UAW Region 9A Weekly Newsletter: October 31
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LOCAL & ORGANIZING UPDATES
Weill Cornell Medicine Postdocs Reach Tentative Agreement After Setting Strike Deadline
On the eve of their strike deadline, Weill Cornell Medicine Postdocs United-UAW (WCMPU-UAW) reached a Tentative Agreement with management, winning necessary guardrails around layoffs and a ratification bonus in the final session. This Agreement includes new salary rates that will make postdoc minimum salaries at Weill Cornell Medicine (WCM) among the highest in the country. It also establishes a number of new workplace rights for researchers that make WCM more equitable and inclusive, including protections against unfair termination, new rights for international workers, neutral resolution of grievances, stronger protections against discrimination, harassment, and bullying, paid parental leave, and enforceable rights to quality housing.
The Trump administration’s attacks on higher education, science funding, and non-citizen workers have made fighting for and winning a strong contract even more meaningful for members of WCMPU-UAW. Their victory will also bolster other unions bargaining for first contracts by showing that it is possible to win and exceed industry standards in a challenging political climate.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute RAs Are On Strike!
As of 12pm today, the Resident Advisors Union (WPI-RAU-UAW) at Worcester Polytechnic Institute are on strike! This step comes after months of bargaining in which university administrators have refused to negotiate over proposed changes which would dismantle the RA role.
The University’s plan would split the RA position into three roles, a Community Support Assistant, a Residential Mentor, and a Community Development Mentor. This restructuring would severely degrade support and under management’s current proposal would strip the housing benefit from half of current RA’s.
RAU delivered a petition with overwhelming support, and have made their concerns clear at the bargaining table, but management has maintained that they are unwilling to bargain in any way over these new positions. Despite reaching tentative agreements on numerous other contract articles, the core issues of job descriptions, compensation, and work schedules remain unresolved due to the university’s insistence on its restructuring plan.
RAU will be picketing out front of East Hall on 30 Boynton Street, Worcester, MA 01609 starting at 10/31/25, Friday, 3PM. They are asking for supporters to join. Live picketing updates and schedules will be posted here. They are also asking supporters to sign on to this petition to management.
Members and Leaders Gather in Puerto Rico for Training
Over 100 members of UAW Local 1850, which represents workers at AEELA, a credit union which serves government employees in Puerto Rico throughout the island, gathered together for an Organizing for Our Rights Training. Members participated in activities focused on UAW history, understanding and defending their Weingarten rights, engaging in concerted protected activity, and the basics of negotiation and mobilization to win a strong contract.
Local Presidents from Puerto Rico also gathered with Regional Director Brandon Mancilla on Friday to discuss regional updates and ongoing and upcoming negotiations on the Island.
New York: Rally with Center for Reproductive Rights Unions
Wednesday, November 5 | 12:30 - 1:30 PM | 199 Water Street, New York, NY
After over a year of bargaining with the Center for Reproductive Rights Lawyers’ Union (ALAA-UAW Local 2325) for a first contract and months of negotiations with the Center for Reproductive Rights Union (UAW Local 2110), workers are holding a joint rally outside of the nonprofit's New York office in lower Manhattan to demand CRR management settle fair contracts with the unions.
These workers deserve fair wages, benefits, job security, and protection from unilateral management changes so that they can stay focused on continuing the fight to protect reproductive rights in the US and around the globe.
New York: Picket with Bronx Defenders Union
Friday, November 7 | 1 PM | 360 E 161st Street, Bronx, NY
Join the Bronx Defenders Union (ALAA Local 2325) for a picket to protest the unjust suspension and termination of BxD Union members!
Members are picketing to reaffirm the union’s commitment to protecting just cause rights for all members, opposing discriminatory and retaliatory action against workers; demanding transparent processes and due process protections when discipline is pursued, building solidarity with workers who are singled out, marginalized, or disciplined without fair recourse.
Region 9A Locals in the News
“The University of Maine Graduate Workers Union said they have been bargaining for a first contract for more than 700 days. [...] On Wednesday, they hand-delivered a letter to Chancellor Dannel Malloy and the UMS Board of Trustees, urging them to reach a deal. [...] The letter was signed by 75 Maine legislators.”
- Spectrum News: Legislators call on University of Maine System leadership to reach contract deal with graduate workers (Oct. 29)
FROM REGION 9A
Last Chance! 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.
Region 9A Joins Region 9 for Training at Local 677 Mack Trucks in Allentown, PA
Saturday, November 15 | 7 AM - 4 PM | New York, NY to Allentown, PA
UAW Local 677 (Mack Trucks) is inviting Region 9A members for a joint education session at their local in Allentown, Pennsylvania. UAW members at Mack trucks have been at the forefront of the free trade crisis in recent years, going on strike in their most recent contract negotiations in 2023 to defend their jobs.
Join the Local 677 Education Committee to share and build together as we discuss UAW 101 and the UAW's core values as well as our joint labor struggles as a working class. Transportation from NYC will leave at 7 AM and depart from Allentown at 4 PM.
COMMUNITY ACTION PROGRAM (CAP)
Massachusetts Members Turn Out For DRIVE Advocacy Day
Yesterday, UAW Region 9A Massachusetts CAP Council Chair Dan Rourke testified in support of DRIVE (H.4375 An Act to preserve and advance Massachusetts’ competitiveness in discovery, research, and innovation for a vibrant economy).
DRIVE is a $400 million investment, which includes $200 million from Fair Share Amendment funds specifically earmarked to backfill federal cuts made to public colleges and universities. The UAW appreciates the DRIVE initiative as an investment in union jobs, innovative research, and our collective future.
Connecticut: Labor Walk for Joelyn Leon for East Hampton Town Council
Saturday, November 1 | 9 AM | East Hampton, CT
Join fellow union members in Connecticut for a Labor Walk for Joelyn Leon’s candidacy for Town Council in East Hampton! Meet at the Stop & Shop plaza in East Hampton.
New York: Rally & Canvass for Zohran Mamdani for Mayor
Sunday, November 2 | 3 PM | Sunset Park, Brooklyn, NY
On Sunday, UAW Region 9A, other New York City unions, and community organizations will launch a citywide alliance ahead of the general election on Tuesday, November 4, to win Zohran Mamdani’s affordability platform and beat back Cuomo’s super PAC donors.
Community leaders and members will speak in support of Mamdani, in the face of a deepening affordability crisis and escalating ICE deportations. The rally will be joined by electeds, and will be co-hosted by other organizations that carried Mamdani’s June primary victory, including CAAAV Voice, DRUM Beats, Jews For Racial & Economic Justice Action, New York City Democratic Socialists of America, New York Communities For Change, the NYS Tenant Bloc, and UAW Region 9A.
Massachusetts: Testify in Support of PFML for Grad Workers
Tuesday, November 4 | Massachusetts State House, Boston, MA
Student workers in Massachusetts are currently denied access to the state’s unemployment and paid family and medical leave benefits. Our union is part of a statewide coalition to end this exclusion and win these benefits for our student workers across MA. On Tuesday, November 4, there will be a hearing on our bill at the Massachusetts State House in Boston.
We need people who have personal experiences needing paid parental leave, medical leave, or unemployment to come out and testify! More affected people testifying means a higher chance we win these essential protections. Testifying is super easy—you spend a maximum of 3 minutes talking about your experience and why you support the bill. Although in-person testimony at the state house in Boston is the most effective, you can also testify on Zoom if you cannot make it in person. We can help you prep your testimony.
Unfortunately we won't know the exact hearing time until 10 days beforehand, but we want to get a jump on the organizing by putting together a list of everyone who would be interested. We will contact everyone on the list when the time is set with further instructions and logistics. Fill out this form if you are interested in testifying, even if you are unsure of whether you can definitely make it. If interested in getting more involved, join us at our next planning meeting on Monday, October 20, at 4 PM by emailing Dorothy Manevich at dorothy.manevich@gmail.com.
Region 9A CAP in the News
“A group of major unions who collectively represent more than 270,000 workers last week threw their support behind the ballot measure, which if passed would limit annual rent increases to 5 percent in most apartment buildings across Massachusetts. The unions—which include the SEIU Massachusetts State Council, UFCW Local 1445, UAW Region 9A, and both the Massachusetts Teachers Association and Boston Teachers Union—said they would support the initiative because the cost of rent is perhaps the greatest financial burden their members face.”
- Boston Globe: Rent control ballot fight heating up as Mass. Teachers and other unions line up in support (Oct. 28)
Save the Date! UAW National CAP Conference: Building Power for the Working Class
February 8-11, 2026 | Washington Hilton, Washington, DC
We are in a vital moment for the labor movement and for our country. We are facing unprecedented attacks on working families and unions. The world's richest 1% own more than the bottom 95% combined. Corporations are raking in record profits, while workers get left behind. Billionaires are doing everything they can to divide workers and pit us against one another.
Our union, the UAW, must lead if we have any shot at uniting and winning for the working class. This year's CAP Conference is focused on building our political muscle to win at the bargaining table, in the legislative halls and at the ballot box, focused on our core issues: wages, healthcare, retirement, and getting our time back.
The conference will showcase speakers who are leading in their communities, bold legislative solutions for a working-class agenda, and workshops that build the skills necessary to build political power from the ground up.
If interested in attending, contact your local leadership or state CAP Council.
FROM THE HIGHER EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
Higher Ed Labor United & Project Rise Up Day of Action
Friday, November 7 | Nationwide
Higher ed workers from wall-to-wall and coast-to-coast including UAW members nationwide formed Higher Ed Labor United (HELU) recognizing the need for more coalitional, cross-union work in our movement. In our current crisis, where the landscape is constantly shifting and attacks come from every angle, both the need and the opportunity for coalitional work is greater.
HELU is proud to announce that we are part of Students Rise Up, a new effort bringing together workers, students, alumni, community members, and others to champion a new version of higher education that works for all of us. We’re demanding free college, a fair wage for workers, and schools where everyone is safe to learn and protest—regardless of their gender, race or immigration status.
On November 7, workers, students, alumni, community members, and more will come together for walkouts and protests at hundreds of schools around the country. Find an action near you.
USCIS Updates Guidelines for H1-B Visa Holders Following UAW’s Lawsuit
Following the filing of a lawsuit by UAW and other parties to challenge the presidential proclamation introducing a $100,000 fee for H1-B visas, USCIS has updated its guidelines. This updated language indicates that the $100,000 fee does not apply to workers already on a visa in the United States who apply for a change of visa status to H1-B. We understand this to mean that current international workers on valid visas will not have to pay the fee if they are able to switch to an H1-B visa while remaining in the U.S. Additionally, workers who are currently on H1-B visas who travel abroad will not have to pay the fee to re-enter the country. The UAW is still waiting to find out how this change in policy will impact our lawsuit, but in the meantime this is good news for our international members.
UAW Joins New Lawsuit Challenging Trump Administration’s Social Media Monitoring
The UAW is a plaintiff on a new lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s viewpoint-driven monitoring of social media. Since taking power, the Trump administration has created a mass surveillance program to monitor constitutionally protected speech by noncitizens lawfully present in the U.S. Using AI and other automated technologies, the program surveils the social media accounts of visa holders with the goal of identifying and punishing those who express viewpoints the government doesn't like. This has been paired with a public intimidation campaign, silencing not just noncitizens with immigration status, but also the families, coworkers, and friends with whom their lives are integrated. Thanks to the hundreds of UAW members who completed a survey detailing the impact of this surveillance on their free speech and union activity, we joined the lawsuit in our ongoing fight against the increased xenophobic and anti-worker policies of this administration.
UAW Strike & Defense Fund Supports Members at NIH During Government Shutdown
UAW members at Local 2750 at the National Institutes of Health who are furloughed due to the federal shutdown will now be eligible to receive benefits from the Strike and Defense Fund—a way to help members not receiving their due paychecks. In a show of union solidarity and power, the International Executive Board voted to allow the use of the fund to support members impacted by the longest full shutdown in the country.
UAW Higher Ed Council Student Worker Sub-council Meeting
Monday, November 10 | 1 PM ET | Online
The UAW Higher Education Council is holding the first ever Student Worker Sub-council meeting following the Council’s inaugural meeting in June. At this virtual meeting, we will review and vote on the draft sub-council bylaws and begin the process of electing sub-council officer positions. We will also discuss some of the avenues that UAW higher ed members are taking to fight against the attacks coming from the current administration, and share ideas delegates have to continue and broaden that fight. Please register in advance—note that all UAW student workers are invited to attend the sub-council meeting, but voting and running for officer positions are only available to elected delegates.
FROM THE INTERNATIONAL UAW
Town Hall with UAW President Shawn Fain
Wednesday, November 5 | 6 PM ET | Online
Join UAW President Shawn Fain for a live Town Hall on UAW Facebook, X, or YouTube. President Fain will answer member questions and outline the union's fight to end plant closures, win a first contract at Volkswagen, and more.
Saving Our Union Story: Archiving with the Reuther Library
Monday, November 10 | 6:30 PM ET | Online
Your local’s history is your legacy. In this session, Gavin Strassel, UAW Archivist at the Walter P. Reuther Library at Wayne State University, will share practical tips for preserving union history, show how to submit documents to the Reuther Library, and highlight resources available to labor communicators. Learn how to safeguard the past while empowering today’s communications.
Supermajority of Volkswagen Workers in Chattanooga Vote to Authorize Strike
Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga have voted to authorize a strike against the German automaker after over a year of contract negotiations have failed to produce a fair contract offer. It is a historic first, as the first strike authorization vote at a non-Big Three automaker in the modern era. The move comes after months of unfair labor practices committed by the company, including bad faith negotiations, unlawful intimidation, and the unilateral cutting of jobs at Volkswagen’s only U.S. assembly plant.
Volkswagen made $20.6 billion in profits in 2024, and generates a full 20 percent of its profits in North America. The company can afford to provide a union contract that honors the hardworking autoworkers of Chattanooga. Volkswagen’s most recent proposal does not include the job security language needed to protect workers from plant closures, outsourcing, or the sale of the Chattanooga facility. These protections cost the company nothing—but mean everything to workers and their families.
"I don't want to strike, but if it comes to it, I will,” said Volkswagen worker Mitchell Harris. “Because I feel that all my brothers and sisters of UAW Local 42 deserve respect, to provide a better life for their families, and have job security for us and generations to come." Read more at uaw.org.
Tell USTR: Put Workers First in the USMCA Review
The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) is asking for comments ahead of the 2026 review of the U.S.–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA). Let’s flood them with comments and make it crystal clear: no more corporate giveaways, no more empty promises. It’s time for a trade deal that protects our jobs, our families, and our communities. And if USMCA isn’t negotiated into a trade deal that’s good for workers everywhere, then the U.S. should cancel the agreement.
Working-class people have paid the price for so-called “free trade” for 30 years. Now, we have a shot to say loud and clear to policymakers: we need a trade deal that works for working people, not for Wall Street and greedy CEOs. NAFTA—and the so-called “NAFTA 2.0,” the USMCA—sold us out. These trade deals shipped millions of good union jobs out of this country. They let corporations run to the lowest bidder, exploit workers abroad, and then turn around and sell the product back here while our plants closed and our towns were gutted.
Enough is enough. The UAW is demanding a new worker-first trade deal that:
- Prioritizes job security: companies need to make it here if they want to sell it here.
- Strengthens enforceable labor rights for all workers. We can’t let corporations pit us against each other.
- Guarantees equal pay for equal work across borders. Corporations should not be able to use trade to cause a race to the bottom.
SOLIDARITY REQUESTS
Boston Screening of A Collective Future
Sunday, November 2 | 2 - 4 PM | Strand Theatre, Boston, MA
Join us at The Strand Theatre in Dorchester, for a multi-media event, featuring the world premiere of the documentary film, A Collective Future! This bold new film, executively produced by the Center for Economic Democracy, City Life/Vida Urbana, and Asian American Resource Workshop, follows three Boston-area organizers who share a powerful “resist and build” practice. When the current economic system threatened their home, workplace, and safety, these three Boston-area residents strategically leveraged their organizing experiences, combined with people power, to fight for and win community control. Their inspiring stories light the way toward a new world where our housing, workplaces, and public funds are collectively controlled by the people, not by billionaires and elites. The multi-media event will also feature a panel discussion after the film, an art gallery exhibition, the launch of a new ‘zine, campaigns to get involved with, and more.
Massachusetts Labor Guild Workshop: Unemployment Insurance (Ul) Benefits
Thursday, November 6 | 6:00 - 8:00 PM | Online
Unemployment insurance (Ul) is a critical safety net during periods of joblessness. This vital program allows workers and their families to meet their basic living expenses when they're out of work, while stabilizing the economy during recessions. This workshop provides you with the expertise you need to understand the Ul system and secure the Ul benefits to which you and members of your union are legally entitled. It will guide you through the Ul system from eligibility criteria to the appeals process. It will also discuss challenges with DUA's new online system, how union members should address new questions in the online benefit portal to remain exempt from the work search requirement, and how part-time work during a benefit claim may affect eligibility.
Massachusetts Labor Guild Workshop: Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML)
Thursday, November 13 | 6:00 - 8:00 PM | Online
As of 2021, Massachusetts has fully implemented its Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) program, providing workers wage replacement benefits when they have to remain out of work because of their own serious health condition, to care for a family member, or to bond with a newborn or newly-adopted child. By enabling workers to afford to take time away from work under these circumstances, these critical benefits improve health outcomes for workers and the public as a whole, while also improving early childhood development outcomes for children. This workshop will provide an overview of the benefits and protections available to workers under the PFML law, tips regarding the application and appeals process, and a discussion of unresolved barriers to accessing these benefits to look out for as you seek to access these benefits for yourself, your family, or other members of your union.
Call for Proposals for the 2026 Boston Labor Conference at UMass Boston
March 28, 2026 | Submit proposals by November 21
With an eye towards surviving and defeating Trumpism while forging a broad-based movement, the tenth annual Boston Labor Conference examines the array of attacks faced by working people since the start of 2025 while also exploring the various ways in which they have fought back. In addition to sweeping analyses that attempt to make sense of Trump’s second term on a broad level, we welcome proposals for papers/presentations that offer historical perspectives and critical analysis across a range of areas related to the ongoing attack and defense of: democracy and government, a more just economy, immigrants, labor unions, public education, healthcare, LBGTQ+ communities, the media, the legal system, the environment, basic personal freedoms, and so on.
To submit a proposal to give a presentation at the Boston Labor Conference on March 28, 2026, please send a (a) very short CV (or just tell us about yourself) and (b) one-page abstract of the proposed paper/presentation by November 21st to laborresourcecenter@umb.edu and steve.striffler@umb.edu.
Sign the Petition to Support the Massachusetts State House Employee Union
The Massachusetts State House Employee Union is calling for supporters to sign onto a letter to the Labor and Workforce Development Committee in support of S.1343/H.2093, An Act Relative to Collective Bargaining Rights for Legislative Employees. These bills would extend to State House staff the same right to unionize that almost all workers in the Commonwealth enjoy. Please add your name to show your support for the Massachusetts legislative staffers.
Union Hiring Hall
- UAW International Union | Senior Organizer | Flexible, travel required
- New Yorkers United for Child Care | Organizer | Manhattan & Bronx, NY
- Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union | Organizer | Newark or New Brunswick, NJ
UPCOMING EVENTS
Coalition of Labor Union Women Conference
November 9-11 | San Diego, CA
UAW 101 & Core Values Education Training
November 15 | Allentown, PA
2026 AFL-CIO Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Civil and Human Rights Conference
January 15-18, 2026 | Baltimore, MD
UAW National CAP Conference: Building Power for the Working Class
February 8-11, 2026 | Washington Hilton, Washington, DC