UAW Region 9A Weekly Newsletter: June 27

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HOW ZOHRAN MAMDANI WON:
A MESSAGE FROM REGION 9A DIRECTOR BRANDON MANCILLA

“When President Shawn Fain and I took office, we were clear that UAW endorsements would be earned, and we were done backing politicians that wouldn’t support labor.” Watch a video message from UAW Region 9A Director Brandon Mancilla on how UAW members have changed politics as usual and how we can use our political power to fight in the years to come.

WATCH THE VIDEO

LOCAL & ORGANIZING UPDATES

Legal Aid Society, NYC’s Largest Public Defender Group, Voting on Strike Authorization

Attorneys at New York City’s largest public defender group are voting on whether to strike for the first time in more than 30 years.

Legal Aid Society lawyers, who represent low-income criminal defendants, immigrants, children and residents fighting for housing across the five boroughs, have reached a standoff with management over pay, caseloads and remote work.

The Legal Aid Society’s contract with its union employees expires June 30. Members have until Sunday night to vote in favor or against authorizing a strike. If the strike is approved, lawyers would then set a deadline for management to agree to their terms. Without an agreement, attorneys could walk off the job as soon as early July.

Read more about their fight, and join them at the last pre-contract expiration picket on Monday, June 30.

Workers at Bronxworks Legal Services Announce Organizing Campaign

Workers at Bronxworks, a historic social services organization in the Bronx are organizing with ALAA Local 2325. Going against the trend of nonprofit legal services organizations in New York City over the last few years, Bronxworks management has refused to voluntarily recognize the union and stated their open opposition to unionization, engaging notorious union-busting firm Jackson Lewis. Bronxworks’ successful unionization would leave only one non-union provider of anti-eviction legal services in the Bronx.

FROM REGION 9A

Now Open to All Members: Register for 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.

Please join us 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!

Register today, and we encourage members and groups of members who would like to give a workshop to submit a proposal. Some of the great workshops already scheduled include:

Organizing the South
New Organizing in Region 9A
Striking to Win
Building a Powerful Contract Campaign
Effective Union Meetings
Organizing for Power
Mobilizing in Manufacturing
Fighting for Economic Justice
Effective Grievance-handling
Organizing a Grievance Campaign
and more!

Juneteenth Parade with UAW & the Richard ‘Dik” Days Scholarship Committee

Last week, we honored Juneteenth, a powerful day of remembrance and reflection on the struggles and triumphs of Black freedom in this country. Across the country, communities come together to celebrate Black history, resilience, and the ongoing fight for racial justice.

UAW Region 9A members along with the Richard ‘Dik” Days Scholarship Committee and this year’s scholarship recipients marched in the annual Juneteenth parade in Bloomfield, CT.

Region 9A Retirees Council Meets in New Region 9A Headquarters in Hartford

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. The Region 9A Retirees Council met today and received updates from the Region as well as each other on issues pertinent to their lives and interests. For more information and to get involved, contact Aaron Eisenberg at eisenberg@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)

Governor Lamont Betrays Labor by Vetoing Unemployment for Strikers

With his veto of Senate Bill 8, Governor Lamont showed once again he's willing to side with billionaires, not workers, when it matters. Unemployment insurance for strikers would level the playing field for thousands fighting for a better life.

UAW members at Electric Boat and across Connecticut deserve leaders with the courage to stand with them—not cave to bosses.

Last week, hundreds of Connecticut UAW and fellow union members picketed in front of Gov. Lamont’s mansion in Hartford to urge him to sign Senate Bill 8, after the legislation passed both houses of the legislature overwhelmingly.

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. UAW members believe Connecticut should follow in the footsteps of New York state and New Jersey, which provide unemployment benefits to striking workers.

UAW Endorsed Champion Zohran Mamdani Wins NYC Mayoral Primary

“The working class is done with business as usual," said UAW President Shawn Fain in a video message congratulating UAW-endorsed Zohran Mamdani on his victory in Tuesday’s Democratic primary for New York City Mayor. "We were proud to be the first union to endorse Zohran because it’s time for a political movement that puts the working class first."

“The days of taking labor’s vote for granted are over. It’s time for labor to think about a bigger vision that lifts up and includes all working class people,” said UAW Region 9A Director Brandon Mancilla. “UAW members stepped up to fight for an affordable New York—and went to the mat for Zohran—because he made it clear whose side he’s on: workers.”

In December 2024, UAW Region 9A became the first union to endorse Zohran Mamdani for mayor, recognizing that his campaign squarely confronted New York’s cost-of-living crisis. His platform—to build affordable housing, freeze rents, make buses fast and free, and provide universal childcare—echoed UAW’s demands to make life affordable for working-class New Yorkers, most of whom are renters and commuters.

On May 30, UAW Region 9A reaffirmed our support, urging NYC UAW households to rank Mamdani first—making us the only major union to do so. UAW endorsed Brad Lander second and encouraged our members to fill out a complete ballot in order to defeat Andrew Cuomo. UAW members completed over 1,000 volunteer shifts in their personal capacities for Zohran’s campaign.

Zohran has shown up for all of our NYC locals at nearly every UAW rally and picket line in NYC. He has walked the picket line with members on strike in Local 2710, Local 2320, Local 2179, and Local 4100, and he has rallied alongside members from Local 2325, Local 259, and our new organizing campaigns. Read more, and congratulations to all our members who worked to make his campaign a success!

UAW CAP in the News

“Brandon Mancilla, a regional director for the United Auto Workers, which endorsed Mr. Mamdani’s campaign, said union members were drawn to him because of his focus on the cost of living, as well as his ‘commitment to peace and dialogue and a politics of friendship.’ ‘We endorsed Zohran because we knew he could speak to everyday New Yorkers,’ he said. ‘The attacks he has gotten are despicable and disappointing, but they are to be expected because that is the political climate in this country.’”

New York Times: As Mamdani Rises, Anti-Muslim Attacks Roll In From the Right (June 26)

“The labor leader most excited about Mamdani’s win was the one whose membership bet on him earliest. Brandon Mancilla, the director of United Auto Workers Region 9A, said Wednesday morning that the union is ‘super proud to have seen the potential of the Zohran campaign from the very beginning and our members have been super excited from the beginning.’”

The Chief: 'Absolutely epic' — union leaders hail Mamdani's victory (June 26)

FROM THE INTERNATIONAL UAW

Region 9A Represents at the Inaugural Higher Ed Council Meeting

Over the weekend, over 200 UAW members from across the country gathered for the first-ever UAW Higher Ed Council meeting to strategize building power sector-wide—through new organizing, fending off Trump’s attacks on international workers, defending research and education funding, winning strong contracts, and more.

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.” Labor rights and civil rights are inextricably intertwined. Register for the UAW Civil and Human Rights Conference at the UAW Education Center in Onaway, MI. Talk with your local union leadership and request to attend. Registration is open until August 1st.

SOLIDARITY REQUESTS

Apply for Fall Internships in Senator Bernie Sanders’ HELP Committee Office
Apply by Sunday, June 29

Applications for fall 2025 internships in Ranking Member Bernie Sanders’ office of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee in Washington, DC are now open. Interns work directly with our health, education, labor, pensions, and disability teams. With the exception of our health interns, there is no required level of education or experience to intern with our team. This program is an opportunity for individuals of all backgrounds to learn more about the work done by a Senate committee and fight for policies that serve the needs of people across the country. More information and the link to apply can be found on the HELP website.

NYCHRP and Cinemóvil Present: Once a Moth
Thursday, July 3 | 6:30 PM | 411 South 5th St, Brooklyn, NY

NYCHRP invites UAW members to this screening we are putting on with Cinemóvil for our Stop U.S. War Crimes campaign. Minsa'y Isang Gamu-gamo," or "Once a Moth" in English, tells the story of two families living in the vicinity of the United State's Clark Airforce Base in the province of Pampanga, Philippines. Inspired by anti-military protests and based on true citizen reports, this film became a galvanizing force in the Philippine people's collective fight against US military bases on their land. Recently, US military activity in the Philippines has grown exponentially, with four new military bases established under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) in 2023. It’s hard not to see this in the context of future war staging in the Asia-Pacific, and will have devastating consequences for the Filipino people if we don’t stop it. RSVP!

Protect Our Students, Protect Our Rights Rally
Monday, July 7 | 1:30 PM | 1 Courthouse Way, Boston, MA

Join AAUP and allies for a rally to stop the Trump administration’s attacks on pro-Palestinian speech on campuses. The rally will be happening outside the U.S. District Court immediately following day 1 of the trial in AAUP v. Rubio.

New York State Judicial Pipeline Program for Public Interest Lawyers

Are you a public interest lawyer interested in becoming a New York State judge? Apply here by Monday, July 7, to be considered for the second cohort of our Judicial Pipeline Program.

Center for Community Alternatives is excited to announce the second cohort of our Judicial Pipeline Program. Since launching The Court New York Deserves in 2022, CCA has led a campaign that made history by inspiring the State Senate to reject a governor’s nominee for Chief Judge for the first time; drawn attention to the harmful records of two judges up for reappointment, compelling them to retire; and founded a national network of advocates working toward judicial accountability in state courts. The Judicial Pipeline Program complements this work by supporting public interest and progressive lawyers who are interested in pursuing New York state court judgeships.

The program curriculum provides in-depth information about judicial selection in New York, including information about judicial appointments, judicial elections, the politics that shape judicial selection, and more. It also provides mentorship, resources, and ongoing support to participants during and after the program, as participants decide when and how they wish to pursue judicial office. The program will comprise four virtual, 90-minute sessions over three weeks in the early fall, with an optional in-person gathering.

Rally for LGBTQ+ Youth: Hands Off the 998 Lifeline!
Saturday, July 12 | 12:30 PM | Trump Tower, 725 5th Avenue, NYC

On June 18, Trump Administration ordered the termination of the national LGBTQ+ 988 Youth Suicide Lifeline—a devastating move that will end life-saving services to more than 1.3 million LGBTQ+ young people who will no longer be able to receive support when they need it.

Over 200 workers at the Trevor Project who had provided that specialized support learned that they would lose their jobs on July 17, 2025. On July 12, Trevor Project workers represented by CWA 1180 and allies are coming together to say: HANDS OFF 988.

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

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