UAW Region 9A Weekly Newsletter: July 24
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LOCAL UPDATES
Local 2325: Brooklyn Defenders Reach TA, NDS on Strike, Bronx Defenders Get Ready
Workers at Neighborhood Defender Service in NYC, Texas, and Detroit walked out on strike this morning after management continued to refuse to agree to a fair contract. Join their picket line from 10 AM to 3:15 PM today at 317 Lenox Avenue in Harlem, and follow @ndsunion on Instagram for updates.
NDS members join their ALAA Local 2325 siblings at Justice in Motion, who have been on strike for the past two weeks fighting for pay equity, transparency, and respect on the job.
At the same time, workers at Bronx Defenders are preparing to walk out Monday if management still hasn't met their demands. Follow @bxdunion on Instagram for the latest updates, and join them if they strike on Monday from 9 AM to 5 PM at 360 E 161st Street in the Bronx.
Meanwhile, workers at Brooklyn Defender Services won a tentative agreement on Tuesday after their five-day strike! Workers now vote on whether to ratify it. Wins include a step scale (BDS previously didn't have one), raising the wage floor to at least match Bronx Defenders, $8,000 to $10,000 raises, eliminating location tracking, beating back health insurance givebacks, expanded remote work, expanded sabbatical, and membership in the UAW Region 9A Student Loan Assistance Fund.
In the news:
- The Chief: Brooklyn Defender Services staff strike after talks collapse (July 17)
- Brooklyn Daily Eagle: Public defense workers picket for better conditions in Downtown Brooklyn (July 21)
- Queens Daily Eagle: Brooklyn Defender Services strike ends after tentative labor deal reached (July 22)
- Amsterdam News: Public defenders in Harlem could walk off job as July 24 strike deadline looms (July 23)
- PIX 11: NYC public defenders, social workers end strike with tentative agreement (July 22)
COMMUNITY ACTION PROGRAM (CAP)
Maine: UAW-Endorsed Troy Jackson Poised to Secure Nomination for U.S. Senate
After earning UAW’s endorsement last week and winning 478 of 500 delegate elections, former UAW Local 2320 member Troy Jackson is poised to secure the nomination for U.S. Senate at tomorrow’s Maine Democratic Party Convention. UAW members from Local 7650 and Local 2110 were elected as delegates for Troy.
The UAW’s Maine Community Action Program (CAP) Council, composed of leaders from each of UAW’s local unions in Maine, unanimously voted to endorse Troy’s Senate campaign after previously endorsing him for Governor. Troy joined UAW Local 3999 members on strike at Bath Iron Works in March and rallied with the University of Maine Graduate Workers Union in their fight for a fair first contract.
UAW members are excited to elect Troy to be the next U.S. Senator from Maine this fall! Stay tuned for upcoming volunteer opportunities.
Massachusetts: Phone Bank for UAW Member Tram Nguyen
Every Wednesday in August | 5:30 - 7 PM | Online
Join fellow UAW members to phone bank for UAW Local 2320 member Tram Nguyen for U.S. Congress! Before being elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 2018, Rep. Nguyen joined UAW Local 2320 when she was a legal aid attorney at Greater Boston Legal Services.
She was endorsed by the Massachusetts CAP Council in November, and UAW members are excited to work to elect her to Congress based on her record fighting for issues affecting working people. Join us!
Region 9A CAP in the News
On a cold January morning in Maria Hernandez Park in Bushwick, Brooklyn, Mayor Mamdani, United Auto Workers (UAW) President Shawn Fain, and UAW Region 9A director Brandon Mancilla launched Valdez’s congressional campaign alongside union members and organizers.
Fain called Valdez “a proven leader and soldier for working-class people.” Mamdani recalled that he had been among the first people to ask her to run for office. “Claire came to politics as a worker,” he said. “She was at Taco Bell and Pizza Hut, and she was also at a union that quite literally changed her life.” UAW Local 2110, the Columbia University–based local where Valdez served on the bargaining committee, he argued, had given her “agency, the power to organize with her coworkers, to confront bosses and oligarchs.”
Mancilla, who had known Valdez through the UAW reform movement, told the crowd, “No one will represent us, the working class, better than we will represent ourselves.”
- Jacobin: Claire Valdez Plans to Take the Labor Movement to Washington (July 23)
FROM REGION 9A
Apply to the 2026-2027 UAW Education Fellowship
October 2026 - May 2027 | Apply by August 10
The UAW International Education Department is excited to announce the 2026-2027 Fellowship Program. The Fellowship is an intensive work-study program designed to develop dedicated UAW members into strong leaders and effective union educators. Graduates of the Fellowship join our roster of Local Union Discussion Leaders (LUDLs), serving as activists in their local union education committees while also being available to assist our regional and national education programs.
The 2026-2027 Fellows will participate in an intensive training program that consists of a mix of in-person and virtual touchpoints from October 2026 through May 2027. This program requires a serious commitment from the Fellows to complete assignments at home, in addition to attending the scheduled touchpoint sessions. Bilingual Spanish/English speakers are strongly encouraged to apply. Members will apply by completing the online application by August 10, 2026.
FROM THE INTERNATIONAL UAW
UAW Offers a New Way Forward on Trade
In a new white paper, the UAW outlines the problems at the heart of the so-called “free trade” regime, and the impacts of free trade on the working class across borders. The union makes bold demands to radically transform the system of North American trade:
- Build here to sell here provisions ensuring that companies create and keep good jobs in the United States if they want to sell in the U.S. market.
- Real labor rights that are enforceable and apply to workers in all three countries.
- Strong standards on pay & other key issues, including a new manufacturing wage floor for North America and strict health and environmental protections.
To read the union's bold new vision on trade, visit UAW.org/trade.
LUCA Presents: Labor Day and May Day 2028 - Building Power for the Working Class
Tuesday, August 11 | 6:30 - 7:30 PM | Online
Labor Day is more than a long weekend; it's an opportunity to reflect on the history of workers' struggles in the United States and how those struggles have been remembered and commemorated over time. Join us as we explore the origins of Labor Day, its complex relationship to the labor movement, why its history still matters today, and how LUCA communicators can use Labor Day to educate members and share stories that connect past organizing to today's fights.
Understanding Labor Day also helps illuminate the significance of May Day. While Labor Day became the official U.S. workers' holiday, May Day emerged as the international day of worker solidarity rooted in the struggle for the eight-hour day and the Haymarket movement. As we prepare for May Day 2028, we can use Labor Day as a bridge to that broader history—highlighting that workers' power has always depended on solidarity across industries, communities, and borders. May Day 2028 is an opportunity to build on that legacy and strengthen a global movement for the working class.
Upcoming UAW International Officer Elections in 2026
This fall, UAW members will vote by mail in the 2026 UAW International Officer Election for International President, International Secretary-Treasurer, three International Vice Presidents, and nine Regional Director positions. More information about the upcoming elections is available at uawmonitor.com/elections.
Ballots will begin to be mailed on or about August 21, 2026, and must be received by October 5, 2026 in order to be counted. All UAW members in good standing as of September 30, 2026, are eligible to vote in the 2026 election, including members who are part-time workers, reinstated members, and retired members.
Submit Your Questions for the 2026 UAW International Officer Candidate Forums
Get informed! Tune in online to hear directly from candidates running in the 2026 UAW International Officer Election about their vision for our union. Virtual candidate forums will be held for the following offices on these dates:
- Monday, July 27, 6 PM: International Vice Presidents
- Thursday, July 30, 6 PM: International President
Steven Greenhouse, American labor and workplace journalist and writer, will serve as the independent moderator for the candidate forums. In case you missed it, you can watch a recording of Thursday’s forum for International Secretary-Treasurer candidates on YouTube.
Any member who wishes to submit a question for the moderator to consider can email UAWMonitor-Election@jenner.com with the subject line “Candidate Forum Question.” The email should specify 1) whether the question relates to a specific candidate or position and, if so, which one; 2) whether the individual submitting the question wishes to be identified with the question or remain anonymous; and 3) whether the individual submitting the question is a member in good standing of the UAW and, if so, their local union number.
Don't miss this opportunity to learn about each candidate's priorities and make an informed decision before ballots are mailed in August!
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
Higher Ed Labor United Training: Grievances, Anti-Discrimination & Organizing Strategy
Saturday, July 25 | 12 - 3 PM ET | 5 Steeple St, Providence, RI or Zoom
The Graduate Labor Organization at Brown University (GLO-AFT Local 6516) and HELU invite union members in higher education to a deep-dive session about grievance procedures, anti-discrimination protections, and organizing to win better and more comprehensive defenses in our workplaces.
SEIU Local 509 Rally Against Union Busting at Tufts
Thursday, July 30 | 6 PM | Powder House Park, 850 Broadway, Somerville, MA
Join us for a rally to stand with international workers against union-busting! We are demanding that Tufts University reinstate an international graduate worker to her doctoral program in the School of Engineering. No worker should experience retaliation for seeking help from their union. We are standing in solidarity with this worker and fighting against the exploitation of ALL international workers! Learn more and RSVP to join us. Can't make it on the 30th? Add your name to our community petition demanding that Tufts reinstate this grad worker immediately.
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
- Connecticut AFL-CIO | Legislative Director | Rocky Hill, CT
- 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
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 | Register by August 7 | Onaway, MI
UAW Bargaining & Contract Enforcement Bootcamp
September 20-25 | Register by August 10 | Onaway, MI
UAW Member Mobilization Institute
September 27 - October 2 (new date) | Register by August 17 | Onaway, MI
UAW Standing Committees & Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Institute
October 4-9 | Register by August 24 | Onaway, MI
UAW Health & Safety Conference
October 11-16 (new date) | Register by August 31 | Onaway, MI
Region 9A Veterans Council Dinner Dance
Saturday, November 7 | New London, CT