DETROIT — In a break from custom, UAW President Ray Curry is not going to ship a state of the union speech on the group’s thirty eighth constitutional conference, which is ready to adjourn Thursday afternoon right here.
Curry’s speech, which was initially deliberate on the finish of the conference’s first day, had already been delayed 3 times.
“By movement of the delegate physique, the remaining agenda time of our conference shall be spent on conference enterprise and never audio system,” a UAW spokeswoman mentioned in a press release. “Consequently, President Curry is not going to be delivering a state of the union speech in the present day however will current remarks for membership at one other time to be decided.”
The four-day confab grew chippy earlier Thursday when delegates held up proceedings for about 90 minutes in a type of protest over what some members believed have been unfair and pointless debates on resolutions from earlier within the week.
This yr’s conference was distinctive in that members of the Worldwide Govt Board weren’t elected as in previous years; as a substitute, delegates nominated a slew of candidates who will stand for election this fall as a part of a brand new one-member, one-vote election system.
Seven individuals have been nominated for president, together with Curry. Three have been nominated for the place of secretary-treasurer, and 10 have been nominated for the three open vice chairman positions.
Delegates on the conference earlier voted to extend the union’s strike pay to $500 per week and implement it starting on the primary day of a possible strike, as a substitute of the eighth day. The rise was advocated by the reform caucus, Unite All Staff for Democracy. The union’s govt board had beforehand elevated strike pay to $400 per week, from $275.
Nonetheless, on Thursday afternoon delegates voted to overturn the $500 quantity, returning strike pay to $400 per week.
Delegates additionally beforehand voted for wage will increase for Worldwide Govt Board members and voted down a proposal that may have allowed UAW retirees to run for worldwide workplace.