UAW Region 9A Weekly Newsletter: November 28

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LOCAL & ORGANIZING UPDATES

Support Local 2377’s Fundraiser for Disaster Relief in Jamaica

Hurricane Melissa left shocking damages on the island of Jamaica. Many farmers and fishermen, primarily in the Western section of Jamaica, are still grappling with their loss. This impact is more than the loss of buildings and trees—it disrupted their livelihoods, destroyed much of the farming community, and leaves behind the possibility of significant long-term food insecurity.

UAW Local 2377 representing Stamford municipal workers is raising relief funds for the Ole Farmers Association North America Inc. (OFANA), a nonprofit formed by graduates from the Jamaica School of Agriculture and its successor colleges, COA and CASE, to assist with the recovery of the Jamaican agricultural sector.

There are two ways to contribute to their relief efforts:

Make a tax-deductible donation via Zelle to olefarmersnorthamerica@gmail.com.
Drop off essential items at several drop-off locations in Stamford.

Postdocs Rally for a Fair Contract at Einstein College of Medicine
Wednesday, December 3 | 1 PM | Price Building, Bronx, NY

Postdocs at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine have been fighting for over a year for a fair contract, but the college administration is still refusing to agree to commit to basic rights and protections in a union contract, falling behind its unionized competitors across NYC as a result. While Einstein has been delaying and going backwards on terms they previously agreed to, postdocs have also been fighting back alongside other UAW members across the country against unprecedented threats to higher education, including drastic cuts to federal research funding and escalating attacks on immigrants and international scholars.

It's time for Einstein to stand up and meet the moment by agreeing to a fair contract with postdoctoral researchers that provides critical stability and rights during this period. To send a clear message to Einstein that their delays and intransigence must end, Einstein postdocs are rallying on Wednesday, December 3, in front of the Price building. Please join other postdocs and community members to call on Einstein to agree to the contract we deserve—RSVP here!

Coolidge Corner Theater Union Rally
Wednesday, December 3 | 5 - 7:30 PM | Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brookline, MA

The Coolidge Corner Theatre Union needs you! For a year, UAW Local 1596 members have been negotiating with the Coolidge for better wages and transparency with little to show for it.

Come help us demand better from the Theatre we all love during one of their biggest fundraisers. Signs will be provided. Just dress warm and bring your enthusiasm for the cause!

Harvard Academic Workers & Harvard Graduate Students Union Work-In
Wednesday, December 3 | 10 AM - 2 PM | Cambridge, MA

Members of the Harvard Academic Workers and Harvard Graduate Students Union are coming together to remind the Harvard administration just how much they rely on our work to make this university function. Sign up for a work-in shift, wear your union t-shirt, and bring your grading, writing, data, or other work to the Smith Center in Cambridge or the NRB cafeteria at Harvard Medical School.

The following day on Thursday, December 4, join HAW and HGSU in person or on Zoom for a joint collective bargaining town hall with the Harvard chapter of AAUP. Learn from graduate workers and non-tenure-track faculty about their demands, the university's responses to date, and how all our colleagues are confronting challenges to the work of teaching and research.

University of New Hampshire Graduate Employees Union Work-In
Tuesday, December 2 | 10 AM - 2 PM | UNH, Durham, NH

After more than two months of stalling, UNH decided to reject the union’s economic proposals. To push the administration to provide better pay and benefits, grad workers are gathering to hold a work-in!

We’ll join together to do our work, wear union t-shirts, and show our strength in numbers. We understand that this is a busy time of year, so this is a chance for us to get some work done while showing solidarity with our fellow grad workers.

Fairness & Affordability for Workers at the University of Maine
Friday, December 9 | 6 PM | UMaine, Orono, ME

Join the UMaine Grad Workers Union for a public discussion with graduate student workers, State Senator Mike Tipping, other Maine state legislators, and community leaders about the states of affordability in Maine and the role and responsibilities of our public university system as one of the largest employers in the state.

The UMaine Grad Workers Union has spent the last two years since winning their union at the bargaining table with the university, which is still refusing to offer anything other than substandard wages, benefits, and health care.

More Region 9A Locals in the News

“UnLocal Union—organized with ALAA-UAW 2325—won their NLRB Union election unanimously on Tuesday.”

NYC Central Labor Council: UnLocal Union Wins NLRB Election (Nov. 21)

“Directly in front of the UC, taped to one of the glass windows looking out onto 5th Ave, was a sign that read ‘Solidarity, together we fight, together we win!’ The sign was signed by the New School Part-Time Faculty Union, Academic Student Workers, New Student Workers Union, and the Student Health Employees at TNS Union.”

New School Free Press: New School community protests university restructuring (Nov. 25)

FROM REGION 9A

CUNY School of Law Public Interest Info Session
Thursday, December 11 | 6-8 PM | ALAA Local 2325 Hall, New York, NY

As a union including thousands of legal service workers in the New York City area alone, we are proud to support our members in advancing their career goals and offering opportunities to build the next generation of public interest attorneys who will defend the people of NYC.

Please join us for an information session with CUNY Law’s Admissions Counselor for Strategic Outreach to learn more about their mission, programs, and community. Prospective students will have the opportunity to learn about CUNY Law's unique commitment to public interest law and the admissions process. We will also be providing information regarding LSAT exam preparation, tuition assistance, and student loan assistance benefits from the UAW Region 9A Workforce Training Center and Education Fund that you can use to support you on your law school journey.

Higher Ed Labor United Northeast Regional Bargaining Summit
January 9-10, 2026 | UMass Amherst, Amherst, MA | Register by December 15

Join us in January in Amherst for HELU’s first Northeast Regional Higher Education Bargaining Summit. In the Northeast, where we have deep collective bargaining traditions, we have an opportunity to learn from each other and build power to fight for our shared goals and values. This Bargaining Summit brings together higher ed unions from across the northeast to build a common agenda for our region–to set new floors on wages, working conditions, and quality education.

Learn from one another’s experiences, with time dedicated to learning from others across the full range of job categories and institutions, including community colleges, 4-year universities, and research institutions. There will be breakouts on wages, workload, job security, safety, and more. Together, we’ll start developing a shared bargaining platform — common goals and demands that we can fight for collectively, strengthening our voice across states and across sectors.

COMMUNITY ACTION PROGRAM (CAP)

NYC Rally for Universal Child Care
Thursday, December 11 | 10 AM | 919 3rd Avenue, New York, NY

Governor Hochul says she wants to get us on a pathway to universal child care—so parents and would-be parents are going to Albany in 2026 to show the governor that we want it too!

Join UAW Region 9A and New Yorkers United for Child Care for our campaign kick-off on December 11 at 10 AM outside the Governor’s office in Midtown Manhattan.

In the meantime, members are invited to sign the petition for universal child care for all two-year-olds in New York City, following the success of universal 3-K and pre-K.

Join Your Next Region 9A CAP Meeting

The CAP is the legislative and political arm of our Region, with councils in Puerto Rico, Massachusetts, Maine, New York, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. Each local has representatives on their states’ CAP councils, and all members are welcome to attend meetings, which are typically monthly. The next CAP Council meetings are:

New York City: Thursday, December 4, 9:30 AM
Massachusetts: Wednesday, December 10, 10 AM

If you would like to learn more, please reach out to CAP Representative Aaron Eisenberg (aeisenberg@uaw.net). If interested in joining your CAP council’s next meeting, please email James Taylor (jhtaylor@uaw.net).

FROM THE INTERNATIONAL UAW

Register for the 2026 Financial Officers Conference
February 22-27, 2026 | New Orleans, LA | Register by January 17

The Secretary-Treasurer’s office will hold the annual Financial Officers’ Conference in February 2026 in New Orleans. Participants will have an opportunity to attend core classes that offer in-depth training and resources specific to the duties of their elected position. These classes provide extensive training on targeted topics like step-by-step instructions for completing and electronically filing LM and 990 forms, administrative roles and responsibilities, and trustee training. Plenary sessions will cover topics of interest to all participants. Local unions responding early with a completed registration form and non-refundable fees will have the best chance of being placed in their workshops of choice before capacity is reached. Be sure to register early!

Region 9A Featured in Fall 2025 Issue of Solidarity Magazine—Now Available!

The new Fall 2025 issue of Solidarity Magazine is now available! Spotted from Region 9A:

MDA Local 571’s strike captains
CORE & SVAFAC’s union victories
UAW 2325's sectoral bargaining
UVM, UNH, & UMaine contract fights
Zohran’s NYC mayoral victory
Local 2396’s fight against austerity

If you didn’t get a copy in your mailbox, be sure to update your contact info with UAW at myinfo.uaw.org.

SOLIDARITY REQUESTS

AFL-CIO Frontline Solidarity: A Mass Deportation Fight-Back Toolkit

The AFL-CIO released a new edition of Frontline Solidarity: A Mass Deportation Fight-Back Toolkit for Union Activists and Organizers, which is an educational resource to fight back against the mass deportation agenda impacting workers. Union activists and organizers can request a copy of the toolkit, which includes know your rights materials, expanded employer engagement guidance, and updates on travel, termination of status, and detention.

Maine AFL-CIO Worker Candidate Training
January 24-25, 2026 | Augusta, ME

Have you ever considered running for public office someday? Do you want to see more working class people in Augusta, on town council, or school board? Would you like to help others with their campaigns? Come to the Maine AFL-CIO’s 2026 Worker Candidate Training in January in Augusta!

To win important labor victories like stronger collective bargaining rights, living wages, tax fairness, affordable housing, child care and health care, we need more union members and working-class allies making the decisions that affect us all. We know that union members make great candidates and will often carry labor's vision into elected office.

At our Worker Candidate Training we'll spend two days going over everything you need to know to run a campaign for elected office. You’ll learn how to create a campaign plan, knock on doors, speak in public, qualify for Clean Elections funding, develop a message, build a team of volunteers, and other key aspects of campaigning. You can attend if you are interested in running for office, learning more or helping out on campaigns.

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 | International Representative, CAP Dept. | Washington, DC
UAW International Union | Assistant Director, CAP Dept. | Washington, DC
UAW International Union | Financial Strategist, Research Dept. | Detroit, MI
New Yorkers United for Child Care | Organizer | Manhattan & Bronx, NY
Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union | Organizer | Newark or New Brunswick, NJ
University of Southern Maine | Lecturer in Sociology & Labor Educator | Portland, ME
Emergency Campaign to Support Higher Education | National Campaign Director
Emergency Campaign to Support Higher Education | National Organizing Director

UPCOMING EVENTS

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