UAW Region 9A Weekly Newsletter: September 12
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LOCAL & ORGANIZING UPDATES
Local 379 & Local 6950 Rally to Kick Off Bargaining at Cummins & UConn in Connecticut
UAW Local 379 members at Cummins/Jacobs Vehicle Systems in Bloomfield, Connecticut, rallied with their bargaining committee to kick off their contract campaign last Saturday. Over the past three years, Cummins profits have soared while workers have fallen further behind. Local 379 members are demanding wage increases, increased profit sharing and vacation time, improved health care and job security, and more.
On Wednesday, Local 6950 members at UConn Graduate Employees United also rallied outside their first bargaining session with the university this contract cycle. “We’re kicking things off with a solidarity action to show the university that graduate workers are united and ready to win the contract we deserve,” they said. Follow @uconngeu on Instagram for the latest updates on their contract campaign.
Local 2322 Mount Holyoke Housekeepers Reach Tentative Agreement After Strike
After a one-day strike on Tuesday, September 2, Mount Holyoke housekeepers with UAW Local 2322 reached a tentative agreement last Friday, September 5. Members were focused on winning a living wage and fighting against tiers for job responsibilities for new workers. Workers won immediate raises of up to 8%, longevity pay, free meals each week, and defeated tiers. Congratulations on a hard-fought victory!
New York Foundation for the Arts Workers Move to Unionize with Local 2110
Workers at the nonprofit New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) are moving to unionize with Local 2110. Headquartered in New York City, NYFA was established in 1971 to provide support and resources to artists and cultural workers. Staff members there said they decided to push for unionization due to a lack of transparency, unfair wages, and unsustainable working conditions.
“Unionizing helps workers create a more equitable and safe workplace and we’re excited to take this important step in strengthening the foundation of a thriving, resilient arts ecosystem,” Audrey Thao Berger, a senior member of the NYFA awards and grants team, told ARTnews. Follow @nyfaunion on Instagram for the latest updates from our newest soon-to-be UAW members.
FROM REGION 9A
Recent Legal Victories Led by Harvard Academic Workers Bargaining for Fair Contracts
The UAW applauds last week’s ruling that the Trump administration’s cancellation of $2.2 billion in grants to Harvard University is unconstitutional. The UAW and AAUP were plaintiffs in the first lawsuit filed against these cuts, which paved the way for Harvard University to file its own lawsuit 10 days later. U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs’ decision in both cases is an important step to affirm academic freedom and establish that the future of federal science funding our members depend on cannot be leveraged to undermine higher education.
Responding immediately to the Trump administration’s attacks, UAW members in higher education have led a national campaign to kill the cuts to federal research funding and protect academic freedom. The federal administration’s threats would have a catastrophic impact on lifesaving medical research and the livelihoods of tens of thousands of UAW members. Moreover, the ideologically motivated attack on university curriculums strikes against everything our members stand for as scholars and instructors to their students. UAW members at Harvard helped win these lawsuits by providing testimony demonstrating how arbitrary and harmful the funding cuts have been. Union members have organized rallies and engaged elected officials to ensure federal science funding is maintained despite Trump’s attempts to slash spending.
At the same time that the Trump administration targeted Harvard’s federal funding, UAW members at Harvard have been fighting for secure and dignified working conditions at the bargaining table. The UAW represents four units at Harvard consisting of over 8,000 workers, which include graduate and undergraduate workers, postdoctoral researchers, lecturers, instructors, and core facility scientists, as well as law school clinical instructors. The Harvard Graduate Students Union-UAW Local 5118 is bargaining a successor contract, while the Harvard Academic Workers (postdocs, lecturers, and Harvard Law School clinical workers) and the Harvard Undergraduate Workers Union are fighting for their first contract after successfully winning recognition. Members are united around fighting for fair wages, protections against harassment and discrimination, and job security.
We will continue to organize so that the progress achieved with the decisions that secure Harvard’s funding translate into gains at the bargaining table. Workers at Harvard have led the fight against the Trump administration, and we urge the Harvard administration to heed the members’ demands and finalize agreements that recognize our labor.
UAW Region 9A Members March in NYC & Boston Labor Day Parades
UAW showed up and showed off a UAW-made ‘65 Chevy at Boston’s first ever Labor Day parade on Monday! Even at a time when the working class is under attack, UAW members in Massachusetts have a lot to celebrate — including WOAW-UAW reaching a tentative agreement after a hard-fought strike, MFA Union ratifying a new contract this summer, and CORE-UAW winning their union this spring.
On Saturday, NYC members joined thousands of workers representing over 200 unions for the city’s Labor Day parade. Many NYC members brought UAW for Zohran signs and t-shirts, getting ready to propel our #1 endorsed candidate over the finish line in the November 4 general election to become New York City’s next mayor. Our NYC CAP Council looks forward to working with the Mamdani mayoral administration to enact our top priorities such as universal childcare, affordable housing, and new procurement policies that will ensure NYC’s fleet of over 30,000 vehicles and garbage trucks are UAW-made.
Join the Region 9A Veterans Council at the Annual Dinner Dance
Saturday, November 8 | 6 PM | Doubletree by Hilton, Bristol, CT
Join the UAW Region 9A Veterans Council at the 27th Annual Dinner Dance! The 2025 Dinner Dance will be held on Saturday, November 8, at the Doubletree by Hilton in Bristol, Connecticut.
The reception will begin at 6 PM, and dinner will begin at 7 PM. Tickets are $65 per person, and tables are $650 for 10 seats. Please contact Tina Ross at trodriguez@uaw.net to purchase tickets.
COMMUNITY ACTION PROGRAM (CAP)
Protect International Workers: Submit a Comment to DHS on F & J Visa Rule Change
UAW members are mobilizing against a burdensome new rule, the latest in a sequence of xenophobic directives coming from the Trump administration.
Recently, the Department of Homeland Security published a rule that shortens the length of time international students and scholars on F and J visas may remain in the U.S. before applying for a visa renewal, as well as imposes restrictions on graduate students seeking to change programs.
These rules are designed to add layers of bureaucracy to an already daunting and complicated process, and they would further discourage international students and scholars from coming to the U.S. If implemented, this rule would negatively impact thousands of UAW academic workers nationwide.
All UAW members are invited to take a few minutes to submit a public comment—tell DHS how this rule change will harm your teaching and research, hurt higher education, and restrict workers’ rights.
UAW-Endorsed Candidates Rocked the Vote in Boston—Next Up, Somerville & Medford
UAW-endorsed candidates excelled in Tuesday’s municipal preliminary elections in Boston. Mayor Michelle Wu, endorsed by a large majority of the city’s unions including UAW, dominated Tuesday's preliminary election with 72% of the vote, carrying all 22 wards in the city. Two days after the election, her closest opponent announced he was ending his bid for mayor.
Our endorsed candidates for City Council—incumbent At-Large City Councilors Ruthzee Louijeune, Henry Santana, and Julia Mejia—placed in the top four spots among ten candidates. If they repeat this performance in the November 4 general election, all three will earn reelection to the council.
This upcoming Tuesday, September 16, Somerville and Medford residents will vote for our endorsed candidates in their cities’ prelims, consisting of:
- For Mayor of Somerville: Willie Burnley Jr.
- Somerville City Council: Will Mbah, At Large; Marianne Walles, At Large; Ben Wheeler, At Large; Naima Sait, Ward 5
- Medford City Council: Zac Bears, At Large; Miranda Briseño, At Large; Matt Leming, At Large
In all the above plus Cambridge, Agawam, and Salem, residents can vote for our endorsed candidates in the general election on November 4. Save the date for Saturday, October 11, to canvass for UAW Local 2320 unit chair Emmylou Manwill who is running for Salem City Council!
Massachusetts: Testify in Support of Paid Family Leave for Grad Workers
Graduate workers from across Massachusetts are coming together in the state legislature to testify for our rights to paid family and medical leave and unemployment protections. All the other workers on campus have access to these essential programs while student workers are left behind. We have a bill to change that (S.747 / H.1336).
We need you to come out and testify at the hearing to tell legislators why we need paid leave and unemployment protections! Sign up here to show interest in testifying at the hearing, aka telling your story of why you and your coworkers need these protections. You do not need to be a union member or graduate worker to participate—anyone who wants us to have these protections is welcome.
FROM THE INTERNATIONAL UAW
UAW President Shawn Fain Shouts Out ALAA Members on Strike in Facebook Live
After visiting ALAA Local 2325 members on strike at Goddard Riverside Law Project in July, UAW President Shawn Fain shouted out their ongoing strike in his union-wide town hall on Thursday.
“They’re demanding living wages and protections against impossible workloads,” he said. “These are legal services workers who fight for tenants, for low-income families, and for justice—and now they’re fighting for themselves.”
Follow @grlpunion on Instagram for the latest updates on their strike.
Register Now for the UAW Organizing Conference
October 12-17 | Register by September 15 | Onaway, MI
Fewer than 10% of U.S. workers are union members, meaning millions do not have the power of a union contract or a voice in their workplaces. Low union density also weakens the negotiating power of current union members because bosses often leverage the wages and conditions at non-union workplaces against us. In recent years, there has been a significant surge in organizing to change this dynamic. People are standing up—workers at Volkswagen in Tennessee, colleges and universities across the country, and many other industries and workplaces—and forming unions with the UAW.
Recognizing the need to increase worker power through union density, delegates at the 2022 UAW Constitutional Convention voted to require every local union to establish an organizing standing committee. The Organizing Conference aims to unite UAW members and empower them with the knowledge and resources to start and/or strengthen their local organizing committees. Through interactive workshops and collaborative sessions, delegates will gain actionable strategies and practical tools to build union power through organizing.
SOLIDARITY REQUESTS
Connecticut for All Canvassing
Saturday, September 13 | 11 AM - 3 PM | Rocky Hill, CT
Join labor and community leaders as we hit the doors to talk to our neighbors about the future of Connecticut.
Visit Tabitha Arnold’s Gospel of the Working Class Exhibit in NYC
September 4 - October 4 | Opening reception on Sept. 4 at 6 PM | New York, NY
Join Dissent at Field Projects for the opening night of Gospel of the Working Class, a new exhibition by Tabitha Arnold, Dissent’s cover artist. Gospel of the Working Class illuminates a hundred years of labor struggle in the South through a series of narrative tapestry banners. Inspired by a historic union victory by the United Auto Workers at Volkswagen Chattanooga in 2024, the show emphasizes the reactionary South as a site of revolutionary struggle, profoundly shaped by its history of labor militancy and working-class revolt.
Connecticut: Tell Electeds to Protect Immigrants in Upcoming Special Session
With a special legislative session approaching, we must act now. Gov. Lamont, House Leadership, and Senate Leadership need to hear loud and clear: Immigrants deserve safety and dignity in the place they call home. In the past two months, ICE has ramped up operations in Connecticut. Armed, masked agents are targeting workers, abducting parents, and detaining students—inflicting fear and trauma on entire communities. These actions violate basic rights and safety. Fear has no place in our state. Connecticut for All is asking residents to call elected leadership now using this script to demand urgent protections in the special session.
Massachusetts: Contact Your Legislators to Support the FAIR Act
Employers are increasingly using new technologies that rely on AI and machine learning to hire, discipline, monitor, promote, and fire workers. At the same time, employers have started incorporating these technologies into the regular job responsibilities and expectations of their employees.
The Massachusetts AFL-CIO has endorsed a solution to ensure working class people have strong safeguards to protect from the harmful effects of artificial intelligence and other algorithmic tools. The FAIR Act creates commonsense guardrails on artificial intelligence to protect workers while supporting the benefits of innovative technology. Contact your legislators to cosponsor the FAIR Act today!
WILL Empower 2025 Edna Berger Award Nomination
WILL Empower is awarding the 2025 Edna Berger Young Courageous Leader Award ($15,000) to a leader who is leading for transformation. WILL Empower celebrates cisgender and transgender women, gender expansive and gender non-conforming leaders who reside and work in North America and who are actively involved in worker justice movements. Learn more about Edna Berger and the Berger-Marks Legacy.
Do you know a young (age 30 and under) courageous leader who demonstrates a commitment to worker, racial, and gender justice? Tell us about them. They should be affiliated with unions, worker centers, community-based organizations, or other justice-seeking organizations where worker well-being is central. Their work and accomplishments must demonstrate a willingness to confront power and exclusive institutional practices for greater equity. Nominate a leader who inspires you using this form!
Union Hiring Hall
- Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union | Director of Organizing | New Brunswick, NJ
- Maine AFL-CIO | Campaigns Director | Augusta, ME
UPCOMING EVENTS
UAW Aerospace & General Dynamics Council Meeting
September 15-18 | New Orleans, LA
UAW National Ford Council Meeting
September 22-26 | San Diego, CA
2025 UAW Membership Mobilization Institute
September 28 - October 3 | Onaway, MI
2025 UAW Local Union Officers Institute
October 5 - 10 | Onaway, MI
UAW Organizing Conference
October 12-17 | Onaway, MI
UAW Skilled Trades Conference
October 20-24 | Detroit, MI