But if we do fight, at least we know there's a chance we can win. And if we fight and lose, then at least we have our dignity." -- Ricky Maclin, UE Local 1110
Brothers and Sisters of UAW Local 31,
My name is Justin Mayhugh and I am a candidate for UAW Local 31 Guide. I am humbly asking for your support so that I may represent you on our Local Executive Board. I have been a UAW member in good st
anding since 2011, when I began working at Fairfax as a flex worker. I soon became enamored with researching and analyzing the history of our great
union. From our militant and radical beginnings in Flint, to the Reuther Brothers, to the New Directions Movement and the joint cooperative era we have found ourselves in over the past forty years. At the tail-end of 2017, I started an online blog detailing my experiences and frustrations as a union auto worker. That blog -- The Solidarity Review -- seemed to have struck a chord with numerous UAW members who felt that their voices were not being heard by the International leadership of the union. The positive responses I received from a number of my fellow Brothers and Sisters let me know that I was by no means alone in the way that I felt about the direction we have been headed and our inability to effectively combat the strategies of the corporations. In 2018, I was elected by my peers as an alternate delegate to the 37th UAW Constitutional Convention. This was a great personal honor for me, and I considered it a privilege to attend the Convention in Detroit. I also attended the UAW Bargaining Convention the following summer. In the fall of 2019 shortly after the GM-UAW strike, I co-founded Unite All Workers for Democracy (UAWD) with a group of fellow UAW rank-and-file activists. The goal of UAWD is to democratize the union so that it can properly and effectively address the challenges and concerns of the membership through such reforms as One Member One Vote of our International Officers. Roles of the Guide according to Article 40, Section 14 of the UAW Constitution -- "It shall be the duty of the Guide to maintain order, inspect the membership receipts, satisfy her/himself that all present are entitled to remain in the meeting of the Local Union and perform such other duties as are usual to the office."
