The 2026 UAW Family Scholarship applications are now open!
Registration for the 2026 Member Mobilization Institute is open!
Education Department National Events
The UAW International Education Department conducts many conferences and institutes throughout the year at the Walter and May Reuther UAW Family Education Center in Onaway, Michigan, also known as Black Lake.
Our conferences and institutes are designed to focus on a variety of different topics including membership empowerment, leadership development, collective bargaining, contract enforcement, and local union standing committee enrichment.
In addition to the Education Department’s National events, several other conferences are hosted by other International Departments and Regions, including summer schools and leadership conferences. Please refer to the call letters for more information on those events.
Below is a calendar of the Education Department’s National Events.
2026 Education Department National Events
MEMBER MOBILIZATION INSTITUTE
Apr 19-24, 2026. This lively institute is intended to mobilize members to action around issues affecting the working class, both on the job and in our communities. It is open to any rank-and-file member or local leader interested in becoming more involved in our union. Topics we will explore include internal organizing, developing activists, action planning, and external organizing.
FAMILY SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
July 12-17, 2026. Our families provide us with the power to work in solidarity toward the ultimate goals of social and economic justice for all workers. This weeklong program is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for UAW members to bring their families to attend a Black Lake conference and learn about our union, unlock ideas, and build new friendships. Children’s classes are age-specific, and the experience involves just as much fun as it does learning! Families attend on a scholarship that fully covers room, board, and travel to Black Lake.
BARGAINING & CONTRACT ENFORCEMENT BOOT CAMP
Sept 20-25, 2026. This boot camp will provide intense training for local union bargainers and grievance handlers to sharpen their skills. We will place emphasis not only on technique, but also on taking a strategic organizing approach to bargaining and enforcing strong contracts. This conference is designed to fit all UAW local union bargainers and grievance handlers. Whether newly elected or seasoned, delegates will be presented with workshop options that fit their experience level.
STANDING COMMITTEES & EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS (EAP)
Oct 4-9, 2026. There is a direct link between strong local union standing committees and the overall power of our union. Here, delegates will explore the role of their standing committees in contributing to local union power. Workshops will tackle how to run an effective standing committee, develop local programs, recruit participation, and creatively execute on your committee’s mission. Members of any standing committee, or those interested in joining any committee, will benefit from this institute.
Additionally, local union Employee Assistance Program (EAP) representatives will attend a dedicated training track designed to enhance their effectiveness in their critically important roles. Local unions seeking to establish or grow their EAPs are especially encouraged to send delegates for this special class track.
EDUCATION COMMITTEES INSTITUTE
Oct 18-23, 2026. This high-energy training will empower local union education committees to be effective in building local education programs and mobilizing member participation. Delegates will leave with confidence and new strategies to broaden the reach of our union education programs. Whether you’ve been part of your committee for many years or you’re just getting started, this week is for you!
The Walter & May Reuther UAW Education Center
Combining nature, education, and solidarity, the Walter and May Reuther UAW Family Education Center was created for UAW members across the country to build the strength of our union through learning and fellowship. Thousands of members and retirees have visited our Center, affectionately named Black Lake, to become educated about their union, address the issues that workers face, develop leadership skills, and become an active participant in the labor movement.
Our Center
For over fifty years, Black Lake has been the educational hub that has inspired our members to move from being a unionist to an activist. There are several opportunities each year for members to attend various conferences, institutes, summer schools, and other events.
Our Black Lake campus spans over 1,000 acres and includes a hotel, campground, classrooms, dining and lecture halls that are surrounded by lush hardwood forests. This serene environment is the perfect setting for members to enjoy the splendors of nature, connect with one another, and imagine a better world.
History of Our Center
Our conference center has a rich history of not only the story of Walter Reuther, the UAW’s longest serving president, but also of labor’s part in shaping this nation. By January 1967, the UAW had completed the purchase of land on the shores of Black Lake to build a center where UAW members could learn, meet, share ideas, and build friendships.
Reuther envisioned Black Lake to be aligned with nature by bringing the outdoors in and let the landscape dictate the Center’s footprint on its environment. Reuther, along with longtime friend and renowned architect, Oskar Stonorov, were committed to preserving the oak, pines, maples, aspen and hemlock trees on the site. He and Stonorov wanted the Center to be a lesson on how to build without destroying nature. Reuther personally examined and tagged practically every tree on the site, and in some cases, construction lines were altered to preserve a particular piece of nature.
Walter famously said, “Black Lake is a thing of beauty, where man and nature can live in harmony.”
Shortly after opening our Center in May 1970, we tragically lost our beloved leader when a plane carrying Walter, his wife May, Oskar Stonorov, Reuther’s bodyguard Willy Wolfman, and two pilots fatally crashed while on a final approach to the Pellston airport.
Throughout our Black Lake campus, you can discover dozens of artifacts that were donated by labor organizations from around the world in honor of Walter and May Reuther’s lives and their devotion to the labor movement.
Today, our Center and those who visit it serve as an embodiment of Walter’s vision. A place where workers can connect on common issues, build a better organization, learn labor history, and prepare our fight for the common goal of social and economic justice.
Learn more about Black Lake by visiting www.uawblacklake.com
