Detroit – UAW International President Rory L. Gamble has received lifetime achievement awards from the Detroit Chapter NAACP and the Western Wayne County NAACP this month honoring his and UAW’s commitment to the fight for social justice. Gamble, the UAW’s first African American International President, said he was humbled and honored by the award. “This confirms that the work we do at the UAW in fighting for social justice and the rights and dignity of all Americans is recognized by our community.” Gamble received the James Weldon Johnson Lifetime Achievement Award at the October 25 Detroit Branch NAACP Freedom Fund Dinner ...
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Derrick Johnson, NAACP President and CEO, encouraged UAW members to stay strong in the face of legislative attacks on labor and working families, “what is at stake for us is much more important than we could ever imagine.” The right to collectively bargain, Johnson said, is something that we all hold sacred and something that created and cemented a bond between the UAW and the NAACP for more than 75 years. “Individually we cannot lose sight of why we were created and why we exist,“ Johnson said. The loss of civility in this country has created space for things to ...
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In a robust speech, Detroit NAACP president Rev. Dr. Wendell Anthony praised the union on its history of social activism and partnering with others including civil rights groups in the fight for social and economic justice. Rev. Anthony, who proudly explained he is a proud honorary member of UAW Local 600, talked about the works and words of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and longtime UAW President Walter Reuther and their continuing relevance. Together, unions and groups like the NAACP have enormous power, he said, but that power must be leveraged to its full extent. “Everybody must come to ...
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First, NAACP President Derrick Johnson explained that there definitely is a connection between civil rights and labor. As a matter of fact, they are natural allies. And two, just as with other progressive coalitions and allies, we must stay sharply focused on the next five years to turn the tide on the attacks from the right. “We cannot have a house divided,” Johnson said, speaking at the 2018 UAW Community Action Program (CAP) Conference on Wednesday. “Those forces can only be successful in dividing the house.” Over the next five years, the country faces a census count, more elections and ...
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Danny Glover may be best known for his acting, but last week he was honored by the NAACP for his philanthropy and commitment to promoting civil rights around the world. Glover has been a long-time ally of the UAW, serving as a strong advocate for efforts to unionize the workers at Nissan in Canton, Mississippi. When he received the President’s Award, Glover spoke of the Nissan organizing efforts, saying, “Civil rights and labor rights have always been one and the same.” We congratulate Mr. Glover and thank him for his continued efforts to support workers’ rights around the globe. For more ...
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Nissan workers are approaching a crossroads that was a long time coming as they finish up voting tonight. We will have more information when the votes are tallied and the vote totals released. In the meantime, here’s the brave road Nissan workers have traveled so far: APRIL 2014The UAW aligns with the IndustriALL Global Union to seek assistance from the U.S. National Contact Point (NCP) for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in responding to Nissan’s violations of workers’ organizing rights in Canton, Miss. The UAW and IndustriALL say the company is using “threats, intimidation and fear” to keep a ...
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(Maumee) – At a special regional leadership meeting Thursday, Rich Rankin was elected to fill out the remaining term as Regional Director of the UAWs Indiana and Ohio membership. Rankin succeeds Ken Lortz who retired on May 31. “It’s an honor to represent our Indiana and Ohio members and advocate for each of them at the bargaining table,” said Director Rankin. “I’d like to thank Ken Lortz for being a great friend and mentor and leaving the region in great shape, with a formidable regional team in place. We have a strong tradition of leadership, bargaining gains, and community service ...
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Lillian Hatcher World War II was the start of Lillian Hatcher’s many years fighting for social justice. While doing defense work at Briggs Manufacturing in Detroit, she noticed that African-American women were passed over for promotions to riveter positions. Determined to do something about it, she joined UAW Local 742 and the Double Victory Club, an African-American group that advocated for equal rights in the war industries. She eventually was promoted to a riveter position. From there, she won election to Local 742’s executive board and soon after was appointed an International representative with the UAW’s newly formed Women’s Bureau, ...
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