UAW Local 737

03/03/2026

The following is a statement from Tom Erickson, Director of the Teamsters Warehouse Division, regarding Kroger’s illegal and unethical behavior that is undermining good-paying Teamsters jobs nationwide:

“Kroger has declared open war on the Teamsters and the union workforce that built this company. The Teamsters are prepared to do whatever is necessary to preserve, protect, and defend the thousands of members we represent at Kroger and its third-party partners.

“After its reckless merger attempt with Albertsons collapsed under public scrutiny and regulatory opposition, Kroger showed the country exactly who it is. That failed merger was never about helping consumers — it was about consolidation, market control, and cutting costs at the expense of workers and communities. The company was willing to close facilities, eliminate Teamsters jobs, and weaken competition to grow corporate power.

“Now, following the sudden departure of former CEO Rodney McMullen amid personal misconduct allegations, new CEO Greg Foran — a former Walmart executive — is doubling down on the same anti-worker strategy. Kroger is advancing plans to replace hardworking, skilled union workers with low-wage, nonunion labor supplied by third-party contractors, many of the same companies long used by Walmart to drive down wages and undermine labor standards. The Teamsters will not stand by while executives attempt to dismantle middle-class union jobs.

"If Kroger continues down this path, it will face serious consequences. We will use every legal, contractual, and economic tool available to defend our members and protect Teamsters jobs across the country.”

03/02/2026

02/16/2026

Today, we remember Leonard Woodcock, the fifth president of the UAW, born on this day in 1911.

Born in Providence, Rhode Island, Woodcock’s family moved to Germany and then England before eventually settling in Detroit, Michigan, in 1926. He attended secondary school in the United Kingdom but began university in the States, enrolling at Wayne State University (then called Detroit City College).

Dropping out of college due to the economic struggles of the Great Depression in 1933, Woodcock became a machine assembler at the Detroit Gear and Machine Division of Borg-Warner Corporation. This led to the beginning of his active career within the labor movement, where he helped form the AFL Federal Labor Union at his workplace. The AFL Federal Labor Union developed into a section of the UAW, and Woodcock would eventually go to work for the union as an administrative assistant for International President Walter P. Reuther in 1946.

Woodcock rose in prominence at the UAW, becoming a member of the International Executive Board as Regional Director of Western and Northern Michigan in 1947 and serving as International Vice-President of the UAW from 1955-1970.

After the passing of Reuther in 1970, Woodcock was elected as the President by the executive board of the UAW. He was re-elected as President in 1972 and 1974 before he retired from the position in May 1977. He was designated as International President Emeritus that same year.

Woodcock began his career in international relations, traveling the world as President of the World Automotive Council of the International Metal Workers’ Federation from 1970 to 1977.

President Jimmy Carter then chose Woodcock to head a Presidential Commission to Hanoi regarding American soldiers missing in action. This led to his appointment as Chief of the US Liaison Office to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in July 1977.

Woodcock passed away on January 16, 2001, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, at the age of 89. Wrote the Detroit Free Press editorial board after his passing: "Just a month before his 90th birthday, Leonard Woodcock has died quietly at home, in keeping with the grace and dignity he brought to his work. He was a man of depth and skill who kept the UAW going as it coped with the untimely death of the legendary Walter Reuther. If Woodcock was panicky, it didn't show, and he became a figure of steadiness through several rounds of auto talks. Woodcock leaves a legacy of concern for civil rights and for all people who ask only to have dignity of work and to be treated with dignity as they work. Detroit has reason to mourn his passing."

📸 Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor & Urban Affairs

02/08/2026

"Let us be enraged about injustice, but let us not be destroyed by it. We are all one — and if we don’t know it, we will learn it the hard way.” — Bayard Rustin.

Watch the documentary "Brother, Outsider" to learn more about Rustin: https://ow.ly/gqQ050USLkn

02/05/2026

🚨 UAW REACHES TENTATIVE AGREEMENT WITH VOLKSWAGEN IN CHATTANOOGA, MARKING HISTORIC BREAKTHROUGH FOR SOUTHERN AUTOWORKERS 🚨

Autoworkers at Volkswagen’s Chattanooga plant have won a historic tentative agreement with the company. After making history as the first Southern autoworkers outside the Big Three to join the UAW, the 3,200 workers at Volkswagen Chattanooga have won a tentative contract deal that provides 20 percent across-the-board wage increases, affordable health care, real job security, and more.

After workers voted 3-to-1 to join the UAW in 2024, they elected a 20-member negotiating committee of their peers. After months of negotiations, the tentative deal marks a breakthrough for non-union autoworkers and manufacturing workers across the South. The tentative deal ensures that Volkswagen workers have a legally binding and enforceable agreement that guarantees fair pay, more affordable health care, safer working conditions, and clear protections against favoritism.

“For years, Chattanooga workers were told to settle for less while Volkswagen made record profits. So, the workers stood together and won their union—and now they’ve secured a life-changing first agreement,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “This deal proves what happens when autoworkers stand up and demand their fair share. People said Southern autoworkers could never form a union or win a union contract. Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga said, ‘Watch this.’”

For workers like bargaining committee co-chair Steve Cochran, a skilled trades worker and co-chair of the Bargaining Committee, the agreement represents a turning point. “A strong contract makes sure promises are delivered. Respect and security shouldn’t be up for negotiation—and now they won’t be.”

The tentative agreement is especially significant given Volkswagen’s recent record-breaking profits. In 2024 alone, the world’s second-largest automaker reported $20.6 billion in profits—even as Chattanooga workers struggled under substandard health coverage and rising out-of-pocket costs.

Key Wins in the Tentative Agreement:

• Major Wage Increases – 20% GWI
Substantial raises that begin to close the gap with industry standards and reflect Volkswagen’s record profits.

• Improved High-Quality Health Care with No Increases
Lower out-of-pocket costs, improved coverage, and protections that ensure no worker must choose between medical care and basic needs.

• Big Bonuses Initial bonuses equaling $6,550 per worker upon ratification and additional annual bonuses of $2,550 for the life of the agreement. Thousands of dollars of additional compensation for each worker.

• Job Security Protections
Strong language against unilateral job cuts, shift reductions, and outsourcing—making sure VW keeps good union jobs in Chattanooga.

• Stronger Health & Safety Standards
Enforceable safety rules, dedicated union safety representatives, and a greater worker voice in identifying and fixing hazards on the job.

• Paid Time Off & Scheduling Protections
Guaranteed paid leave, fair scheduling requirements, and safeguards against forced overtime and favoritism.

• Fair Discipline & Grievance Rights
Clear, enforceable protections against unfair discipline and a transparent, worker-centered grievance process.

• A Real Voice on the Job
Rights that ensure workers have a say in day-to-day decisions that shape their work, their safety, and their future.

This historic agreement reflects significant improvements over the company’s last proposal in October, including:

• New product commitments
• Enhanced right-to-strike protections
• Key newly won Job Security agreements, including protections against outsourcing
• Thousands of additional dollars of annual compensation per worker
• Key Skilled Trades issues addressed
•Stronger safeguards against plant closures or the sale of operations

Workers will receive details of the tentative agreement in the coming days, followed by a ratification vote.

“This contract is proof that if you stand up and stick together, you can win a better life,” said Kelcey Smith, a worker in the paint department. “No matter where you live, or where you work, autoworkers deserve a union contract, whether at the Big Three or Volkswagen, from Detroit to Chattanooga. Volkswagen workers are showing the whole country what’s possible.”

The Chattanooga victory signals a profound shift in the Southern auto industry, as workers across the region stand up to global corporations, demand their fair share, and build a future where autoworkers—no matter where they live or what company they work for—have a collective voice and a seat at the table.

04/11/2025

Two hundred union workers, out of 5,700 who assemble dishwashers, refrigerators, washers, and dryers for GE Appliances-Haier at Appliance Park in Louisville, Kentucky, received notice this month that the Trump administration is revoking their work authorizations. The immigrant workers from Cuba, Nic...

03/23/2025

Workers at Ultium Cells, based in Spring Hill, Tennessee, have won big. Chuck Davenport, Servicing Representative for UAW Region 8, joined us on this past Saturday’s broadcast to talk about the huge…