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When UAW members pledge to support each other, they do not mean just fellow UAW members. The sense of brotherhood and sisterhood is not only about working conditions, fair wages and benefits for UAW members — it’s about supporting the whole community, ensuring healthy lives and doing our part as a family of people creating rewarding lives in this country and around the world. Nothing could illustrate this fact more than the thousands of UAW members who have volunteered to work around the clock with companies in every sector to manufacture much-needed medical equipment during this time of crisis. Read more on detroitnews.com >>>
My Brothers and Sisters, Today, on Workers Memorial Day, we recognize all of the UAW family members whom we have lost to workplace incidents, the COVID-19 pandemic and a tragic mass shooting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin earlier this year. It is always important for us to mark the loss of any of our brothers and sisters, but in the extraordinary days and weeks of this global crisis, our losses seem even more poignant. On behalf of myself and the entire International Executive Board, we extend our heartfelt sympathies to the families, friends and communities of these brothers and sisters.
For UAW members and workers everywhere, there is never a time when workplace safety should take a backseat to any workplace issue. Never has that been more true than it is today, as the world is dealing with the COVID-19 crisis. During this heartbreaking season of loss, the UAW has continued to stand as a fierce advocate for tough, science-based safeguards and measures. As reports of the coronavirus surfaced, UAW leadership quickly began monitoring reports, implementing precautions and working with employers to educate workers and implement stringent workplace safety measures...
My Brothers and Sisters, I want to start my message today by commending the brave UAW Ford, FCA and GM men and women who have stepped up and agreed to serve as paid volunteers, to go back into production facilities to begin readying them for a restart date. That effort began today, and these dedicated volunteers will play a critical role in putting our members’ safety first as we get our economy back to work. These members will be helping to ensure that the plants meet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) health and safety COVID-19 protocols.
David Gordon, Associate Researcher and transitioning to Associate Professor Krogan Lab, University of California, San Francisco, UAW Local 5810 “I was wrapping up a genetic interaction mapping project on HIV in January when we became aware of the new coronavirus. Since then, we've been working around the clock to find the interactions between SARS-CoV-2 proteins and human proteins. By uncovering the human proteins that enable the spread of the virus, we are able to identify existing FDA-approved drugs which might be repurposed for COVID-19 patients.
My Sisters and Brothers, As we come together at the end of another week, I want to talk a little about what you may have seen in the news and in my messages over these past few days. What is dominating the news cycles, the stock market, our state and local governments and all of our conversations across all sectors is how do we stay safe as we plan for a restart of our economy.
At this point in time, the UAW does not believe the scientific data is conclusive that it is safe to have our members back in the workplace. We have not done enough testing to really understand the threat our members face. We want to make sure the scientific data is supportive and every possible health protocols and enhanced protections are in place before UAW members walk into the workplace...
What does it really mean to have a voice in your workplace? The extraordinary global crisis that we are all facing has put this into sharp focus. And at the forefront of this pandemic are essential workers -- those front line employees in hospitals, grocery stores, transportation industries, security and firefighters, warehouses, construction sites and more. For those who are union members with a collective bargaining agreement, their voices are heard. The power of union representation allows them to demand safety improvements, have a say in their workplace, their schedules and so much more. In short, they have a voice that is heard, something that non-union workers lack.