Tag Archive for: Kevin Gotinsky

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UAW President Shawn Fain, International Executive Board Sworn In for New Four-Year Term

United Auto Workers (UAW) President Shawn Fain and the union’s newly elected International Executive Board (IEB) were sworn into office for a new four-year term in a ceremony honoring the will of the membership and reaffirming the union’s commitment to fighting for its members and all working-class people.

Press is encouraged to use photos from the swearing-in ceremony.

The ceremony marked the beginning of a new term for Fain and the International Executive Board, who pledged to faithfully serve the union’s membership and advance the interests of UAW members, families, and their communities.

UAW member and longtime union leader Paul Caucci administered the oath of office to Fain, who begins his second term as International Union president. Fain then administered the constitutional obligation to the newly elected members of the International Executive Board.

In remarks following the ceremony, Fain reflected on the responsibility of union leadership and outlined the priorities for the next four years: growing the UAW, building worker power and winning improvements for working-class people.

Fain connected the UAW’s history of collective action to the challenges facing workers today, pointing to the legacy of the 1930s sit-down strikes and the union’s more recent Stand Up Strike in 2023.

“Our union built the American Dream,” Fain said. “From the Sit Down Strikers of the 1930’s to the Stand-Up Strikers since 2023, regular working-class people have led this union and led this country from the ground up.”

“Over the next four years, our job is to do more than just to ensure the survival of our organization,” Fain said. “We need to grow. We need to build. We need to win. And to do that, we need each other.”

Fain emphasized that the UAW is a democratic, member-driven organization and that the union’s future depends on members being prepared and empowered to fight for their interests.

“This is a democracy,” Fain said. “We are only in this room because the members put us in this room. And we will only win what the members are prepared and empowered to fight for.”

The president also highlighted the broader stakes of the labor movement, citing wealth inequality and the influence of corporate power as challenges facing working people. He urged UAW leaders to meet those challenges through faith, solidarity and collective action.

“The only path to turning this situation around is by abandoning fear and having faith that’s rooted in solidarity,” Fain said.

Fain closed his remarks by calling on the board to approach the next four years with a shared sense of purpose and responsibility.

“It’s not our individual legacies on the line. It’s not just our union on the line,” Fain said. “It’s the fate of the working class and the fate of humanity.”

“And together, we will rise to the occasion—to meet our generation’s defining moment. And we will do it as a United UAW.”

Newly Sworn-In UAW International Executive Board

The International Executive Board members sworn into office alongside President Fain are:

  • President: Shawn Fain
  • Secretary-Treasurer: Brandon Campbell
  • Vice President: Laura Dickerson
  • Vice President: Kevin Gotinsky
  • Vice President: Ryan Hiestand
  • Region 1 Director: LaShawn English
  • Region 1A Director: Mark DePaoli
  • Region 1D Director: Scott Zuckschwerdt
  • Region 2B Director: David Green
  • Region 4 Director: Lucas DeSpain
  • Region 6 Director: Mike Miller
  • Region 8 Director: Tim Smith
  • Region 9 Director: Jimmy Lakeman
  • Region 9A Director: Brandon Mancilla

The UAW enters its new term focused on expanding the union’s reach through a $100 million investment in new organizing, building worker power and fighting for a better future for workers and their families.

As growing wealth inequality threatens the foundations of democracy, the union will confront the challenges and opportunities posed by artificial intelligence and automation, fight for a new trade policy that puts workers first, and fight for a political system that puts workers at the center. The focus of this work will remain the UAW’s core priorities: higher wages, quality health care, retirement security and more time off the job.

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Unofficial Results of the 2026 UAW International Officer Election

Members of the United Auto Workers have cast their ballots by mail for the union’s top officers for the second time in the union’s 91-year history.

Newly elected UAW International Officers will be sworn in on Friday, October 16 and will serve a four- year term.

UAW International Officer Election Results:

International President: Shawn Fain
International Secretary-Treasurer: Brandon Campbell
International Vice-President: Laura Dickerson, Kevin Gotinsky, Ryan Hiestand
Region 1 Regional Director: LaShawn English
Region 1A Regional Director: Mark DePaoli
Region 1D Regional Director: Scott Zuckschwerdt
Region 2B Regional Director: David Green
Region 4 Regional Director: Lucas DeSpain
Region 6 Regional Director: Mike Miller
Region 8 Regional Director: Tim Smith
Region 9 Regional Director: James Lakeman
Region 9A Regional Director: Brandon Mancilla

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After UAW Pressure and Auto Tariffs, Stellantis Commits Billions to Domestic Plants

Detroit, MI – After months of planning and deliberation, Stellantis has announced a historic investment in U.S. manufacturing. In a major victory for UAW members and working-class people across the Midwest, Stellantis shared that it will create 5,000 new UAW jobs over the next four years, with three new products. The company projects that they will increase production in the United States by 50% during this time period.

This move brings good-paying union jobs back to the U.S. and will strengthen the economy in communities that were devastated by so-called “free trade” policies like NAFTA and USMCA.

“A year ago, Stellantis was on a fast-track to moving their U.S. operations out of the country. Their decision today proves that targeted auto tariffs can, in fact, bring back thousands of good union jobs to the U.S.,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “Wall Street and supposed industry experts said this was impossible. But race to the bottom created by free trade is finally coming to an end.”

The update from the company today announced 5 new product launches, including 3 additional products beyond what we negotiated in our 2023 contract.

  • Belvidere Assembly will produce two products, an all-new Jeep Cherokee and the Jeep Compass.
  • Warren Truck will produce an all-new SUV, in addition to the Wagoneer family. The company projects an additional shift and 900 additional jobs by 2029.
  • Toledo Assembly will produce the all-new midsize truck, which we won in our 2023 agreement, in addition to the Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator.

The company also reaffirmed past investment commitments, including the next-generation Dodge Durango at the Detroit Assembly Complex and the GMET4 EVO Engine at the Kokomo Engine Plant.

“We’ve been making progress getting our members back to work, with indefinite layoffs coming down from a high of 3,228 in February to just over 1,700 this month” said the Director of the UAW Stellantis Department, Kevin Gotinsky. “This new investment will be a game-changer for UAW members. Instead of worrying about looming layoffs, we can support our families and build the quality products that we take pride in.”

The announcement follows approximately $5 billion in new U.S. investment announced by General Motors earlier this year.

Moving forward, the UAW is focused on the upcoming renegotiation of the USMCA, to permanently end the unfair trade practices that allowed automakers to offshore U.S. jobs, slash wages, and shutter dozens of once-thriving plants.

As part of that fight, the UAW is demanding a new worker-first trade deal that:

  • Prioritizes job security: companies need to make it here if they want to sell it here.
  • Strengthens enforceable labor rights for all workers. We can’t let corporations pit us against each other.
  • Guarantees equal pay for equal work across borders. Corporations should not be able to use trade to cause a race to the bottom.

The Big Three have closed or spun off 65 facilities in the past 20 years. More than 2 million vehicles a year have disappeared from American production lines over the last decade, while factories in countries like Mexico have opened, offering jobs with low wages and terrible working conditions, hallmarks of our exploitative trade system.

Ending offshoring and rebuilding the auto industry also means policies that help the entire working class: a strong National Labor Relations Board, secure retirements through Social Security, guaranteed health care through Medicare and Medicaid, and dignity on and off the job. This is how we ensure today’s gains become tomorrow’s standard—not just for autoworkers, but for all working-class people.

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Stellantis Reverses Course After Months of Pressure, Recommits Billions of Investment in UAW Jobs

Detroit, MI – After months of pushing the company to Keep The Promise made in 2023 contract negotiations, the UAW has successfully secured a commitment from Stellantis to invest billions in American autoworkers. In response, the union has agreed to settle its grievances concerning the Dodge Durango and the reopening of Belvidere Assembly.

Specifically, Stellantis has committed to build the next generation Dodge Durango at the Detroit Assembly Complex and to reopen the Belvidere Assembly Plant in 2027 and allocate a new midsize truck, as agreed to in the union’s 2023 contract. Both of these commitments had been walked back by disgraced former CEO Carlos Tavares, and are being honored by the company’s new leadership.

“This victory is a testament to the power of workers standing together and holding a billion-dollar corporation accountable,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “We’ve shown that we will do what it takes to protect the good union jobs that are the lifeblood of places like Belvidere, Detroit, Kokomo, and beyond.”

The company also committed to a significant investment in Kokomo, announcing plans to build Phase II of the GME-T4 EVO engine beginning in 2026, reversing plans to move work out of this country. There will be no change to existing GME-T4 EVO production at the Dundee Engine Plant. Finally, the company committed to increased component production at the Toledo Machining Plant.

Thousands of UAW members and leaders rallied, marched, filed grievances, and organized their coworkers as part of the union’s Keep the Promise campaign, contributing to CEO Carlos Tavares’ ouster in late 2024. The new North American COO Antonio Filosa has expressed a desire to work with the UAW to build vehicles here in the U.S.

After securing a historic agreement in 2023 contract negotiations which included a first-ever right to strike over product and investment commitments, the UAW has successfully enforced its contract with Stellantis, while advocating for pro-worker trade policies that will stop the auto industry’s race to the bottom and the gutting of working class communities across America.

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UAW Issues Statements on Stellantis’ Misleading Claims on Its Legal Commitments

DETROIT — UAW President Shawn Fain and UAW Stellantis Department Director Kevin Gotinsky issued the following statements about Stellantis’ misleading claims on its product and investment commitments in the United States.

UAW President Shawn Fain issued the following statement: 

“Stellantis, formerly FCA, formerly Cerberus, formerly Daimler, formerly Chrysler, is following in a long line of failing corporate executives blaming autoworkers for their own mismanagement.”

“It is gross mismanagement by top executives that is killing this company. It is laughable that Stellantis claims our proposal to reopen Belvidere is ‘outrageous.’ In just the last 9 weeks, Stellantis has pissed away $1 billion in stock buybacks for a total of $3 billion in stock buybacks this year. Our proposal would cost a fraction of that and would go directly to the autoworkers who have built this company.

“Everyone knows the so-called ‘jobs bank’ didn’t cause the 2008 bankruptcies, and autoworkers aren’t responsible for CEO Carlos Tavares’ mismanagement today. We are asking that Stellantis keep their contractual commitments and do right by Belvidere autoworkers and autoworkers across the country. If they can’t do that, then the only answer is for autoworkers to join with dealers, suppliers, and shareholders in demanding that Carlos be shitcanned.”

UAW Stellantis Department Director Kevin Gotinsky issued the following statement: 

“Stellantis is falsely comparing its commitments in our current contract to the jobs bank program from decades ago. The jobs bank program offered protection for jobs that were outsourced. If Stellantis lives up to its commitments and reopens Belvidere Assembly and builds the Belvidere parts Megahub, our members will be back to work soon and the cost to the company will be minimal. These employees can and are willing to perform work today. That is all they want, to have a future and be able to provide for their families as agreed to in our contract.”

For more information on the fight to make Stellantis Keep The Promise, visit UAW.org/KeepThePromise.

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