The UAW’s call for unions to align their contract expirations is legitimately achievable. But the work starts now.
by Hamilton Nolan, In These Times
The labor movement is a capricious friend — it hands out heartbreak as much as it hands out joy. But every once in a while, it is able to wave a triumphant flag and give us all a glimmer of what its potential could truly be.
The recently concluded UAW strike offered just such a moment. It wasn’t just the contract agreements themselves, which were a material success, but also the union’s public call for movement-wide coordination to build the possibility of mass action around the May 1, 2028 expiration of the next auto contracts. “We invite unions around the country to align your contract expirations with our own so that together we can begin to flex our collective muscles,” the UAW declared on October 29.

This could be the beginning of the most exciting resurgence of American organized labor power in a century. Or, it could just be a tweet. What happens in the coming months will determine which of those things is the case.
The general feeling of a labor power resurgence since the pandemic has been fueled by a procession of high profile wins: The Starbucks and Amazon union drives, the massive organizing on college campuses, the friendly Biden administration and its uniquely pro-union NLRB, the historically high favorability of unions in public opinion polls, the periodic mini-strike waves at a variety of fed-up workplaces. This year, we have seen a trio of actions — the Teamsters backing down UPS with a credible strike threat, and the successful WGA and UAW strikes — that show what can be won with the power of strikes at a larger scale.
Recent Posts
Hamas: The Enemy Israel Cannot Afford To Lose
June 2, 2025
Take Action Now Four decades of rising homelessness has led many to seek alternative explanations. The most common blames homelessness on drug…
New Book Details How U.S. Normalized Homelessness
June 2, 2025
Take Action Now Four decades of rising homelessness has led many to seek alternative explanations. The most common blames homelessness on drug…
Trump Says New Iran Deal Must Allow U.S. To ‘Blow Up Whatever We Want’
June 1, 2025
Take Action Now A senior Iranian adviser said the proposal would amount to “submission and surrender”By Will Porter, AntiWar.com President Donald…
Senators Call On DOJ To Investigate Potential DOGE Conflicts Of Interest After ProPublica Report
May 31, 2025
Take Action Now Citing ProPublica’s reporting on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Democratic senators argued that the potential conflicts…