Who we are
We are UAW members who have come together to work for the creation of Region 6. We are active and retired members from a variety of shops across the Western States united by a shared vision for a Region and an International Union driven by principles and traditions in the UAW of social justice unionism: organizing the unorganized, preserving and expanding fairness and democracy for all workers, and exercising our collective strength to fight for more just and equitable workplaces and society. Within the UAW we aim to grow the union and build strong, transparent and accountable union-making processes for all members. At the bargaining table, we aim to build on our history of winning strong contracts by mobilizing members both inside and outside the bargaining room. And as members of Region 6 we will use our power as organized labor to fight for a sustainable environment, racial justice, voting rights, gender equity, LGBTQIA equity, immigrant rights, accessible workplaces, the rights of workers to form unions and the other pressing issues of our time. What follows is our vision for what we hope to achieve in this new region.
Our Vision
Organize the Unorganized
- Organize new workers in multiple industries, including in emerging industries like Electrical Vehicles (EVs) and by increasing density in existing units.
- Build worker solidarity and power through coordinated, cross-sector, cross-local organizing at the Regional level with shared information, resources, and strategies.
- Develop leaders who can support new campaigns by investing in organizer training.
- Engage UAW retired members in organizing drives.
Win Strong Contracts
- Win standard-setting contracts via coordinated strategies and patterned bargaining.
- Hold common-good campaigns on issues that affect members across the Region, including affordable housing, climate justice, international worker protections, harassment and bullying, and career development.
- Employ participatory bargaining strategies that increase member participation, transparency, and power.
- Build supermajority strike readiness across the Region through consistent, coordinated one-to-one organizing and membership engagement to maintain high membership levels and strong leadership.
Fight for Equity; Democracy; and Environmental, Racial, and Social Justice
- Fight for equity and environmental, racial, and social justice in our contract campaigns, social movements, electoral and legislative campaigns, and in our members’ communities.
- Increase member participation in labor councils, political campaigns, legislative campaigns, a progressive national political agenda, and community organizations.
- Mobilize en masse around core issues like housing, immigrant and international worker rights, racial justice, environmental justice, Medicare for All, and the PRO Act.
- Ensure high standards of health and safety in our workplaces and communities.
- Build accountability and pressure on elected officials to support our campaigns and legislative issues.
- Involve UAW retirees in all political action in the Region.
Member Participation and Democracy
- Hold accessible and regular Regional meetings and organizing trainings with members and leaders.
- Develop ongoing Regional training for leadership development, member engagement, participatory bargaining, contract enforcement, political action, issue-specific campaigns, and other political education.
- Establish our unions as a core social community in members’ lives.
- Increase member participation in the UAW at regional and international levels.
- Recruit, train, and support new leaders across diverse identities and sectors.
- Build a model of debate/discussion where disagreement moves us forward.
- Encourage retiree participation in Regional events, meetings, and activities.
