Labor Councils working to align with UAW’s contract renewal goal

Jacob Morrison, President of the North Alabama Area Labor Council, and Connor Lewis, President of the Seven Mountains Central Labor Council, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to talk about the Bargain Together campaign, their support efforts and what it could do for nationwide union solidarity. 

Morrison talked about the Bargain Together campaign. The campaign’s goal is to align future contract renewals to May 1 2028, after United Autoworkers President, Shawn Fain, asked all unions to come together to support each other for stronger bargaining positions. He described what this would mean for greater solidarity for unions nationwide. If unions could come together with this alignment request, workers would not be able to be leveraged against each other and force one Local to settle for less. Morrison talked about the work that Labor Councils across the country are doing to pass resolutions to encourage their affiliated Locals to align their contracts with the May 1, 2028 target.

Lewis also talked about the Labor Council's history in the labor movement. Lewis said these regional councils have recently fallen into the background of the greater efforts to improve unions, but this needs to change if the labor movement is to grow. He believes it’s the responsibility of the leaders of the Labor Councils to drive and encourage their Local union efforts. These councils have a range of industries represented by their affiliate unions and should act as the focal point for building greater protections for the working people.

Morrison talked about the makeup of his council and how smaller Labor Councils like his and Lewis’ can make a difference with this campaign. With the renewed focus on building solidarity, organizing efforts like the UAW’s campaign to organize factories in the South could change the identity of these Councils quickly. Adapting to these changes and building on them is why they believe the May 1, 2028 contract renewal goal could be the biggest moment for unions in recent history.

For more from Lewis and Morrison, please listen to the show above.