UAW Region 9A Weekly Newsletter: April 24
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LOCAL & ORGANIZING UPDATES
Local 5118: HGSU On Strike for Living Wages, Real Recourse & International Worker Protections
After 14 months of contract negotiations and nearly a year without an active contract, over 4,000 workers represented by the Harvard Graduate Students Union (HGSU-UAW Local 5118) launched a strike on Tuesday.
This move follows a strike authorization vote in which 96% voted in favor. Graduate student workers will suspend teaching and research labor until Harvard’s bargaining team takes substantive action in addressing the union’s key issues: pay that keeps pace with the rising cost of living, real recourse for harassment and discrimination, support for non-citizen students, protections for academic freedom, and “fair share fees” to equitably distribute the expenses of union representation, among others.
“We tried to have faith in the bargaining process, but, after 14 months, it has become clear that our only option is to strike,” said Evan Lemire, PhD Candidate in Population Health Sciences and union Executive Board member. “Our work is not sustainable and our community is not safe without the protections we are advocating for. Harvard must understand that the university is built on our labor, and that labor is not guaranteed.”
All week, strikers have received support from other unions including UNITE HERE, SEIU, IBEW, and Teamsters. At least a dozen elected officials and UAW-endorsed candidates have visited the picket line including UAW Local 2320 members State Senator Lydia Edwards and State Senator Tram Nguyen.
On Thursday, members rallied at the Science Center Plaza to hear from speakers including HGSU President Sara Speller, former HGSU President Evan MacKay now running as a UAW-endorsed candidate for State Representative, and members of other campus unions including the Harvard Academic Workers (HAW-UAW).
Read more and follow @hgsuuaw on Instagram for the latest updates on how to support the strike.
In the news:
- Boston Globe: On the picket lines at Harvard, graduate students launch strike with leaflets — and lots of doughnuts (April 21)
- Harvard Crimson: Harvard’s Graduate Workers Strike as Negotiations Stall (Live)
- Harvard Independent: The Harvard Graduate Student Union Strikes For Increased Pay and Protections (April 23)
Local 1596: Grad Workers Open Bargaining with UMass Lowell
This spring, the Graduate Employee Organization representing grad workers at UMass Lowell is at the bargaining table asking the university to invest in the people who make it run.
“Our demands are clear: livable stipends, improved health benefits, subsidized housing, protections for international students, and clear processes for addressing discrimination and harassment,” GEO members wrote in an op-ed in the UML Connector. “Every union on this campus is standing with us, making the same demand—that this campus and its workers deserve more.”
Follow @geo.uml on Instagram for the latest bargaining updates.
Local 7902: NYU Adjuncts Union Rallies for Paid Family Leave with Political Support
Dozens of members of the NYU Adjuncts Union (UAW Local 7902) rallied on Thursday to demand that the university provide paid family leave, describing family crises and medical hardships they endured without the policy, at a rally outside the Paulson Center on Thursday afternoon.
The adjunct’s faculty union, which represents over 3,000 NYU adjunct faculty members, was joined by students, New York City councilmember Tiffany Cabán and several state assembly candidates for the demonstration. More than 800 students and faculty have signed on to a letter demanding that NYU implement the policy.
Read more in the Washington Square News, and follow @nyuadjunctsunion on Instagram for the latest.
Local 2322: Square One Workers Vote to Authorize Strike—Sign the Petition!
After 13 months of bargaining, Local 2322 members at Square One, a non-profit providing early education, care, and family support services in Springfield, MA, voted by a supermajority to authorize a strike (93%).
The primary issues are fair and equitable wages, paid leave allowance, and the ability to negotiate over changes to job descriptions. After organizing in 1985, this is the first time the Square One union has taken a strike authorization vote.
Add your name to the petition to support a fair and equitable contract for Square One teachers and staff!
More Region 9A Locals in the News
“HAW-UAW officials said the proposed change constitutes a unilateral modification of working conditions, which they argued is prohibited under the National Labor Relations Act while a first contract is still being negotiated. ‘There is no justification for bypassing their obligation to bargain with us over such a drastic change in workload,’ said J. Gregory Given, a bargaining committee member and preceptor in Expository Writing.”
- Harvard Crimson: Harvard Plans to Increase Introductory Writing Course Sizes, Drawing Union Objections (April 17)
COMMUNITY ACTION PROGRAM (CAP)
UAW Member Claire Valdez Releases Labor Platform
This week, New York congressional candidate Claire Valdez, a former UAW Local 2110 shop chair and current Assembly Member, released an ambitious pro-labor policy platform, including labor law reform, ending at-will employment, and a federal jobs guarantee.
As a Columbia University employee, Claire was a member of UAW Local 2110 and eventually elected to her unit’s bargaining committee. She credits her experiences working low-wage jobs and then organizing with UAW with getting her into politics.
“I come out of the labor movement. I found my power in organizing with UAW Local 2110 in bargaining and defending my coworkers in grievances,” she said. “I believe strongly in the potential for a union to transform a worker's life and the profound necessity of a strong, militant labor movement in transforming our society, in building democracy, and winning an affordability agenda.”
Read more in Jacobin, and watch Claire’s latest video featuring UAW Local 2110 leader Rene Casiano.
Join the Maine AFL-CIO to Canvass for UAW Member Troy Jackson for Governor
The Maine AFL-CIO is coordinating regular canvasses across the state for Troy Jackson, a UAW member and UAW-endorsed candidate for Governor. Troy was first elected to the Maine Senate in 2008, and in 2018 he was chosen to be president of the state Senate. He is also a fifth-generation logger and a passionate advocate for the rights of working people.
Join us at a future canvass to get your own UAW for Troy Jackson for Governor signs!
UAW and Working Families Party Joint Canvass for Conrad Blackburn
Saturday, April 25 | 1 - 4 PM | Morningside Park, New York, NY
Join the mighty UAW and Working Families Party for a canvass for one of our own, UAW member and endorsed candidate Conrad Blackburn. We will be knocking doors in Harlem and talking about bringing power back to the people.
Please wear your UAW and WFP gear! All are welcome. No canvassing experience necessary. Training provided before sending folks to the doors, with a social to follow the canvass.
Good Jobs and Inclusive Growth: The Fight for A People’s Policy and New York City
Saturday, May 2 | 8:30 AM - 6:30 PM | 63 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY
The Zohran Mamdani administration has reinvigorated the demand for a city centered on affordability, focusing on a broad swathe of platforms aimed at achieving affordable housing, accessible public transit, food security, and universal childcare.
This conference invites participants to interrogate the scope, role, and nature of what public resources can provide, especially considering what a people-oriented policy framework can do for the city economically. Read the complete program, with panels featuring former UAW Local 7902 member Cea Weaver and Region 9A Director Brandon Mancilla.
The conference is free with registration. Presented by the Economics Department at The New School for Social Research, with support from Catalyst, The Center for New York City Affairs, UAW Local 7902, and UAW Region 9A.
Region 9A CAP in the News
“In recent weeks, labor and community groups closely aligned with Mamdani have urged him to veto the bill, known as Intro 175, saying that it threatens free speech and worker rights. [...] United Auto Workers Region 9A, which fiercely opposed the bill, sent a message to its members Friday morning taking credit for the veto and said it would begin whipping Council members to make sure any re-vote fails.””
- The City: Mamdani To Veto School Protest ‘Buffer Zone’ Bill (April 24)
“Nearly a dozen unions [including UAW Region 9A] signed a letter sent to Hochul this week urging her to get behind revenue-raising measures proposed in the one-house budgets of the State Assembly and State Senate as well as other additional tax increases. Raising taxes on the state’s wealthy has been a key priority for Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the Democratic Socialists of America amid a $5.4 billion city budget gap, but Hochul has been resistant to the measures during a year she is campaigning for reelection.”
- The Chief Leader: Unions urge Hochul to tax the rich (April 22)
“Massachusetts State House candidate and former HGSU-UAW president Evan C. MacKay ’19 returned to the picket lines today, emphasizing the role of collective action and calling for stronger support from state leaders for organized labor.”
- Harvard Crimson: MacKay Returns to Picket Line, Calls for Stronger State Support for Labor (April 21)
FROM REGION 9A
UAW & EWOC Unite and Win at Work Training
Saturday, April 25 | 1 PM | Kensington Branch Library, Brooklyn, NY
Everyone deserves a union. To realize that vision, we’ve got to keep organizing. We do that in our communities: in our buildings, our neighborhoods and our workplaces. We need to organize our families, friends, neighbors and coworkers into action with us, because there is power in numbers. And when we win improvements at work, or stop the landlord from raising the rent—we raise living standards and expectations for all New Yorkers.
UAW Region 9A is excited to partner with the Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee (EWOC) to offer our members this introductory organizing workshop, so that we can share and learn the skills you need to build our campaigns and win. EWOC’s mission is to support any non-unionized worker, in any industry, anywhere in the country to organize their workplace. Over the years, workers they’ve trained organized nearly 700 actions and won over 250 demands on pay, safety, scheduling, and more. They’ve helped workers organize unions in NYC, including at Nitehawk Cinema which is now part of UAW Local 2179.
Join UAW Members for May Day 2026, Getting Ready for May Day 2028
May Day is our day! Join UAW members across Region 9A and tens of thousands of other workers as we come together on International Workers' Day on May 1.
Here are some of the events UAW members are organizing and participating in across Region 9A:
- Hartford & New Haven, CT
- New York City, NY
- Jay (near Augusta), ME
- Boston, MA
- Holyoke, MA
In the meantime, you can learn about the history of May Day, and read more from UAW President Shawn Fain about our union's plans for May Day 2028.
Region 9A Labor History Event at NYU’s Tamiment Library
Thursday, May 14 | 5:30 - 7:15 PM | New York, NY
Many of the UAW locals in NYC have a proud history dating back to the 1930s 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 1930s 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.
Enroll in Labor Studies at CUNY with Fellow UAW Members This Fall
Sign up by May 1 | August 28 - December 1 | New York, NY
For the past few semesters, UAW Region 9A has been partnering with the City University of New York School of Labor & Urban Studies to offer courses. We are excited to offer placement in a variety of labor studies courses this fall, including U.S. Labor History, New Directions in Collective Bargaining, Power & Strategy, and Perspectives in the Labor Movement.
Integrated into the course will be both UAW members and members from other unions and the labor movement. We are offering both undergraduate and graduate versions of the class on different nights for the fall 2026 semester. We ask that only members who want to enroll fill out the form to sign up. Please contact UAW Region 9A Education Rep Alexi Shalom at ashalom@uaw.net with any questions.
Applications for the 2026 Richard 'Dik' Days Scholarship Now Available
Apply by May 8
The Scholarship Committee is pleased to announce the availability of the 2026 Richard ‘Dik’ Days Scholarship application. Connecticut graduating high school seniors attending college full-time in the fall and current full-time undergraduate students are eligible to apply. Three $2,000 scholarships will be awarded this year. The application deadline is May 8, 2026.
The Richard ‘Dik’ Days Scholarship Fund is an initiative formed through collaboration between the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists Connecticut Chapter, UAW Region 9A and the Days Family. The Richard ‘Dik’ Days Scholarship Fund was created in memory of Richard Adam Days, who was a labor educator for the UAW. Prior to his retirement he was the Education & Civil Rights Director for UAW Region 9A. Read more about Brother Days and learn more about the scholarship on the Region 9A website.
FROM THE INTERNATIONAL UAW
UAW Higher Education Council Virtual Meeting
May 8-9, 2026 | Elect delegates by April 15 | Online
Last year, over 300 UAW members in the Higher Ed sector gathered in Pico Rivera, California, for the first meeting of the UAW’s Higher Education Council. We discussed our “Kill the Cuts” campaign to protect and increase federal funding for science, and we strategized how to fight back against further attacks on free speech, the rights of workers in all immigration statuses, and job security at our local institutions. While we’ve had many wins in 2025, we know the fight isn’t over. For 2026, the Higher Education Council will meet virtually. Learn more and register to attend.
2026 UAW Constitutional Convention
June 15-18 | Detroit, MI | Elect delegates by May 16
The 2026 UAW Constitutional Convention (ConCon) is on June 15-18, 2026, in Detroit! ConCon is at the heart of our democratic processes as a union. It will bring together over 1,000 UAW delegates from across the country to debate and pass resolutions on our priorities for the upcoming years, consider amendments to the UAW Constitution, and nominate candidates for the International Executive Board elections.
Each Local will be apportioned a certain number of delegates to represent you at the Convention. Delegates must be democratically elected. Refer to the UAW Constitution, Local Union Election Guide, and your Local Union Bylaws for full election process requirements. The deadline for delegate elections this year is May 16, 2026.
Apply Now for the 2026 Family Scholarship at Black Lake
July 12-16 | Onaway, MI | Apply by June 1
Since 1970, thousands of UAW members and their families have participated in the Walter and May Reuther UAW Family Education Center Scholarship Program—changing their lives and those of their loved ones forever!
Located in scenic Onaway, Michigan, on Black Lake, the Center was envisioned by legendary UAW President Walter Reuther to be a place where UAW members and their families could come together to learn and relax.
Through educational and recreational activities, the Family Scholarship Program provides an opportunity for adults and children to learn and think about how our union empowers us to change our workplaces and communities for ourselves and future generations.
Learn more and apply for the Family Scholarship Program today!
Registration Now Open: UAW Civil & Human Rights Conference
August 23 - 28 | Onaway, MI
The dates for the 40th Annual UAW Civil and Human Rights Conference are August 23-28 at the Walter and May Reuther Family Education Center. The theme for this year is “Our Legacy, Our Fight, Our Generation’s Defining Moment: Celebrating Our 40th Civil and Human Rights Conference.” See the call letter for more information.
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
Connecticut AFL-CIO Workers Memorial Day
Tuesday, April 28 | 12 PM | Bushnell Park, Hartford, CT
On April 28, the unions of the AFL-CIO will observe Workers Memorial Day to remember those who have suffered and died on the job, and to renew the fight for safe jobs. Elevating workplace safety and health issues is more important than ever. At a time of deep division, the desire for a safe and healthy workplace is something that unites people, and is important for our organizing, bargaining and advocacy. This is an urgent moment to hold the line against attacks on worker health and safety. Each day, more than 380 workers are killed and more than 8,600 suffer injury and illness because of dangerous working conditions that are preventable. Join us on April 28 to hold the line for safe jobs!
Western Maine Labor Council May Day 2026 Mural Rededication
Friday, May 1 | 5 - 8 PM | WMLC Local 14 Solidarity Center, Jay, ME
The historic mural on the Local 14 hall has been restored and reinstalled. Join us for a celebration of today and a little history. The fight then is the fight today—people and communities before profit and greed. Sponsored by the Western Maine Labor Council and the WMLC Local 14 Solidarity Center.
Maine AFL-CIO Summer Institute 2026
August 5-6 | Orono, ME
We have an exciting program in the works for this year's Labor Summer Institute on August 5-6, 2026 at the University of Maine in Orono! Labor Summer Institute is a two-day event for union members to learn and share skills and information important to building our labor movement. The Summer Institute is held at the University of Maine with the Bureau of Labor Education & Scontras Labor Center. Stay tuned for more details on registration and hotel rates. FMI: Sarah, sarah@maineaflcio.org or 207-356-7322.
Apply to the UCLA Strategic Labor Research Conference
August 7-9 | Los Angeles, CA | Apply by May 15
We are now accepting applications for the 2026 Strategic Labor Research Conference. The application portal will be open until May 15 and accepted applicants will be notified by June 5. Hosted by the UCLA Department of Labor Studies, the UCLA Strategic Labor Research Conference is an annual event that includes over 25 workshops and plenary sessions on applied skills and discussions about strategic campaigns designed for new and experienced labor and allied researchers. Dynamic keynote speakers and a variety of exciting training sessions will help strengthen and add new skills to your research repertoires. Come join labor movement researchers in discussions about the future of research and organizing!
Union Hiring Hall
- New York State Nurses Association | Area Director | New York, NY
- SEIU Committee of Interns & Residents | Worksite Organizer | Providence, RI
- Muslim Advocates | Senior Staff Attorney | New York, NY
- Community Labor United | Senior Researcher | Boston, MA
- Community Labor United | Organizing Director | Boston, MA
- Community Labor United | Development Director | Boston, MA
- NY United for Child Care | Director of Organizing and Campaigns | New York, NY
UPCOMING EVENTS
UAW Member Mobilization Institute
Postponed to future date | Onaway, MI
UAW Higher Education Council Virtual Meeting
May 8-9 | Virtual
Region 9A Labor History Event at NYU’s Tamiment Library
Thursday, May 14 | 5:30 - 7:15 PM | New York, NY
55th International Convention of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists
May 20-24 | Atlanta, GA
Pride at Work Membership Convention
June 1 - 4 | Minneapolis, MN
39th Constitutional Convention
June 15-18 | Detroit, MI
Family Scholarship at Black Lake
July 12-16 | Onaway, MI
UAW Veterans Conference
August 9-14 | Onaway, MI
UAW Civil & Human Rights Conference
August 23 - 28 | Onaway, MI