UAW Vice President Rich Boyer pushed back against President Shawn Fain’s decision to strip him of his oversight of the union’s Stellantis Department and had urged Fain to reconsider after Fain laid out his concerns about Boyer’s leadership.
The back and forth came in two letters obtained by the Free Press, one from Boyer to Fain dated June 7 and the explanation from Fain for his decision dated May 29.
The letters highlight divisions that have emerged in the highest ranks of the union in the months since members ratified contracts with the automaker, as well as Ford Motor Co. and General Motors. It also focuses on disagreements between the two men over the handling of the negotiations with Stellantis, which owns the Jeep, Ram, Chrysler, Dodge and Fiat brands, and the way the union has sought to enforce contract provisions since then.
Fain, who took over the Stellantis duties from Boyer, wrote that his action against Boyer was a result of “deep concern over your dereliction of duty as vice president and director of the Stellantis Department.” He accused Boyer of not holding Stellantis accountable to its commitments.
‘Blatant lie, insult and personal attack’
But Boyer said Fain wasn’t acknowledging the level of Fain’s own involvement in the bargaining process:
“This action against me implies that you and your staff had no visibility or involvement in our discussions during the 2023 negotiations with Stellantis; this is not only false but an outright blatant lie, insult and personal attack on my credibility as the vice president of the Stellantis Department.”
Fain had written that during bargaining, the president’s office team would make “tremendous gains only for you and your team to later agree to watered-down language in private or even allow the company to backtrack on what they actually agreed.”
Boyer responded that “your accusation against me for failing to enforce the collective bargaining agreement and accusing me of agreeing to ‘watered-down language’ is shameful on your part. Those who know me know I would never try to weaken or harm my membership.”
In addition, the two men tussled over the handling of an agreement involving a joint venture battery plant planned for Kokomo, Indiana, as well as a product commitment for Belvidere, Illinois, where Stellantis had idled its assembly plant, a major issue during bargaining, and had agreed to build a midsize truck.
The abuse of temporary or supplemental workers was also raised, with Fain noting that significant gains were won for those workers in bargaining. He accused Boyer of failing to support them during the process and in doing so “you turned a major victory into a perceived loss among the membership.”
Boyer defended his actions, noting that “I have not failed to fight for supplemental workers.” Boyer said he inherited a history of the company abusing supplemental workers.
“The company told us during bargaining that they were not going to convert all 5,500 SEs, and we ensured that we communicated to you that they would only convert 3,200 after ratification. Furthermore, we informed you that the company only wanted to retain 500 SEs or less on role,” Boyer wrote.
Fain took the action against Boyer in May, the second shake-up in recent months involving a member of the International Executive Board. In February, Secretary-Treasurer Margaret Mock was reassigned after she was accused of misconduct related to not approving certain expenditures. Mock has denied wrongdoing and defended her actions as protecting union member dues.
The independent UAW monitor wrote in his latest status report, released Monday, that he is investigating each situation.
Fain, Boyer and Mock all ran on the same slate in the union’s first direct election of top leaders following the corruption scandal that also led to the appointment of the monitor.
In a statement from Fain provided to the Free Press after the monitor’s report was released, he said that “taking our union in a new direction means sometimes you have to rock the boat, and that upsets some people who want to keep the status quo, but our membership expects better and deserves better than the old business as usual. We encourage the monitor to investigate whatever claims are brought to their office, because we know what they’ll find: a UAW leadership committed to serving the membership, and running a democratic union.”
The union has declined comment on the letters.
Dispute over a meeting in Puerto Rico
One specific issue of contention was the location of the 2024 UAW National Stellantis Council meeting, which, according to a union flyer, was scheduled for March 17-22, at the Sheraton Puerto Rico Hotel and Casino in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Fain said that Boyer decided, despite his repeated objections, to hold the council in Puerto Rico “where we have many members but none that work for Stellantis.”
He said the decision has “continued to haunt us in our new organizing drives, where anti-union employers have repeatedly thrown it in our face — just as I predicted they would.”
Boyer stated that convening the council in Puerto Rico “is not a legitimate reason for my removal. One of the council’s objectives was to provide backing to UAW members encountering impediments to bargaining rights in Puerto Rico. My presence was motivated by the desire to express solidarity with my peers, and the assembly proved to be highly productive.”
Boyer noted that the expenses associated with the council were “marginally lower” than prior assemblies.
Contact Eric D. Lawrence: [email protected]. Become a subscriber. Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: UAW’s Fain, Boyer disagree over decision to strip Stellantis duties
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