United Auto Workers

On February 20, 2026, Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga, Tennessee, ratified their first labor contract with the UAW, voting 96% in favor. The agreement includes a 20% wage increase over four years and reduced healthcare costs. This contract is heralded as a historic milestone in the UAW’s decades‑long effort to unionize in southern auto plants.

In April 2024, after previous failed attempts, workers at the Volkswagen Chattanooga plant in Tennessee voted to join the UAW—its first successful organization of a foreign‑owned auto plant in the U.S. South. This represented a significant strategic breakthrough in the UAW’s long‑standing effort to expand into regions historically resistant to unionization.

On September 14, 2023, approximately 13,000 UAW members went on strike against the Big Three automakers—GM, Ford, and Stellantis—seeking improved wages and benefits. The strike was among the largest in decades, creating unprecedented leverage for the union and culminating in a historic agreement that included wage increases, cost‑of‑living adjustments, and elimination of two‑tier pay systems.

In 1989, the UAW merged with District 65, a former affiliate of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. This merger brought office and professional workers into the union’s ranks, expanding its representation beyond manufacturing and signaling its adaptability amid changing labor landscapes.

On May 9, 1970, UAW president Walter Reuther died in a plane crash near Black Lake, northern Michigan. His death dealt a profound blow to the labor movement. Reuther had shaped the UAW’s identity and political direction; his loss destabilized the Alliance for Labor Action and marked the end of an era of progressive leadership within the union.

On July 1, 1968, the UAW disaffiliated from the AFL‑CIO following internal disagreements over policy and governance. The split led to the formation of the Alliance for Labor Action with the Teamsters. However, following Reuther’s death in 1970, the alliance dissolved by July 1971, as the UAW faced financial strain from prolonged strikes and declining revenues.

In 1962, the organization formally updated its name to International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America. This change reflected its growing representation beyond the auto industry, encompassing aerospace and agricultural implement workers, and affirming its broader international scope.

In 1950, under Walter Reuther’s leadership, the UAW negotiated industry‑first contracts that provided employer‑funded pensions at Chrysler, medical insurance at General Motors, and supplementary unemployment benefits at Ford. These pioneering agreements enhanced job security and welfare for autoworkers and set a new standard for labor‑management relations in the United States.

On March 27, 1946, Walter Reuther was elected president of the UAW. Under his leadership, the union became a dominant force in the labor movement and a proponent of liberal Democratic politics. Reuther championed collective bargaining gains, including wages, pensions, medical benefits, and cost‑of‑living adjustments, helping establish the “Treaty of Detroit” framework that secured long‑term stability for autoworkers.

In October 1939, the UAW organized a major strike at Chrysler’s Dodge Main plant in Detroit. This struggle pitted autoworkers against Chrysler management, as union members sought recognition and better conditions. The strike underscored the UAW’s growing influence within the auto industry and reinforced its commitment to representing workers at all major automakers beyond General Motors.

On December 30, 1936, the UAW launched a groundbreaking sit‑down strike at General Motors plants in Flint, Michigan. Workers occupied the factory, halting production and preventing strikebreakers from entering. This 44‑day occupation demonstrated the power of industrial collective action. The strike ended on February 11, 1937, when GM recognized the UAW as the bargaining representative for its workers—a major victory that legitimized the union and catalyzed its expansion across the Big Three automakers.

On August 26, 1935, delegates from AFL-affiliated locals in the automobile industry met in Detroit, Michigan, to formally launch the United Automobile Workers of America, later renamed UAW. This founding convention brought together militant union activists who sought to organize auto workers across the United States. The UAW’s birth marked a vital turning point in labor history, enabling the union to pursue collective bargaining across the auto industry. The convention’s location in Detroit—at the heart of U.S. automotive manufacturing—underscored its strategic importance for organizing industrial labor.