The Door Has Been Opened to a More Democratic UAW
The United Auto Workers has fallen far from its postwar glory as the most important union in America. Flagrant leadership corruption has made things worse. But a recent settlement with the Justice Department opens up the possibility of democratizing the union, writes labor historian Nelson Lichtenstein.
United Auto Workers members hold a prayer vigil at the General Motors Warren Transmission Operations Plant on February 22, 2019 in Warren, Michigan. (Bill Pugliano / Getty Images)
In December the leadership of the United Auto Workers reached a settlement with the Justice Department that opens the door to election of top union officers by referendum vote of the membership. That might well end more than seventy years of one-party control and help democratize a union once known for animated internal debate and competitive leadership contests.
The settlement provides for six years of oversight by a court-appointed monitor with extensive powers, including the authority to veto new UAW staff hires and block candidates for office who do not meet an anti-corruption standard.
More important, the agreement calls for a vote of all four hundred thousand members to decide whether they want direct election of top leaders, or to continue with the current system whereby delegates choose the national leadership at each constitutional convention, held every four years.
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