Fed up with corruption and concessions, UAW members push for a more democratic union

A lot of important history is being made right now, and something potentially game-changing is unfolding among the American workforce. At this very moment, 10,000 UAW members at John Deere are on strike in Iowa, Illinois, and Kansas; 35,000 healthcare workers at Kaiser Permanente have authorized a strike; 1,400 workers at cereal giant Kellogg’s are on strike in Nebraska, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee; 1,100 coal miners in Alabama have been on strike since April; 800 nurses in Massachusetts have been on strike since March; and numerous other strikes and strike authorizations are also unfolding. On top of that, record numbers of US workers are voluntarily quitting their jobs, in what is being called the “Great Resignation.”
At the same time, there are crucial struggles happening that may not seem as dramatic as collective strikes but are no less important for the future of the labor movement. One of these struggles is taking place within the United Auto Workers itself, where members are currently voting on an unprecedented referendum that will decide whether or not the 400,000 working members and nearly 600,000 retirees can directly elect their top union officers. Ballots went out on Oct. 19 and are due back at the end of November. If the referendum passes, it could be the beginning of a massive shakeup for the union, which many members say needs more democratic governance and more militant energy coming from the rank-and-file. Unite All Workers for Democracy (UAWD), a grassroots caucus of UAW members advocating for direct elections, has been leading the charge for this historic referendum. In this episode of Working People, we talk with Justin Mayhugh, who has worked at General Motors in Kansas City for over a decade and is an organizer with the UAWD caucus.

Justin Mayhugh Twitter page: https://twitter.com/justinmayhugh
Unite All Workers for Democracy (UAWD) Facebook page, Twitter page, and Instagram:
https://www.facebook.com/UniteAllWorkersForDemocracy
https://twitter.com/UAWD_Reform
https://www.instagram.com/uawd_reform/
Jonah Furman, The Real News Network, "A Once-in-a-Generation Chance to Revive the UAW Is Coming": https://therealnews.com/a-once-in-a-generation-chance-to-revive-the-uaw-is-coming
Featured Music (all songs sourced from the Free Music Archive: freemusicarchive.org)
Jules Taylor, "Working People Theme Song"

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