Two men who began their careers on factory floors are competing to lead the 373,000 members of the United Auto Workers, a union that helps set standards for wages across the nation’s manufacturing sector.

It will be the first-ever direct election of a UAW president in the union’s 88year history.

The election pits the 57-year-old incumbent, Ray Curry, who started his career on the assembly line at a Freightliner truck plant in North Carolina, against Shawn Fain, 54, who began as an electrician at a Chrysler metal casting plant in Kokomo, Ind.

Curry and Fain were the top two finishers in a five-candidate race held in December for a four-year term as UAW president. Because neither man won more than 50% of the vote, they were placed in a runoff election, with ballot counting to start March 1. Separate runoff races are being held for two other UAW positions — a vice president and a regional director.

Until this year, the leaders of the UAW had always been chosen by delegates to a convention rather than by rank-and-file union members. But in the aftermath of a bribery-and-embezzlement scandal involving union officials, members voted to hold a direct election this time.

Candidates who have positioned themselves in opposition to the established union leadership won six of 14 seats on the International Executive Board and could end up capturing as many as eight seats.

Under Curry’s leadership for the past 19 months, the UAW has taken a more aggressive stance in labor talks, having gone on strike against Volvo Trucks, John Deere, the University of California and CNHI, a maker of agricultural and construction equipment.

In forthcoming contract negotiations, Curry and Fain have each said they would seek to restore traditional pensions, which, beginning in 2007, were replaced by a 401(k)-style defined contribution plan for new hires. Both also want cost-of-living and general pay raises and an end to differing tiers of wages and benefits for workers doing the same jobs, depending on their length of service.

Here’s where the candidates stand on some of the issues, edited for length and clarity:

What have you done, or would you do, to change the union after the scandal?

Fain: Let’s look at the reform of this union. The Curry slate didn’t want every member to have a right to vote in this election. They want to keep the same tired system where the International Executive Board controls the convention, and they control the election. We’ve been a one-party state for longer than I’ve been alive. A true reformist would want the membership to have a right to vote in the election. These guys still ascribe to the company-union philosophy (where company and union are business partners). The company continually violates our agreements. There’s no action taken to stop it. They are not reformers.

Curry: I came off the assembly floor. I’ve had an opportunity to serve on a staff in a 12-state region in the South. I bring a wealth of knowledge and experience, having served as secretary-treasurer, leading reforms that started in 2019. I was the one who put in place the request for proposals with vendors for top-to-bottom reviews. We were responsive to the membership. We’ve offered training. We want to have the members fully engaged. All those pieces are transparent and will move us forward. We’re not just changing policies and rules. We’re also listening to their voice and going to give them a forum to have discussion with the leadership.

What do you want in contract talks with Detriot automakers?

Curry: Members would like to maintain current provisions, but they want improvements. Those include wage increases. We’ve got to have buying power that’s greater than 2019 in 2023. We’re also looking at reinstatement of cost-of-living allowance. We got that in the truck, defense and aerospace sectors. Our members are really demanding it.

Fain: Go back to bankruptcy. The government basically mandated “these were the cuts.” Those weren’t to be forever. They were for companies to get back on their feet. The companies got back, and they’ve done amazing ever since. But our workers have been still going like this (motioning horizontally). When those two things don’t go hand-in-hand, there’s a problem, and the workers are fed up.

Will there be more strikes if you’re elected?

Fain: That’s up to the companies. Our job is to fight for our members. It’s not to fight for the International Executive Board. It’s to prepare our members for whatever action we have to take to protect job security. Job security comes first. Would we strike? Yes, we would. But that’s going to be up to the companies if they don’t treat our workers fairly.

Curry: I see that happening when the members’ demands aren’t being met. We’re going to be rational in our conversation. We will utilize all the meeting time up to whatever contractual deadline that we have. But when the members believe that the process isn’t moving forward in their best interest, I will be supportive of authorizing strikes.