UAW members from across the country met via Zoom on Saturday, September 19, 2021 for the second ever UAWD Annual Meeting. Proceedings of the meeting were led by UAWD Chairperson Scott Houldieson of UAW Local 551.
Anne Freeney’s rendition of the labor classic, “Which Side Are You On?” played as members joined the Zoom meeting. This particular version of the song was selected to pay homage to Feeney, a political activist and staunch supporter of unions. Feeney sadly passed away in February of this year due to COVID-related pneumonia.
Five UAWD members were elected by the membership to serve for the next two years on the Steering Committee, the caucus’ governing body in between Annual Meetings.
Justin Mayhugh of UAW Local 31, was re-elected as Co-Chairperson. Eric Truss of UAW Local 600, was re-elected as Financial Secretary. Bill Parker, UAW Local 1700 retiree, was elected to serve as Retiree Representative. Andrew Bergman, Trustee at HGSU-UAW Local 5118, was elected to the same position on the Steering Committee of UAWD. Jose Estrada Perez of UAW Local 6645 was elected as a Member-at-Large.
“UAWD has given me hope for our union’s future,” Mayhugh said after the election. “And I want to thank everyone that has been a part of this and has helped keep this moving forward.”
The other five positions on the Steering Committee will be up for election at next year’s Annual Meeting.
Guest speaker John Palmer, a Vice President at-Large on the Teamsters’ General Executive Board, joined the meeting and spoke from his personal experience about the fight for democracy within his own union. “It’s a difficult journey,” he said. “I’ve been called a lot of names. I’ve been spit on. I’ve been called a scab. But at the end of the day, we (reformers) have made some real positive changes in our union. We want to become a much more militant membership-driven union. The labor movement won nothing by being complacent and getting along with management.”
Palmer, who is running for re-election in the Teamster elections currently underway, stressed the importance that direct elections have had on the Teamsters since its implementation in 1989. “The difference is significant now. It’s helped weed out corruption. But, ultimately, the onus is on the membership. At the end of the day, you need a strong democratic organization like UAWD is trying to form in order to hold everybody accountable.”
Former UAW Region 6 Director and administrative assistant to longtime UAW President Walter Reuther, Paul Schrade, was also scheduled to speak but was unable to attend due to health reasons.
“We wish Paul well and hope that his health recovers quickly,” Houldieson said after reading a summary of Schrade’s impactful career.
Organizers Lisa Xu and Nathan Pensler both presented organizing reports to the membership. Xu, a former member of HGSU-UAW 5118, gave an overview of UAWD’s overall outreach efforts, while Pensler, formerly a member of UAW Local 2110, focused primarily on the organizing progress at higher education Locals within the UAW. Both also answered questions the membership had in regards to organizing strategies and the referendum vote.
Amy Bromsen, a UAW Local 7 retiree who is helping to spearhead UAWD’s fundraising efforts, spoke to the membership about the importance of winning direct elections of UAW International Executive Board officers in the upcoming referendum. She noted previous instances in the past when the UAW membership attempted to win direct elections but were rebuffed by the IUAW leadership. “If anyone’s been to a UAW Convention, you know that they (the Administration Caucus) really run it from the top down,” Bromsen said. “Right now, this is a very different time. This moment is a unique set of circumstances that is unlikely to be repeated. This is our time to win this.”
The Annual Meeting concluded with American folk singer and activist Pete Seeger’s rendition of “Solidarity Forever” playing in the background.
“I’m very excited about the future,” Houldieson said at the conclusion of the meeting. “We’re seeing UAWD grow as we’ve continued to organize in various industries and sectors within our union. We believe the UAW membership wants more democracy and accountability from their leaders and they’ll have the chance to make it a reality very soon.”