Friend,

About 50,000 United Auto Workers union members have been on strike for more than two weeks, including thousands in my district.

It’s the UAW’s first national strike in a decade: They’re demanding that General Motors pay them fair wages, more healthcare coverage, job security, and a better quality of life. And the contract they win will set standards for other workers—union and non-union alike. They’re striking so all of us can live in a more equitable world. And they need our support.

Can you contribute today to the United Way of Southeastern Michigan, which is supporting striking workers?

While striking, workers are on reduced pay, which they’ve pooled through their union dues. So in my district, the United Way of Southeastern Michigan is running a 2-1-1 hotline to connect strikers with resources, and providing a special assistance fund for strikers’ needs, such as housing and food.

The United Way also recently released a report showing that nearly 50% of all households in southeastern Michigan struggle to afford basic necessities already.¹ Striking is a sacrifice; it is not easy.

And this strike comes on top of years of sacrifice to help GM stay afloat over the years. The American people also bailed out GM when it went bankrupt during the last recession—to the tune of $50 billion.

At the time, GM froze workers’ wages, brought on temporary workers at lower wages, and closed facilities. One striker, Patrick, said: “I have had to work in six plants in three states, my family has moved twice, and my child has changed schools and watched her father worry about what uncertainty was going to come next thanks to GM.”² And now, with GM closing more plants, the family may need to move again.

This is one of many unjust stories. Thanks to auto workers’ labor, GM has made more than $25 billion in profits for the past several years. Its CEO, Mary Berra, made $22 million personally last year—281 times the salary of the median GM worker.³

However, GM has been cutting workers’ benefits and closing more plants, including in Michigan and Ohio. And those “temporary” workers from 2009? They’re still on staff, but haven’t been made permanent, which means they’re still on reduced wages, and they don’t get benefits or paid time off.

Workers took a hit on their wages and benefits for years, but they didn’t abandon GM. Now that GM’s thriving again, it’s leaving workers and their families behind. It’s a complete betrayal.

It’s time to fight back against corporate greed. Join me in solidarity with striking workers by donating to the United Way of Southeastern Michigan today.

Right when the strike began, GM announced an inhumane, surprise decision to immediately stop paying for workers’ healthcare coverage. This impacted not only the workers themselves, but also their families, including a 5-year-old girl with cerebral palsy in my district. After public pressure, they’re now covering workers’ healthcare again. But the uncertainty adds to people’s emotional exhaustion.

This is why we have to keep supporting these brave strikers and their families: They’re undergoing a difficult but important step in the fight for human dignity.

The corporate assault on our communities is real. That’s why it’s so critical that we stand in solidarity with striking UAW workers and demand justice for all working people. I’ve been proud to march alongside strikers in Michigan, and I’m inspired by their fight for what they deserve. As one UAW worker on strike said: “Being in a union is about strength through unity.”⁴ I learned about that from my father, who was a UAW member, and now I know that it also describes how grassroots power works.

A striking worker in Flint explained: “We are fighting not just for us but for our kids, our kids’ futures. CEOs are getting paid $20 million a year and we have people worrying about their healthcare. That’s not right… It’s time to share the wealth.”⁵

That’s why last week, I stood on the House floor to ask my colleagues and people across the country to join me in solidarity and support the UAW workers.

Now I’m asking you: Will you chip in to support the United Way of Southeastern Michigan’s resources for striking workers?

Thank you for all you do,

Rashida

¹https://unitedwaysem.org/blog/2-1-1-enhancements-begin-thanks-to-innovation-powered-by-roush

²https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/voices/2019/09/20/general-motors-gm-strike-united-automobile-workers-column/2367137001/
³https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/2019/09/15/uaw-strike-gm-autoworker-contract-talks/2333883001
⁴https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/voices/2019/09/20/general-motors-gm-strike-united-automobile-workers-column/2367137001/
⁵https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/sep/20/general-motors-strike-auto-workers-hope-a-deal-will-change-the-industry