At 39th Constitutional Convention, UAW Delegates Chart Ambitious Course For Next Four Years

Nearly 900 delegates gathered in Detroit, Michigan, last week for the UAW’s 39th Constitutional Convention, charting an ambitious, aggressive path forward for the iconic union.

Among other business, delegates voted to grow the union’s strike fund, commit more resources to organizing, and raise strike pay, passing resolutions in support of an aggressive organizing approach and buildup to May Day 2028. The assembled delegates expanded and clarified the definition of a UAW retiree, allocated additional funding for the Women’s Department and Civil & Human Rights Departments, and added local standing committees for Communications, Health & Safety, and much more.

UAW-endorsed candidates Dr. Abdul El-Sayed and Jocelyn Benson addressed the body, as did AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, SEIU President April Verrett, IndustriALL General Secretary Atle Hoie, Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson, Rev. Dr. Wendell Anthony, and others. The UAW awarded the union’s prestigious Social Justice Award to four recipients: Retired UAW Vice President Chuck Browning, the workers of Volkswagen Chattanooga, the late Reverend Jesse Jackson, and Maria Medina.

The delegates elected UAW Local 838 Financial Secretary Stacie Loveless to serve as an International Trustee for a 12-year term. They also nominated candidates for the union’s International Executive Board elections, with ballots set to be mailed in August.