Building skills to build a movement
Dear UAW Sibling,
Across the country, working people are taking on critical fights in many arenas to build power for social, economic, and climate justice. Whether it’s a new organizing campaign, contract fight, or political action, the fundamental way we win is by building a worker-led movement – one that continually builds worker leadership structures to withstand the tests of time and create capacity to win major fights at scale. This worker-led approach depends on mass education and skill-building to equip every worker with the tools to be effective and create the conditions for long-lasting, widespread participation. Across the Region, members are spending the summer doing just that – learning and practicing new skills, recruiting and developing leaders across all areas of the workplace, and building the capacity to win:
At Summer School, 450+ workers came together to build skills, knowledge, and strategy through workshops and cross-Local connections.
Through the Region 6 organizer training program Our Labor, Our Movement (OLOM), a cohort of more than 30 new organizers are spending 3 months building skills to support effective worker-led organizing drives, including through training, 1-1 mentorship, and hands-on experience on campaigns across the region.
The first ever Youth Labor Organizing Corps (YLOC) Open Organizing School is bringing together more than 200 participants for biweekly zoom trainings to learn organizing fundamentals and put them into practice on a campaign at their workplace or campus, with direct support from experienced peer mentors from Regions 6 and 9A.
Members of Locals 509, 1115/CAPS, 4121, 4123, 4811, and more are building and participating in Local-level trainings and organizing efforts to prepare for contract campaigns, build power in bargaining, grow membership participation, and more.
Read more on the Region 6 Member Education webpage, and be on the lookout for more information soon about the Region 6 Education & Communications Conference, tentatively scheduled for October 19-20 in Seattle.
New Organizing
Worker power is growing stronger and stronger at University of Southern California. In late June, USC Postdocs voted overwhelmingly to form their union URFU-UAW, with over 93% of postdocs (200 yes to 15 no) voting yes. Now on to bargain a strong first contract!
Staff at the Greenlining Institute, a California non-profit focused on climate and racial justice, are organizing to form a union! In June, workers delivered a letter to management demonstrating supermajority support and requesting voluntary union recognition.
Member Spotlight: Sarah Smith, Local 492
Hello my Region 6 Siblings! I'm Sarah Smith, of Local 492 in Portland, Oregon. I'm the 1st Shift Committeeperson at the Stellantis Mopar Parts Depot, where I represent my coworkers during our grievance process.
I've been with UAW Stellantis for 12 years, starting at the Belvedere Assembly in 2012. In 2022 I was laid off with job cuts, and eventually was given a transfer to Portland where I joined Local 492. The adjustment from Assembly Line to Parts Picking and Stocking has been a learning process, but one I enjoy!
As a second generation Auto Worker, I learned the ins and outs of bargaining on a daily basis as I grew up. My personal union story got rolling last summer with the Stand Up Strike, during which I was a Strike Captain for the overnight shifts and participated in organizing, attendance reporting, and information sharing with our members. During the strike, we started a Twitter for Local 492 to share our stories, and I am now our Local’s LUCA (Local Union Communications Association) delegate and working to re-launch other committees.
After attending the LUCA Conference at Black Lake & the Region 6 Summer School in Pico Rivera, I’m excited by the bright and strong future for our Region and the UAW more broadly. We represent such a wide variety of industries that we can share our experiences in the workplace to build one another up. These corporations and establishments may be big, but together, we are bigger -- and without us, they are nothing! #Solidarity
President Fain’s Visit to California
Earlier this month, UAW International President Shawn Fain joined the California Federation of Labor Unions convention to give keynote remarks. Afterwards, President Fain traveled to Los Angeles to meet with members of Locals 230, 509, 872, 1115/CAPS, 4123, 4811, AFA, CGPU, URFU, and other new organizing campaigns. He spent time talking with members, learning about important ongoing campaigns in the Region, and visiting members’ workplaces.
Contract Campaigns
Local 509 members at Senior Aerospace SSP ran an impressive contract campaign this spring – ultimately winning the unit’s highest-ever wage increases, doubling COLA, eliminating one week of mandatory overtime, and more. These historic wins are the direct result of members launching a concerted campaign to engage high levels of participation in escalating actions, including lunchtime rallies outside bargaining, Red Shirt Wednesdays, an overwhelming strike authorization vote, and a practice picket the day before expiration.
On the heels of the big wins at SSP, aerospace workers at Monogram, another unit of Local 509, started bargaining a new contract on 7/15. Monogram workers have been building the foundation of their contract campaign for months with bargaining surveys, member meetings, and more, and are ready to continue increasing this momentum to win big on livable wages, COLA, and healthcare.
Grad Student Workers and Postdocs at Caltech continue bargaining for their first contracts. In June, over 100 members joined bargaining to demonstrate support for Wages and Healthcare proposals, and to stand up against admin’s bad faith bargaining. On July 19, hundreds again came together for an action to build power for strong protections against discrimination, harassment, and bullying, as well as security for international scholars.
California State Scientists of Local 1115/CAPS are building a participatory contract campaign to win pay equity, including with a series of mass trainings to engage high levels of member participation.
Student Workers at University of Oregon are bargaining for their first contract, and kicked off their first session with a rally and open bargaining session.
Message from Region 6 Director Mike Miller
It has been another busy summer in Region 6! Congrats to Postdocs at USC for overwhelmingly winning your union election in June. You’re helping build an impressive new movement of worker power at USC that will be an inspiration for many more to follow. Congrats also to Local 509 members at SSP for an incredible contract campaign, and your work to harness your collective power, stand up to the boss, and win an historic contract. To Local 509 members at Monogram who are now in bargaining as well – I’m confident your campaign will continue building on that energy. Know that you have the support of all of your siblings across Region 6 wherever this fight takes you.
This week’s announcement from President Biden that he is withdrawing from the presidential race is a promising step towards building the best possible path to beating Trump and winning for workers in November. It’s encouraging that he listened to the clear messages from UAW members and thousands of others across the country in deciding to put the interests of democracy above his own. I look forward to workers securing a new nominee who can build on the important strengths of Biden’s record on domestic and labor policies but significantly improve on the major failings of his record on Gaza and immigration, which UAW members have rightly been calling attention to for months.
It is an exciting time for UAW Center for Manufacturing a Green Economy (UAW-CMGE). The CMGE team has raised almost $5 million towards launching a first-of-its-kind training program for creating good union jobs in green manufacturing, and met with acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su earlier this month.
Thank you to President Shawn Fain for taking the time to travel to California to speak at the California Federation of Labor Unions Convention and meet with UAW members.
Finally, it was great meeting with many of you at this year’s Summer School, and working together to refine skills and strategies for building worker power in the coming months. In a testament to the incredible organizing momentum Region 6 members have been building, this year’s Our Labor, Our Movement cohort has more than doubled since last year. I look forward to seeing how you put new skills into practice building successful worker-led campaigns and growing our movement. As always, if you have questions or feedback, please shoot me an email.
Solidarity,
Mike
Drop the Charges Organizing at UC and USC
Members of Local 4811 and Local 872 continue organizing to demand resolution to unfair labor practice charges at University of California and University of Southern California, respectively. Both Locals filed ULPs in the spring in response to each university administration’s violent crackdown on pro-Palestine protests and unilateral changes to working conditions. The two Locals held a joint rally in Los Angeles in June, and on July 17, members of Local 4811’s northern campuses marched on the UC regents. Members are ready to continue organizing to win the workplaces they deserve, including by demanding their universities drop all charges against students and workers for exercising their free speech rights.
New Region 6 Website
Region 6 has a new website! The new website was developed and designed by the Region 6 Education & Communications Committee (ECC), and is intended to be a resource for members looking for information, news, and ways to get involved. Check it out at www.uawregion6.org, and reach out to the ECC at region6newsletter@uaw.net with any ideas for additional content, resources, or media to add.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Region 6 Gender Justice & Civil Human Rights Committee meeting: August 12 at 6pm via Zoom.
Region 6 Climate Justice Committee meeting: July 30 from 6-7pm via zoom.
Region 6 Education & Communications Committee meeting: August 16 from 12-1pm via zoom.
The Region 6 Political Action Conference is August 17-18 in Pico Rivera, CA. Check out the call letter or contact your Local for more information.
A number of conferences are upcoming at the UAW Family Education Center in Onaway, Michigan: UAW Civil and Human Rights Conference (August 25-30), Community Services Committee Conference (September 8-13), Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Conference (September 8-13), and Leadership Essentials Institute (October 6-11). Contact your Local for more information.
The UAW Women’s & TOP Conference is August 25-30 in Chicago. Contact your Local for more information.
UAW JOB OPENINGS
Interested in finding a job working for your union? A number of positions are open in various departments and levels of the UAW, and UAW members are especially encouraged to apply. Find open positions and information about how to apply at the UAW Indeed site.
STAY CONNECTED & SHARE YOUR UPDATES
The Region 6 Newsletter is produced by the Region 6 Education & Communications Committee (ECC). If you have updates or stories from your Local/Organizing Campaign to share in a future newsletter, email region6newsletter@uaw.net. All Locals & Organizing Campaigns in Region 6 are strongly encouraged to send members to participate in the ECC on an ongoing basis. For regular updates and information, you can also check out Region 6 on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and our website. Not already receiving the Region 6 newsletter, or know someone else who isn’t? Fill out this form to subscribe!