UAW Region 9A Weekly Newsletter: October 16

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FROM THE INTERNATIONAL UAW

Results from the 2026 UAW International Officer Elections

The UAW’s newly elected International Executive Board officers were sworn into office for a new four-year term in a ceremony honoring the will of the membership and reaffirming the union’s commitment to fighting for its members and all working-class people.

In his remarks, President Fain reflected on the responsibility of union leadership and outlined the priorities for the next four years: growing the UAW, building worker power, and winning improvements for working-class people. “Over the next four years, our job is to do more than just to ensure the survival of our organization,” he said. “We need to grow. We need to build. We need to win. And to do that, we need each other.”

President Fain emphasized that the UAW is a democratic, member-driven organization and that the union’s future depends on members being prepared and empowered to fight for their interests. “This is a democracy,” he said. “We are only in this room because the members put us in this room. And we will only win what the members are prepared and empowered to fight for.”

The president also highlighted the broader stakes of the labor movement, citing wealth inequality and the influence of corporate power as challenges facing working people. He urged UAW leaders to meet those challenges through faith, solidarity and collective action. “The only path to turning this situation around is by abandoning fear and having faith that’s rooted in solidarity,” Fain said. Read more at UAW.org.

The International Executive Board members sworn into office today are:

President: Shawn Fain
Secretary-Treasurer: Brandon Campbell
Vice President: Laura Dickerson
Vice President: Kevin Gotinsky
Vice President: Ryan Hiestand
Region 1 Director: LaShawn English
Region 1A Director: Mark DePaoli
Region 1D Director: Scott Zuckschwerdt
Region 2B Director: David Green
Region 4 Director: Lucas DeSpain
Region 6 Director: Mike Miller
Region 8 Director: Tim Smith
Region 9 Director: Jimmy Lakeman
Region 9A Director: Brandon Mancilla

LOCAL UPDATES

Local 405: Bargaining Kicks Off at Triumph Engine in Connecticut

UAW Local 405 members doing industry-leading work at Triumph Group are READY to win a record-breaking next contract.

In the last five years alone, Triumph Group has raked in $7.2 billion in revenue and a whopping $687 million in profit. Just their CEO made nearly $32 million. So, why are its workers in West Hartford continuing to fall behind?

Local 405 members are done going backwards. They're ready to stand up for the contract they deserve! Watch their contract campaign launch video on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and sign up for bargaining updates.

Local 2322: University of Vermont Graduate Workers Sit-In for a Contract

Graduate workers at the University of Vermont have been bargaining for over two years—and now have waited over four months for wage proposals from the university. The workers held a sit-in and rally during today’s Board of Trustees meeting, aimed at forcing the trustees to hear the union’s demands for better wages and job protections. Follow UVM-GSU for the latest updates in their fight for a fair contract.

Local 259 in the News: How AutoZone Workers Won a Union

On September 25, an AutoZone store in White Plains, New York, became the first of the company’s nearly seven thousand American retail locations to unionize. A recent article did a deep dive into how Local 259’s organizing campaign worked—and the retaliation the workers faced from union-busting management.

One of the workers, David Valencia, explained how AutoZone runs on the work of people like him and his coworkers. “People come into AutoZone frantic,” he said. “You help them out, you send them on their way with a smile on their face. It’s a good thing. We’re not saving the world, but one person at a time, we’re making their day better.”

“The workers on the ground are really providing all the value to the companies that eat up all the value,” he continued, “and all the people at the top that take all the profits that we create. And we just want some kind of compensation that looks closer to the value that we provide.” Read more.

Local 2322: WPI Graduate Workers Plan Union Solidarity Week Rally
Wednesday, October 28 | 4:15 PM | UVM Campus Fountain, Worcester, MA

With bargaining set to start at the end of this month, the Graduate Workers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute will hold a solidarity rally on October 28, aimed at showing the University their strength and solidarity.

Follow WPI-GWU for updates as they negotiate their second collective bargaining agreement.

COMMUNITY ACTION PROGRAM (CAP)

For the People Rally with Troy Jackson, the Dropkick Murphys, & Maine AFL-CIO
Friday, October 16 | 5 - 8:30 PM | Biddeford, ME

The labor movement has always been a rebellion built by working people who refused to bow down, back off, or let the powerful call the shots. Now it's time to turn up the volume and bring back the fighting spirit of working-class solidarity—where music, rebellion, and people power come together in the fight for a democracy that belongs to ALL of us.

And because every good rebellion needs a soundtrack: Come prepared for some good ol' rabble-rousing and a brief acoustic set by the Dropkick Murphys on Friday, October 16, at the Foundry in Biddeford. Doors open at 5 PM, and speakers and music start at 6:30. We'll hear from local labor leaders fighting for worker justice in our community and from our endorsed candidate for U.S. Senate, our union brother Troy Jackson. RSVP today!

Massachusetts & Maine AFL-CIO Joint Labor Walk for Troy Jackson
Saturday, October 17 | 10 AM - 12 PM | Kennebunk, ME

Join the Massachusetts and Maine AFL-CIO Federations this weekend to get the labor vote out for union card carrying member Troy Jackson and other Maine labor candidates.

UAW & Labor Canvasses for Troy Jackson for U.S. Senate
Saturday, Oct. 10, & Oct. 24 | Bangor & Old Town, ME

Join UAW Local 7650 and the Maine AFL-CIO to canvass for our UAW brother Troy Jackson for the U.S. Senate! It’s our time to send a working class champion to represent us in Washington.

Troy is the labor candidate. He is a fifth-generation logger, card-carrying member of multiple unions, and former member of UAW Local 2320 endorsed by the Maine AFL-CIO. From his time as a union leader to his time as a legislator and President of the Maine Senate, Troy has put working class issues front and center. His campaign will continue building the movement of working Mainers fighting against economic inequality and a broken political status quo.

NYC Labor Unions Come Together to Launch Election Protection Labor Coalition

On Thursday, hundreds of members of affiliated unions of the New York City Central Labor Council including UAW gathered in front of the Farley Post Office to announce a new election protection labor coalition to defend our members’ right to vote. In the face of the Trump administration’s attacks on democracy, labor unions must take proactive measures to protect the right to vote, encourage participation in elections, and ensure that every ballot is counted.

News outlets have reported on a range of possible actions surrounding the midterms, including deploying the National Guard to polling locations in swing districts; attempting to change voting laws to disenfranchise or de-register hundreds of thousands of voters; rejecting or refusing to certify election results deemed unfavorable; and generally sowing confusion before, during, and after Election Day. In response, labor leaders in New York are standing together in solidarity to ensure that working people are educated and prepared to protect their voice and their vote in any eventuality.

“The labor movement was foundational to the building of our democracy as we know it. Therefore, democracy is essential to the sustained future of both the labor movement and our country,” said Brandon Mancilla, UAW Region 9A Director. “As our values, rights, and democracy are put to the test, we are proud to stand up with our siblings and fight for our future together. We will not back down.” Read more from the NYC Central Labor Council.

FROM REGION 9A

Save the Date: UAW Region 9A Veterans Council Dinner Dance
Saturday, November 7 | Holiday Inn, New London, CT

UAW Region 9A Veterans Council invites you to join us in celebration of our 28th Annual Dinner Dance to honor Veterans and UAW Service Members throughout the Region and to celebrate our nation's 250th anniversary.

This year’s event will be held in a new location: the Holiday Inn in New London, Connecticut (see map).

SOLIDARITY REQUESTS

WMALF Contract Campaigns & Collective Bargaining Training
Saturday, October 17 | 9:30 AM - 3:30 PM | Springfield, MA

Learn the basics of organizing for a stronger contract! This training will cover organizing your members to support your contract campaign, assessing the needs of your membership, basics of bargaining, the rights and responsibilities of management in bargaining, and escalating series of actions and applying pressure during the bargaining process. This training will be led by members of the Western MA Area Labor Federation's Education Committee, bringing decades of practical experience in union organizing. Our training programs are open to members of any union. We believe that when we bring members of different unions together, we can learn from each other and build skills.

Screening of Who Moves America Documentary
Monday, October 19 | 7 PM | SPACE Gallery, Portland, ME

Join SPACE Gallery, a UAW Local 2110-organized workplace, for a screening of the new documentary Who Moves America. In an era of deepening inequality, The Teamsters stand on the brink of a historic strike. UPS is the world’s largest package delivery company, moving millions of packages across 200 countries and territories every day. If the Teamsters strike, the economy stops. As the deadline looms, Who Moves America shadows UPS workers across the country as they navigate the challenges of building solidarity with their 350,000 co-workers.

Massachusetts Premiere of Union Town
Friday, October 23 | 6 PM | Brattle Theatre, Cambridge, MA

Completing the landmark labor rights trilogy that includes the Academy Award-winning cinéma vérité documentaries Harlan County USA and American Dream, Barbara Kopple’s Union Town chronicles essential workers in NYC’s last-mile delivery industry amid an explosive resurgence of organized labor. Interweaving struggles within UPS, Amazon, and the mostly immigrant app-based bike delivery workforce, the urgent and hopeful new film weaves together human stories from some of the modern faces of labor and organizing. Filmed over three years with incredible access, Union Town asks what solidarity means in a world divided between those who have power and those left fighting for it.

Fighting for the Future of Higher Education: Labor Organizing, Bargaining, & Policy Advocacy in the Age of EdTech and AI
October 23 - 24 | Chicago, IL

Higher Ed Labor United and our partners in UIC United Faculty AFT Local 6456 are hosting a day-long deep dive into Higher Education, EdTech, and AI. This workshop is aimed at: understanding and producing contract language that protects workers; strategizing together to create a national organizing model against the technoligarchy; creating legislative frameworks locals can take to their state legislatures and Congress; and deepening workers’ understanding of the issue.

All-Union Solidarity Rally at Encore Casino
Sat., Oct. 24 | 12 - 2 PM | Encore, Everett, MA

Encore workers have been on strike since early September and need all of our support to tell Encore Casino to negotiate in good faith. Let's show striking workers that we have their back!

Join Boston area unions to stand in solidarity with our siblings in Teamsters Local 26 and UNITE HERE Local 26. Please use public transit, as there is no parking. From Sullivan Square, take the 109 towards Linden for 1 stop. You can also donate to the strike hardship fund.

Scontras Labor Center Shop Stewardship and Representation Course
Thursdays, Nov. 5 - Dec. 17 | 6 - 8:30 PM | U of Southern Maine, Portland, ME

Strong unions depend on strong stewards/union reps, yet the role of steward/rep is often a thankless and overwhelming job. Stewards/reps thrive when they understand their roles and have the tools to manage their responsibilities. This course will teach stewards/reps and future stewards/reps skills such as the rights and responsibilities of shop stewards, basic workplace rights, how to investigate and present grievances, the basics of arbitration, and internal organizing and record-keeping. Students will learn through a blend of lectures, case studies, exercises, and role-plays. Our Labor Leadership Certificate courses are geared towards busy working people. Classes will have minimal work outside of class, but will require robust engagement in class. The classes this fall will be in person only, but online options will be offered in the Spring of 2027.

Hiring Hall

West Regional Servicing Representative | National Organization of Legal Services Workers (UAW Local 2320) | Greater Los Angeles, CA
Midwest Regional Servicing Representative | National Organization of Legal Services Workers (UAW Local 2320) | Chicagoland, IL
Regional Organizer | New Yorkers United for Child Care | Hudson Valley, NY
Regional Organizer | New Yorkers United for Child Care | Long Island, NY
Community Canvassers | New Yorkers United for Child Care | New York, NY
Connecticut Governance Director | Connecticut Working Families Party | Hartford, CT
Paid Internships (Spring 2027) | Ranking Member Bernie Sanders’ office of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee | Washington, DC

UPCOMING EVENTS

UAW Education Committees Institute
October 18-26 | Onaway, MI

Region 9A Veterans Council Dinner Dance
Saturday, November 7 | New London, CT