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

Hello UAW CAP Leaders,

For the past 90 years, the UAW has built the American Dream from the factory floor up. What started as a small group of autoworkers fighting for dignity on the job in the 1930s grew into a movement that changed history, that rewrote not just the union contract but the social contract between the working class and the powers that be. Now that dream is under attack, and the question for our generation is simple: what are we willing to do to defend it, expand it, and protect it for future generations?

The American Dream wasn’t just a story we told about our country. It was a set of laws and a political system that worked for the working class. It involved holding Corporate America accountable, giving working class people the power they need to lead a dignified life, and ensuring that everyone got their fair share. It was never perfect, but it was worth fighting for — and it still is.

In 2026, we are taking back the American Dream. At our CAP Conference, and in this guide, we will put our four core issues — the issues that make up the American Dream — front and center: wages, health care, retirement, and time off. We will name the threats to the American Dream: corporate greed and divide-and-conquer politics. And we will chart the course that will restore the dignity of the working class in this country and across the world.

As always, in our union the members are the highest authority. We have heard time and again from members in every state, every sector, and at every employer that we need an agenda that puts our core issues first. This is what we’re fighting for as a union. But it’s you, the membership, who will bring these issues to life, who will inspire your coworkers, family members, and communities to stand up to corporate greed, and who will bring the fight to the doorstep of every elected representative in this nation. The UAW will always be at the forefront of the battle for economic and social justice, so let’s use this week to discuss these important issues, listen to each other, and leave here energized with our path to taking power back from the billionaire class.

In Solidarity,

Shawn Fain