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UAW Statement on NIH Freezes

Just days after the first contract took effect covering 5,000 members of UAW 2750 at the National Institutes of Health, the Trump Administration has imposed an unprecedented set of restrictions on the nation’s premier public research institution. These include a communications blackout, canceling all meetings, a travel ban for employees, strict limitations on spending research funds, and a complete hiring freeze. UAW 2750 members are researchers who work at NIH facilities in Maryland and in other states, and their research addresses the nation’s most pressing medical and public health issues including fighting cancer, infectious disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and much more.

These freezes are already causing research at the NIH to grind to a halt. The Trump Administration is also preventing the NIH from processing research grant proposals that fund research at universities across the country. Any delays in research progress will have impacts on the country and for the American economy, and these restrictions represent a serious public health risk as the threat of avian flu and other deadly diseases continues to rise.

UAW calls on the Trump Administration, including Acting Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Dorothy Fink, and Congress to lift these draconian restrictions immediately to ensure that scientific research in the United States, including the crucial work done by UAW members, can continue without interruption.

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Stellantis Reverses Course After Months of Pressure, Recommits Billions of Investment in UAW Jobs

Detroit, MI – After months of pushing the company to Keep The Promise made in 2023 contract negotiations, the UAW has successfully secured a commitment from Stellantis to invest billions in American autoworkers. In response, the union has agreed to settle its grievances concerning the Dodge Durango and the reopening of Belvidere Assembly.

Specifically, Stellantis has committed to build the next generation Dodge Durango at the Detroit Assembly Complex and to reopen the Belvidere Assembly Plant in 2027 and allocate a new midsize truck, as agreed to in the union’s 2023 contract. Both of these commitments had been walked back by disgraced former CEO Carlos Tavares, and are being honored by the company’s new leadership.

“This victory is a testament to the power of workers standing together and holding a billion-dollar corporation accountable,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “We’ve shown that we will do what it takes to protect the good union jobs that are the lifeblood of places like Belvidere, Detroit, Kokomo, and beyond.”

The company also committed to a significant investment in Kokomo, announcing plans to build Phase II of the GME-T4 EVO engine beginning in 2026, reversing plans to move work out of this country. There will be no change to existing GME-T4 EVO production at the Dundee Engine Plant. Finally, the company committed to increased component production at the Toledo Machining Plant.

Thousands of UAW members and leaders rallied, marched, filed grievances, and organized their coworkers as part of the union’s Keep the Promise campaign, contributing to CEO Carlos Tavares’ ouster in late 2024. The new North American COO Antonio Filosa has expressed a desire to work with the UAW to build vehicles here in the U.S.

After securing a historic agreement in 2023 contract negotiations which included a first-ever right to strike over product and investment commitments, the UAW has successfully enforced its contract with Stellantis, while advocating for pro-worker trade policies that will stop the auto industry’s race to the bottom and the gutting of working class communities across America.

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UAW Statement on President Biden’s Affirmation of the Equal Rights Amendment

The United Auto Workers applauds President Joe Biden’s strong affirmation of the Equal Rights Amendment and his commitment to ensuring that women in this country have full equality under the law. For more than 50 years, the UAW has fought for gender equity in the workplace, and we stand united in support of this landmark step toward achieving true gender justice for all Americans.

President Biden’s statement that “no one should be discriminated against based on their sex” resonates deeply with the mission of our Women’s Department, which works to address the inequities created by race, class, and gender in our workplaces and communities. This mission is rooted in our ongoing struggle to eradicate discrimination in hiring, pay, promotion, training, seniority protection, and retention.

The UAW has consistently advocated for fairness and equality for workers of all backgrounds. Our fight for a fairer, more just society continues, and the passage of the ERA is a critical step toward ensuring that all people, regardless of sex, are guaranteed equal rights and protections under the law.

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Battery Workers at BlueOval SK in Kentucky File for First Major Union Election in the South in 2025

GLENDALE, Ky. — A supermajority of workers at battery maker BlueOval SK filed a petition Tuesday with the National Labor Relations Board for a vote to form their union with the UAW. The election filing at BlueOval SK (BOSK), a new joint venture of Ford and SK On, is the first major filing in the South in 2025 and continues the movement of Southern autoworkers organizing with the UAW.

In a new video, BOSK workers talk about why they’re voting yes to form their union. The video can be accessed here and the media is invited to use the footage. More information about the campaign, including first-person statements from BOSK workers, is at: uaw.org/bosk.

“We’re forming our union so we can have a say in our safety and our working conditions,” said Halee Hadfield, a quality operator at BOSK. “The chemicals we’re working with can be extremely dangerous. If something goes wrong, a massive explosion can occur. With our union, we can speak up if we see there’s a problem and make sure we’re keeping ourselves and the whole community safe.”

The BOSK workers publicly launched their campaign to join the UAW in November once a supermajority of workers had signed union cards. The company has responded to the campaign by hiring anti-union consultants who are trying to block the workers from organizing.

“What we’re doing here can be transformative, but there are problems with management that we have to fix,” said Angela Conto, a production operator in formation at BOSK. “Instead of listening to our safety concerns, management has been ordering people to work without proper protective equipment. Now they’re trying to stop us from forming our union to win a strong voice for safety. But the strong supermajority of workers who’ve signed union cards show we’re going to fix what’s wrong at BOSK and make it the leading manufacturer of electric vehicle batteries in America.”

In December, the BOSK workers held a town hall in Elizabethtown, Ky., with UAW members from Ultium Cells in Lordstown, Ohio, which makes battery cells for GM’s electric vehicle fleet. Ultium opened as a nonunion plant in 2022, and workers there encountered many of the same problems the BOSK workers face now. An Ultium worker explained how they organized with the UAW and won a union contract with strong safety protections and life-changing raises and benefits.

“I have worked both union and nonunion jobs and have seen the power of a union firsthand,” said Andrew McLean, a logistics worker in formation at BOSK. “Right now, we don’t have a say at BOSK. With a union, we’ll be on a level playing field with management. That’s so important when you’re getting a new plant off the ground. The union allows us to give honest feedback without fear of retaliation.”

The BOSK workers are building on the victories at Ultium in Lordstown, and also at the new Ultium plant in Spring Hill, Tenn., where workers joined the UAW in September. The growing unionization movement among nonunion battery workers across the country, and especially in the South, builds off the success of the UAW’s Stand Up Strike at the Big Three and the victory by Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga, Tenn., who became the first Southern autoworkers outside the Big Three to win their union when they voted to join the UAW in April.

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UAW Members at Detroit Axle Vote 99% in Favor of Authorizing Strike

DETROIT, MI — On Wednesday, January 15th, over 400 Daimler Truck North America workers at Detroit Axle voted by a resounding 99% to authorize a strike if necessary.

“This overwhelming vote shows we are no longer content with the crumbs from Daimler’s pie,” said Zachary Harper, a committeeperson at Detroit Axle. “This vote makes it plain: we are united – and when we fight together, we win. Tick Tock.”

The vote at Detroit Axle comes after major victories for other UAW members at Daimler Truck. In 2024, UAW members at Freightliner Trucks, Western Star Trucks, and Thomas Built Buses won major gains, including raises of more than 25%, and the introduction of profit-sharing and Cost-of-Living (COLA) for the first time at Daimler.

“Since 2020, Daimler has seen over $17 billion in profits”, said Laura Dickerson, UAW Region 1A Director. “Daimler can afford to provide UAW members at Detroit Axle what every worker deserves: pay that keeps up with inflation, a safe workplace, and a secure retirement. If it takes a fight to win that, our members are ready.”

Detroit Axle workers join other UAW members standing up to corporate greed. Currently, more than 4,000 members at Volkswagen are campaigning for a first contract in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

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Lucid Workers Win Substantial Back Pay and Reinstatement in Dramatic Settlement

Workers organizing at the electric vehicle maker Lucid have won a settlement with a quarter-million dollars in back pay, the right to return to work, and a sweeping cease and desist order that stops the company from committing a long list of unfair labor practices.

The settlement, approved on Dec. 31 by the National Labor Relations Board, is a Formal Board Settlement. Formal settlements are typically reserved for companies committing serious labor law violations. The Lucid settlement stems from unfair labor practice charges filed by the UAW for the 2023 firing of three workers organizing with the union. Those firings and other anti-union efforts by Lucid were found to be so extreme that the NLRB sought and obtained a rare 10(j) injunction against the company this September. 

“This settlement shows a better way forward for Lucid and companies like it,” said Lucid worker Amie Hansen, who received $120,000 in back pay in the settlement and the right to return permanently to her job. “Instead of trying to block our right to organize, Lucid should have been working with us all along as we’ve struggled to get this company off the ground. Respect for the voice of workers is critical to the long-term success of this company.”

The settlement ensures that Lucid workers will have the right to make their voices heard. In the settlement, Lucid accepts the Board’s order that it must cease and desist committing a list of nine unfair labor practices including:  

  • Firing or threatening employees for engaging in protected organizing activities 
  • Surveilling employees to discover if they’re engaged in organizing 
  • Confiscating union literature from non-work areas 


Lucid also must take positive steps to make whole three fired workers with back pay, damages and interest payments totaling $258,000. In addition, within 14 days of the Dec. 31 order, the company must distribute a video about the settlement to workers at Lucid’s two facilities in Casa Grande, Ariz. The video will be recorded in a company cafe area by a Board agent who will inform workers of the settlement and their rights to organize under U.S. law. The company will also post physical notices of the settlement and workers’ rights at its Casa Grande locations.

“Every autoworker in America can take heart from this settlement,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “Lucid is backed by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, the deepest pockets in the world. But Lucid workers stood up and won justice. They showed that no matter how big the challenge workers can win when they stand together and fight for a better life.”

“This is a significant victory for worker and climate justice,” said UAW Region 6 Director Mike Miller.  “We’re building the green economy to create a more sustainable future. But we will only have a truly sustainable future if we build our economy around protecting both the planet and workers’ right to organize for justice on the job without employer interference.” 

The UAW has aggressively supported the Lucid workers’ fight to form their union. When Lucid fired the workers for organizing in February 2023, the UAW filed multiple unfair labor practice charges with the NLRB. Acting on the union’s charges, the Board sought and won the 10(j) injunction, which ordered the company to offer interim reinstatement to the workers even before the settlement was approved on Dec. 31.

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UAW Calls Out Missed Opportunities in Lansing Lame Duck, Applauds Key Working-Class Wins

LANSING — Today, the UAW applauds key legislative victories passed this lame duck session in Lansing affecting thousands of working-class Michiganders. The UAW called upon legislators to fight for working class people, and they delivered key wins on wages, healthcare and retirement security, including:

  • 70% increase in unemployment for laid off workers from $362/week to $614/week and extending unemployment insurance from 20 weeks to 26 weeks.
  • Legislation to make healthcare more affordable and restore public sector workers’ rights to negotiate healthcare costs, including over 15,000 UAW members in the public sector.
  • Legislation reinstating pensions for some state workers for the first time in decades, an important step in winning back a benefit that all workers deserve.

These bills will change the lives of many working class people in Michigan. However, legislators left many priorities for working people on the table when some chose not to show up, not to lead, or not to fight.

“UAW members demanded that Lansing lawmakers pick a side: the working-class or the corporate class,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “The Senate heard us and led a marathon session to see through important laws to boost the lives of thousands of working-class people.”

“But too much was left on the table thanks to the loyalty of some politicians to the looming corporate influences in Lansing. Our elected officials should remember that the mighty membership of the UAW does not shy away from letting those in power know when they aren’t doing their jobs well and are prepared to make their voices heard in the Capitol and the ballot box.”

The UAW now looks to Governor Gretchen Whitmer as the last step to signing into law pieces of an agenda centered on working-class Michiganders.

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Statement from UAW Vice President Mike Booth on Update of the GM Special Attrition Program (SAP)

As you may know, our 2023 contract provides multiple opportunities for retiring pension-eligible GM workers to receive a $50,000 benefit. This benefit is called the Special Attrition Program, or SAP. We were successful in negotiating this benefit because of the solidarity of our members standing strong while we were at the bargaining table. We all owe a debt of gratitude to those retiring members who came before us.  

The second round of SAP is currently open. Everyone who is retirement eligible as of March 31, 2025 is eligible for this round of SAP. The application window opened on Thursday November 22, 2024 and closes on January 5, 2025 at 11:59 PM EST. 

We continue to improve the SAP. In our first round, all 1,412 GM production workers who signed up received the benefit. However, of the 545 skilled trades workers who expressed interest in taking the SAP, only 142 were eligible in the first window. Our Skilled Trades members wanted more, and we delivered. In this round, anyone who is eligible and applies will receive the benefit, including all skilled trades and production workers. 

There is some important information that I want everyone considering the SAP to keep in mind. This is the only SAP opportunity we anticipate for 2025 and do not expect another round of SAP until 2026, at the earliest. Applications for SAP are made online through Workday. You can apply for SAP and withdraw your application multiple times during the application window. However, if you have not withdrawn your decision by January 5th at 11:59pm, you will be required to retire. Once the window closes, your decision is final. If you have any questions about the SAP benefit, please direct them to your Local Union Bargaining Committee. 

I want to thank our negotiating team for their work on this round of SAP and also our membership for securing such a strong contract. Our SAP at GM is unique because it has multiple rounds, with more members becoming eligible at each round.  This means far more GM workers will be eligible to receive the $50,000 SAP. The size, scope, and timing of each phase of the SAP has to be negotiated. Our team is getting results.  

In solidarity,

UAW Vice President Mike Booth 

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UAW Applauds Passage of Unemployment Insurance Reform as Michigan Legislature Takes First Step to Deliver on Working-Class Priorities

LANSING, MI — Yesterday, Michigan workers and the UAW celebrated a landmark victory as the state legislature approved a significant reform to the unemployment insurance system. Under the new legislation, weekly benefits will increase by 70%, rising from $362 to $614. This long-overdue change provides essential relief for workers and brings Michigan closer to aligning with the rest of the Great Lakes region.

“For too long, corporations and the wealthy have rigged the rules in their favor, leaving the working class behind,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “This reform is a positive shift toward leveling the playing field and ensuring that all workers have the support they need to navigate tough times. UAW members demanded action, and Michigan lawmakers stepped up and showed us whose side they’re on.”

Michigan’s unemployment system has been one of the most restrictive in the nation, leaving too many workers behind during times of economic hardship. Yesterday’s reform begins to address these inequities, but much more needs to be done to ensure all workers are treated fairly and with dignity.

This victory comes in the final days of Michigan’s Democratic trifecta, after intense advocacy from the UAW and labor allies who called on legislators to choose between standing with the working class or doing the bidding of corporations and big donors.

On December 4, the UAW laid out its policy positions for the session and urged legislators to pass bills taking action on living wages, health care, retirement with dignity, time with our families, fighting against corporate greed and corporate influence over our politics, and standing united against divide and conquer politics.

Following the passage of the unemployment insurance legislation, the UAW pushed lawmakers to keep the momentum going and pass additional measures that protect workers’ rights and strengthen communities across the state.

“Make no mistake—Michigan legislators still need to show up for the entire working class. There are still critical issues to address in this lame duck session, including workers’ compensation reform and restoring local control over labor standards. The UAW is watching the clock and will continue to hold our leaders accountable,” said Fain.

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