ORGANIZING
UAW Local 14's founder, Bob Travis, directed the historic Flint Sit-Down Strike. At the time, many people believed the workers had no chance of winning against the power of General Motors. Yet those brave men and women stood together, defied the odds, and changed the course of labor history forever.
Our history proves that when working people unite around a common cause, there is no obstacle too great to overcome.
Today, we face a different challenge, but one that is just as important. Corporations across America are engaged in a coordinated effort to eliminate good-paying jobs through outsourcing, automation without worker protections, subcontracting, and the erosion of hard-fought labor standards. Too often, workers are expected to accept that these decisions are inevitable.
I reject that idea.
The labor movement was built by people who refused to accept what others said was impossible. The same spirit that fueled the Flint Sit-Down Strike must guide us today. We must come together as union members, local unions, and working-class communities to push back against the corporate bull rush aimed at eliminating our jobs and weakening our collective power.
We need stronger organizing, stronger job security language, stronger enforcement of our contracts, and a renewed commitment to protecting the next generation of workers. If Bob Travis and the workers of Flint taught us anything, it is that ordinary people can accomplish extraordinary things when they stand together.
The odds may be against us, but history has never stopped the UAW from fighting for what is right.
Solidarity isn't just our history—it's our future.
Local 14 Members gave up hours at work to fight for workers they didn’t know, that needed justice in their workplace.
