DETROIT — UAW President Shawn Fain and Unifor President Lana Payne struck defiant tones while speaking to UAW members on the first day of the UAW's special bargaining convention, laying the groundwork for potentially contentious contract talks with the Detroit Three automakers this year.
It was Fain's inaugural address as president.
"We're here to come together to ready ourselves for the war against the one and only true enemy: multibillion dollar corporations and employers who refuse to give our members their fair share," Fain said to members. "It's a new day in the UAW."
Fain was sworn in as the UAW's fifth president in five years a day before the convention opened following a prolonged, contentious election.
He defeated incumbent President Ray Curry by fewer than 500 votes. As the count neared an end, Curry filed a protest alleging widespread disenfranchisement.