Blab Politics
UAW Presidential Forum Highlights Deep Divisions Amid DOJ Investigation
The UAW’s online presidential forum on July 30 turned into a battlefield, exposing rifts that mirror a union in crisis. Six candidates—incumbent President Shawn Fain, Vice President Rich Boyer, former MOPAR worker Brian Keller, UAW International servicing rep Tricia Geiger, Local 2147 recording secretary Greg Mooney, and Mack Trucks worker Will Lehman—debated the union’s future, its handling of the 2023 strike, and the federal investigation that has gripped Fain’s leadership.
The forum, organized by the UAW’s independent monitor appointed by the Department of Justice (DOJ), ran entirely online. The DOJ has convened a grand jury and subpoenaed the monitor over allegations that Fain abused his office to secure financial benefits for his fiancée and her sister, and retaliated against Boyer for refusing to provide those benefits. The investigation is ongoing; Fain has denied the claims.
Lehman, a socialist and rank‑and‑file activist, opened the debate by framing the election as a struggle against a bureaucracy he described as “an arm of management.” He cited the union’s $1.25 billion in net assets, noting that 560 international staffers earned more than $100,000 a year and that $118 million was spent on officers and staff—14 times the amount paid out in strike benefits. According to Lehman, the apparatus “does not belong to the workers.”
He went on to criticize the 2023 strike, calling it a “Hollywood strike” that did not represent true solidarity. Lehman argued that only about 30 percent of workers walked out, while the rest worked overtime and received inadequate strike pay. He linked the strike’s outcome to the firing of thousands of temporary workers, layoffs at Ford’s Rouge Electric Vehicle Center and other battery plants, and the deaths of coworkers such as Antonio Gaston, Ronald Adams Sr., and Gregory Knopf.
Fain, in contrast, portrayed the strike as a “brilliant” victory and highlighted the union’s preparation for a potential general strike on May 1, 2028. He emphasized the UAW’s collaboration with the Trump administration, noting that the union had been involved in US‑Mexico‑Canada Agreement talks in Mexico City and had worked closely with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
Boyer, who is running against Fain, defended the 2023 contract and the union’s willingness to negotiate with corporate partners. He also stressed the need to address tariffs, which he said “serve the ruling class” and “set workers in one country against those in another.” Boyer’s campaign has not taken a strong stance against the Trump administration.
A key moment of the forum was the discussion of a death threat posted by Raymond L. Jensen Jr., a former UAW Region 9 organizer who had been paid roughly $202 k in 2025. On July 16, Jensen posted an AI‑generated image on Lehman’s public Facebook page depicting Lehman bound and gagged, with a masked figure holding an automatic rifle. The threat is a federal crime, but neither Fain nor any executive board member had commented on it until the forum. Fain’s response was brief: “I don’t condone that stuff,” followed by a statement that “if you’re running for president, get ready, brother, because you’ll be getting them every day.” The comment was interpreted by observers as an implicit endorsement of the threat.
The debate also covered the union’s approach to higher education and academic organizing. Boyer, Geiger, Keller, and Mooney all expressed concern about the cost of organizing in academia, while Lehman argued that money should go to strike funds rather than to “cushy seats for organizers who do nothing.” He criticized the union’s handling of political demands, including opposition to the Gaza conflict.
Lehman closed the forum by outlining a program that called for the creation of rank‑and‑file committees at every plant, the abolition of the bureaucracy, and a shift toward worker control of production. He framed the UAW’s future as a struggle against a system that exploits workers, contrasting it with the promises of the other candidates.
The UAW’s upcoming international election, scheduled for May 2026, will determine whether the union’s leadership remains in the hands of the current bureaucracy or shifts toward a more militant, rank‑and‑file orientation. The DOJ investigation into Fain, the death threat against Lehman, and the union’s handling of the 2023 strike remain unresolved issues that could influence the election outcome.
In summary, the July 30 forum highlighted deep divisions within the UAW over strategy, leadership, and accountability. The union’s assets, the ongoing federal investigation, and the threat of violence against a candidate underscore the urgency of addressing governance and worker safety within the organization.
The forum, organized by the UAW’s independent monitor appointed by the Department of Justice (DOJ), ran entirely online. The DOJ has convened a grand jury and subpoenaed the monitor over allegations that Fain abused his office to secure financial benefits for his fiancée and her sister, and retaliated against Boyer for refusing to provide those benefits. The investigation is ongoing; Fain has denied the claims.
Lehman, a socialist and rank‑and‑file activist, opened the debate by framing the election as a struggle against a bureaucracy he described as “an arm of management.” He cited the union’s $1.25 billion in net assets, noting that 560 international staffers earned more than $100,000 a year and that $118 million was spent on officers and staff—14 times the amount paid out in strike benefits. According to Lehman, the apparatus “does not belong to the workers.”
He went on to criticize the 2023 strike, calling it a “Hollywood strike” that did not represent true solidarity. Lehman argued that only about 30 percent of workers walked out, while the rest worked overtime and received inadequate strike pay. He linked the strike’s outcome to the firing of thousands of temporary workers, layoffs at Ford’s Rouge Electric Vehicle Center and other battery plants, and the deaths of coworkers such as Antonio Gaston, Ronald Adams Sr., and Gregory Knopf.
Fain, in contrast, portrayed the strike as a “brilliant” victory and highlighted the union’s preparation for a potential general strike on May 1, 2028. He emphasized the UAW’s collaboration with the Trump administration, noting that the union had been involved in US‑Mexico‑Canada Agreement talks in Mexico City and had worked closely with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
Boyer, who is running against Fain, defended the 2023 contract and the union’s willingness to negotiate with corporate partners. He also stressed the need to address tariffs, which he said “serve the ruling class” and “set workers in one country against those in another.” Boyer’s campaign has not taken a strong stance against the Trump administration.
A key moment of the forum was the discussion of a death threat posted by Raymond L. Jensen Jr., a former UAW Region 9 organizer who had been paid roughly $202 k in 2025. On July 16, Jensen posted an AI‑generated image on Lehman’s public Facebook page depicting Lehman bound and gagged, with a masked figure holding an automatic rifle. The threat is a federal crime, but neither Fain nor any executive board member had commented on it until the forum. Fain’s response was brief: “I don’t condone that stuff,” followed by a statement that “if you’re running for president, get ready, brother, because you’ll be getting them every day.” The comment was interpreted by observers as an implicit endorsement of the threat.
The debate also covered the union’s approach to higher education and academic organizing. Boyer, Geiger, Keller, and Mooney all expressed concern about the cost of organizing in academia, while Lehman argued that money should go to strike funds rather than to “cushy seats for organizers who do nothing.” He criticized the union’s handling of political demands, including opposition to the Gaza conflict.
Lehman closed the forum by outlining a program that called for the creation of rank‑and‑file committees at every plant, the abolition of the bureaucracy, and a shift toward worker control of production. He framed the UAW’s future as a struggle against a system that exploits workers, contrasting it with the promises of the other candidates.
The UAW’s upcoming international election, scheduled for May 2026, will determine whether the union’s leadership remains in the hands of the current bureaucracy or shifts toward a more militant, rank‑and‑file orientation. The DOJ investigation into Fain, the death threat against Lehman, and the union’s handling of the 2023 strike remain unresolved issues that could influence the election outcome.
In summary, the July 30 forum highlighted deep divisions within the UAW over strategy, leadership, and accountability. The union’s assets, the ongoing federal investigation, and the threat of violence against a candidate underscore the urgency of addressing governance and worker safety within the organization.
