Unite All Workers for Democracy (UAWD) is launching a nation-wide Week of Action from May 24-28 to raise awareness of the upcoming UAW-wide referendum vote on switching to direct elections of top international union leaders, and to build support for “One Member, One Vote.” Workers from the auto sector, as well as higher education and legal services, will participate in actions all week long spanning all parts of the country.
The referendum, which will be held later this year, is the result of a consent decree stemming from a multi-year DOJ investigation into corruption in the UAW, which has led to the conviction of over a dozen union officials, including two past presidents.
The dates for the Week of Action were chosen to coincide with the anniversary of the Battle of the Overpass on May 26, 1937, a pivotal event in the early history of the UAW in which security guards from the Ford Motor Company severely beat Walter Reuther and other UAW organizers while they were leafleting for worker rights at the Ford River Rouge Plant in Dearborn, MI.
During the Week of Action, UAW workers will similarly be leafleting for their right to directly elect the top leaders of the UAW at the gates of their plants. We will celebrate and build on the UAW’s history of being a fighting, democratic union—a legacy that was betrayed by corrupt union officials. The full calendar of events can be viewed here:
- Weeklong leafleting at ten auto locals across seven states: These locals represent over 70,000 workers, and UAWD is ordering 10,000-20,000 flyers to be printed at union printers near each participating local. The participating locals include:
- Local 600 in Dearborn, MI, the site of the Battle of the Overpass
- Local 7 in Detroit, MI
- Local 602 in Lansing, MI
- Local 12 in Toledo, OH
- Local 862 in Louisville, KY
- Local 2164 in Bowling Green, KY
- Local 1853 in Spring Hill, TN
- Local 1097 in Rochester, NY
- Local 710 in Kansas City, KS
- Local 2250 in Wentzville, MO (flyering a week earlier due to layoffs related to global chip shortage the week of May 24-28)
- May 25, virtual rally and phone bank for workers in higher ed and legal services: On May 25, at least 50 workers in the higher education and legal services sectors of the UAW will be participating in a virtual rally and phonebank in support of One Member, One Vote. The participating locals include but are not limited to those from California, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York, and represent over 50,000 workers.
- May 26, virtual panel on UAW activism and phone bank for workers in auto: On May 26 – the 84th anniversary of the Battle of the Overpass – we are holding a virtual panel on reform movements in the UAW from 1968 through 2021, followed by a phone bank for auto workers.
More background on UAWD
Unite All Workers for Democracy (UAWD) is a growing caucus of rank-and-file UAW members who are leading the fight to clean up the union and pass a union-wide referendum to allow for UAW members to directly elect top union leaders (i.e., “One Member, One Vote”). If the referendum passes, it would be the most significant reform in the governance of a major union since the Teamsters were compelled to adopt direct elections as part of a 1989 consent decree. UAWD has spread to over 50 locals in the UAW. While the majority of our members are in the auto sector, we are also beginning to attract significant support in the higher education and legal services sectors, which are now approximately 20 percent of UAW membership. On April 14, UAWD launched a grassroots fundraiser and raised over $40,000 in just two weeks from auto workers and union supporters all across the country. We are using 100% of the funds to support the campaign to bring democracy to the UAW.