UE’s 79th convention opened in Chicago on Sunday, August 24 with the theme “One Voice, One Fight, One Future.” The fifth UE convention to be held in the Windy City, this convention was also the largest in recent memory, with over 150 delegates and alternates, joined by more than 60 staff and guests.
For almost 70 percent of delegates, it was their first time representing their local at a national UE convention. This was the result not only of UE’s recent growth, with approximately 25,000 new workers coming under UE first contracts since the union’s 78th convention in 2023, but also the efforts of existing UE locals to nurture new leadership from their ranks. (Visit “First-Time Delegates Reflect on Their UE Convention Experience” to see and read interviews with first-time UE delegates.)
The convention saw lively discussion in both committees and on the convention floor, contested elections for all three national officer positions, inspiring guest speakers, a boisterous rally, and both formal and informal opportunities for rank-and-file UE members to connect with and learn from each other. On Tuesday, convention-goers participated in two blocks of workshops, on topics ranging from “Steward Basics” to “Bargaining for Power on the Job” to “How to Lead a UE Local.”
Welcomed to Chicago
The tone for the week was set on Sunday morning by two UE allies from Chicago.
Rev. C.J. Hawking gave the invocation. In her prayer, Rev. Hawking said, “We give thanks our ancestors, who would not cave into fear and authoritarianism of McCarthyism. We give thanks for their bold vision of a true democracy, in the world and in their union.” She called upon the “Spirit of solidarity [to] enliven the hearts and quicken the steps of leaders in this room” and to “inspire the leaders to fight for all workers in the U.S. and across the globe.”
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson welcomed UE to the city. A former union organizer himself, Johnson noted that “Chicago is a city that is steeped in the labor movement and labor history, one of the birthplaces of the American labor movement. Our city’s identity is intertwined with the struggle for safe workplaces and fair wages and a just society.”
He reviewed what having “everyday working people” running the mayor’s office has accomplished in the city: eliminating the sub-minimum wage for tipped workers, passing the most progressive paid sick leave policy in the nation, building 10,000 units of affordable housing, providing jobs for tens of thousands of young people, and expanding mental and behavioral healthcare services.
As UE members deliberate over the course of convention, he said, “I hope that this city serves as a reminder of what is possible when workers stand together.”
“The working class needs UE”
In his address to the convention, General President Carl Rosen told delegates that “The working class needs UE, because there is no more effective tool for the working class than a fighting, rank-and-file union. And right now the working class needs fighting, rank-and-file unions more than ever.”
He said, “At our last convention two years ago, many UE locals were reporting record wage increases in their contract settlements, and we had just brought in tens of thousands of new members in a remarkable wave of organizing that harkened back to the explosive growth of our union in the 1930s and 1940s. … Today, as we noted in our Officers’ Report to the Convention, while many UE locals are still reporting significant wage increases and other economic improvements, the wind is no longer at our backs in the same way.”
He warned that “The on-again-off-again tariffs, cuts to social spending, mass layoffs of federal workers, and general unpredictability of the Trump administration have made the economic outlook uncertain,” that Trump’s attacks on the NLRB “have brought the recent pro-worker era at the NLRB to an end” and that “employers are feeling increasingly emboldened to demand concessions, resist union efforts to improve wages and working conditions,” and openly bust unions.
“How did we get here?” he asked. “We got here because President Biden and the corporate Democrats who control that party did not stand up for workers … and they ran a tone-deaf campaign, failing to even recognize the real economic pain felt by working people after a half-century of deindustrialization, deregulation, and constantly rising costs for housing, healthcare, and education.”
Rosen gave numerous examples of the ways that UE’s principles of aggressive struggle, rank and file control, political independence, international solidarity and uniting all workers make UE uniquely suited to addressing the current “maelstrom” facing working people. These included the union’s success in bringing 25,000 workers under UE first contracts in the past two years, the leadership of UE members in the resistance to the Trump administration, and the key role UE has played in bringing together networks of likeminded unions to oppose Israel’s military assault on the Palestinian people and Trump’s attacks on democracy.
“If we want to see real change,” Rosen said, “we are going to have to force a crisis that the corporate class can’t afford — and that means taking actions at our workplaces and in the streets that affect the economy, that cause real economic pain for the capitalist class who have been driving the course this country is on.” He added that “It is clearer than ever that UE’s longstanding support for an independent political voice for workers — a labor party — is desperately needed.”
Rosen, who is retiring after his term ends at the end of October, closed his remarks by noting that “The generations that came before us dedicated their lives to preserving this union so that future generations have UE as a tool to fight for a better world. Thanks to the remarkable efforts of everyone in this room, and many who could not be here with us today, UE is not only alive, but thriving, and poised to grow in both strength and influence.
“I, for one, cannot think of anyplace I would rather have been for the last 41 years.”
Members Running the Union
Over the course of the convention, delegates debated, amended, and passed resolutions outlining the union’s approach to collective bargaining, political action, and financial practices, along with a resolution committing the union to hold a future national convention in North Carolina. On Wednesday afternoon, delegates discussed and passed several amendments to the UE Constitution. One set of amendments will restore full financial autonomy to the regions. A second set of amendments will give locals the option of calculating and paying per capita to the national union on a percentage basis, to better accommodate locals with large numbers of members who do not work exactly 20 or 40 hours per week. A third set of amendments sets the pay for officers and staff for the next two years. (Constitutional amendments are subject to approval by a referendum of UE locals, which was ongoing at the time of writing.)
The Constitution Committee also had a lengthy discussion about the process by which UE elects national officers, and recommended to the full convention a resolution outlining steps for the union to review and improve that process. The resolution calls for the General Executive Board to establish a task force to solicit input from UE members, draft proposals for any necessary constitutional amendments, and facilitate the approval of those constitutional amendments by a referendum process in 2026 so they can be in effect for the next set of national officer elections, in 2027. The resolution was approved by the convention; the task force was established by the GEB at a special meeting in September, and is currently soliciting input from UE local leaders.
On Wednesday morning, Secretary-Treasurer Andrew Dinkelaker gave a thorough financial report, and delegates took action on recommendations from the Publicity and Education and Policy Action Committees. Speaking on the resolution “UE Education: Essential for Rank-and-File Unionism,” which commits the national union to establishing a worker-to-worker educational program and a member-run education committee, delegates praised the union’s educational programs. “The reason why I’m here today is because of the programs that were put in place many years ago,” said Antwon Gibson, Eastern Region. Lauren Chua, Local 256, added that “I know that many members of my own local have benefitted” from union initiatives to develop the leadership of members from underrepresented groups. Delegates also discussed various ways to provide educational opportunities to members, including making use of video and Zoom.
The Policy Action Committee, which was charged with developing a concrete “policy action” plan for the best way for UE to continue to engage in aggressive struggle and independent political action over the next two years, also gave its report on Wednesday.
Vision for Future for the Working Class
Delegates also debated and passed resolutions on jobs, collective bargaining rights and the right to strike, peace, healthcare, civil liberties, public and higher education, climate, and the economy. Taken together, these resolutions outline a comprehensive vision of a future in which all working people have good jobs and safe workplaces; the right to organize, bargain, and strike if necessary; housing, education, healthcare, and a secure retirement; the freedom to speak their mind without fear of retaliation; and a peaceful and livable planet to leave to their children.
(The full text of the policy resolutions passed by the convention is available on the UE Policy section of the website; see the article “Rank-and-File Voices: What Delegates Had to Say” for some of what rank-and-file delegates had to say about them.)
Aggressive Struggle Called “Life-Changing”
Speaking on the final resolution considered by the convention, “Aggressive Struggle,” Scott Slawson, Local 506, commented, “What a powerful convention this was.” Recognizing the role of younger workers in rebuilding UE over the past few years, he declared, “This younger generation rocks, they’ve brought an energy back that’s just fantastic.” And he reminded delegates that “It is very important that we remain who we are. You run your local, you don’t let your staff run your local. ... Nothing is better for fighting grievances than mobilizing and fighting the boss.”
Max Pagano, Local 1466, noted, “We have many different people here from a lot of different industries, a lot of different walks of life. We are united in struggle against the boss. We’re here because we believe in the power of the working class.” Daniel Shen, Local 256, “One thing that’s been very beautiful is that you can really see people change” as they engage in aggressive struggle. “You see their consciousness change, and that’s such a beautiful thing about this union’s policy ... in changing how people see themselves, see the world, and see their own agency in the world.”
Cedric Whelchel, Local 1177, recalled his first time being on a UE bargaining committee and learning that “Our struggles only make us stronger.” Mounica Sreesai, Local 1122, said “As an international worker … the only thing that keeps me safe and protects me is the aggressive struggle.”; Caedmon Ragland, Local 1498 added that becoming a member of UE “has been life-changing for me.”
Following the adoption of “Aggressive Struggle,” delegates, alternates, guests and staff closed the convention by joining hands and singing the labor anthem “Solidarity Forever.”
Fruit of Labor
The convention opened with the national anthem, James Weldon and J. Rosamond Johnson’s “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” (which is often referred to as “the Black national anthem”), and Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land.” Singing the latter two were members of the Fruit of Labor cultural ensemble, a movement singing group from North Carolina which includes several members of UE Local 150. Fruit of Labor also performed their original songs throughout the first days of the convention. On Wednesday, the convention was opened by a group of bagpipers including General Executive Board member Jacob Payne, Local 896, and UE Staff Coordinator Tommy Carden.
Jacob Payne, Local 896, is at far right; UE Staff Coordinator Tommy Carden is second from right.