UAW prepares for battle under new leadership

The United Auto Workers just elected new President Shawn Fain, a reform-minded candidate who is ready to fight.

Why it matters: Fain's election last weekend was a watershed moment for the 400,000-member union as it emerges from a corruption scandal and prepares for contract negotiations with the Detroit Three automakers, the Wall Street Journal reports.

What they're saying: "We're here to come together to ready ourselves for the war against our one and only true enemy: multibillion-dollar corporations and employers that refuse to give our members their fair share," Fain said in a speech to members.

Driving the news: Fain beat incumbent President Ray Curry — the first victory in decades for a candidate outside the reigning administration caucus.

• The UAW's three-day convention at Huntington Place to develop a collective bargaining strategy ended yesterday.

State of play: Fain is vowing to clean up the union and unite its members ahead of contentious labor talks.

• A draft memo outlining his plans calls for a shake-up and refers to a potential strike, the Free Press reports.

The intrigue: "What he needs is a bitter strike to show supporters that he wasn't kidding and that he got workers more than they ever got from the old guard," U of M business professor Erik Gordon told the Free Press.