UAW Convention Day 2: Debates, Resolutions, and Union Challenges Ahead

UAW Convention Delegates Shape Future Policies

The second day of the 39^th United Auto Workers (UAW) Constitutional Convention featured robust discussions as delegates commenced establishing the union’s direction for the upcoming four years.

Delegates engaged in debates over resolutions and amendments, casting votes to reinforce a culture of vigorous organizing, planning for May Day 2028, and amplifying the union's political influence. Notable developments included the decision to increase strike pay to $550 weekly, enhance the strike fund, and allocate $100 million towards special organizing and bargaining efforts.

In a comprehensive State of the Union address, President Shawn Fain underscored the achievements of the UAW since the previous convention, acknowledged upcoming challenges, and stressed the significance of the work ahead for delegates. “This week will set our union’s agenda for the next four years,” Fain stated. “And like the founders of our union, rising out of a Great Depression, what we decide today will affect generations to come. It is our obligation to lead in this moment. We have to rise to the occasion. This is our generation’s defining moment.”

Distinguished speakers of the day included IndustriALL General Secretary Atle Høie and SEIU President April Verrett. Høie addressed the necessity for workers worldwide to unite against corporate greed transcending borders. “International solidarity is the only thing that can beat multi-national companies,” Høie asserted. “We need a strong U.S. in this fight, but first and foremost, we need a strong UAW. The international trade union movement will stand shoulder to shoulder with you forever.”

Verrett energized the delegates, advocating for an ambitious and innovative approach in organizing 21st-century workers. “It’s about being bold, creative, and courageous,” Verrett expressed. “It looks like a labor movement bold enough to think differently, organizing at the scale of the economy itself. The labor movement of the next 90 years cannot be organized the way the labor movement of the last 90 years was.”

The UAW also recognized Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga, Tennessee, presenting them the Social Justice Award for their determined decade-long battle to achieve unionization and secure a historic first contract. “Today, because these workers stayed in the fight, they are no longer asking to be heard. They are heard,” said UAW Region 8 Director Tim Smith. “Local 42 stands as living proof that if you stay in the fight, and if you stand shoulder to shoulder with your brothers and sisters, and if you refuse to surrender your future, you will win.”

The convention is set to continue, reconvening at 9 am the following morning.

Convention Day One Recap

For further details on the UAW’s 39^th Constitutional Convention, visit: https://uaw.org/convention/