Five candidates are running to lead United Auto Workers Local 95, which represents more than 9,000 union workers at companies in southern Wisconsin.
Those employees will cast ballots Tuesday to elect leaders and representatives for a variety of offices.
Incumbent UAW Local 95 President Mike Sheridan faces four challengers, three of whom work at the General Motors assembly plant in Janesville and one who works for a GM supplier. In order to avoid a run-off election, one candidate must receive more than 50 percent of the ballots cast.
Sheridan, who also represents the Janesville area in the state Assembly, said he's running for re-election to help make sure the GM plant and other businesses have a long future in Janesville.
"We made some tough decisions in the last couple of years," Sheridan said. "But we think they were the right decisions that will allow us to maximize our potential."
Sheridan said a new GM plant in Janesville is a primary goal.
"I think I can use my leverage as president and a member of the state Assembly to get the job done," he said.
Sheridan's challengers are Tom Brien, Russ Douglas , John Monat and Jim Bosben.
Brien, who was recently elected to his eighth term on Janesville's city council, said Sheridan does a good job as Local 95 president and as an Assembly representative. But he said he doesn't consider either to be a part-time position.
"I think they both need to be done full time," Brien said.
Brien also said he can use the connections he's developed over 14 years on the council to the plant's advantage.
"We would still need those connections if GM says that it wants to build a new plant in Janesville," he said.
Douglas said his experience in accounting, business and technical writing will allow him to best represent all units of Local 95. And he's concerned that Sheridan, Bosben and Brien are nearing retirement age and may not be around for the long haul.
"I think what's most important is that I have a vested interest in Local 95 and the community," said Douglas, who started working at the GM plant in 1986.
Douglas said he'd work to see that a new plant is built in Janesville.
"I think our future depends on that, but it's all dictated by the economy," he said.
Monat said his biggest goal is to see that Ford, Chrysler and GM vehicles are built at the GM plant in Janesville.
"It's a long-term goal, but it all starts with Lear," said Monat, who has worked at Lear Corp., a GM supplier for five years. Monat said Lear makes seats for the automakers.
Monat said he would also work to reduce the number of hours employees work and increase their pay. And if Chrysler vehicles were added to the mix at the GM plant in Janesville, that would involve hiring more workers, he said.
"I want to try and work out a program with the state prison system to bring workers to the Janesville plant," he said.
Bosben said he, too, is concerned about Sheridan's ability to be both the 44th Assembly representative at the same time he's president of Local 95.
"That's really my biggest concern," Bosben said.
Bosben said he's also interested in the long-term future for the Janesville plant.
"That's a concern of everyone in the plant," he said. "The future will be dictated by the economy and sales."
