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Driven by Leadership

With a historic strike in the rearview mirror, Dwayne Walker, president of UAW

Local 900 here in Wayne, sets his sights on continuing union integrity and solidarity

By Courtney Conover CC: Tell me your immediate,
Today, the long stretch of south- knee-jerk thoughts on this new
bound Michigan Avenue near New- agreement.
burgh Road looks as if nothing ever DW: I think it’s very positive. I
happened. was actually part of the negotiation
But we, the residents–those of us team and served as the secretary for
who call Wayne home–know differ- Ford and got to see it up front, step
ently. by step. Personally speaking, I’m a
For 46 long, arduous days, Ford’s middle child—and I never got every-
Michigan Assembly Plant—and its thing I wanted. But, here, in this in-
employees who picketed outside of stance? I was satisfied.
it—stood as an international symbol
of what it looks like when a hanker- CC: How did you come to work
ing for change becomes too strong to for Ford?
withstand. DW: My buddies and I had heard
According to CNN, the unprece- that the Big Three were hiring, so I
dented strike by the United Auto went to the unemployment office on
Workers union against Ford, General Eight Mile and Greenfield. They gave
Motors, and Stellantis was the me a card and said, “Hey, do you
longest American auto strike in 25 know where Wayne [Michigan] is?”
years. Furthermore, Anderson Eco- And I said, “No, I don’t, but I’ll find
nomic Group (AEG) estimates that it.” I came out here, got started, and
the total cost of the strike has topped walked in and told them I was a vet-
$7.7 billion. eran, which gave me preference.
But, in the end, an agreement
was made in late October. CC: And then, you became in-
Detroit Free Press reports that volved in the UAW’s Veterans Com-
the gains in the deal are valued at mittee, which has accomplished
more than four times the gains from exceptional things, including con-
the last UAW contract in 2019. A tributing to the building of Michi-
UAW news release details the agree- gan’s first Fisher House, which
ment’s array of improvements, in- provides high quality, temporary
cluding a cumulative raise of the top lodging to families and caregivers of
wage by more than 30% to more veterans and active duty service
than $40 an hour, a raise of more members who are undergoing care
than 150% to the lowest-paid work- at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare Sys-
ers at Ford over the life of the agree- tem. How did you become involved
ment, and the reinstatement of with this committee?
major benefits lost during the Great DW: I started Ford on May 7,
Recession, such as cost-of-living al- 1990, and then I went overseas De-
lowances and a three-year wage pro- cember 5 to Desert Storm. Once I
gression. came back, the committee said, “Hey,
“This is probably the best con- would you like to get involved?” After
tract in our lifetime,” says UAW Local UAW Local 900 President Dwayne Walker returning home, I was just trying to
900 President Dwayne Walker, 61. sorting. Dwayne Walker: They call a ten- transition and blend in. But they
“The momentum is there.” In this month’s Dispatch, Walker, tative agreement, and then different kept asking me, and then I thought,
Walker, who was hired at Michi- who served this country as a mem- locals have a ratification throughout obviously you guys see something
gan Assembly Plant in 1990 and has ber of the US Marine Corps for 13 the country—Chicago (which I’ll be that I don’t. So, if you show me what
since served as a national Ford dele- years, shares how his past experi- returning to), Kansas City, Dearborn, to do, I’ll give it my all. And the rest
gate three times, currently repre- ences have converged to put him on Kentucky, etc. And we went first to is history.
sents over 8,000 local members. his current path of UAW leader. set the tone. A lot of times, people Currently, we’re involved with Vic-
Local 900 is recognized as an amal- will see which way we go because tory Gym, which is a gym Downriver
gamated local, which means that it Courtney Conover: Can you give we’ve always had a highly experi- that offers free memberships to first
services automotive union mem- a brief synopsis of what happens enced committee and a foundation. responders and veterans. That’s our
bers—both active and retired—as after an agreement is reached be- So, people around the country look cause now. But we haven’t forgotten
well as those who work in the fields tween a union and an automotive to see what we’re doing—and, a lot
of healthcare, cleaning services, and company—following a strike? of times, they pattern what we do. See President, page 4
The Wayne Dispatch · December 2023 · 3