DETROIT (AP) — Reform-minded candidates won several races as members of the United Auto Workers union voted on their leaders in an election stemming from a bribery and embezzlement scandal involving former union officials.
In unofficial results posted early Sunday, challengers took six of 14 seats on the union’s International Executive Board. They could win as many as eight, including the presidency, and control a majority, depending on the outcome of three runoff elections.
The reform candidates, most part of a slate called UAW Members United, campaigned on taking a more confrontational stance in bargaining with Detroit’s three automakers. The adversarial stance is likely to raise costs for General Motors, Ford and Stellantis, which almost certainly would be passed on to consumers.
