2026 NATIONAL CAP CONFERENCE
BUILDING WORKING CLASS POWER
WASHINGTON, D.C, February 8-11

A Dignified Retirement: Beating the Corporate Retirement Heist and Winning Retirement Security for All Workers

We are in the midst of a retirement crisis in this country – far too many of us have no retirement savings. Fifty years ago, nearly 50% of private-sector workers had a traditional pension. Today, only 10% do. Corporate America has embarked on a decades-long campaign to raid pension plans and gut retiree health care, while extreme politicians continue to push forward plans that will cut access to and privatize Social Security. This workshop will dive into the history of the UAW’s fight for pensions and retiree health care and discuss a path forward that includes expanding and strengthening social security and guaranteeing defined benefit pensions for all workers. Participants will learn about current policy proposals to secure a dignified retirement and how the UAW can lead the way at the bargaining table and at the ballot box.

Building Your CAP Committee from the Ground Up: Where to Start

Strong CAP committees are essential for winning an independent working-class political agenda. Come to this session to learn how to start or revitalize your CAP and connect with other UAW workers who are doing the same. We’ll be talking about how to get started, how to pull members into CAP work, and the building blocks of legislative and electoral campaigns.

From the Strike Line to the Ballot Line: Running for Office

This is a practical, interactive 90-minute workshop for UAW members who are considering running for local or state legislative office, plus members who want to recruit a fellow worker to run. Participants will leave with a realistic picture of what it takes and a one-page “starter plan” covering: which office to run for, a core message, a base and target universe, a first field plan, a first fundraising plan, and concrete 30-day next steps. We’ll close with a call to action and a clear plan to begin building electoral power wherever you are.

Frontline Solidarity: Readiness and Resistance to the Mass Deportation Agenda

The attacks on immigrant communities are part of an anti-worker agenda that hurts our communities, our economy, and our unions. This workshop will dive into how the mass deportation agenda is impacting working families and union members around the country—from manufacturing to legal services to higher education. Participants will also learn about practical tools and strategies to support affected members and their communities, including through legal support and Know Your Rights Training.

Getting May Day Ready for 2028 and Beyond

Why does the next Big 3 contract expire on May Day 2028? How does this fight help workers outside the Big 3? What is the plan to win on our core issues? In this workshop, we will walk through the strategy for May Day 2028 and how members can bring this strategy back to their locals, so we are May Day ready to win big for the whole working class.

International Solidarity: Strategies to Combat the Global Anti-Worker Policies

Around the world, unions are leading the fight—defending workers’ rights, protecting democracy, and standing up to mass layoffs, plant closures and corporate greed. Join UAW leaders and esteemed guests from the UK’s largest union, UNITE, for a bold discussion on how workers can build power—on the shop floor and across borders—to create a global economy that works for us all.

Solving the US Healthcare Crisis: How labor can lead

The U.S. healthcare system is a mess: it costs too much, delivers too little, and pits wages against health insurance at the bargaining table. We can do better. In this fast-paced, interactive, and practical training, dive into a world where we all have decent healthcare that doesn’t empty our pockets. We’ll explore the roots of the problem, why Medicare for All is a viable solution, and how Labor can lead the fight. You’ll leave the session equipped with the key points you need to talk with your legislators, neighbors, and co-workers about our healthcare crisis and how we can fix it.

Taking on Free Trade: Our Union’s Fight to Take Back Our Lives & End Plant Closures

This will be a presentation and interactive workshop focused on free trade, plant closures, the race to the bottom, UAW’s demands in a new trade agreement, and solidarity across borders with Mexican autoworkers.

What They Tell Us & What They Tell Wall Street: Runaway Profits, Stock Buybacks, and the “we can’t afford it” Myth

This workshop breaks down dividends and stock buybacks to show how companies use shareholder distributions to funnel wealth upward, and how those same dollars could instead fund pensions, jobs, and real reinvestment in the people who create the value. Learn to use the company’s own financial choices to challenge claims of unaffordability and make bold, well-grounded demands at the table and beyond.

Lobbing Leads

This workshop will prepare members to lead discussion on our 4 core issues while lobbing on the Hill.