Workers react to Will Lehman campaign after historic UAW presidential debate

Following the historic debate Thursday night between candidates for the presidency of the United Auto Workers, many workers have reached out to the World Socialist Web Site to give their reaction.

The debate featured socialist Will Lehman, a tiered worker at Mack Trucks in Macungie, Pennsylvania, and candidates representing the UAW bureaucracy, including incumbent UAW President Ray Curry, longtime UAW bureaucrat Shawn Fain and Local 163 Shop Chairman Mark Gibson from Detroit Diesel. Brian Keller, a Detroit area autoworker, is also running.

Lehman sharply differentiated himself both from Curry and his open defense of the hated bureaucracy, and from those like Fain and Keller, who advanced the idea that the UAW bureaucracy could be reformed. Instead Lehman called for the abolition of the bureaucracy and for giving power to rank-and-file workers.

A worker at the Stellantis Jefferson North Assembly Plant in Detroit who watched the debate said, “Curry and Fain were selling the same old thing, we know what you need. They haven't been on a factory floor in so long they don't have a clue.

“He [Will] did very well because he told the truth about what's really going on the factory floor and how the reps don't care. The International is a house of cards, it doesn’t take much to expose the lies. It’s hard to believe they think the lies will be believed”

Lehman pointed out that the only reason workers were being allowed to vote was due to the massive corruption scandal that has sent two former UAW presidents to prison, as well as numerous other top officials. “This isn’t a question of a few bad individuals but of the bureaucracy as a whole. The UAW bureaucracy is a part of management,” Lehman declared.

In his closing remarks Lehman made a powerful case for the need to build a rank-and-file movement guided by the principles of socialism and internationalism. The entire working class has the power to change things, but we must take power ourselves.

“We must build rank-and-file committees in our workplaces to link up with one another and form an alternate power structure to fight for what we need. We must link our struggles with autoworkers in Mexico, in Canada and across the world. We must fight alongside rail workers, teachers, nurses, steel workers and longshoremen—all sections of the working class exploited by the same network of corporations, who control both political parties and run the government under capitalism.”

[wsws.org]

As the article goes into worker comments, the resemblance of our political arena, local, state, and national, chime out loudly. Debates are absurdly comical as within the same atmosphere they observed. Will was described as a person Bernie Sanders should have been in 2016. On point and exposing the collaboration of our representation with corporations and the ruling class.

Rather him running a lame attempt on a mere handful of issues while on the world stage deflecting away from Clinton's history. Then when it was over, betraying his supporters during and after the primary, joining his opponents ludicrous Russiagate narrative. Don't ever forget what the court hearings and DNC exposed people. The DNC has the right to pick who their candidate will be. It isn't beholden to the vote. It's a fake process of democracy. And in 2016 and 2020, they hand picked their candidates. And as evidence exposed from the released documents from Wikileaks, the DNC and Clinton picked the republican candidate also by pressuring the media to propel Trump to the forefront. It isn't all that far fetched to wonder if this whole 6 year period hadn't been planned all along by the ruling class.

With the manufactured war in Ukraine of 2014 it was inevitable that the agenda would drive it into the world view. Constantly printing money from 2008 out of thin air with nothing to back it up, their capitalist system was, and still is highly faltering. All the tax breaks from Bush on to Trump, Trump's tariff policies, each creating non stop inflation and rising social cost and widening inequality. All this today is on steroids and I'm arguing it's on purpose.

Friday NPR had a segment on inflation and rising interest rates. Do you really understand what they're attempting to achieve? After 2 years on a perception campaign of the economy being lack luster, which it was worse actually behind the curtain they were trying keep it behind, and unemployment being high, they're now raising the interest rates to deter society from buying. Which they admit will induce more unemployment, immediately after a perception period of not having enough workers available. While many businesses apparently are still having problems bringing in workers. Is this why Amazon is currently reducing their work forces and putting new bases on hold?

Which way is up, or down? If anyone can figure this out for us.....