There is a tradition in Detroit. It's a public handshake between the head of the UAW, the

Auto Workers Union, and each of the CEOs of the big three automakers. It happens when

it's time to negotiate the Union's new four-year contract, and it's a sign of good faith

negotiations. But this year, the new UAW president, Sean Fein, decided not to extend his hand.

In a break with tradition, there won't be no public handshake ceremony with the companies.

I'm not shaking hands with any CEOs until they do right by our members, and we fix the broken

status quo at the big three. The members have to come first. And he said, I'm not shaking

your hand until we get a fair deal. And instead, I'm going to go out and meet with members outside

of Unionized plants. That's our colleague Nora Eckert. So he actually spent that full day going to

afford a GM and a Stellantis plant and talking with members. How big of a deal is that? It demonstrated

that he is going to be doing things differently. He's a little bit of a new blueprint in the union.

Someone who's connecting a lot more with the membership, being a lot more direct and transparent

with the membership. And he's been really a wild card for the press and for the automakers.

Welcome to the journal, our show about money, business, and power. I'm Kate Limebaugh,

it's Wednesday, September 6th.

Coming up on the show, how the new, tough-talking president of the UAW could be driving toward a big

strike.

Where did Sean Fein come from? Sean Fein grew up in Cochamo, Indiana. It's a car company town.

And he really got his start working as an electrician within Stellantis.

Then Chrysler. Yes, then Chrysler. But even before then, he was really connected to the automotive

world. His whole family worked either for GM or for Chrysler. And he spent a lot of his days talking

with his grandparents about their work at those plants over these weekly Sunday dinners with their

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