Lisa Xu writes for Labor Notes:
Chris Budnick has been holding 10-minute meetings at Ford’s Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville to get his co-workers talking to each other about the Big 3 contracts.
Like many activists, Budnick says he has long struggled to get his co-workers interested in what’s going on in the union. Attendance at meetings at the union hall lagged. But he knew that interest in negotiations was at an all-time high, with members emboldened by new reform leaders at the top and with ending two-tier, cost of living raises, and the electric vehicle transition at stake.
So Budnick decided to set up a short meeting in the break room of the stamping department—and it was an immediate hit. Sixteen co-workers came to the first 10-minute meeting; to the second, 22. Now they’re all asking when the next meeting will be.
Budnick kept the agenda simple, following a sample outline from Unite All Workers for Democracy (UAWD), the reform caucus that Budnick co-chairs. First, he gave a brief update on Big 3 contract negotiations, with the rest of the time on discussion and Q&A. He passed out strike buttons and reminded everyone it was time to get serious about “Red Shirt Wednesdays,” the Auto Workers’ longstanding solidarity tradition.
Budnick said it’s the most engaged he has ever seen his co-workers: “People want to talk about the contract and they come with a lot of questions, but they aren’t usually given the opportunity to discuss it in a group. They want to know what’s going on and get involved, but they don’t know how.”
The meetings have also been a boost to morale on the shop floor. One disaffected long-time member of the local, frustrated after feeling ignored by union leadership for years, is coming because “the meetings are finally giving him hope.”
Read more in Labor Notes.