ABC News (US)
· collected 2026-10-11 · by JACQUELINE GANUN /REPORT FOR AMERICA Associated Press
UAW tries to reassert political power in Michigan despite internal divisions
Membership is divided over which party best represents working-class interests.
asserted
party → try → interests
Walter Usakowski was mowing his lawn in a northern suburb of Detroit when three canvassers from the United Auto Workers approached.
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canvassers → mow → Workers
“I don’t even need to talk to you,” Usakowski said.
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Usakowski → need → you
As a retired member, he was already supporting the union’s slate of Democratic candidates in the Nov. 3 midterms.
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he → support → midterms
But he is not sure how many of the other “guys in the shop” will vote for Democrats.
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many → vote → Democrats
He worked at Ford Motor Co.’s Sterling Axle Plant for more than 45 years, and he knows many members who backed Republican President Donald Trump.
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who → work → Trump
The election-year canvassing was one part of the UAW’s efforts to reassert its political power in Michigan, a premier political battleground.
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canvassing → reassert → Michigan
Although the union generally backs Democrats, its membership is more divided over which party best represents working-class interests.
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party → back → interests
It also is reckoning with past corruption scandals, a drop in membership and a lack of transparency that has eroded trust within its ranks.
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that → reckon → ranks
“It’s not going to be an overnight thing,” said JJ Jewell, who is part of the UAW’s Community Action Program executive committee.
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who → go → committee
“Even if this election goes fantastically, that’s not mission accomplished.
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that → go → ?
That means we’re 1% of the way done.”
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we → mean → way
Jewell and others made the rounds on a recent sunny Saturday in Macomb County, where Trump won by nearly 14 percentage points in 2024.
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Trump → make → 2024
Many of the union members they met in a neighborhood of well-kept suburban houses were retirees, and while most said the cost of living was their top concern, they did not agree on whether Democrats or Republicans would better address it.
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Democrats → meet → it
One resident, who said she blamed billionaires for the country’s problems, planned to vote for Democrats.
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she → say → Democrats
Another street over, a couple said they both supported Trump and declined to take a flyer of the UAW-endorsed candidates.
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they → say → candidates
In a microcosm of broader political rifts, union voters remain politically divided.
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voters → remain → rifts
Union voters have traditionally been seen as a Democratic-leaning constituency, but Trump made direct appeals to them with his anti-elite rhetoric and promises to overhaul international trade agreements that sapped factory jobs.
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that → see → jobs
In 2024, voters who were union members or were in a household with a union member split between Trump and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, with more than half voting for the then-vice president and 44% for Trump.
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who → split → Trump
Betty Anderson, a UAW member, thinks the organization is on the right track, but she is not confident about bridging internal political divisions.
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she → think → divisions
She said she is angry with members who voted for Trump, whom she sees as selling out the working class.
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she → say → class
“I don’t think those people are ever going to be on our side,” Anderson said.
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Anderson → think → side
“They think they have an opportunity to be in an elite class.
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they → think → class
Since 2017, more than 10 UAW officials have pleaded guilty in a corruption investigation that found millions of dollars of union dues were stolen.
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millions → plead → dues
Members also faulted leaders for closed-door contract negotiations that they said destroyed trust in the UAW.
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they → fault → UAW
Shawn Fain was elected UAW president in 2023 on a platform of transparency, and victories in labor disputes with Detroit's three major automakers bolstered member support.
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victories → elect → support
Leaders hope this will translate into votes for its candidates.
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this → hope → candidates
“I think the UAW members now are starting to fall a little more in line,” said Usakowski, the retired axle plant worker.
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Usakowski → think → line
On Friday, Fain said he won reelection to lead the union for four more years.
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he → say → years
The results have not yet been certified.
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results → certify → ?
Mark DePaoli, director for one of the UAW’s southeast Michigan regions, said the union hosted forums with candidates where any member could ask questions.
uncertain
member → say → questions
The UAW endorsed progressive Democrat Abdul El-Sayed in the U.S. Senate primary even though rival Haley Stevens, a four-term congresswoman, worked as chief of staff on an auto bailout task force during the Great Recession, a position she frequently cited while campaigning.
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she → endorse → Recession
“I don’t think anybody expected us to endorse him,” DePaoli said.
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DePaoli → think → him
In its announcement, the union referenced El-Sayed’s support for universal healthcare and criticism of corporate money in politics.
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union → reference → politics
El-Sayed wore a UAW pin during the first Senate debate with his Republican opponent, former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers.
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Sayed → wear → opponent
“The UAW’s backing of Abdul was critical in winning a historic primary despite being outspent by tens of millions of dollars, and will be just as critical in winning" next month, El-Sayed spokesperson Cole Wozniak said in a statement.
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Wozniak → win → statement
Rogers is emphasizing his opposition to controversial federal regulations under Democratic President Joe Biden that would have required automakers to ramp up production of electric vehicles, which some feared would lead to factory closures.
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some → emphasize → closures
“Mike knows the challenges our autoworkers face, and he’ll be their champion in the U.S. Senate,” Rogers spokesperson Alyssa Brouillet said in a statement.
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Brouillet → know → statement
“The same can’t be said for Abdul and UAW national leadership.”
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same → say → Abdul
Robert Bruno, a professor in the School of Labor and Employment Relations at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, said the UAW's strength relies on its ability to mobilize voters.
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strength → say → voters
…and 9 more, not listed.
The Aporia
