Brandon Campbell, Director of Region 4 for the United Auto Workers, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed some of the challenges facing American autoworkers, including trade deals, corporate stock buybacks and the need for greater solidarity among labor unions.
Representing UAW workers from 12 states in the upper Midwest, Campbell is well award of the the impact of trade agreements, such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA). Campbell cited factory closures and job losses, noting that since the original NAFTA deal, 90,000 factories have shut down in the United States. Even after the revised USMCA was enacted, he observed that the migration of auto jobs to Mexico has increased by more than 70 percent. He stressed that while tightening tariffs can help protect American industries, these must be strategically targeted to support domestic production without triggering unnecessary trade wars or harming American workers.
Campbell then discussed the negative consequences of stock buybacks and the shifting priorities of major U.S. corporations. He explained that the practice, largely deregulated in the 1980s, enables CEOs and investors to profit massively at the expense of workers and their communities. Campbell pointed to research showing that, among companies with UAW contracts, a substantial portion of profits is allocated to buybacks and dividends rather than to wage growth or local reinvestment. He argued for making stock buybacks illegal once again, emphasizing that such steps are necessary to curb corporate greed and direct more economic benefits to American workers.
Looking ahead, Campbell described a renewed movement for labor solidarity with the aim of coordinating contract expirations across unions on May Day 2028. He connected this strategy to similar labor actions in Europe and around the world. For Campbell and the UAW, aligning contracts means building leverage for better wages, healthcare, pensions and work-life balance—not just for current union members but for future generations. He urged the labor movement to play the long game, advocating for policy and cultural changes that empower working people and secure sustainable prosperity for America’s workforce.
To hear more from Campbell, listen to the full episode of the America’s Work Force Union Podcast above.
America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues.
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