UAWD at Labor Notes

Dear UAW family,

Greetings from Unite All Workers for Democracy (UAWD), the rank-and-file reform caucus in the UAW! We are a movement of workers in auto, agricultural implements, higher education, legal services, and many other UAW workplaces who are fighting for a more democratic and accountable union. Last year, UAWD launched a successful national grassroots campaign to win One Member, One Vote. This year, we’re taking on tiers, concessions, and corruption at the UAW Constitutional Convention and endorsing a slate of reformers to run for the International Executive Board.

We are delighted to see so many UAW members participating in the Labor Notes Conference this year. We’re looking forward to learning about everything from new organizing from higher education workers in Local 2865 and Student Researchers United, to how to Vote NO on concessionary contracts and take on tiers from John Deere workers. Here’s the full conference schedule. We especially invite you to attend the following events featuring UAWD:

Friday, June 17

• Main Session, 7:30-9:00pm (Grand Ballroom). John Deere worker and UAWD member Nolan Tabb will be sharing the stage with Chris Smalls (Amazon) and Sean O’Brien (Teamsters). Let’s go Nolan!

• UAWD Reception, 9:00pm (United A). Come party with us! Hear from reformers at John Deere and the Big Three automakers. We’ll be giving away 50 free drink tickets starting at 10pm – first come first served!

Saturday, June 18

• Meeting for UAW Convention Delegates, 12:00-1:45pm (DaVinci B). Join UAWD to discuss the reform strategy for the 2022 UAW Constitutional Convention. This is during lunch and food will be provided. (Please note that this event is not listed in the official conference schedule.)

• Meeting for All UAW Members, 4:15-6:00pm (DaVinci A) NEW ROOM: North Central. Join us to discuss the issues facing UAW members across our diverse workplaces, and how we can build a common agenda for reform in our union.

• Labor Notes Fundraising Dinner, 7:30-9:00pm. UAWD is honored to be accepting a Troublemakers Award at the dinner! Tickets for food are now sold out, but you can still attend the event to hear the speakers.

Sunday, June 19

• No Tiers, No Concessions: Building a UAW that Can Take on the Automakers, 9:00-10:30am (Vienna). Hear from workers in auto on how we can prepare NOW for the Big Three contract negotiations in 2023, and how we’re taking on the automakers and the union establishment, calling for “no corruption, no tiers, and no concessions.” This event features UAWD Steering Committee member Bill Parker and UAWD members LaShawn English, Tim Thomas, and Jessie Kelly.

• Democracy is Power: Fighting for One Member, One Vote, 10:45am-12:30pm (International Ballroom C). The year 2021 was marked by two great victories for national union reform efforts that have been in the making for decades: the Teamsters for a Democratic Union-backed slate sweeping into national office, and the UAW winning the right to directly elect their national officers. Hear from UAWD Steering Committee Chairperson Scott Houldieson and TDU leader Ken Paff on how they won the “one member, one vote” rule in the Teamsters and in the UAWD, and why the ability to directly elect national union leaders matters.

• Building a Caucus and Transforming Your Union, 10:45am-12:30pm (Paris). UAWD Steering Committee member Martha Grevatt will join educators, communications workers, and maintenance workers to discuss how UAWD and other rank-and-file union caucuses got their start.

How to reach UAWD at the conference: UAWD’s two staff organizers, Nathan Pensler (301-651-3577, [email protected]) and Lisa Xu (510-449-8949, [email protected]), will be on standby at the conference to answer your questions. Please reach out to them directly over phone or email. You can also reach out to us at this email account ([email protected]). Look forward to seeing you in Chicago!

In solidarity,
Unite All Workers for Democracy