An effort by the majority group to dissolve the reform caucus highlights on-going internal tensions over the direction of the caucus

By Henry De Groot

Tensions within the Unite All Workers For Democracy (UAWD) reform caucus within the United Autoworkers Union have boiled over as the majority group on the caucus’s Steering Committee (henceforth, majority group) issued a statement calling for members to vote to dissolve the caucus.

The statement from the majority group asserts that internal divisions within the caucus have hardened, blocking productive work from continuing. The majority group statement also seemed to question the validity of a caucus which is largely composed of non-autoworkers within UAW Region 9A (covering the Northeast), in a union largely composed of midwestern blue-collar manufacturing workers.

We believe in the need for a reform caucus, but not in one that is constantly engaged in insular debate that distracts from the work of building the union.

The majority group statement concludes by announcing the launch of a new network within the UAW which is focused on “developing the future generation of shop-floor organizers and leaders in the UAW, helping members stand up to bosses and win strong contracts, and building stronger local unions, including by running for office.”

A counter-statement was released by the minority tendency on UAWD Steering Committee (minority group) criticizing the effort.

The minority group statement explores how, from their perspective, the effort to dissolve the caucus is the result of a slow drift away from the original principles of the caucus, and the alleged opportunism of certain UAWD leaders elected to the union’s International Executive Board (IEB). In contrast to this alleged opportunism, the minority group, instead, asserts a vision of what they call “class struggle.”

The statement from the minority group also asserts that the effort by the majority group to dissolve the caucus at the next meeting would violate the caucus’s by-laws and responds to the allegations of dysfunction that are raised in the majority group statement.

The minority group also punches back, questioning the relationship between the majority group and Teamsters For A Democratic Union and Labor Notes.

The UAWD caucus took power in the country’s sixth-largest union, covering almost one million auto-workers, higher education workers, and other manufacturing and white-collar workers, following the successful UAWD election effort which saw UAWD member Shawn Fain take the union’s top job.

Fain also faced criticism, especially from the Palestinian movement, for his endorsement of Kamala Harris, and more recently for his apparent approval of Trump’s tariffs. 

The division also seems to have split members of the DSA active within the caucus, with members currently or previously active in the Boston DSA Labor Working Group (which founded Working Mass), Worcester DSA, and other DSA chapters represented on both documents.

Henry De Groot is the Managing Editor of Working Mass.

Note: An earlier version of this article described workers embedded in higher education as “graduate students.” This has been corrected for accuracy in light of other workers within the field.