DETROIT (Solidarity House) — UAW President Shawn Fain shared his first message with members of the union he leads since Election Day.
“Last week, the American people decided to give Donald Trump another term as President of the United States. In a democracy, the four most important words are: The People Have Spoken.
And while it’s not the outcome our union advocated for, and it’s not the outcome a majority of our members voted for, our mission remains the same. We must raise the standard of living for our members and the entire working class through unity, solidarity, and working-class power. No matter who is in the White House,” Fain said to begin his statement.
Fain, who spoke at the Democratic National Convention, was known for wearing a t-shirt with the phrase, “Donald Trump is a Scab” and praised President Joe Biden for being the first President to walk a picket line in American history.
The statement continued by mentioning what the UAW stood for before the election and that it still stands for them after and going forward:
“We stand for bringing back American jobs.
We stand for renegotiating the broken USMCA trade deal.
We stand for taking on corporations that break their promises to American workers.
And we stand against the same things we’ve always stood against.
We will never support the destruction of the union movement.
We will never support efforts to divide and conquer the working class by nationality, race, and gender.
We will never support handouts to the ultra-wealthy or paying for it by cutting crucial federal investments.
We are unafraid to confront any politician who takes actions that harm the working class, our communities and our unions.”
Fain then pointed out the the UAW would work with any politician or elected official to move those issues forward:
“But the UAW will also work with any politician, regardless of party, who stands with the working class.
So, our mission now is to keep our issues on the table.
Our mission is to be loud and clear about where we stand.
Our mission is to stop plant closures and the mass exodus of jobs to low-wage, high-exploitation countries.
Our mission is to stop the race to the bottom as blue-collar jobs are liquidated in service of Wall Street paydays.
Our mission is to ensure a secure retirement, a living wage, adequate healthcare, and work-life balance for every one of our members, and every member of the working class.”
Fain closed the statement with a call for UAW members to get involved at all levels of government and politics, “that process does not begin or end with the presidential election. Political action on every level of government, in every state, in every sector has an impact on every contract, every organizing drive, and every standard we win as a union. This union belongs to you, and we want you to get involved today.”
According to the UAW website:
The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW) is one of the largest and most diverse unions in North America, with members in virtually every sector of the economy.
UAW-represented workplaces range from multinational corporations, small manufacturers and state and local governments to colleges and universities, hospitals and private non-profit organizations.
The UAW has more than 400,000 active members and more than 580,000 retired members in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.
There are more than 600 local unions in the UAW. The UAW currently has 1,750 contracts with some 1,050 employers in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.
