AUTOWORKERS ACROSS THE U.S. ARE JOINING THE UAW. ARE YOU READY TO STAND UP AND WIN YOUR FAIR SHARE?

September Newsletter: UAW Voter Guides and Political Action

Oct 19

Dear UAW Sibling,

The midterm elections are just a couple weeks away, and ballots in Region 6 states have dropped! Hundreds of UAW members in every sector and state have been taking action to build our biggest-ever political program, focused on building working class power to advance our issues: affordability, universal healthcare, ending ICE terror, ending war abroad, funding scientific research and education, and much more. Members have already made tens of thousands of voter contacts to get out the vote for candidates who will fight for these issues, and with a number of tight races, every additional voter contact will make a difference. 

In the final weeks before Election Day, there are many opportunities to get involved in building a working class political movement in every part of the Region – check out the links below to get connected to ongoing action in your area. And if you haven't already voted, be sure to get your ballot turned in ASAP! Check out the full list of UAW member endorsements at the links below.

Alaska

Take Action 

Endorsements 

Arizona

Take Action 

Endorsements 

California

Take Action 

Endorsements 

Nevada 

Take Action 

Endorsements 

Oregon

Take Action 

Endorsements 

Washington

Take Action - Seattle/King County

Take Action - Bellingham

Endorsements

With the elections to UAW’s International Executive Board concluded, I am honored to have been reelected. I am looking forward to working with members across Region 6 to build more power over the next four years and to carry on the work we’ve been doing to advance an agenda that improves the life for all members of the working class agenda.

Over the past four years, Region 6 members have developed a strong political program to improve the lives of workers everywhere. Workers everywhere are facing challenges: declining real wages, high gas and grocery prices, inaccessible childcare, expensive healthcare, and more. They are up against deep pockets of a billionaire class intent on serving their own narrow interests. But UAW members are fighting for something better. 

As I outlined in my message in last month’s Newsletter, our working class agenda consists of four core issues: a livable wage; universal healthcare; a just and sustainable future; and time off the job. Together we are fighting for policies, contracts, and candidates consistent with our vision. 

In recent months, UAW members have been ramping up efforts to drive turnout in the November elections. Various subregional groups have met to vet, discuss, and endorse candidates and ballot measures at every level. As we approach the elections in a few weeks, Region 6 members everywhere are joining together to get out the vote. Here are just a few important campaigns members are fighting across the Region:

In California, UAW Region 6 members are canvassing for a number of key races and initiatives. In Los Angeles, members are working hard to elect Nithya Raman mayor. She is committed to delivering a working class agenda centered on housing affordability, jobs, childcare, ending homelessness and more. Nithya has a very good chance of winning. Help secure her victory by signing up to canvass here.

In Fresno and Bakersfield, Region 6 members are mobilizing to elect Randy Villegas, a former UAW member running for congress on an agenda of affordability, Medicare for All, containing healthcare costs, bringing infrastructure jobs to the Central Valley, breaking up monopolies and supporting small businesses, raising the minimum wage, stopping endless wars, and more. Villegas is in a tight race against a MAGA Republican, but polls are giving him the edge. Help propel Randy Villegas to victory by volunteering to GOTV here.

In Sacramento, members have made nearly 5,000 voter contacts to get out the vote for Mai Vang for Congress. Mai is ready to take on the most pressing issues for working class families, from affordability to universal healthcare to abolishing ICE and more. In a tight race, every additional voter contact will make a difference – sign up for an upcoming canvass! 

There are also a number of important ballot initiatives in California. Greedy billionaires are up to no good. Silicon Valley executives are pouring millions of dollars into a deceptive campaign to defeat Proposition 40, a sensible one-time wealth tax on 250 billionaires. They are campaigning to sow doubt and division – all to protect their wealth at the expense of the poor and needy. If we pass Proposition 40, the revenues received would raise $100 billion and help to restore cuts to healthcare, food assistance, and education programs that Trump and Republicans made with their Big Brutal Bill of 2025.

Even worse: the billionaires have funded two poison-pill initiatives in California that, if passed, would nullify the voters’ will in passing Proposition 40. Therefore workers must vote YES on Prop 40 and NO on both Props 41 and 42. A related measure, Prop 43, is being pushed by far-right conservative activists and business interests. It would hamstring local government’s efforts to raise money for crucial public interventions – such as wildfire prevention and relief, childcare, and hospitals. We oppose Prop 43 and urge a NO vote.

As if that weren’t enough, billionaires are not stopping there. In California, several billionaires are bankrolling another ballot initiative – this one to place additional burdens on voters. The biggest backer of Proposition 39 is a far-right Republican who lives in Wisconsin who is using his vast wealth to influence political races in several states. Unable to win fairly on the issues, Republican operatives are resorting to voter suppression. We urge a NO vote on Prop 39. Send a message to the billionaires everywhere: democracy must be protected against their nefarious efforts to disenfranchise voters.

In Washington, similarly, a hedge fund manager is spearheading and pouring millions of dollars into a number of ballot initiatives that are both reactionary and repugnant. One initiative would repeal a millionaires tax already on the books. If successful, it would result in devastating cuts to schools, healthcare, and childcare. Hedge fund managers do not need tax breaks. This attempt by the wealthy to pad their own pockets must be defeated. Vote NO on measure I-645!

The same billionaire is also funding two hateful propositions: One, I-001, would put kids at risk of abuse, mental health issues, and even homelessness by making it harder for them to get help from their school counselors for issues like abuse and bullying. The other, I-638, would ban trans girls from participating in K-12 sports, and would subject all girls to invasive physical genital inspections to participate in sports. These measures are outrageous, cruel, and discriminatory – and they must be stopped with your NO vote.

To be sure, taxing billionaires and defeating their corrupt ballot initiatives are only a small step in the right direction. Our larger goal must be to elect candidates aligned with our interests and values. Fortunately, there are plenty of candidates on the ballot this November who support our interests, such as universal health coverage through a Medicare for All type system. And recent polling shows overwhelming support M4A. Region 6 members must mobilize in the remaining weeks to get out the vote for a working class agenda.

In Alaska and Nevada, members are organizing hard to elect governors who will support our organizing and bargaining efforts, in addition to many other important races in each state. And much more organizing is going on in every part of the Region. Check out a full list of endorsements and opportunities to get involved at the links at the beginning of this email, and be sure to get your ballot in ASAP!

The 2026 International Executive Board election has concluded! UAW members across the country cast their ballots by mail for the union’s top officers for the second time in the union’s 91-year history. United Auto Workers (UAW) President Shawn Fain and the union’s newly elected International Executive Board (IEB) were sworn into office for a new four-year term in a ceremony honoring the will of the membership and reaffirming the union’s commitment to fighting for its members and all working-class people. Region 6’s Director Mike Miller won reelection.

Speaking at the ceremony, Fain emphasized that the UAW is a democratic, member-driven organization and that the union’s future depends on members being prepared and empowered to fight for their interests. “This is a democracy,” Fain said. “We are only in this room because the members put us in this room. And we will only win what the members are prepared and empowered to fight for.” As Fain recalled, “our union built the American Dream”: “From the Sit Down Strikers of the 1930s to the Stand-Up Strikers since 2023, regular working-class people have led this union and led this country from the ground up.”

Director Miller expanded: “The working class movement, in which UAW plays a critical role, stands at a crossroads where we can fight the billionaires and their authoritarian political representatives across the country by helping millions of workers form unions, electing candidates who truly represent the interests of all workers, and aggressively engaging in collective bargain to bring greater democracy to our workplaces. I, with the members of the United UAW slate, look forward to getting to work on helping make this happen.”

Thousands of UAW members in California have spent the last year building a movement to win billions of dollars for lifesaving research that improves the lives of working people, and as of September, $7.5 billion in scientific research funding is one step closer to reality. 

Responding to the Trump administration’s savage cuts to scientific research funding, in September 2025, lawmakers introduced the California Science and Health Research Bond Act. In November, UAW members launched the Save Science, Save Lives campaign to advocate for this legislation. In 2026 UAW researchers and members organized over several months to highlight the importance of restoring funding to cancer research, wildfire prevention, and more. In June of this year, members delivered a petition to the State Assembly with 50,000 California voters supporting the bond. The State Assembly passed the measure overwhelmingly and sent it to the Governor’s desk. In September, Governor Newsom signed the bond on the Golden Gate Bridge to symbolize the importance of public funding for the public good. In the 1930s, the Bridge was built after the voters passed a $30 million bond to invest in California workers and public infrastructure.

The California Science and Health Research Bond now goes to the March 2028 ballot for California voters to approve $7.5 billion for lifesaving research. UAW members are already organizing to build the mass participation and resources to win: signing up thousands of new union members, organizing mass political action, and getting ready to mobilize millions of Californians at the ballot box in March 2028.

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