On April 24th through the 29th I attended the UAW Education Committee Conference at the Walter and May Reuther Education Center in Black Lake Michigan. First I want to thank Mr. President Mark Crear for sending me, this was a great experience. I also wanted to thank Jessica De Los Santos and Kaylee Turner who helped so much with my travel arrangements. They have always made sure it is a pleasurable experience. I also want to thank my fellow union brothers and sisters, without them this would not be possible.
I start by passing on the well wishes of UAW President Ray Curry and Education Director Ruthann Hande who both spoke at this event. It was the 1st session back since the pandemic so there was a lot of excitement.
Five days, 185 attendees in all. Every region was represented, and I got to speak with other union members from all over the country. We participated in several classes like:
- Effective Educator training
- Strategic Planning
- Growing Your Committees
- And many workshops
We also talked about UAW core values
- Build and maintain high standards in contracts
- All are equal regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, skill or education level
- We fight for everyone, not just ourselves. This goes beyond the workplace, it’s about our communities and our country.
- Breadbox is connected to the ballot box. It’s why the union is political. To protect members interests like labor rights, workplace safety, and social security.
We talked about where Union power comes from:
- Solidarity in our membership
- Knowledge
- Bargaining
- Laws
- Our elected officials
- Committees
- Our history
I’ve brought home knowledge and resources to help me be a better Education Committee Chair and look forward to sharing with you. Thank you.
Jared Johnson, Education Committee Chair
UAW local 218
Solidarity