UAW Region 9A Weekly Newsletter: June 13
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LOCAL & ORGANIZING UPDATES
Hundreds of Workers to Picket Lamont’s Mansion in Support of UI for Striking Workers
Monday, June 16 | 6 PM | 990 Prospect Ave, Hartford, CT
On Monday, hundreds of union members plan to picket in front of Gov. Lamont’s mansion in Hartford to urge him to sign Senate Bill 8, which would allow striking workers to access unemployment insurance after striking for two weeks.
The legislation passed overwhelmingly in the State Senate and with a large bipartisan majority in the State House. The bill was transmitted to the Governor’s office on June 9. Gov. Lamont has fifteen days from then to sign or veto the legislation. However, in late May, the Governor threatened to veto SB 8.
This bill has been a priority for UAW and the Connecticut labor movement for the past two years and is considered a vital protection in the face of the assault on workers’ rights coming out of Washington.
On June 16, let's show Gov. Lamont that we are united and he must take action! Whether or not you can make it to the picket, take two minutes to contact Governor Lamont and demand he sign SB 8.
Region 9A Represents at UAW’s 2025 Chaplaincy Conference
The 38th Annual UAW Chaplaincy Conference took place last week in Black Lake, Michigan. It was a fantastic week of spiritual growth and community. The week was spent in fellowship and training to aid and assist our union sibling members in cases of illness, death, or distress.
Assistant Director of Chaplaincy Cynthia Harris joined UAW Local 2377 President Dr. Renford Whynes and Second Vice President VP, Bobbie Barbier.
Add Your Name: Petition in Support of Suspended Bronx Defenders Worker
In May, the Bronx Defenders Union filed a grievance against their employer’s decision to place a member on “unpaid suspension pending investigation” in violation of multiple sections of the union contract, including just cause protections. After the union filed an unfair labor practice charge and mobilized an emergency general body meeting, petitions, and direct email actions, Bronx Defenders committed to converting the member’s “unpaid suspension pending investigation” into a paid suspension, including backpay, pending investigation.
The BxD Union is prepared to file another ULP charge against the Bronx Defenders on Monday if there’s not a substantive response to the Union’s May 19 grievance and request for information. Help the BxD Union keep the pressure on by reading their petition in support of their member and adding your name! Follow the Bronx Defenders Union on Instagram for the latest updates.
Want to learn more about how to mobilize around grievances in your workplace? Join the Worker Power Institute’s grievance mobilization training in NYC on Wednesday, July 2!
More Region 9A Locals In the News
“Work will continue to be undone, clients’ needs aren’t going to be met and court appearances will continue to be delayed, or clients just won’t be getting the representation they need,” ALAA Leave of Absence Organizer Estefania Rodriguez told the Eagle. “If the city wants to avoid being in that situation, wants to show they care about clients, especially in the political moment that we’re in…then they should be increasing funding so that we can get the contracts we deserve.”
Queens Daily Eagle: As public defender strike looms, appellate attorneys are demanding a higher wage (June 13)
“Bargaining committee member Denish K. Jaswal estimated that the graduate student union’s 5,500-worker bargaining unit includes at least 2,000 noncitizen workers whose futures remain uncertain as Harvard enters a lengthy legal battle with the Trump administration over foreign student enrollment.”
The Harvard Crimson: Grad Union Asks Harvard To Fund Noncitizens’ Legal Expenses, Limit ICE Agents’ Entry to Campus (June 10)
FROM REGION 9A
Sharpen Your Skills at This Summer's Worker Power Institute
June 25 - July 10 | Sign up by June 16 | New York, NY
Sharpen your skills with the UAW Region 9A Worker Power Institute this summer! Join members of the UAW Region 9A Summer Brigade for interactive workshops on topics including organizing for power, grievance mobilization, membership drives, effective union meetings, and more.
All trainings will be in-person in New York City. Lost time or release time is the responsibility of the local union. Please sign up using the form below by Monday, June 16!
Registration Now Open: Announcing Region 9A Summer School!
Friday, July 25 & Saturday, July 26 | New York, NY
Over the last year, attacks on collective bargaining, civil liberties, the social safety net, and working class communities have only escalated, but UAW members are fighting back and leading the way. In Region 9A and across the country, rank-and-file union members are waging historic strikes and winning record contracts, leading movements to oppose war and injustice, defending immigrant communities, and challenging their bosses on the shop floor. Every day we are battling to win justice in the face of repression and retaliation, but we have a world to win for the working class.
All locals are invited to join us Friday, July 25, and Saturday, July 26 for two days of political education, cultural programs, panels, forums, workshops, skillshares, and other events that will help build our working class power as a union. This conference is an excellent opportunity to meet your fellow UAW members across sectors and share strategies to win! Registration is now open—contact your local to sign up by June 15.
Region 9A Veterans Council Meeting
Friday, June 20 | 10 AM | Hartford, CT & Zoom
All members are welcome to join monthly meetings of the Region 9A Veterans Council. For more information, contact Mike Holmes at mholmes@uaw.net.
2025 Juneteenth Parade in Bloomfield, CT
Saturday, June 21 | 11 AM | Blue Hills Fire Department, Bloomfield, CT
The Blue Hills Fire District in partnership with the town of Bloomfield invites all to a three-day celebration of unity, love, and joy in honor of Juneteenth. UAW Region 9A members along with the Richard ‘Dik” Days Scholarship Committee will be marching in the parade. Learn more about the history of Juneteenth, and if interested in joining the march, contact Alexi Shalom at ashalom@uaw.net.
Region 9A Retirees Council Meeting
Friday, June 27 | 10:30 AM | Hartford, CT
The UAW is proud of the important role that retirees play in our union. Our union’s retirees and surviving spouses belong to the Local Union Retired Workers Chapters, as well as Area Retired Workers Councils. It is this structure that enables our retirees and retiree associate members to have a strong voice—not only in our union, but also in the communities and states where they live. For more information and to get involved, contact Aaron Eisenberg at aeisenberg@uaw.net.
Join UAW Region 9A at the NYC Queer Liberation March
Sunday, June 29 | 11 AM | NYC AIDS Memorial
As the results of the 2024 election have made clear that America’s LGBTQIA2S+ communities are under the greatest threat from the federal government we have experienced since the 1969 Stonewall uprising, The Reclaim Pride Coalition has announced that the theme for this year’s 7th annual Queer Liberation March on Sunday, June 29, will be: Resist! Reclaim! Rejoice!
The March will assemble at 11 AM at the NYC AIDS Memorial and St. Vincent’s Triangle Park (7th Avenue between Greenwich and West 12th Streets) and march north to Lenape Circle, dispersing into Central Park.
RSVP to join your union siblings and march together!
Save the Date: Region 9A Women’s Council Meeting
Thursday, July 10 | 10 AM | Groton, CT & Zoom
The Region 9A Women's Council focuses attention on the issues and concerns of women in the workplace. Save the date for our next meeting, which will be both in-person and on Zoom. For more information and to get involved, contact Amy Fehr at afehr@uaw.net.
Buy Your Tickets Now! UAW Yankees Night
Thursday, July 10 | 7 PM | Bronx, NY
Join your fellow UAW members in New York City to cheer on our union siblings in the MLB Players Association at Yankee Stadium! Each ticket includes a New York Yankees UAW hat.
COMMUNITY ACTION PROGRAM (CAP)
Early Voting for NYC Mayor Starts Tomorrow!
UAW Region 9A is calling on our 20,000 UAW members in New York City to rank Zohran Mamdani #1 and Brad Lander #2 for NYC Mayor in the Democratic Party primary on June 24—and not to rank Andrew Cuomo at all. Vote early and beat the crowds! Early voting is June 14-22. Find your polling location here.
Zohran’s campaign is about talking to thousands of New Yorkers across the city about how we make this city work better for the many and not the few. Join UAW Region 9A members this weekend and learn how to have positive conversations with New Yorkers about freezing the rent, free and fast buses, universal childcare, fighting for a $30 minimum wage, strengthening labor standards and more.
Sign up to join us at four different canvasses across the city this weekend, and schedule your visit to our office to get your very own UAW for Zohran t-shirt.
UAW Canvass for Zohran with Alexa Avilés in Sunset Park | Saturday, June 14 | 11 AM - 2 PM
UAW Canvass for Zohran in Prospect Heights | Saturday, June 14 | 2 - 5 PM
UAW Canvass for Zohran in Flatbush | Sunday, June 15 | 2 - 5 PM
UAW Canvass for Zohran in Harlem | Sunday, June 15 | 2 - 5 PM
Labor for Justin Brannan Rally
Saturday, June 14 | 11 AM - 12:30 PM | Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn, NY
Join fellow UAW and union siblings for an early vote rally in support of Justin Brannan, our endorsed candidate for Comptroller! Director Mancilla will be one of the featured speakers at this rally!
Justin Brannan has shown up for our members time and again. From standing with striking workers to fighting for universal childcare and funding for city services, Justin has made it clear that he shares our values and will be a fierce advocate for working people as comptroller. Right now, we need leaders who won’t back down from a fight – and that’s he’s the right choice to safeguard the city’s finances and make sure the budget benefits New York's workers.
No Kings Rally
Saturday, June 14 | 2 PM - 4 PM | Nationwide
In America, we don’t put up with would-be kings. NO KINGS is a national day of action and mass mobilization in response to increasing authoritarian excesses and corruption from Trump and his allies. We’ve watched as they’ve cracked down on free speech, detained people for their political views, threatened to deport American citizens, and defied the courts. They’ve done this all while continuing to serve and enrich their billionaire allies.
On Saturday, June 14, UAW members are joining hundreds of thousands of people taking to the streets nationwide to say no thrones, no crowns, no kings. Check out nokings.org for more information.
Want to meet up with fellow UAW members in New York and Boston?
New York: meet at 1:30 PM NE corner of 40th & Broadway, email glb224@nyu.edu
Boston: email vkohnertyount@uaw.net
Connecticut AFL-CIO Path to Power Candidate Training
Saturday, June 21 | 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM | IBEW Local 90, Wallingford, CT
The Western and Eastern Connecticut Area Labor Federations, in partnership with the national and Connecticut AFL-CIO, are hosting a free Path to Power Political Candidate Training. This program is designed to teach union members how to run for public office and build power to positively influence our communities.
Government runs best when it's made up of everyday working people like us. Running for office is a powerful way to give workers a voice and ensure we are creating policies that improve the lives of working people. The Path to Power training will guide you through the entire process—including determining if you can win, developing a campaign message and stump speech, running a field program, fundraising, and more. Whether you're thinking about running for Board of Education, City Council, Mayor, or the state legislature, this training will give you the tools to run an effective campaign.
Save the Date: UAW & NOLSW Canvass for Zohran Mamdani & Alexa Avilés
Sunday, June 22 | 2 - 5 PM | Sunset Park, 580 44th St., Brooklyn, NY
UAW and NOLSW are sponsoring a get out the vote canvass for Zohran Mamdani for Mayor and Alexa Avilés for City Council in New York City. Join the canvass on Sunday afternoon, followed by a social hour at Minnie’s Bar afterwards. Runners for Zohran will host a 3-mile run to kick off the canvass, starting at 12:30 pm in Prospect Park (all paces welcome).
UAW CAP in the News
At least four of Ramos’ endorsers had rescinded their endorsements by the time she finished speaking on stage at a Cuomo campaign event on Friday morning, and even more did so later in the day. United Auto Workers Region 9A, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice Action, the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club and Assembly Member Emily Gallagher all dropped Ramos from their endorsement slates on Friday. “Opposing Andrew Cuomo is a non-negotiable for our membership,” UAW Region 9A said in a statement explaining the change to its ranked choice slate.
City & State NY: Progressives pull Ramos endorsements after she backs Andrew Cuomo (June 6)
The first labor union to endorse Mamdani for mayor was the United Auto Workers Region 9A. “Some may say we took a chance,” Brandon Mancilla, a UAW director, said, “but the actual reckless gamble is to endorse status quo candidates that caused the crisis working families face in the first place.”
New York Amsterdam News: Labor unions voice their mayoral, comptroller candidate support (June 12)
FROM THE INTERNATIONAL UAW
Autoworkers Score Major Victory in Tennessee as GM Announces $4 Billion Reinvestment in U.S. Plants
In a historic move signaling a shift in the American auto industry, General Motors announced a $4 billion reinvestment across three U.S. plants—including a major investment in its Spring Hill facility in Tennessee. The move brings thousands of good union jobs back to the South and underscores the rising power of autoworkers in a region long written off by corporate America.
“This is a big deal for Spring Hill,” said UAW Region 8 Director Tim Smith. “For decades, corporations offshored jobs and left blue-collar communities behind. But now, because of worker organizing and fair-trade policies like auto tariffs, GM is finally putting money back where it belongs—in union plants, with American workers.”
The UAW has long called for an end to the unfair trade practices that allowed automakers to offshore U.S. jobs, slash wages, and shutter dozens of once-thriving plants. More than 2 million vehicles a year have disappeared from American production lines over the last decade, while factories across Mexico and low-wage regions flourished under an exploitative trade system.
“Southern workers have always had the skill, the pride, and the fight—it’s just the companies that needed to end their race to the bottom,” said UAW Local 1853 President John Rutherford. “This investment in Spring Hill will mean more people with access to great wages and benefits and the protections of a union contract.” Read more at UAW.org.
UAW Hotline for Immigration Legal Counsel & Emergencies
UAW members in higher education are facing escalating anti-immigrant actions from the Trump administration, including visa revocations and ICE activity in and around campuses. Our union has set up a hotline to quickly refer members facing an immigration emergency to legal resources. In the event that a member is experiencing an unexpected change in immigration status or any other immigration-related emergency, they may call this number to be connected with legal counsel: 888-416-2110. Please share this information with your fellow members.
2025 UAW Civil & Human Rights Conference
August 24 - 29 | Onaway, MI
The 39th Annual UAW Civil and Human Rights Conference is August 24 - 29 at the Walter and May Reuther Family Education Center. This year's theme is Defending…Demanding…Justice… We are the Defenders of Justice.”
SOLIDARITY REQUESTS
March with RI AFL-CIO at Providence Pride
Saturday, June 21 | 8 PM | Providence, RI
Show your union pride at Providence Pride! Join RI AFL-CIO as we march in solidarity to celebrate who we are, the people we love, and the power of our movement. This is a time for union members, families, and allies to come together, stand tall, and make some joyful noise for equality and justice. Please share widely with your union family!
Mass-Care Medicare for All Conference
Saturday, June 21 | 10 AM - 4 PM | Clark University, Worcester, MA
Mass-Care is hosting a state-wide strategy and working conference on June 21. We all know the health care crisis that exists in Massachusetts: already exorbitant insurance rates are soaring by an additional 12% this year, and the bankruptcy of Steward Hospitals has left minority and working class communities without access to hospitals. Medicare for All is the only solution that will provide complete coverage to all Massachusetts residents and save money for all.
The core of the conference will be breakout sessions, by sector, throughout the day: healthcare workers, labor unions, businesses, municipal and elected officials, and community organizations and organizers. Each of these sectors have a unique relationship with the private health insurance system. Bringing those common experiences together will help define and carry out a stronger action-oriented organizational effort to enact Medicare for All, however we win it, through a legislative vote or by a binding referendum vote by the people. The breakout sessions are designed to build activism and deepen all aspects of the commitment and to embolden the movement for Medicare for All in MA.
Cornell Strategic Corporate Research Summer School
June 22-27, 2025 | Ithaca, NY | Apply by May 1
The AFL-CIO and Cornell University are sponsoring a Strategic Corporate Research Summer School on June 22-27, 2025. The application deadline is May 1. The course is designed for students and others who want to make corporations accountable by working as researchers in unions and social change organizations. The course offers a regular track and an advanced track with an additional research and writing requirement. It is open to individuals applying on their own and to individuals sponsored by unions and other organizations. For more info, visit the course website.
EWOC Conference Registration Open: Unite & Win
June 27–29 | Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
The Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee is hosting its first-ever organizing conference, and registration is now open! This conference will bring together 250 EWOC volunteers, workers, union leaders, and local organizers for a weekend of training, discussion, and movement building focused on new workplace organizing. EWOC is the only project that any non-unionized worker, anywhere in the country, can reach out to and immediately receive workplace organizing support and training. Scholarships are available through a reimbursement basis.
Fundamentals of Workplace Organizing: EWOC Training on How to Unite and Win
Saturdays, July 12 - August 2 | 4 - 5:30 PM
In four 90-minute weekly sessions, you will learn how to approach your co-workers, build a team of organizers among them, and develop a campaign. You will meet other workers who are organizing and learn helpful tools, practices, and principles for winning workplace improvements and getting a democratic voice over your working conditions. We also welcome those who are interested in joining EWOC as a volunteer and supporting other organizing workers! Space is limited to 120 participants, so register here today!
Register for Skills to Win Training: Workers vs. Billionaires
July 19-20 | 12 PM - 6 PM | Online
Join us July 19 and 20 for this special edition of “Skills to Win”, tailored specifically for groups in the May Day Strong and 2028 strike networks who want to sharpen their organizing skills to take on the billionaires. This training program, built on Jane McAlevey’s core organizing methods, will teach members and staff how to build both strike-ready organization and powerful community-labor alignments. The UC Berkeley Labor Center and Bargaining for the Common Good are partnering to host this training, which will be held for two full days over Zoom. Groups are required to attend in groups of at least ten people from your organization, because organizing is a team sport. Learn more and register by June 13!
People’s Summit for Korea
July 25-27 | New York, NY
The People’s Summit for Korea is being convened by Nodutdol for Korean Community Development, in partnership with key organizations in the Korea movement and anti-imperialist movement in the US. We are calling this summit at a critical juncture in Korea’s struggle for sovereignty, with tensions on the peninsula reaching new heights as the US escalates the New Cold War against China. Now is the time to unite across communities, struggles, and borders to oppose U.S. aggression in Korea.
Join us for a three-day convening featuring plenaries, panels, workshops, breakout sessions, and cultural performances led by key figures in the Korean liberation movement and the global anti-imperialist struggle. We call on organizers, artists, intellectuals, students, and community members across the Korean diaspora, South Korea, and beyond to build our movement together.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Higher Education Council Meeting
June 21-22 | Pico Rivera, CA
2025 UAW-LUCA Communications Conference
June 22 - 27 | Onaway, MI
APALA 18th Biennial Convention
June 26 - 29 | Los Angeles, CA
UAW Night at the Yankees
July 10 | New York, NY
NAACP 116th National Convention
July 12 - 16 | Charlotte, NC
UAW Family Scholarship
July 20 - 25 | Onaway, MI
LCLAA 25th National Membership Convention
July 28 - August 2 | Atlanta, GA
APRI 54th Annual National Educational Conference
August 6 - 10 | Chicago, IL
UAW Veterans Conference
August 10 - 15, 2025 | Onaway, MI
2025 UAW International Women's Conference
August 17 - 22 | St. Pete Beach, FL
2025 UAW Civil & Human Rights Conference
August 24 - 29 | Onaway, MI
2025 UAW Local Union Officers Institute
October 5 - 10 | Onaway, MI