April 2026

Brothers and sisters,

I would like to start by congratulating our brothers and sisters at UAW local 42 in Chattanooga, TN for ratifying their first UAW contract at Volkswagen with significant gains! Finally, the fruits of the labor of a long fought battle by the UAW have been seen. This is a monumental step for the labor movement!

That said, I want to take the time to mention a story of how corporate greed in the auto industry brought hard times to my family. My father was a tool maker at American Axle and Manufacturing in Hamtramck when they moved a majority of their production to Mexico in 2008. He was left with no good options and decided to take the buyout and part ways with AAM and UAW local 235. This decision made my mother (mother of 8) have to pick up a second job since the only work available for a journeyman tool maker from a UAW represented shop available paid less than half of his wage he was accustomed to. This moment devastated my family, and many others in my neighborhood in southern Macomb county. So many families lost medical benefits and financial stability so that Dick Dauch could make a few million extra dollars.

This brings us to the present. AAM workers in Three Rivers, Michigan (UAW Local 2093) have a contract set to expire in May of 2026. It is time that these hard working UAW brothers and sisters of ours finally earn back all the concessions they took in 2008! AAM is a tier 1 supplier for GM, Ford, Stellantis, Nissan and Scout motors. These people work diligently to get the parts auto manufacturers throughout the Americas get the axles they need to keep wheels moving! We need to all keep these brothers and sisters in our hearts as they fight to get back what they lost nearly 2 decades ago! Please reach out and show them the solidarity that they need to see in this time of need.

My sincere hope is that the success of our members at Local 42 and the hopeful success of our union family at Local 2093 will make more non-union workers within this country realize the benefits of being in the UAW and push to have a collective bargaining agreement of their own. Hopefully we can have union density in every state in the nation and have the membership numbers that this great union had in its heyday!

In Solidarity,

Rob