UAW Region 9A Weekly Newsletter: May 30
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A MESSAGE FROM REGION 9A DIRECTOR BRANDON MANCILLA
The Trump administration’s attacks on international scholars affect up to thousands of UAW-represented workers at Harvard University. Across the country, the federal government is escalating its targeting of immigrant and international workers, and what’s happening at Harvard is no different. The labor movement must see these attacks as what they are—an attempt to divide workers and create false enemies to distract us from the real fight against rampant corporate greed and authoritarianism.
Last Thursday, the Department of Homeland Security announced that it was revoking Harvard’s certification to enroll international students, directly impacting international student workers represented by HGSU-UAW Local 5118 and thousands more workers who are part of organizing drives and first contract fights among postdoctoral researchers and lecturers (HAW-UAW) and undergraduate student workers (HUWU-UAW). Although the executive order has been restrained pending a lawsuit filed by the university, the intended threat to our members’ livelihoods is clear.
We also stand in solidarity with our fellow HAW-UAW member Kseniia Petrova and all other international academic workers unjustly detained or facing threats of deportation. The Trump administration has additionally attempted to deport Kseniia and charge her with meritless accusations of criminal smuggling after learning she was a political dissident in her home country of Russia. Instead of being able to continue her groundbreaking research at Harvard Medical School, she is scheduled for a bail hearing in federal court today.
These attacks on our members at Harvard specifically are happening at the same time the Trump administration is seeking to leverage federal funding that advances critical medical and scientific research as part of a broader attack on higher education institutions nationwide. We know from international workers’ movements for justice that attacking education is often the first chapter of a playbook used by authoritarians around the world.
Our mission as the UAW is to fight for the working class, and that includes our access to higher education. Our union is here to support our members at Harvard and beyond as we fight for the future of all workers and immigrants in this country.
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LOCAL & ORGANIZING UPDATES
MDA Members Turn Out to Ratify Contract, Locking in Major Gains
After an unprecedented contract campaign, UAW Local 571 members have ratified a new contract with General Dynamics Electric Boat. Members voted by 85% to ratify the new agreement.
During the campaign, the local leadership rejected closed-door bargaining, and instead regularly updated their membership on negotiations. Union members built a new network of over 100 strike captains, and signed up 2,200 members, or more than 90% of the bargaining unit, for picket duty—mounting a serious threat of a strike.
The member-driven campaign resulted in major gains for members of the Marine Draftsmen Association. The five-year agreement, covering more than 2,400 workers in Groton who design our nation’s nuclear submarines, secures a 30% wage increase over the life of the agreement and an improved wage progression. In total, MDA-UAW members will see a cumulative $115,000 per-member increase in total compensation during the agreement.
“We did negotiations differently this time,” said Bill Louis, the President of Local 571. “Our members worked hard and got involved in our campaign. After more than a decade of ‘living to fight another day,’ we finally stood up and won the respect that all workers deserve.”
“I want to congratulate the members of MDA-UAW,” said UAW Region 9A Director Brandon Mancilla. “They showed that you don’t need to play by management’s rules. When union members get involved in the bargaining process, we win contracts that raise the standard for the entire working class.”
In the news:
- Connecticut Post: Marine drafters at submarine manufacturer Electric Boat approve new contract in Connecticut (May 28)
- Norwich Bulletin: 'We finally stood up': Marine Draftsmen’s Association accepts Electric Boat contract (May 28)
Local 3942 Swears In Newest Elected Officers at Fishkill Facility
Region 9A’s newest local, Local 3942 in Fishkill, NY, elected new officers last week, who were sworn in by Region 9A Director Brandon Mancilla today. Local 3942 was formed by members from the former Local 422 in Mansfield, MA, and Local 3039 in Tappan, NY, which were both part of the historic UAW Stand Up Strike in 2023.
The Poughkeepsie Journal recently wrote about the opening of the new Mopar Parts Distribution Center in Fishkill, quoting Local 3942 members Celeste Miller, a 30-year member who was elected shop chair after transferring from the Tappan PDC, and Fabiola Leate, who transferred from the Mansfield facility.
More Region 9A Locals In the News
“If negotiations do not improve in the next month, we are prepared to withhold our labor and interrupt essential city services to win a fair contract,” Jane Fox, ALAA’s Legal Aid Society chapter chair, told the City Council during a budget hearing on Tuesday. “You have the power to value your own communities by investing in us.”
- Queens Eagle: Public defenders call for city to boost funding as potential mass strike looms (May 29)
Lydia Nguyen, assistant editor for Abrams ComicArts, said that the workers at Abrams see themselves as part of a larger movement to put the future of publishing “in the hands of the workers—the people on the ground who build relationships with authors, readers, and booksellers.”
- Publishers Weekly: Abrams Employees Vote to Unionize (May 23)
Instructor Joan Hilty is one of many who explained the movement, which will represent more than 1200 instructors: “Despite what the admin claims, career professionals who want to teach at SVA struggle to balance teaching with their jobs due to SVA’s lack of competitive pay and institutional support. We can’t sustain working endless unpaid prep hours outside our day jobs any more than career professors can outside their class sessions.”
- Comics Beat: Abrams Books employees and SVA educators have voted to unionize (May 27)
“My husband and colleague Edwin Rivera-Arias and I were galvanised by the New School strike in 2022,” Merlin Ural Rivera, an adjunct faculty member at SVA, said. “During the pandemic, many instructors at SVA were asked to do a lot of extra work without being fairly compensated. Our benefits, such as 401(k) contributions and sabbaticals, were suspended, and we realised that our pay at SVA is woefully low in comparison to other art schools in New York City.”
- The Art Newspaper: Faculty at School of Visual Arts in New York Unionize (May 27)
“We genuinely believe that teachers’ working conditions are students’ learning conditions,” organizer Justin Elm, an adjunct professor in the Art History and Visual and Critical Studies departments, told Hyperallergic. “The more security, stability, and voice we have collectively, the more we can help improve SVA and ensure its strength in the future.”
- Art Forum: Faculty at New York’s School of Visual Arts Unionize (May 23)
“So, while there is a big crack in the foundation—something we’ve accomplished by building our own power—we still have to push much harder to win the security and stability we deserve,” Thomas A. Dichter, a lecturer in History & Literature and bargaining committee member, wrote in the email to members.
- Harvard Crimson: University Agrees to Remove Time Caps for Preceptors and Lecturers (May 23)
FROM REGION 9A
Registration Now Open: Announcing Region 9A Summer School!
Friday, July 25 & Saturday, July 26 | New York, NY
Over the last year, attacks on collective bargaining, civil liberties, the social safety net, and working class communities have only escalated, but UAW members are fighting back and leading the way. In Region 9A and across the country, rank-and-file union members are waging historic strikes and winning record contracts, leading movements to oppose war and injustice, defending immigrant communities, and challenging their bosses on the shop floor. Every day we are battling to win justice in the face of repression and retaliation, but we have a world to win for the working class.
All locals are invited to join us Friday, July 25, and Saturday, July 26 for two days of political education, cultural programs, panels, forums, workshops, skillshares, and other events that will help build our working class power as a union. This conference is an excellent opportunity to meet your fellow UAW members across sectors and share strategies to win! Registration is now open—contact your local to sign up by June 15.
Workforce Training Center Graduates Second LSAT Cohort
The UAW Region 9A Workforce Training Center graduated its second cohort this week. These motivated members participated in an intensive 8-week course on Wednesday nights called “LSAT Prep for UAW Members.” Membership in the course ranged from paralegals at legal services organizations in Locals 2325 and 2320 to university support staff, museum workers, and graduate student workers in Locals 2110 and 7902.
We are proud to offer this course as a union to help members prepare for law school and to serve the city as future UAW public interest attorneys. As one member put it: “Going over the material made so much more sense than when I paid for a private course, in which I was not able to understand the material still... Overall, the course was so much fun!”
2025 Juneteenth Parade in Bloomfield, CT
Saturday, June 21 | 11 AM | Blue Hills Fire Department, Bloomfield, CT
The Blue Hills Fire District in partnership with the town of Bloomfield invites all to a three-day celebration of unity, love, and joy in honor of Juneteenth. UAW Region 9A members along with the Richard ‘Dik” Days Scholarship Committee will be marching in the parade. Learn more about the history of Juneteenth, and if interested in joining the march, contact Alexi Shalom at ashalom@uaw.net.
Buy Your Tickets Now! UAW Yankees Night
Thursday, July 10 | 7 PM | Bronx, NY
Join your fellow UAW members in New York City to cheer on our union siblings in the MLB Players Association at Yankee Stadium! Each ticket includes a New York Yankees UAW hat.
COMMUNITY ACTION PROGRAM (CAP)
NYC CAP Votes to Rank Zohran Mamdani First and Releases Full Ranked Choice Ballot
In December 2024, UAW Region 9A became the first labor union to endorse Zohran Mamdani for Mayor, alongside Brad Lander and Jessica Ramos in an unranked endorsement.
Today, UAW is leading the way again. UAW Region 9A is now calling on our 20,000 NYC members to rank Zohran Mamdani first on the ballot for Mayor.
“The decision to rank Zohran first on the ballot affirms our membership’s initial endorsement of his campaign,” said Brandon Mancilla, UAW Region 9A Director. “Some may say we took a chance, but the actual reckless gamble is to endorse status quo candidates that caused the crisis working families face in the first place.”
Our initial endorsement made news for its democratic nature, and this ranking comes the same way—from our members. The members of our NYC Area CAP representing all UAW local unions in New York City met today and endorsed the following ranking:
First, rank our three endorsed candidates:
- Zohran Mamdani
- Brad Lander
- Jessica Ramos
We are also recommending that our members complete their ballots with two more candidates:
- Zellnor Myrie
- Adrienne Adams
The new ranked endorsement comes with another explicit instruction: don’t rank Andrew Cuomo. Read more about why our NYC CAP endorses this ranked choice ballot.
UAW Action Guide: Stand Up For Our Lives—Fund Families, Not Billionaires
On May 22, the Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives passed a budget reconciliation bill called H.R. 1—also known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” But don’t be fooled by the name, because this bill is a disaster for working people.
Read more about how H.R. 1 would slash critical funds for UAW members, our families, and our communities—while giving away even more to the billionaire class. And take action now that the bill is moving to the Senate by calling your Senator, who needs to hear directly from YOU about how these cuts would impact you, someone you love, or your community.
Canvass to Elect Justin Brannan for NYC Comptroller
Saturday, June 7 | 12 - 3 PM | McCarren Park, Brooklyn, NY
Join Assemblymember Emily Gallagher, UAW Region 9A, and Justin Brannan for a Day of Action in Greenpoint! We'll be postering, passing out flyers, and canvassing to spread the word about what’s at stake this June! Meet us at Bedford Avenue & Lorimer Street.
Connecticut AFL-CIO Path to Power Candidate Training
Saturday, June 21 | 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM | IBEW Local 90, Wallingford, CT
The Western and Eastern Connecticut Area Labor Federations, in partnership with the national and Connecticut AFL-CIO, are hosting a free Path to Power Political Candidate Training. This program is designed to teach union members how to run for public office and build power to positively influence our communities.
Government runs best when it's made up of everyday working people like us. Running for office is a powerful way to give workers a voice and ensure we are creating policies that improve the lives of working people. The Path to Power training will guide you through the entire process—including determining if you can win, developing a campaign message and stump speech, running a field program, fundraising, and more. Whether you're thinking about running for Board of Education, City Council, Mayor, or the state legislature, this training will give you the tools to run an effective campaign.
Connecticut & Massachusetts: Take Action for Unemployment for Striking Workers
Labor law favors employers and corporate CEOs over workers when it comes to bargaining a contract. But a proposal to allow workers to access unemployment insurance after they have been on strike for a certain period of time will help restore balance to collective bargaining.
- In Connecticut, legislation allowing striking workers to access unemployment insurance passed the State Senate earlier this week, but Governor Lamont is already threatening to veto it. Email Governor Lamont now and ask him to stop siding with powerful employers and stand with working people!
- Similar legislation has been proposed in Massachusetts, allowing employees forced to strike to be eligible for unemployment benefits after 30 days of being on the picket line, standardizing the benefits eligibility of workers engaged in labor disputes. Ask your legislators to support S.1319 & H.2168 today!
FROM THE INTERNATIONAL UAW
UAW Celebrates GM’s Nearly $1 Billion Investment in Tonawanda Propulsion
This week, General Motors announced an additional $888 million investment in its Tonawanda Propulsion plant in UAW Region 9. For months, union leaders have been in active discussions with GM to advocate for increased investment in its UAW facilities. The investment will support the company’s next generation V-8 engines which are used in full-size trucks and SUVs.
“This enormous investment is exactly what we’ve been calling for,” said UAW Vice President Mike Booth. “Skilled UAW members, like members of UAW Local 774, make GM’s profits, so it’s great to see the company investing back into its union workforce so we can keep building quality, world-class products.”
“It’s time for Ford and Stellantis to learn from GM,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “GM is showing that it makes good business sense for major corporations to reverse course on the destructive race-to-the-bottom trade policies that have wreaked havoc on workers and destroyed blue-collar towns and cities across America.” Read more at UAW.org.
UAW Hotline for Immigration Legal Counsel & Emergencies
UAW members in higher education are facing escalating anti-immigrant actions from the Trump administration, including visa revocations and ICE activity in and around campuses. Our union has set up a hotline to quickly refer members facing an immigration emergency to legal resources. In the event that a member is experiencing an unexpected change in immigration status or any other immigration-related emergency, they may call this number to be connected with legal counsel: 888-416-2110. Please share this information with your fellow members.
UAW Inaugural Higher Education Council Meeting
June 21-22 | Register by June 9 | Pico Rivera, CA
We are experiencing an unprecedented attack on higher education from the federal government. From funding cuts to attacks on free speech and DEI programming, to mass cancellations of student visas, our members have faced the brunt of the administration’s attacks on universities. It’s time we come together for a weekend of strategizing and skill refining to make sure we’re in alignment for a militant response in the summer and fall.
Please join us June 21-22 at the UAW Region 6 office in Pico Rivera, CA, for the inaugural meeting of the UAW Higher Education Council. Local unions are responsible for electing delegates and covering travel and accommodation. Anyone planning to attend the council meeting must complete the registration form by Monday, June 9.
2025 UAW-LUCA Communications Conference
June 22 - 27 | Register by May 30 | Onaway, MI
We are thrilled to announce the theme for this year’s conference: Family Re-UNION: Refocus – Reignite – Reengage! This dynamic gathering is designed specifically for labor communicators, emphasizing the critical role labor communications play in building strong, effective unions. This year’s conference will provide participants with the tools and skills required to enhance local communication efforts while offering valuable opportunities to network and strengthen connections. Together, we’ll explore strategies to educate members, inspire action, and advance the cause of labor with renewed energy and focus. Join us for an exciting educational experience that will empower you to refocus on your mission, reignite your passion, and reengage your union family. Let’s come together to build a brighter future for labor!
2025 UAW Family Scholarship
July 20 - 25 | Register by June 6 | Onaway, MI
Registration is open to apply for the 2025 UAW Family Scholarship! For more than 45 years, the Family Education Center has been where UAW members and their families come together for an experience combining education and recreation. It’s a place to learn about our union, unlock ideas, and build new friendships with other UAW families. This one-week summer experience will give you and your family a spirit guaranteed to strengthen your understanding and appreciation of our union. If interested, please complete your registration no later than June 6.
2025 UAW Civil & Human Rights Conference
August 24 - 29 | Onaway, MI
The 39th Annual UAW Civil and Human Rights Conference is August 24 - 29 at the Walter and May Reuther Family Education Center. This year's theme is Defending…Demanding…Justice… We are the Defenders of Justice.”
SOLIDARITY REQUESTS
Labor for an Arms Embargo Training
Saturday, May 31 | 1 PM ET | Online
The Labor for an Arms Embargo campaign is organizing workers across the country to win an arms embargo. We are organizing in our unions at the local level to demand that our seaports and airports no longer be used to sustain war crimes, genocide, and occupation. We are coordinating national trainings to engage workers in the campaign and align our organizing efforts to win over supermajorities of our coworkers for an arms embargo. Join us for the first training on May 31!
Mass-Care Medicare for All Conference
Saturday, June 21 | 10 AM - 4 PM | Clark University, Worcester, MA
Mass-Care is hosting a state-wide strategy and working conference on June 21. We all know the health care crisis that exists in Massachusetts: already exorbitant insurance rates are soaring by an additional 12% this year, and the bankruptcy of Steward Hospitals has left minority and working class communities without access to hospitals. Medicare for All is the only solution that will provide complete coverage to all Massachusetts residents and save money for all.
The core of the conference will be breakout sessions, by sector, throughout the day: healthcare workers, labor unions, businesses, municipal and elected officials, and community organizations and organizers. Each of these sectors have a unique relationship with the private health insurance system. Bringing those common experiences together will help define and carry out a stronger action-oriented organizational effort to enact Medicare for All, however we win it, through a legislative vote or by a binding referendum vote by the people. The breakout sessions are designed to build activism and deepen all aspects of the commitment and to embolden the movement for Medicare for All in MA.
Cornell Strategic Corporate Research Summer School
June 22-27, 2025 | Ithaca, NY | Apply by May 1
The AFL-CIO and Cornell University are sponsoring a Strategic Corporate Research Summer School on June 22-27, 2025. The application deadline is May 1. The course is designed for students and others who want to make corporations accountable by working as researchers in unions and social change organizations. The course offers a regular track and an advanced track with an additional research and writing requirement. It is open to individuals applying on their own and to individuals sponsored by unions and other organizations. For more info, visit the course website.
EWOC Conference Registration Open: Unite & Win
June 27–29 | Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
The Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee is hosting its first-ever organizing conference, and registration is now open! This conference will bring together 250 EWOC volunteers, workers, union leaders, and local organizers for a weekend of training, discussion, and movement building focused on new workplace organizing. EWOC is the only project that any non-unionized worker, anywhere in the country, can reach out to and immediately receive workplace organizing support and training. Scholarships are available through a reimbursement basis.
Save the Date: NYC Queer Liberation March
Sunday, June 29 | 11 AM | NYC AIDS Memorial
As the results of the 2024 election have made clear that America’s LGBTQIA2S+ communities are under the greatest threat from the federal government we have experienced since the 1969 Stonewall uprising, The Reclaim Pride Coalition has announced that the theme for this year’s 7th annual Queer Liberation March on Sunday, June 29, will be: Resist! Reclaim! Rejoice!
The March will assemble at 11 AM at the NYC AIDS Memorial and St. Vincent’s Triangle Park (7th Avenue between Greenwich and West 12th Streets) and march north to Lenape Circle, dispersing into Central Park. Learn more and sign up to volunteer at queermarch.org.
Fundamentals of Workplace Organizing: EWOC Training on How to Unite and Win
Saturdays, July 12 - August 2 | 4 - 5:30 PM
In four 90-minute weekly sessions, you will learn how to approach your co-workers, build a team of organizers among them, and develop a campaign. You will meet other workers who are organizing and learn helpful tools, practices, and principles for winning workplace improvements and getting a democratic voice over your working conditions. We also welcome those who are interested in joining EWOC as a volunteer and supporting other organizing workers! Space is limited to 120 participants, so register here today!
Register for Skills to Win Training: Workers vs. Billionaires
July 19-20 | 12 PM - 6 PM | Online
Join us July 19 and 20 for this special edition of “Skills to Win”, tailored specifically for groups in the May Day Strong and 2028 strike networks who want to sharpen their organizing skills to take on the billionaires. This training program, built on Jane McAlevey’s core organizing methods, will teach members and staff how to build both strike-ready organization and powerful community-labor alignments. The UC Berkeley Labor Center and Bargaining for the Common Good are partnering to host this training, which will be held for two full days over Zoom. Groups are required to attend in groups of at least ten people from your organization, because organizing is a team sport. Learn more and register by June 13!
UPCOMING EVENTS
38th Annual UAW Chaplaincy Conference
June 1-6 | Onaway, MI
2025 UAW EAP Conference
June 1-6 | Onaway, MI
Higher Education Council Meeting
June 21-22 | Pico Rivera, CA
2025 UAW-LUCA Communications Conference
June 22 - 27 | Onaway, MI
APALA 18th Biennial Convention
June 26 - 29 | Los Angeles, CA
UAW Night at the Yankees
July 10 | New York, NY
NAACP 116th National Convention
July 12 - 16 | Charlotte, NC
UAW Family Scholarship
July 20 - 25 | Onaway, MI
LCLAA 25th National Membership Convention
July 28 - August 2 | Atlanta, GA
APRI 54th Annual National Educational Conference
August 6 - 10 | Chicago, IL
UAW Veterans Conference
August 10 - 15, 2025 | Onaway, MI
2025 UAW International Women's Conference
August 17 - 22 | St. Pete Beach, FL
2025 UAW Civil & Human Rights Conference
August 24 - 29 | Onaway, MI
2025 UAW Local Union Officers Institute
October 5 - 10 | Onaway, MI