/shawn-fain-uaw-profile.html |access-date=2023-11-05 |issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite web |date=2023-10-30 |title=UAW reaches deal with General Motors that ends strikes against Detroit automakers pending votes |url=https://apnews.com/article/general-motors-ford-stellantis-uaw-strike-34f6f0d7ca32a671783594722b20fb24 |access-date=2023-11-09 |website=AP News |language=en |quote=The deal UAW President Shawn Fain closed on his 55th birthday is modeled on the ones agreed to with crosstown rivals Ford and Jeep-maker Stellantis, and would give workers higher raises than they’ve received in years.}}{{cite news |last=Sainato |first=Michael |date=September 26, 2023 |title=The UAW Leader Fighting to Defend Autoworkers from 'Corporate Greed' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/sep/26/who-is-shawn-fain-uaw-strike-union-president |work=The Guardian |location=London |access-date=October 10, 2023}} He is the grandson of two UAW GM retirees. His grandfather started at Chrysler in 1937, the year Chrysler workers joined the UAW after a sit-down strike.{{Cite web |title=UAW Locals Map – Mapping American Social Movements |url=https://depts.washington.edu/moves/CIO_UAW_locals.shtml |access-date=2023-09-17 |website=depts.washington.edu}} His father served as the police chief of the Kokomo Police Department.{{Cite web |last=Krisher |first=Tom |date=2023-03-26 |title=Kokomo Native Wins Close Race to lead United Auto Workers Union |url=https://www.kokomotribune.com/news/business/kokomo-native-wins-close-race-to-lead-united-auto-workers-union/article_6e800fbf-ee92-5a09-9cc7-41ea922c003c.html |access-date=2023-09-16 |website=Kokomo Tribune |location=Kokomo, Indiana |agency=Associated Press}} Fain is a graduate of Taylor High School.{{Cite news |date=20 Oct 1991 |title=Fain-Harrison |pages=12 |work=The Kokomo Tribune |location=Kokomo, Indiana}}

2023 United Auto Workers strike

A few days after his election, Fain told the automakers that the UAW was "fed up with the status quo".{{Cite news |last1=White |first1=Joseph |last2=Shepardson |first2=David |last3=White |first3=Joseph |date=2023-03-27 |title=New UAW Leader Tells Automakers: 'Our Membership Is Fed Up' |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-auto-union-leader-promises-fight-get-workers-fair-share-2023-03-27/ |access-date=2023-09-15}} During 2023 contract renegotiations, Fain advocated for an immediate wage increase of 20 percent for workers followed by yearly gradual increases for a total of 46 percent, which he argues would simply be a way to keep up with the enormous CEO wage increases of auto companies in recent decades. The UAW has since lowered the demanded increase to 36 percent.{{Cite news |date=2023-09-15 |title=How Much Do UAW Workers Make? What to Know About Today's Strikes |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/09/15/uaw-strike-average-workers-wages/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230915170029/https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/09/15/uaw-strike-average-workers-wages/ |archive-date=2023-09-15 |access-date=2023-09-17 |newspaper=The Washington Post |language=en}} Fain is also calling for the end of tiered wages and benefits, and the roll-back of concessions made by the UAW during the 2007–2008 financial crisis, including the reinstatement of cost-of-living adjustments and robust pensions.{{Cite web |last=Kay |first=Danielle |date=September 15, 2023 |title=The UAW Launches a Historic Strike Against All Big 3 Automakers |url=https://www.npr.org/2023/09/15/1199673197/uaw-strike-big-3-automakers |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230915064311/https://www.npr.org/2023/09/15/1199673197/uaw-strike-big-3-automakers |archive-date=September 15, 2023 |website=NPR}}{{Cite news |last=Vlasic |first=Bill |date=2008-12-03 |title=U.A.W. Makes Concessions to Help Automakers |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/04/business/04auto.html |access-date=2023-09-15}} Fain's hard line stance during contract renegotiations contributed to the union's decision to begin the 2023 United Auto Workers strike on September 15.{{Cite web |date=2023-09-14 |title=Everything You Need to Know About the Potential UAW Strike |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/what-know-uaw-strike-auto-companies-ford-general-motors-rcna103725 |access-date=2023-09-15 |website=NBC News |language=en}} It is the first time in the UAW's 88-year history that the union has launched a simultaneous strike against the Big Three automakers.{{Cite web |date=2023-09-15 |title=Workers Strike at All 3 Detroit Automakers, a New Tactic to Squeeze Companies for Better Pay |url=https://apnews.com/article/auto-uaw-workers-strike-gm-ford-stellantis-7ce3ca9d94b911250d07556b7af376c7 |access-date=2023-09-18 |website=AP News |language=en}}

Fain has garnered significant attention for his unorthodox approach to organizing, with analyst Daniel Ives telling Reuters, "This is not your grandfather's UAW ... Fain is playing this like a chess player. He's leading 21st century negotiations for unions".{{Cite news |last=Flowers |first=Bianca |date=2023-09-09 |title=UAW Union Embraces Social Media as Labor Talks Toughen Ahead of Deadline |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/uaw-union-embraces-social-media-labor-talks-toughen-ahead-deadline-2023-09-09/ |access-date=2023-09-16}} Fain has embraced social media platforms during the negotiations, publishing short form documentary style videos.

In a profile in The New York Times of October 5, 2023, he stated: "Billionaires in my opinion don't have a right to exist." He is also attributed with: "There's a billionaire class, and there's the rest of us."

He appears in frequent Facebook Lives where he directly addresses UAW members, quoting from the Bible and Malcolm X.{{Cite news |last=White |first=Joseph |date=2023-09-14 |title=Auto Union Chief Shawn Fain Quotes Malcolm X, Shines on Facebook as Takes on Detroit Three |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/auto-union-chief-shawn-fain-quotes-malcolm-x-shines-facebook-takes-detroit-three-2023-09-14/ |access-date=2023-09-18}} In a livestream from early August 2023, Fain can be seen throwing an offer from automaker Stellantis into a waste basket, stating: "That's where it belongs – in the trash – because that's what it is".{{Cite news |last=Shepardson |first=David |date=2023-08-09 |title=UAW Calls Stellantis Contract Offer 'Trash' |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/uaw-says-chrysler-parent-stellantis-seeking-concessions-talks-2023-08-08/ |access-date=2023-09-16}}{{Cite web |title=Live Update {{!}} Live Update UAW President Shawn Fain Live Stream Update 8/8/23 from Detroit, MI {{!}} By UAW International Union {{!}} Facebook |url=https://www.facebook.com/uaw.union/videos/live-update/2672183916277760/ |access-date=2023-09-16 |website=www.facebook.com |language=en}} In September 2023, he said "The September strikes are so far proving effective, and should give employers second thoughts."{{Cite news |title=»Vi bruger en ny strategi«: Tusindvis af ansatte i usædvanlig strejke på tre store amerikanske bilfabrikker |language=da|url=https://politiken.dk/udland/art9529771/Tusindvis-af-ansatte-i-usædvanlig-strejke-på-tre-store-amerikanske-bilfabrikker}}

2023 mass auto organizing drive

At the end of the 2023 United Auto Workers strike, Fain pledged to unionize more automotive companies, saying, "When we return to the bargaining table in 2028 it won't just be with the Big Three, but with the Big Five or Big Six."{{Cite web |last=Bomey |first=Nathan |date=November 2, 2023 |title=UAW promises to deliver where it's failed before: the South |url=https://www.axios.com/2023/11/02/uaw-toyota-honda-tesla-gm-ford-shawn-fain |access-date=December 7, 2023 |website=Axios}} On December 7, 2023, the UAW announced that autoworkers at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, had begun a unionization effort, with over 1,000 members signing union cards.{{Cite news |last=Shepardson |first=David |date=2023-12-07 |title=More than 1,000 VW workers in Tennessee sign union representation cards -UAW |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/more-than-1000-vw-workers-tennessee-sign-union-representation-cards-uaw-2023-12-07/ |access-date=2023-12-08}}

Positions

Fain supports a Four-day workweek.{{Cite news |title=Why a 4-day workweek is on the table for autoworkers |url=https://www.npr.org/2023/09/11/1198394085/uaw-big-3-automakers-4-day-work-week-shawn-fain-detroit |access-date= |work=NPR |language=en}}

Under Fain the UAW endorsed Joe Biden and later Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.{{Cite web |date=2024-07-31 |title=UAW endorses Harris, giving her blue-collar firepower in industrial states |url=https://apnews.com/article/united-auto-workers-endorse-harris-biden-trump-uaw-71b3228411a677514100cf0407522ede |access-date= |website=AP News |language=en}}

Fain criticized Trump's Executive Order 14251 (ending collective bargaining with Federal unions in a number of agencies{{Cite web |date=2025-03-28 |title=Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Exempts Agencies with National Security Missions from Federal Collective Bargaining Requirements |url=https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/03/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-exempts-agencies-with-national-security-missions-from-federal-collective-bargaining-requirements/ |archive-url=https://archive.is/WIl5Z |archive-date=28 Mar 2025 |access-date= |website=The White House |language=en-US}}) describing it as "100 times worse than PATCO ever dreamed of being"{{Cite web |date=2025-03-28 |title=UAW's Shawn Fain slams Trump executive order targeting federal unions - CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/shawn-fain-uaw-face-the-nation/ |access-date= |website=CBS News |language=en-US}}

Surrounding the Second Trump tariffs, Fain referred to "global tariffs" as "reckless" but "firmly supports an earlier round of tariffs on the U.S. auto industry".{{Cite news |title=UAW President Shawn Fain explains why he supports Trump's tariffs |url=https://www.npr.org/2025/04/07/nx-s1-5352409/trump-auto-tariffs-uaw-shawn-fain |access-date= |work=NPR |language=en}}