Hourly workers at Ford Motor Co. will have a new face representing them at the bargaining table in the fall of 2027, a person who UAW President Shawn Fain calls “tough” and “battle-tested.”
The UAW International Executive Board said on June 13 that it elected Laura Dickerson to replace Chuck Browning as vice president and director of the Ford Department.
Browning, who served in the job since July 2021, will retire at the end of June and Dickerson will be sworn in at that time, the UAW said in a media release.
The UAW International Executive Board said on June 13 that it elected Laura Dickerson to replace Chuck Browning as vice president and director of the Ford Department.
Dickerson is currently the director of Region 1A, a position she’s held since 2021. Region 1A covers most of Wayne County, including part of Detroit, Monroe County and Washtenaw County, and extends to the Ohio border, according to the UAW’s website. There are about 150,000 active and retired members in Region 1A that come from Ford, General Motors, FCA US, Michigan health care facilities, state and county offices and facilities and a variety of other workplaces.
Dickerson has been with the UAW for three decades and is the first African American woman to serve as UAW vice president, the union said.
“Chuck Browning has set the bar for what it means to fight for working-class people,” Fain said in a statement. “He’s been one of the toughest and most effective negotiators this union has ever seen. When the bosses dug in, Chuck pushed harder.”
In this frame capture from a UAW video, UAW President, Shawn Fain, left and UAW Vice President Chuck Browning, announce that Ford reaches tentative agreement with the UAW after 41 days on strike.
Fain said during the Stand Up Strike in the fall of 2023, Browning pushed to kill tiers at Ford, win back a cost of living allowance and wage increases.
“We’re going to miss his fire at the table, but we know Laura Dickerson brings that same fighting spirit,” Fain said. “She’s tough, she’s battle-tested, and she’s grounded in the membership. The Ford Department is in good hands.”
Ford did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Dickerson said she is proud to follow Browning’s legacy and lead the Ford Department at a time when UAW members are demanding more.
More: Halfway through UAW presidency, Fain invigorates some, while aggravating a few others
“We’re not doing business as usual anymore. We’re doing things differently, and it’s working,” Dickerson said in a statement. “Our members stood up, took on the Big Three, and showed the world what union power looks like. I’m ready to build on that member-led momentum, fight for even stronger contracts, and make sure every worker has the dignity, respect, and voice they deserve. This union raised me, and I’ll keep fighting every day to raise standards for the entire working class.”
The UAW said Dickerson was re-elected director of UAW Region 1A by its membership in December 2022, after first being elected in 2021 to complete Browning’s term there. She was the first African American woman in UAW history to be elected to the International Executive Board, the union said. Dickerson has been a UAW member since 1997 with Local 600 and has served in elected roles at nearly every level of the union — chairperson, bargaining team member, national negotiator with Ford, staff council vice president, and more, the UAW said.
Browning has been leading the UAW contract negotiations with Volkswagen at its Chattanooga, Tennessee, plant, where the union is looking to establish a first-ever collective bargaining agreement there. The UAW said Browning will continue the bargaining with Volkswagen even beyond the end of June.
Browning began his career at the Mazda plant in Flat Rock in 1987 as a member of Local 3000, eventually becoming plant chairperson before rising to various leadership roles across the UAW.
“It’s been the honor of my life to serve the UAW membership,” Browning said in a statement. “I cannot express strongly enough the respect and appreciation I have for our members and for those I’ve served with. I have all the confidence in the world that Laura will lead the UAW National Ford Department with strength and integrity. She will do it with the same fire and same heart that has earned her the admiration and support from those that she has served.”
Jamie L. LaReau is the senior autos writer who covers Ford Motor Co. for the Detroit Free Press. Contact Jamie at jlareau@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan. To sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Laura Dickerson named UAW Ford director, vows stronger contract fight