UAW Region 9A Weekly Newsletter: January 16
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LOCAL & ORGANIZING UPDATES
900 Met Museum Staff Vote Overwhelmingly to Unionize with UAW Local 2110
This week, staff of the Metropolitan Museum of Art voted by an overwhelming 76% margin in a National Labor Relations Board election to unionize with UAW Local 2110.
Workers at the Museum had been organizing for over four years before the election, over concerns about job security, pay equity and greater transparency about employment policies. The 900-person unit is composed of staff across 50 different departments of the Museum and includes curators, conservators, librarians, sales specialists, visitor experience coordinators, development officers, archivists, digital and IT staff, and more.
“Organizing with my Met colleagues was an incredible, galvanizing experience that I will never forget,” said Alison Clark, a Collections Manager in Asian Art who has worked at the Museum for over 20 years. “Unionizing with UAW Local 2110 is only our first step and we look forward to negotiating a fair and equitable contract that reflects staff needs and priorities.”
Thousands of museum workers have organized since the pandemic. Local 2110 UAW already represents workers at multiple art museums and other cultural institutions including the Museum of Modern Art, the MFA, Boston, the Guggenheim, the Whitney Museum, the Jewish Museum, the Portland Museum of Art, MASS MoCA, the Hispanic Society Museum and Library, the New York Historical Society, the Shed, the Emily Dickinson Museum, the Tenement Museum, the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Film at Lincoln Center, Film Forum and Anthology Film Archives.
Follow @metunion for more information and updates. Congratulations and welcome to our newest UAW members in Region 9A!
Local 2325: CAMBA IT Workers Emergency Rally Against Bargaining Unit Elimination
New date: Tuesday, January 20 | 1 PM | Borough Hall Plaza, Brooklyn, NY
CAMBA just announced plans to eliminate its entire IT department—including workers who have been on strike for over eight weeks. This is blatant retaliation against workers who organized for dignity, fair pay, and a voice on the job.
For decades, CAMBA’s IT workers have kept programs running for the very community CAMBA claims to serve. Now management wants to replace longtime Brooklyn workers with an outside contractor rather than bargain in good faith. Workers are filing an Unfair Labor Practice and fighting back together.
If you’re outraged, here’s how you can help right now:
- Follow @cambaitworkersunion & @alaa2325 for updates.
- Donate to the workers’ hardship fund.
- Join the CAMBA IT workers at their rally at 1 PM on Tuesday at City Hall!
Follow the T4Transhealth Workers Union for Bargaining Updates
In October 2024, workers at Transhealth, a nonprofit health organization based in western Massachusetts serving trans and gender-diverse individuals and families, voted to unionize with UAW Local 2322.
“As workers at a trans healthcare center, we honor the leadership of trans voices in our union. We also value solidarity as workers across all identities and differences,” they wrote. “As a collective, we are united by a shared commitment to our patients, our coworkers, and the communities we serve. We believe everyone deserves affirming, transparent, and trauma-informed medical care that honors each person’s dignity, autonomy, and lived experience.”
In November 2025, the Trans4Transhealth Workers Union began bargaining their first contract. Follow @t4th2322 on Instagram for updates!
COMMUNITY ACTION PROGRAM (CAP)
Regions 9A & 9 Join Together in Albany to Lobby on Our Political Priorities
This week, members from UAW Regions 9 & 9A came together in Albany to lead the charge on lobbying—meeting face-to-face with elected officials to advance the priorities that matter most to working people across our region.
This year’s top priority was fighting for universal child care statewide. After last week’s announcement by Governor Hochul and Mayor Mamdani, UAW members met with our elected representatives to advocate for strong implementation of the plan.
The two-day event concluded with delegates attending Governor Hochul’s State of the State address, ensuring labor’s voice is present at every level of government. Get involved in the NYC CAP to join future lobbying trips!
NYC CAP Announces First Round of State Assembly Endorsements
UAW Region 9A’s New York City CAP Council voted to endorse four candidates in our first round of endorsements for State Assembly this year, including one current and one former UAW member.
UAW Local 2325 member Conrad Blackburn was our first endorsement in the 2026 cycle for State Assembly, seeking to represent District 70 in Harlem. Conrad is a public defender, a UAW member-leader, and a committed fighter for the working class.
The CAP also voted to endorse former Local 2325 member and public defender Eli Northrup for District 69 on the Upper West Side, New York State Nurses’ Association member and current Assemblymember Phara Souffrant Forrest for District 57 in central Brooklyn, and immigrants’ rights advocate and union staffer Diana Moreno for District 36 in Queens. Read more about our endorsements, and join Conrad and fellow UAW members at his canvass kickoff this weekend!
Canvass Kickoff for Conrad Blackburn for New York Assembly
Monday, January 19 | 1-4 PM | Morningside Park, New York, NY
It's time to bring power back to the people of Harlem. Join Conrad Blackburn, fellow UAW members, and supporters for our first canvass of the campaign, where we will be knocking on doors to hear about what our neighbors need in Harlem to thrive, not just survive.
Conrad will be joined by some special guests to kick us off and commemorate Dr. King. After we hit the doors, we will celebrate and debrief with a social!
UAW Members Fight for Scientific Research Funding in New York & Massachusetts
Last week, UAW members from UMass Chan in Worcester, UMass Lowell, and UMass Amherst met with members of Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey’s senior staff to share stories of why state-level funding through the DRIVE Act is critical for researchers in Massachusetts.
Meanwhile in New York, UAW members are organizing the Fund NY Science campaign to support state-funded biomedical research in New York. UAW Local 4100 vice president Paola Bianchimano wrote a joint op-ed on behalf of a coalition of more than 35 institutions, including the Associated Medical Schools of New York, health systems, and UAW calling on Gov. Hochul to act boldly by investing in the Empire Biomedical Research Institute (EBRI).
New Yorkers, take two minutes now to send a letter to Gov. Hochul and New York state legislators to support including EBRI in the 2027 Executive Budget!
Video: UAW President Shawn Fain & NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Endorse Claire Valdez
One week ago today, UAW members stood with our fellow member Claire Valdez as she kicked off her campaign for Congress in New York’s 7th District covering parts of Brooklyn and Queens.
“This is the remedy to how the labor movement and working class people can fight back against oligarchy: by electing our own!” UAW President Shawn Fain told the crowd.
Watch the video of President Fain and New York City Mayor Mamdani endorsing Claire for Congress—and get involved at clairevaldezforcongress.com.
Last Chance! Register for UAW’s 2026 National CAP Conference in DC
February 8-11, 2026 | Washington, DC
We are in a vital moment for the labor movement and for our country. We are facing unprecedented attacks on working families and unions. The world's richest 1% own more than the bottom 95% combined. Corporations are raking in record profits, while workers get left behind. Billionaires are doing everything they can to divide workers and pit us against one another.
Our union must lead if we have any shot at uniting and winning for the working class. This year's Conference is focused on building our political muscle to win at the bargaining table, in the legislative halls and at the ballot box, focused on our core issues: wages, healthcare, retirement, and getting our time back. The conference will showcase speakers who are leading in their communities, bold legislative solutions for a working-class agenda, and workshops that build the skills necessary to build political power from the ground up. Learn more and contact your local leadership or CAP Council to attend!
FROM REGION 9A
ICE Out for Good: NYC Stands with Minneapolis
Friday, January 23 | 4 PM | Union Square, New York, NY
On January 23, UAW Region 9A and other community organizations are gathering for a mass rally and march in solidarity with Minneapolis-St. Paul and their call for a national “Day of Truth and Freedom” as they face an expanding occupation and escalating ICE violence. This is our moment to demand an end to billionaire‑funded brutality, to shut down tech for ICE, and to say loudly: Hands Off Our Communities!
Across New York and the country, tech billionaires are fueling ICE’s surveillance machine - profiting from tools that tear families apart and expand state violence. They profit while our communities pay the price, and we’ve had enough.
Our communities deserve to live without fear—free from raids, detention, and the expanding reach of surveillance. On January 23, we take to the streets to challenge Palantir and Amazon for enabling ICE to rip our communities apart and for fueling the machinery of mass deportation and family separation.
Join Region 9 Members at UAW Local 677’s Organizing 101 Training
Saturday, March 7 & Sunday, March 8 | UAW Local 677, Allentown, PA
Building on our successful joint training in November, UAW Local 677 in Allentown, home to the iconic Mack Trucks, invites Region 9A members to join a two-day Organizing 101 training at their union hall.
Want to know what it takes to organize within our own shops as well as organize new outside workplaces? The training will cover the basics of organizing internally and externally.
Attendance is required both days, and lunch will be provided.
Worker Power Institute: Boston Bargaining Training
Friday, February 6 | 9 AM - 5 PM | Northeastern Crossing, Boston, MA
Region 9A’s Worker Power Institute is offering a training specifically for Bargaining Committee members. Registration is free and capacity is limited to 20 members total.
The training will cover the legal rules surrounding collective bargaining, offensive bargaining strategy, contract campaigns, how to draft and write bargaining proposals, mock bargaining, and navigating difficult negotiations as a committee member.
Learn more about the training, and if you are interested in attending, contact your local union directly.
Save the Date: UAW Region 9A Labor History Event at NYU’s Tamiment Library
Tuesday, March 31 | 5:30 - 6:30 PM | NYU Tamiment Library, New York, NY
Many of the UAW Locals in NYC have a proud history dating back to the 1930's when industrial unionism built a strong presence combining militant tactics, anti-racist politics, and wall-to-wall organizing. This history is not lost to us but still preserved in the archives of these locals and their leaders through photographs, documents, correspondence and more, much of which can be found in NYU's Tamiment Library, which holds rich collections relating to labor and social history, the history of the Left, the place of workers in American society, and the evolution of labor law.
Join us at the Tamiment Library to explore some of our Region’s labor history through the archives left by the NYC UAW locals and local leaders that came before us from the 1930's to present day! We will be guided by NYU Librarian Susan McElrath. Some of the archives we hope to take a look at include records covering ALAA - UAW Local 2325, LSSA - UAW Local 2320, UAW Local 259, UAW Local 2110 campaigns at NYU GSOC, MoMA, and more, District 65, and other UAW historical records. Registration is required in advance.
Join AFL-CIO Frontline Solidarity Trainings on Immigrants’ Rights
The Constitution protects everyone, regardless of immigration status. In the context of escalating militarization and immigration enforcement around the county, understanding our rights is vital for workers and our families. These trainings will cover the rights and protections we all have when it comes to interacting with law enforcement, including immigration agents, so we are prepared to exercise our constitutional rights at home, at work and in the community.
Know Your Rights: Constitutional Protections and Immigration Enforcement
The mass deportation agenda is a deeply anti-worker agenda that hurts workers, unions, and the economy. These trainings will provide participants with information to navigate the escalating attacks on immigrant workers and discuss resources available for unions and organizers.
Frontline Solidarity: Immigration Tools for Organizers and Activists
UAW Members Stand in Solidarity with NYSNA Nurses on Strike
New York State Nurses Association members at various hospitals in Manhattan and the Bronx went on strike as of Monday, January 12. UAW members are supporting NYSNA registered nurses in their fight to secure health care, safe staffing enforcement, and fair wages by joining them on the picket line as long as they are out.
Follow NYSNA on Instagram for the latest updates on the strike.
FROM THE UAW HIGHER EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
UAW’s Legal Action Leads to NIH Progress on Stalled Grant Applications
Thanks to a lawsuit brought by the UAW and other plaintiffs on behalf of scientists whose careers were upended by unlawful federal policy directives, grant applications that were arbitrarily frozen, denied, or withdrawn by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will now receive individual evaluations under an agreement announced this month.
In April, UAW became a plaintiff in this federal lawsuit seeking to reverse the cancellation of NIH grants or grant applications that were arbitrarily frozen, denied, or withdrawn. In late December 2025, the plaintiffs and the federal government reached a settlement regarding about 5,400 of these NIH applications. As a result of the settlement, NIH has so far issued decisions for about 700 grants and nearly 90% were approved. These grants address urgent public health issues, including HIV prevention, Alzheimer’s disease, LGBTQ+ health, and sexual violence.
The case continues because the settlement does not address the cancelled grants. We won a ruling in the District Court in June that orders the restoration of hundreds of cancelled grants, but the federal government appealed the decision. The appeal was heard in the First Circuit Court of Appeals on January 6. Read more about lawsuit from the ACLU and in Inside Higher Ed.
How the Visa Application Moratorium Affects Higher Education Visas
Earlier this week, the State Department announced it was “pausing” review of immigrant visa applications from 75 countries as of January 21. Our union opposes the federal government’s xenophobic and racist attacks on immigrant communities and will continue to organize against them.
Relevant to UAW members in higher education, the “pause” currently does not apply to non-immigrant visas including work/student visas such as F-1, J-1, H-1B, O-1, B1/B2, etc.; nor to Adjustment of Status (Form I-485) green card applications filed with USCIS; and no current visas are being revoked as part of this policy. The UAW Higher Education Department will continue to monitor the administration’s actions and keep locals updated.
Grad Workers at UPenn & University of California Vote to Authorize Strikes
Graduate Employees Together-University of Pennsylvania (GET-UP-UAW), which represents about 3,400 University of Pennsylvania graduate student workers in Region 9, says they will go on strike February 17 if they do not reach a contract with the university. In November, the teaching and research assistants voted to authorize a strike after bargaining has dragged on since they won their union election in 2024.
Across the country in Region 6, UAW Local 4811 representing 48,000 workers across the University of California system has announced a strike authorization vote in February. The union’s contract expires on January 31, and Local 4811 has filed multiple unfair labor practice charges against the university for bargaining in bad faith. The local is fighting for protections for international members in its next contract, including the establishment of a $750,000 legal defense fund for international workers.
FROM THE INTERNATIONAL UAW
Statement on Ford Plant Visit from VP Laura Dickerson, Ford Department Director
The UAW issued the following statement in response to Donald Trump’s visit to the Dearborn Truck Plant, home to UAW Local 600 members:
The autoworker at the Dearborn Truck Plant is a proud member of a strong and fighting union —the UAW. He believes in freedom of speech, a principle we wholeheartedly embrace, and we stand with our membership in protecting their voice on the job.
The UAW will ensure that our member receives the full protection of all negotiated contract language safeguarding his job and his rights as a union member.
UAW members know that freedom of speech and the right to protest are essential to our power. That’s why free speech is a workers’ right. Read more at UAW.org.
Last Chance! Register for the 2026 Financial Officers Conference
February 22-27, 2026 | New Orleans, LA | Register by January 17
The Secretary-Treasurer’s office will hold the annual Financial Officers’ Conference in February 2026 in New Orleans. Participants will have an opportunity to attend core classes that offer in-depth training and resources specific to the duties of their elected position. These classes provide extensive training on targeted topics like step-by-step instructions for completing and electronically filing LM and 990 forms, administrative roles and responsibilities, and trustee training. Plenary sessions will cover topics of interest to all participants. Local unions responding early with a completed registration form and non-refundable fees will have the best chance of being placed in their workshops of choice before capacity is reached. Be sure to register early!
Update Your Membership Records with the International UAW
The International UAW is committed to improving our member records. This effort is led by the UAW Membership Department. Maintaining accurate member records allows the UAW to effectively represent and communicate with active and retired members, provide relevant educational and training opportunities, better allocate resources, deliver targeted support, and facilitate International and local union elections.
Please take a moment to enter your contact information by completing the quick online form available at myinfo.uaw.org. Updating your mailing address now will help ensure that you receive a ballot to vote in the 2026 UAW International Officer Election, as well as other important communications and union updates in a timely manner. Download a flyer to share with your fellow members.
SOLIDARITY REQUESTS
May Day Strong Webinar
Wednesday, January 21 | 7 PM ET | Online
Last May Day we made history. This May 1, 2026, we’re doing it again in a day of action to stand up for our communities and co-workers and demand “workers over billionaires” in the face of the violent billionaire takeover of our federal government. Attend the May Day strong webinar on January 21 to begin organizing our biggest day of action for May 1, 2026
AFL-CIO Frontline Solidarity: A Mass Deportation Fight-Back Toolkit
The AFL-CIO released a new edition of Frontline Solidarity: A Mass Deportation Fight-Back Toolkit for Union Activists and Organizers, which is an educational resource to fight back against the mass deportation agenda impacting workers. Union activists and organizers can request a copy of the toolkit, which includes know your rights materials, expanded employer engagement guidance, and updates on travel, termination of status, and detention.
ALE Save Our Jobs Campaign: Support City Council Staffers
The Association of Legislative Employees (ALE) is raising funds to support any City Council staff that lose their jobs during the 60-day reorganization period. ALE is the largest union of legislative staffers in the United States. ALE is calling on all Council Members to honor due process and just cause protections during the upcoming January reorganization period. This provision was intended for limited administrative restructuring, not mass layoffs or punitive action. Without firm commitments from Council leadership, the reorganization period could be misused to target workers for union activity, filing grievances or EEO complaints or raising concerns about workplace conditions. Reorganization is no excuse for retaliation.
Maine AFL-CIO Worker Candidate Training
January 24-25, 2026 | Augusta, ME
Have you ever considered running for public office someday? Do you want to see more working class people in Augusta, on town council, or school board? Would you like to help others with their campaigns? Come to the Maine AFL-CIO’s 2026 Worker Candidate Training in January in Augusta!
To win important labor victories like stronger collective bargaining rights, living wages, tax fairness, affordable housing, child care and health care, we need more union members and working-class allies making the decisions that affect us all. We know that union members make great candidates and will often carry labor's vision into elected office.
At our Worker Candidate Training we'll spend two days going over everything you need to know to run a campaign for elected office. You’ll learn how to create a campaign plan, knock on doors, speak in public, qualify for Clean Elections funding, develop a message, build a team of volunteers, and other key aspects of campaigning. You can attend if you are interested in running for office, learning more or helping out on campaigns.
Women’s Institute for Leadership Development (WILD) in the Winter
Saturday, March 14 | 9:30 AM - 3:30 PM | Worcester, MA
The Women’s Institute for Leadership Development (WILD) provides education, training and support to help women become ever more effective organizers and leaders: in their unions and the labor movement as a whole; in the political arena and within their communities.
Union Hiring Hall
- NOLSW Local 2320 | West Coast Servicing Representative | CA, NM, WA, CO, NV
- UAW International Union | International Representative, CAP Dept. | Washington, DC
- UAW International Union | Assistant Director, CAP Dept. | Washington, DC
- Emergency Campaign to Support Higher Education | National Campaign Director
- Emergency Campaign to Support Higher Education | National Organizing Director
- NY United for Child Care | 3-K & Pre-K Campaign Manager | Outside NYC, NY
- Ranking Member Sen. Bernie Sanders’ Office, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee | Paid Internships | Washington, DC
UPCOMING EVENTS
2026 AFL-CIO Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Civil and Human Rights Conference
January 15-18, 2026 | Baltimore, MD
Worker Power Institute: Boston Bargaining TrainingFriday, February 6 | 9 AM - 5 PM | Northeastern Crossing, Boston, MA
UAW National CAP Conference: Building Power for the Working Class
February 8-11, 2026 | Washington Hilton, Washington, DC
2026 Financial Officers Conference
February 22-27, 2026 | New Orleans, LA
Join Region 9 Members at UAW Local 677’s Organizing 101 TrainingSaturday, March 7 & Sunday, March 8 | UAW Local 677, Allentown, PA
UAW Region 9A Labor History Event at NYU’s Tamiment Library
Tuesday, March 31 | 5:30 - 6:30 PM | NYU Tamiment Library, New York, NY