Elected delegates concluded business on the final day of the UAW’s 39th Constitutional Convention, as the union now moves forward with a more unified vision for the next four years.
Delegates voted to allocate funding to the Civil and Human Rights Department and the Women’s Department and voted to divest UAW investments from Israel bonds, among other business items.
Two recently UAW-endorsed candidates, Jocelyn Benson for Michigan Governor and Dr. Abdul El-Sayed for U.S. Senate, were distinguished speakers for the day.
Benson reaffirmed her commitment to protecting the interests of working people across Michigan if elected this November. “I love this state,” said Benson. “And I know when I talk to the single mom in Muskegon who has to decide to eat or pay for childcare. When I sit down with seniors in Warren who are anxious about covering rising healthcare costs on a fixed income. When I visit with parents here in Detroit and hold their newborn child in my arms and listen to them tell me that they don’t want their child to grow up in poverty. I know we must do right by them.”
El-Sayed called out a political system that has left far too many Michiganders behind. “Donald Trump himself is not the disease in our politics,” El-Sayed told delegates. “Donald Trump is just the worst symptom of the disease of our politics. The disease is the system that allows big corporations and billionaires and special interests to buy and sell our politicians in ways that leave them rigging the system against us. We pay more for the stuff that we got to buy, get paid less for the work that we do, and watch as our tax dollars get misappropriated to buy bombs and tanks for other countries instead of schools and healthcare for our own.”
The UAW honored Local 1248 member Maria Medina with the union’s Social Justice Award. Medina has dedicated her career to helping our many Spanish-speaking members better understand the UAW Constitution, their collective bargaining agreements, and their rights as union members. She also played a vital role in the first-ever translation of our UAW Constitution into Spanish earlier this year.
“From an early age, I became a bridge for others; helping my parents, my family, friends, and strangers navigate the barrier of language,” Medina said. “What started as helping loved ones became my life’s purpose.”
UAW Region 1D Director Steve Dawes, who will retire at the end of his current term later this year, was recognized by the convention body for his decades of dedicated service to the UAW membership.
“I think this award goes to you, and the great people of my delegation,” Dawes said, acknowledging Region 1D delegates on the convention floor. “This award really belongs to you because, if it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be here.”
Delegates and union leadership adjourned by celebrating the Juneteenth holiday and singing the Ralph Chaplin trade union anthem, “Solidarity Forever.” The 40th UAW Constitutional Convention will be held in June 2030.
Convention Day One Recap
Convention Day Two Recap
Convention Day Three Recap
For more information about the UAW’s 39th Constitutional Convention: https://uaw.org/convention/
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