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From the Archives: UAW Film Vault

In the latest episode of From the Archives, UAW Archivist Gavin Strassel – with some help from fellow archivist Mary Wallace – gives us a tour of the cold storage film fault at the Walter P. Reuther Library at Wayne State University.

In the video, Strassel asks Wallace why the films are kept in a cold storage freezer. “Most of these films are cellulose acetate base,” she says. “At room temperature, they start to degrade, and we get that smell of vinegar, which is called vinegar’s syndrome. So, we have to keep them nice and cold so that they don’t degrade.”

Wallace estimates that there are over 1,000 films in storage at the library. Most of the films were made by the UAW, but there are some from the AFL-CIO, and others as well.

“There’s a ton of hidden gems in here,” Wallace says. “Just recently, we were able to digitize one film, and it was so appropriate for the recent UAW negotiations. It was Walter Reuther talking tough about the 1961 GM strike, and it was just so appropriate for what was going on. Those are the kinds of things that are hidden within these little film canisters…”

From the Archives: Rare Walter Reuther Letters

In this edition of From the Archives, Gavin Strassel shares some of the most rare and valuable items at the Walter P. Reuther Library: letters between Walter Reuther and some of the most significant and influential figures of the 20th century.

Martin Luther King, Jr., John F. Kennedy, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Albert Einstein are just some of the icons who corresponded with Reuther during his time at the helm of the UAW.

“It really shows just how vital the UAW was to politics, economics, and even the science community,” Strassel says in the video.

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“We Have to Stand Up”: 1,500 UAW Members at Allison Transmission in Indianapolis Prepare for First Big U.S. Strike of 2024

In a new video released by the UAW, Local 933 members at Allison Transmission in Indianapolis, Indiana, speak out about why they are ready to strike for as long as it takes to win an equitable contract. The group of 1,500 workers authorized a strike in October and are prepared to walk off the job at any moment.

The video, “Stand Up at Allison Transmission,” can be accessed here, and the media is invited to use the footage.

“We’ve given them record profits. We’ve done everything they’ve asked us to do,” said Steve Vaught, Allison Transmission worker and UAW member. “We have to stand up. I think everybody would be more than happy to walk out the door and say, hey, we deserve better.”

Allison Transmission, which manufactures commercial duty automatic transmissions and hybrid propulsion systems, has amassed more than $6 billion dollars in profits in the last decade, and over half a billion dollars in the first three quarters of 2023. CEO David Graziosi’s pay has increased by 600% in just the last two years alone. Yet, the company continues to lowball workers in contract negotiations, showing little regard for the hard work and sacrifices made by its workforce.

“They don’t respect us, and they don’t care about meeting us halfway,” Andy Davis said.

The union’s last contract with the company expired on November 14, 2023. Local 933 members have been working in good faith on a contract extension since then in hopes of reaching a deal. However, on December 1st, workers rejected a tentative agreement by over 96% because it failed to address their core demands.

“The company’s proposal was a slap in the face,” said Jewel Van Dalsen. “Workers feel like, if this is what we need to do to show the company we’re worth a little more than they think we are, I’m ready, and I believe my coworkers are ready.”

“People want change,” Craig Myers said. “Does anybody want to strike? No, we don’t want to strike. What we want is a reasonable, fair contract. But to get to that better contract, are we willing to go out on strike and take a stance? Yeah.”

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U.S. Senators Call on Non-Union Auto Companies to Stop Union-Busting 

Today, 33 U.S. Senators are calling on 13 non-union auto companies to refrain from union-busting as over 150,000 autoworkers have launched campaigns to organize with the UAW. In a letter sent to the CEOs of the automakers, the Senators, led by Senators Peters, Stabenow, Padilla, Butler, and Brown stressed the importance of respecting workers’ right to form a union, and encouraged the companies to commit to neutrality in any organizing effort.

“Your commitment to neutrality would ensure that management does not pressure workers into voting against unionization or delaying the election process,” the Senators’ letter states. “We believe a neutrality agreement is the bare minimum standard manufacturers should meet in respecting workers’ rights, especially as companies receive and benefit from federal funds related to the electric vehicle transition.”

The letter also addresses reports of illegal actions taken by a number of the companies. In recent weeks, the UAW has filed unfair labor practice charges at the National Labor Relations Board against Honda, Hyundai, and Volkswagen for engaging in various illegal union-busting tactics in an attempt to intimidate and dissuade workers from voting to unionize.

“These retaliatory actions are hostile to workers’ rights and must not be repeated if further organizing efforts are made by these companies’ workers,” the letter continues. “We therefore urge you all to commit to implementation of a neutrality agreement at your manufacturing plants.”

“Every autoworker in this country deserves their fair share of the auto industry’s record profits, whether at the Big Three or the Non-Union Thirteen,” UAW President Shawn Fain said. “We applaud these U.S. Senators for standing with workers who are standing up for economic justice on the job. It’s time for the auto companies to stop breaking the law and take their boot off the neck of the American autoworker, whether they’re at Volkswagen, Toyota, Tesla, or any other corporation doing business in this country.”

The campaign comes on the heels of the UAW winning record contracts at Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis in October 2023, after the six-week Stand Up Strike that captivated the labor movement and led non-union automakers to raise wages in anticipation of fending off potential organizing at their facilities.

More information on the organizing drive can be found at UAW.org/join.

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Rally Against EmPower-Solar’s Union-Busting Saturday, January 6, in Bethpage, NY

On December 22, 2023, forty-nine workers at EmPower-Solar in Bethpage, NY, voted overwhelmingly to join UAW Local 259. The organizing victory was achieved despite the company hiring lawyers and lobbyists in attempt to thwart workers’ efforts to unionize.

Instead of respecting its workers’ decision, EmPower continues to union-bust. On December 29, the company unilaterally laid off forty percent of its workforce without even notifying the union of its decision.

In response to the company’s despicable union-busting actions, Local 259 is holding a rally on Saturday, January 6, at 9 am ET at EmPower’s Headquarters in Bethpage, NY.

“Working in renewables could be a great job, but the industry needs a healthier balance of power between management and labor to make growth sustainable,” EmPower-Solar worker Daniel Lozano and Local 259 Vice President Michael DiGiuseppe wrote in an op-ed last month. “These are the jobs of the future. They ought to pay a living wage, be safe, and be unionized.”

If you are in the New York area this Saturday, join Local 259 and send a message to EmPower that union-busting is unacceptable.

WHO: UAW Local 259, Region 9A

WHAT: Rally Against Union-Busting and Corporate Greed

WHEN: Saturday, January 6, 2024 – 9 am ET

WHERE: EmPower-Solar HQ 999 Stewart Avenue, Bethpage, NY 11714

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1500 UAW Members at Allison Transmission in Indianapolis Gear Up for First Major US Strike of 2024 

In what looks to be the first major potential strike of 2024, 1,500 UAW members of Local 933 in Indianapolis are making preparations to walk out at Allison Transmission if the company continues to lowball workers in contract negotiations.  
 
Allison Transmission, which manufactures commercial duty automatic transmissions and hybrid propulsion systems, amassed over half a billion dollars in profit through the first three quarters of 2023. Company CEO David Graziosi has raked in nearly $18 million in the last two years alone. The union contract expired on November 14th, and on December 1st, workers resoundingly rejected a tentative agreement by 96% as the company refused to address core demands.  
 
In a new video, Allison Transmission workers speak out about what they’re fighting for, and against management’s unwillingness to come to a deal that honors the sacrifices and value UAW members have made at Allison. 
 
“We gave up a lot during the recession, and in those years there really hasn’t been a reciprocation of the sacrifices we made during that time,” said Pattie Evans. “Just like when we lost cost of living, we don’t have any assurance that going forward we’ll be able to keep up with inflation and things like that.”  
 
“I’ve had some medical issues,” Martha Brumett said, explaining how the taxing work schedule at Allison leads to more injuries on the job. “You have a lot of wear and tear on your body. On your wrists, on your back. Your feet are constantly tired. It takes a toll on you.” 
 
“I work seven days a week. Anywhere from nine, ten-hour workdays,” said Lisa Perry. “I have gotten used to working those many hours so that I can afford and take care of my bills.” 
 
“I would love for it to go back to where it was, you know, good benefits and good pay,” Allison retiree Donald Reed said. “You got workers out there working a lot more hours than we worked, with a lot less pay. It should be better now than it was when I was working there. It’s not. That’s a shame.” 

Negotiations are taking place during a watershed moment for the labor movement in the United States, as hundreds of thousands of workers have won record collective bargaining agreements in the last year, and public approval of labor unions remains at a near all-time high.  

Postdocs at Mount Sinai Ratify Contract by 98%

Postdocs who work at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York voted to ratify their first-ever collective bargaining agreement by 98%, the SPOC-UAW Bargaining Committee announced on Friday, December 22.

390 members voted yes on the contract, with eight members voting no.

“Thank you to everyone who participated in the vote,” the Bargaining Committee posted on the SPOC-UAW website Friday evening. “After years of organizing and 15 months of bargaining, this vote is a strong mandate for researchers to continue improving our working conditions and the research conditions at Sinai.”

Workers were able to secure substantial gains in the new contract after a 12-day strike, including the highest minimum salaries for postdocs in the country, protections against harassment and bullying, guaranteed housing for three years, and six weeks of maternity leave.

“We will soon announce a meeting to start formally establishing our union here at Mount Sinai, including next steps like enforcing our contract improvements, discussing and deciding on Local Union affiliation, electing officers, and planning ongoing organizing efforts,” the Bargaining Committee wrote on the unit’s website.

The Bargaining Committee reached a tentative agreement with the school on Monday, December 18.

In June of 2022, nearly 90% of workers voted to choose Sinai Postdoctoral Organizing Committee-United Auto Workers (SPOC-UAW) as their union and bargaining representative.

Postdocs perform a wide range of critical research, from developing new therapies to fight disease to advancing new technologies that will shape the future of research, and much more.

Reflecting on the Big Three Contract Campaign

When most of us think about organizing, we often think of going into non-union shops and organizing workers to join the UAW. While that is true, it can also mean organizing our existing union members, and getting them active in our collective fight. For Big Three workers and members of Local 230 going into bargaining this year, we knew that we needed a significant wage increase, a cost-of-living allowance (COLA), the end to an abusive tiered wage system, and the end of the abusive system that kept supplemental employees (temporary workers) working on a temporary status with no real rights and no hire date in sight.


Our contract campaign was huge in the months and weeks leading up to the strike. At the national level, UAW President Shawn Fain & his team were great at keeping members up to date through Facebook Live and news outlets. At the local level, we were hard at work building unity and coordination. Some of the ways we showed solidarity included what we called a Red-Out – wearing only red shirts in solidarity. Another way was organizing members to not work any voluntary overtime in the days leading up to Local 230 being called on to walk off the job. Both of these methods showed management that we were no longer divided and that we weren’t going down without a fight.


On September 15 at 12:00 am, the Big Three walked off the job. The following week, all the PDCs across Stellantis and GM were called to walk off their jobs, and thus, Local 230 was out on strike, along with Locals 6645, 2162, and 492. Our Local 230 President Jesse Ramirez walked out side by side with approximately 55 first shift Local 230 members. Our message was clear: “No deals, No wheels.”


In the following weeks, we organized rallies on the picket lines. These rallies were key for keeping members’ morale up, building a strong sense of camaraderie, and relieving the stress of the strike. In addition to social media and local news coverage, the rallies were extremely sharp tools used to gain public support and to keep our fight and demands as pervasive as possible. Many supporters came out and walked the line, including Teamsters, SAG-AFTRA, Carpenters Union, Machinist Union, as well as State Senators, Assembly Members, and members of the United States Congress.


Our efforts would soon pay off: On October 28th the strike was declared over, and members returned to work the following Monday. The contract was ratified on November 20th, 2023. Workers emerged victorious knowing we, the UAW, had won.



Joel Benefield is a member of UAW Local 230 in Ontario, CA. The local represents workers at the Stellantis Parts Distribution Center in Los Angeles.

UAW President Shawn Fain to Speak at Detroit MLK Day Rally and March on January 15

UAW President Shawn Fain will speak at the 21st Detroit Martin Luther King Day Rally and March on January 15, 2024, at 12 pm ET.

Location: St. Matthew’s-St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church, 8850 Woodard Avenue at Holbrook

Date & Time: Mon. Jan. 15, 2024, 12pm-3:00pm ET

Theme: “For Jobs, Peace, and Justice, while protecting Water, Climate, and Communities.

The Detroit MLK Day Committee has been organizing this event on the federal holiday commemorating the birthday of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for the past twenty years. This year’s event comes amid a heightening struggle for labor rights and against imperialist war across the United States and the world.

The rally and march will feature speakers and artists from the Detroit area highlighting the wealth of community organizers and cultural workers in southeastern Michigan. A broad coalition of these social forces is very much needed in the coming year to meet the challenging facing the people of the city, the country, and the globe. 

The current period has been characterized by widespread strikes in various sectors of the economy including unions representing autoworkers, heath care practitioner, writers, actors, entertainment workers, educators, and service employees. During the last few months, Detroit has been labelled “Strike City” because of the work stoppages involving tens of thousands of workers. Being honored is the increasing militant posture of working people, a tradition in which the city was built upon.

Labor unions are encouraged to participate in this event along with their rank-and-file members to symbolize the necessity of organizing and mobilizing the majority of people in order to achieve genuine democracy and economic rights.

From the Archives: the UAW Express

In the latest installment of From the Archives, Gavin Strassel, UAW Archivist at the Walter P. Reuther Library, unboxes a toy train set made by UAW workers in Mount Clemons, Michigan.

“The UAW Express was built by Lionel, whose employees in Michigan were represented by the UAW,” Strassel explains in the video. “UAW members at Lionel factories at their peak were making 250,000 train sets a year. If you lined those train sets up, front to back, they would nearly stretch across the entire state of Michigan.”

Various iterations of the Lionel brand have been producing toy trains since 1900.

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