Biden passes the torch – the fight continues
Over the past several weeks, UAW has been among the growing chorus calling for President Biden to drop out of the Presidential race and pass the torch to another candidate in the interest of creating the best possible path to win the November election against the Trump/Vance ticket. Today, President Biden announced that – in keeping with those same interests – he has decided to end his bid for reelection, and has endorsed Vice President Harris to take his place.
Working people everywhere are acutely aware of the stakes of the November election. Trump has a plan to dismantle our democratic institutions and dramatically limit our reproductive rights and our abilities to fight climate change, form unions, and fund social security, education, and research. By contrast, Region 6 members are actively fighting to advance workers’ rights and power on a number of priority issues: living wages, affordable housing, job security, climate justice, reproductive freedom, immigration, justice in Palestine, public research funding, and more.
Today’s news marks a critical moment in this fight. This is a major opportunity for working people to build a fighting movement – not just to beat Trump in November, but also to realize a vision for long-lasting social, economic, and climate justice. As the selection of the new nominee develops in the coming weeks, it is more important now than ever for every Region 6 member to take part in expressing a clear call for a Democratic ticket that shares our priorities and is ready to organize to win. Regardless of who the nominee ends up being, it will also be critical for every UAW member to get involved in building the political power to both defeat Trump’s attacks on our fundamental rights and advance a positive pro-worker agenda.
Echoing the urgency felt by union members across the west coast to act decisively in the coming weeks and months, Region 6 Director Mike Miller said: “UAW members in Region 6 believe all working people deserve a just and sustainable future, and are committed to doing what it takes to make strides toward that end in the upcoming elections. With today’s announcement from President Biden, members across the West Coast are ready to take action to ensure the next nominee is committed to moving that same agenda forward.”
And as the International UAW statement earlier today stated, “The path forward is clear: we will defeat Donald Trump and his billionaire agenda and elect a champion for the working class…We will speak truth to power about the issues that matter to the working class…And we will Stand Up for our members and the whole working class in the fight for economic and social justice on and off the job.”
In Region 6, workers are already building political power on many fronts. Currently over 80,000 workers are organizing new unions in our region to gain a stronger voice in the workplace and in society. Union members are organizing in support of pro-worker legislation and candidates at local, state, and federal levels during and beyond this election cycle. And together we are building a broad working class movement to realize our vision for social, economic, and climate justice.
As a union, our collective efforts to advance a pro-worker political program – including through selecting a strong nominee in the coming weeks and winning key races in November – will only be as strong as the participation of all members. All UAW Region 6 members are strongly encouraged to participate in this ongoing work: fill out this form to get involved. For more, check out the Political Action page on the Region 6 website, join the Political Action Conference (Aug. 17-18 in Pico Rivera, CA), and make sure your voter registration is up to date.