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If you’re a new member of the UAW, the New Member issue of Solidarity magazine will help give you a better understanding of how our organization f

The Big 3 Special Issue of Solidarity Magazine is now online!

FORMER VICE PRESIDENT REMINDS AMERICANS THAT WE CAN DO BETTER On the final day of the convention, UAW members and their messages were featured prominently and Joe Biden accepted his party’s nomination with an inspirational speech reminding Americans that, “We make our greatest progress when we follow the light,” and turn away from the darkness and division that the nation finds itself mired in.
UAW Vice President Terry Dittes, who directs the union’s General Motors’ Department, said he’s “very excited” about the Biden-Harris ticket. Dittes, who as a past Regional Director represented the Scranton region where Biden grew up, said the candidate is well grounded in the everyday lives of UAW members.
SENATOR MAKES HISTORY AS FIRST WOMAN OF COLOR TO RUN FOR VICE PRESIDENT Making history, U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris stood before DNC delegates and accepted the nomination to be Joe Biden’s running mate last evening almost 100 years from the day that the 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote in America.

As delegates gather online for this year’s historic Democratic National Convention, UAW Vice President Cindy Estrada says this online-only convention is key to success in November, especially for women.

Leadership matters, especially when working families are struggling with the worst public health crisis in a century, which has spurred the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

For UAW members and their families, the 2020 election comes at a time of great uncertainty about the economy, retirement, health care and a way forward to guide the nation out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Just after sunset on a resurgent Detroit, UAW Secretary-Treasurer Ray Curry and U.S. Senator Gary Peters called the Michigan roll for Joe Biden at the 2020 Democratic National Convention live from Belle Isle’s Sunset Point. Secretary-Treasurer Curry said it was a high honor for working families and the UAW because of Biden's long track record of support for labor.

UAW Vice President Gerald Kariem, who directs the union’s National Ford Department, sees the Biden-Harris ticket as a change for the country to get back to steady, measured and effective leadership. “We need folks with a steady hand, empathy and intelligence to be able to do that job,” Kariem said. “This current health care and economic crisis that has been caused by Covid-19 has shifted us into a new way of living. We need strong leadership that guides us, not confuses us.” For Kariem, both Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have the kind of upbringing that relates to the needs of working families. In fact, Kariem noted that both have a long history of being on the correct side of issues that are particularly important to UAW members. “The most important thing UAW members should know is that a Biden-Harris ticket will be sensitive to the needs of working families,” he said. “Joe Biden has been in solidarity with the UAW for decades.” However, Kariem stressed the importance of UAW members participating in the process and voting. “Nothing concerns me more than people who don’t take advantage of their opportunity to vote,” Kariem said, adding that he understands why people would have doubts about the importance of voting given the doubts and confusion sown by those who want to keep people from the polls. “We have to help our members, their families and our friends understand what the candidates stand for and how they will help UAW members, working Americans and their families. That has always been a strong part of the UAW’s mission,” Kariem said. It’s a cliché to say that this is the most important election of our lifetimes, but Kariem says what makes this election important is the constant turmoil the nation has been experiencing in recent years. “I would like to double down on that statement and say this is the most important election in the history of this country,” he said. “We are looking to find a less confusing and less chaotic society, as well as less chaotic political discourse.” With Biden winning the nomination and his selection of Harris as his running mate, Kariem said he sees hope for UAW members and America on the horizon.

This month marks the 55th anniversary of the passage of the Voting Rights Act (VRA), one of the most powerful pieces of civil rights legislation in our history. The passage of the VRA into law was the result of decades of struggle and sacrifice and was truly a shining moment in our history.

Unfortunately, the struggle to ensure that all Americans have the right and opportunity to vote not only continues today, we have actually suffered significant losses on this front over the past decade.