Who We Are
UAW REGION 1
UAW Region 1 represents local unions in 8 counties in Michigan: Huron, Lapeer, Macomb, Oakland, St. Clair, Sanilac, Tuscola and part of Wayne (including Detroit). Region 1 also includes Canada. Region 1 represents over 50,000 active members and over 100,000 retired members.
Our Region 1 membership is diverse, including salaried and hourly workers in the public and private sectors. We represent people working in a wide range of industries, including production and skilled trades workers in manufacturing, engineering and design employees in the automotive and defense industries, workers at Blue Cross, dealers at the Detroit casinos, attorneys in the public sector, academics at Wayne State University and Macomb Community College, and so many more.
At our Region 1 offices we host educational classes for members, community events and meetings, retiree activities, advisory councils, and more. Our experienced team of Servicing Representatives support the work of our local unions, active and retired members, and various programs and activities under the direction of Regional Director LaShawn English and Assistant Director Ray Pecoraro.
OUR PURPOSE
The UAW’s purpose is set forth in Article 2 of the UAW Constitution:
To improve and protect the wages, health care, pensions, work hours, and work conditions of all UAW members.
To unite in one organization, regardless of religion, race, creed, color, sex, political affiliation or nationality, age, disability, marital status or sexual orientation.
To improve workplace health and safety conditions and accomplish necessary reforms by using our bargaining power and, if these efforts fail to establish justice for UAW members, to advocate and support strike action.
To educate ourselves in the history of the labor movement and to develop and maintain an intelligent and dignified membership.
OUR MEMBERSHIP
The UAW Is well known as the union of automotive assembly and parts workers, but many of us work in other sectors.
The UAW has over one million active and retired members in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.
We are casino dealers; technical, office and professional employees (TOP); heavy truck, bus and agricultural implement assemblers, aerospace workers, health insurance employees, health care professionals and technicians, and government workers.
We make a wide variety of products and provide a wide variety of services. We make refrigerators, cleaning products, coffee, firearms, airplanes, and toys. We produce beer, write and edit books, provide legal services, teach students, and process driver licenses. You would be hard-pressed to find a sector of the economy untouched by a UAW member.
Just over half of UAW members work in the automotive sector assembling (35 percent) or making auto parts (17 percent). Fourteen percent manufacture other products. Over 20 percent of us are in the technical, office and professional (TOP) sector which includes occupations in higher education, government, gaming, insurance, etc. More than a quarter of the rest of us work in the heavy truck and bus, agricultural and construction equipment and aerospace sectors.
HOW DO UNION'S WORK?
When a majority of employees who share a community of interest at a single employer band together for better working conditions or benefits, they are a union. A labor or trade union is dedicated to protecting members' interests and improving wages, hours and working conditions for all.
No matter what you do for a living, there's a union with members who do the same thing.
