UAW Region 9A Weekly Newsletter: July 3
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LOCAL UPDATES
Local 4100: Columbia Postdocs Rally Joined by Congressional “Dream Team”
On Tuesday, hundreds of Columbia Postdoctoral Workers-UAW Local 4100 rallied before a bargaining session on the day their contract expired to demand a fair contract from the university.
Joined by three recently elected UAW-endorsed Democratic nominees for Congress—Darializa Avila Chevalier (UAW Local 2325), Claire Valdez (UAW Local 2110), and Brad Lander—members sought to push on Columbia to make progress at the table.
“The political allies we brought to that rally, the amount of people, the energy, just the fact that they stayed in the room with us that late—it shows that they felt the pressure,” unit chair Anna Yoney told The Indypendent.
Local 4100 represents 1,600 postdocs at Columbia, who are demanding pay raises that match the rate of inflation, a housing guarantee, additional protections for international workers, and better access to childcare in their second contract. CPW-UAW won its first contract in 2020 after unionizing in 2018.
Claire Valdez, who was on the bargaining committee for UAW Local 2110 representing technical, office, and professional workers at Columbia, told the crowd, “Any time a union is taking on Columbia, know that I will be there with you in that fight.”
Local 2325: Pickets Across NYC As Legal Services Contracts Expire
As contracts at several NYC legal services providers expired on Tuesday, Local 2325 members at Neighborhood Defender Service, Catholic Migration Services, Brooklyn Defenders, and Bronx Defenders took to the streets this week to rally for fair wages, workloads, and more.
At Tuesday’s picket outside NDS, over 80 union members were joined by community supporters in solidarity, including Democratic nominees for Congress Darializa Avila Chevalier (an NDS union member herself!) and Claire Valdez (UAW Local 2110).
Management heard our message loud and clear: we will not accept anything less than a fair contract. Follow @ndsunion, @bxdunion, @bds_union, @cmsunion, and @alaa2325 on Instagram for the latest updates.
UNH Graduate Employees United Escalate Their Fight for a First Contract
Last week, the University of New Hampshire graduate workers union took their fight for a fair contract to a University System Board of Trustees meeting. The Graduate Employees Union (GEU-UAW) was certified in 2024 after winning an election 455 to 8—but more than two years later, they are still pushing for their first contract.
Sam Crawford, a sociology PhD candidate, told the board he makes about $24,000 a year from his work as a graduate employee with the university—less than half the living wage for a one-person household in the county. So far, UNH has offered only a $1,000 raise across all pay grades, followed by 2% annual increases, an amount that wouldn’t even cover the rising cost of living. Moreover, graduate workers have not gotten any raises during the two years they’ve been negotiating.
“We are still waiting for a fair offer,” Audrey Robison, a PhD student in Space Physics, testified to the board. “We have come here today to ask all of you to urge UNH administrators to offer us a fair contract, so that we can work together towards our common goal of strengthening UNH without the fear of financial insecurity.”
Read more at InDepthNH.org, and follow @geu_unh on Instagram for the latest updates.
Local 2110: Guggenheim & Harper’s Magazine Unions Vote to Authorize Strikes
Staff at the Guggenheim Museum represented by UAW Local 2110 voted overwhelmingly last week to authorize a strike, after negotiating with the Museum for their second union contract since December. Last year the Guggenheim implemented a mass layoff, and union members are seeking strengthened job security, including advance notice of layoffs, and improved severance pay.
“Workers took the brunt of the cuts while museum leadership did not give up a penny in their salaries,” said Drew Reynolds, an educator at the museum and the union chair. “It’s disturbing that management continues to add executive level salaries rather than pay the staff living wages.”
This week, Local 2110’s union at Harper’s Magazine followed suit, voting unanimously to authorize a strike if necessary. Follow @guggenheimmuseumunion_2110 and @harpersmagunion on Instagram for the latest updates.
In the news:
- The Art Newspaper: Workers at the Guggenheim in New York vote to authorize a strike (June 30)
- Hyperallergic: Guggenheim Museum Union Votes to Authorize Strike (June 30)
- Art Forum: Strike Looms at Guggenheim as Tourist Season Peaks (June 30)
COMMUNITY ACTION PROGRAM (CAP)
Recapping UAW's Fight for Justice in This Year's NYC Budget
In UAW Region 9A, we approach budget fights the same way we do our organizing and contract campaigns. In order to win the budget that meets the demands of our membership and the working class, we know we have to build power and get organized.
This year, under a new pro-worker mayoral administration and new leadership in the City Council, we renewed our fight, advocated for our demands, linked our contract fights to budget needs, and, as a result, made significant gains. We won improved funding for our members in legal services organizations. We won historic investments in cultural institutions, including a Cultural Stability Fund establishing a pool of funding available to struggling cultural organizations each year through the 2029 fiscal year, so that workers aren’t expected to be the ones to suffer during tough times.
Beyond our immediate contract fights, we won massive increases for consumer and workforce protection. The final budget included increased funding for the Commission on Human Rights, which directly impacts our members’ work as advocates for working class people facing unjust working conditions. We also applaud the Mayor and the City Council for coming to an agreement on CityFHEPS that we can build on going forward to ensure a home for every New Yorker, meanwhile keeping NYPD headcount flat so we can properly fund essential services that are at the core of gaining public safety. Paired with the statewide progress on free, universal childcare, these decisions show that unions and communities can organize for more, if we continue to prepare ourselves to fight for it.
Beyond this budget fight, our union recognizes the generational opportunity in front of us to change the direction of politics in this moment. Along with allies in labor and social movements, we are rejecting a politics that puts the interests of the rich above society while offering nothing but austerity to the poor and the working class. We applaud Mayor Mamdani and his administration for setting a new agenda that our union has long called for. And we were glad to work with the City Council in the final weeks to advocate for the remaining needs. This budget is not a culmination of our fight, but rather a starting point to build the city that works for the working class.
Take Action to Defend Trump's Attacks on Federal Grant Funding
On May 29, the Trump administration announced a new escalation in their attacks on the working class. Under a proposed set of federal regulations, Trump’s Office of Management and Budget would gain unprecedented control to deny or cancel more than $1 trillion in annual federal grants at any time for any reason.
If these policies are allowed to go into effect, the OMB could directly interfere and block a wide range of critical programs, including research performed by UAW members at universities as well as grants that fund disaster preparedness, workplace safety, education, legal support, child care and transportation.
These proposed policies are an attempt to wrest control of federal spending from Congress and to undermine the courts that have blocked Trump’s illegal cuts again and again. While workers face an affordability crisis and soaring prices, these policies will create further economic uncertainty, kill jobs, and stifle innovation.
UAW members can take action to stop this from happening by submitting a comment by July 13 to oppose these changes using this portal.
Region 9A CAP in the News
Claire Valdez: “UAW should be a force to be reckoned with, that we are asserting real political terms, that we are running a political operation that’s not just about a paper endorsement. It's about getting our members to call other members, it's about showing up to canvass consistently and it's about endorsing members of our own ranks and really prioritizing the idea that union members are the best people to fight in the halls of power because we know how to take on bad bosses and organize.”
- The Chief Leader: Claire Valdez Has High Hopes for Labor (June 26)
FROM REGION 9A
Fighting Back Against the Attacks on DACA & TPS
The Trump administration continues to escalate its attacks on immigrant workers, accelerating its efforts to strip many workers of their existing status under the law.
Last week, the Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration can terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 350,000 Haitians and Syrians already living here in the United States—jeopardizing the future status of 1 million additional TPS holders across the country.
In addition, workers with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status, which provides work authorization and temporary protection from deportation for people who arrived in the United States as children, are facing ongoing delays in the processing of renewal applications. These delays have caused some workers to lose their work authorization.
UAW Region 9A stands with our members, our families, and our communities who are affected by these racist and dehumanizing policies. As a reminder, UAW has set up a hotline to quickly connect members experiencing an unexpected change in immigration status or any other immigration-related emergency with legal counsel: 888-416-2110.
Here are several steps we can take to support members affected by these policies:
- Advocate with employers to provide unpaid leaves of absence rather than terminate workers whose employment authorization has lapsed due to renewal delays—contact us for more information.
- Engage congressional representatives and constituent services staff to assist with inquiries to DHS regarding delayed applications—contact us for more information.
- Help connect members with immigration screenings or legal consultations, beginning with the UAW hotline, to explore other possible pathways to work authorization or immigration relief.
- Review model contract language, know your rights materials, and other resources available here to be prepared for potential immigration enforcement actions.
FROM THE INTERNATIONAL UAW
Save the Date: UAW Women’s & TOP Conference
August 9 - 14 | Houston, TX
UAW members are bringing the heat, the power, and the purpose to Houston, Texas from August 9-14, 2026 at the Marriott Marquis Houston!
This year, we are fusing the incredible strength of our Women’s Committees with the vital expertise of our Technical, Office, and Professional (TOP) members. Prepare yourself for an unforgettable week packed with high-energy workshops, major leadership building, and the kind of sisterhood and solidarity that fuels the labor movement.
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.
Registration Now Open: UAW Standing Committees & EAP Institute
October 4 - 9 | Onaway, MI
Building and strengthening local union Standing Committees and Employee Assistance Programs will be the focus of this week-long training to be held at the Walter and May Reuther UAW Family Education Center in Onaway, MI.
The Standing Committees Institute explores the direct link between strong local union standing committees and the collective power of our union, equipping standing committee members, other interested members, and local leaders to build and bolster their committees.
The EAP track provides EAP representatives, local leaders, and other interested members with the training, resource connections, and fellowship needed to negotiate and build a new local program or strengthen and support an existing one.
Save the (New) Date: UAW Health & Safety Conference
October 11 - 16 | Onaway, MI
“Defining Health and Safety for Future Generations” begin with workplace safety as a fundamental right and a core part of strong collective bargaining agreements. Effective Contracts create safer job sites, and this conference will equip members with the knowledge and skills to negotiate and enforce strong health and safety protections along with methods to identify and mitigate hazards. The conference aims to strengthen the bonds of solidarity among UAW members by providing training, motivation, and a call to action to demand safe worksites. Visit the new UAW Health and Safety Department website at uaw.org/health-safety.
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
Brigham Nurses & MGB Home Care Clinicians on Strike
Wednesday, July 8 | Boston, MA
The largest strike of nurses and healthcare professionals in Massachusetts history is scheduled to begin on July 8 when approximately 4,500 nurses and clinicians represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA) plan to strike at two Mass General Brigham (MGB) MNA bargaining units unless MGB executives negotiate fair contracts that invest in patient care and respect frontline caregivers.
Mass-Care Strategy and Working Conference: Path to Medicare for All in Massachusetts
Saturday, July 18 | 10 AM - 4 PM | Clark University, Worcester, MA
The health insurance crisis is deepening, and inequality in health care is growing. All manner of gimmicks and tweaks to “improve” the present private insurance offerings are being discussed, but none of them will correct the enormous burden on union members, workers, and our families with our present system of private health insurance. Premiums are skyrocketing and coverage is decreasing.
We know the solution is some version of single payer as outlined in the legislation “Medicare for All in Massachusetts” (H1405 and S860), a solution which would bring huge financial and health care benefits and relief to all residents of MA. A solution which would enable the state to address critical health care needs for our communities: affordability and access, primary care physician shortages, and equity driven care that serves all residents.
At 1:30pm the afternoon of the conference there will be a labor sector meeting. As an employer-based system, unions have a special role to play in health insurance and health care. We negotiate contracts that provide health insurance to our members and administer health and welfare funds. Unions represent over 100,000 health care workers in MA.
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.
Union Hiring Hall
- Massachusetts Working Families Party | Organizing Director | MA
- Ranking Member Bernie Sanders’ office of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee | Paid Internships (Fall 2026) | Washington, DC
- Laborers' Local 79 | Senior Strategic Researcher | 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
Family Scholarship at Black Lake
July 12-16 | Onaway, MI
UAW Women’s & TOP Conference
August 9 - 14 | Houston, TX
UAW Veterans Conference
August 9-14 | Onaway, MI
UAW Civil & Human Rights Conference
August 23 - 28 | Onaway, MI
UAW Bargaining & Contract Enforcement Bootcamp
September 20 - 25 | Onaway, MI
UAW Member Mobilization Institute
September 27 - October 2 | Onaway, MI
UAW Standing Committees & Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Institute
October 4 - 9 | Onaway, MI
UAW Health & Safety Conference
October 11 - 16 | Onaway, MI
Region 9A Veterans Council Dinner Dance
Saturday, November 7 | New London, CT