September 2025 

Greetings, active and retired members, family and friends. I hope all is well, and that as fall begins, you have enjoyed our nice, hot Michigan summer.

A lot seems to be going on in our country these days. I thought I had seen it all when the President of the United States told us that they are eating dogs and cats in Springfield! Little did we know the unexplained nonsense that would follow.

Politics are an every day, every minute part of our lives and we deal with the good and bad every day. Let me give just a few factual examples:

When we were able to have politicians elected in Lansing, who believed in the working men and women of our state, they passed legislation that supported them. Raising unemployment compensation from $362 per week to $614 by 2027. This is not only a great benefit to our Michiganders, but it gives them a little security, knowing they have some financial stability in case of a layoff.

They also repealed the Right to Skirt law, as well as the tax on our retirees’ income. Remember, the Republicans voted against this tax repeal, yet every one of them have retirees in their district.

Since Republicans have taken control of the Michigan House, here are some disturbing facts:

During the Lame Duck session, nine bills were passed with bipartisan support, and House Speaker Matt Hall refuses to send them to the Governor for her signature to sign into law.

His refusal to follow the Michigan Constitution has caused a lawsuit against him that you and I, the taxpayer, get to pay for.

This same time last year, the Legislature had passed 119 bills, and this year’s count is eight (8) total bills. So, when they talk about a party of do nothing and still taking a paycheck from you and I, you know who they are.

The best news is that next year, we will get a chance to change our direction, protect our democracy, and use our power, OUR VOTE!

Our UAW Constitutional Convention will be held in Detroit, June 15-18, 2026. I have informed the Region’s locals, so they can begin to budget for the Convention. This Convention is where we make changes to our UAW Constitution through the resolution process, which is started at our Local Unions. It also sets the stage for our Bargaining Convention that follows later next year.

Our Regional Retired Workers Conference and Summer School were both fantastic events. We had many of our members attend for the first time. They had the opportunity to learn union history and attend educational classes.

I had the opportunity to attend the Lansing Old Newsboys Golf Outing. It is very reassuring to see our members supporting community programs like this. Thank you to the Lansing Old Newsboys committee. There will be children who get to have a Christmas because of your dedication!

We welcome approximately 190 new members from Blissfield, MI to our Region 1D family! Autokiniton employees voted to organize and become UAW members this August. These new members do welding on body panels for the Big 3. Congratulations and welcome to the UAW!

Thank you to Servicing Rep. Tony Chandler, and Assistant Director Scott Zuckschwerdt for all the hours and effort they put into helping Autokiniton organize.

Solidarity, brothers and sisters, solidarity.

Steve