Last month, our union completed our first-ever direct elections of top officers. It is an honor of a lifetime to have been chosen by the membership to lead our great union.

Right from the start, we’re committed to building a more transparent and communicative international union. In that spirit, this is my Message to the Membership, the first of many.

In my closing remarks at this week’s Special Bargaining Convention, I spoke about the importance of unity and of seizing this moment. When will we say enough is enough? When will we demand what we deserve? When will we unite in a common cause?

I truly believe right now is our generation’s defining moment. And you, the members of the UAW, will lead the way.

• The higher education organizing wave we’ve seen over the last few years continues to spread. Staff at Goddard College in Vermont (UAW Local 2322) mark a week on strike today, fighting for a living wage. The situation at Goddard is yet another shameful example of an employer exploiting the very workers that make their institution run. We stand with those members in their fight for justice.
• This week, delegates from across the UAW convened in Detroit for the Special Bargaining Convention. It was an important opportunity for us to prepare for the Big Three contract negotiations that will take place later this year. And although the auto negotiations were an important focus, the SBC set the tone for how we will build power across every sector of our union.
• In the coming weeks, we will be launching our Big Three contract campaign with members across General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis. Our power is in our members, and we’re going to need that power at the bargaining table and in the workplace.

I want you to know that your International Executive Board is committed to building a member-led UAW that’s ready to take on Corporate America. But we can’t do it without you.

Let’s get back in the fight.

In solidarity,
President Shawn Fain