UAW active and retired members aren’t the kind
of people who sit on the sidelines: We get
involved in issues, help out our neighbors and
try to be where there is a need.
And today
there definitely is need for members to place
greater emphasis on winning social and economic
justice. There is strength in numbers and we
begin to win that justice when we all stand
together.
How can you help? The UAW has launched a new
member mobilization activism program called
“GimmeFIVE.” It is designed to recruit and
engage members to organize, build power and win
justice.
“A major challenge we have is to show the
broader public that the union movement is a
vital leader for economic change,” said UAW
President Bob King, who launched the program
during the union’s 35th
Constitutional Convention. “We need to have
members involved not only in their local union
issues, but in some of the broad policy issues
that impact the lives of families in our
communities.”
GimmeFIVE
(PowerPoint) simply asks members to
re-commit to the union by devoting five hours of
volunteer time in the following areas:
organizing, mobilizing, and political action.
Members are also asked to recruit five members
to do the same. Members who complete each
segment will receive recognition buttons. But
the real reward is a stronger union that has the
power to win justice for working families, King
said.
“Our hope is that the ‘GimmeFIVE’ program’s
national scope, use of new technology, and
increased participation will generate renewed
commitment for the work of our union,” King
said. “It will also broadcast our greater
solidarity to the public.”
Joining GimmeFIVE is as simple as sending a
text:
-
Enter (313) 288-9979 in the “To”
field of your text.
-
Enter your name and local union
number in the message box.
-
Press send. You will receive a
confirmation text welcoming you to the
program.
