In fall 2022, the United Auto Workers union (UAW) held the first-ever direct elections of its national leadership, following a years-long corruption scandal that has sent more than a dozen top UAW officials to prison.

The vote tally showed a turnout of less than 10 percent.

This is not due to the apathy of workers. It is because the union bureaucracy intentionally failed to provide notice to the rank and file. Hundreds of thousands of members were simply unaware that an election was taking place.

Will Lehman, a rank-and-file Mack Trucks worker and candidate for United Auto Workers International president, has filed a formal protest with the court-appointed UAW Monitor, arguing that the election is not a legitimate expression of the will of the membership, and that the results cannot be certified.

Workers should review and share the 120-page official protest, which contains extensive evidence of widespread vote suppression by the UAW bureaucracy. More than 100 rank-and-file workers submitted evidence to this report.