For millions of working Americans, a union card was once considered a reliable passport to the middle class — but today, that promise feels shakier than ever. In Michigan, the United Auto Workers union is fighting to prove it still has what it takes to deliver for workers at the ballot box, even as its own members remain deeply divided over who deserves their vote.
Heading into the Nov. 3 midterms, the UAW has launched an aggressive ground operation across Michigan, knocking on doors and urging members to back a slate of Democratic candidates. The push is as much about restoring the union’s credibility as it is about winning elections. Years of corruption scandals — in which more than 10 union officials pleaded guilty to stealing millions in member dues since 2017 — along with closed-door contract negotiations have left many rank-and-file workers questioning whether their leadership truly has their backs.
The stakes are real for working families. Macomb County, where union canvassers recently fanned out through tidy suburban neighborhoods, went for Republican President Donald Trump by nearly 14 percentage points in 2024. The residents they met — many of them retirees — overwhelmingly named the cost of living as their top concern. But they didn’t agree on which party would actually better address it.
Walter Usakowski, who spent more than 45 years at Ford Motor Co.’s Sterling Axle Plant, was mowing his lawn when three UAW canvassers walked up. He told them he didn’t need convincing — he was already on board with the union’s endorsed candidates. But he was candid about the harder challenge ahead.
“I don’t even need to talk to you,” Usakowski told the canvassers. Yet he admitted uncertainty about whether his former coworkers would follow suit, noting that many members he knew had backed Trump.
That split reflects a broader political rift running through the American labor movement. In 2024, voters who were union members — or lived in a household with one — split between Trump and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, with just over half supporting Harris and 44% backing Trump. Trump’s anti-establishment rhetoric and promises to reshape trade deals that cost factory jobs resonated with workers anxious about their economic futures.
UAW member Betty Anderson doesn’t hide her frustration with that dynamic. She believes members who voted for Trump were misled about whose interests he would actually protect.
“I don’t think those people are ever going to be on our side. They think they have an opportunity to be in an elite class.”
— Betty Anderson, UAW member
Rebuilding Trust From the Ground Up
The UAW’s road back to political relevance runs directly through trust — something that was badly damaged by years of scandal and secrecy. Shawn Fain was elected UAW president in 2023 specifically on a platform of transparency, and his victories in labor disputes with Detroit’s three major automakers gave members reason to believe again. On Friday, Fain announced he had won reelection to lead the union for another four years, though results have not yet been certified.
JJ Jewell, who serves on the UAW’s Community Action Program executive committee and was among those canvassing Macomb County, put the long-term challenge plainly.
“It’s not going to be an overnight thing. Even if this election goes fantastically, that’s not mission accomplished. That means we’re 1% of the way done.”
— JJ Jewell, UAW Community Action Program executive committee
The numbers show how much ground the union has lost over time. In the 1980s, Michigan was home to more than 600,000 active and retired UAW members. Today, that figure sits around 350,000 — a drop that matters enormously when political power depends on turning out voters. Still, the UAW remains the largest union in the state.
In a sign of renewed energy, the union reported that roughly 113,000 members voted early during Michigan’s August primary. In September, the UAW held a conference of its Michigan political arm — the first such gathering since 2018. At the Lansing event, Fain told reporters the union is focused on issues that hit members’ wallets hardest, including affordability.
“We are as active as we can be right now.”
— Shawn Fain, UAW President
A Senate Race at the Center of It All
The UAW’s political muscle is being tested most visibly in Michigan’s U.S. Senate race. The union endorsed progressive Democrat Abdul El-Sayed in the primary — a move that surprised many, given that rival Haley Stevens, a four-term congresswoman, had deep ties to the auto industry through her role as chief of staff on an auto bailout task force during the Great Recession.
Mark DePaoli, director for one of the UAW’s southeast Michigan regions, explained the union’s reasoning.
“I don’t think anybody expected us to endorse him.”
— Mark DePaoli, UAW regional director
The union cited El-Sayed’s support for universal healthcare and his criticism of corporate money in politics. El-Sayed wore a UAW pin during the first Senate debate with Republican opponent and former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers. His campaign credited the endorsement as pivotal.
“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, said Cole Wozniak, El-Sayed’s spokesperson.
Rogers, for his part, is centering his campaign on opposition to federal regulations that would have required automakers to ramp up production of electric vehicles — a policy some workers feared could lead to plant closures and job losses. His campaign says he understands what auto workers are up against.
“Mike knows the challenges our autoworkers face, and he’ll be their champion in the U.S. Senate,” said Rogers spokesperson Alyssa Brouillet. “The same can’t be said for Abdul and UAW national leadership.”
Robert Bruno, a professor in the School of Labor and Employment Relations at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, said endorsements alone won’t determine the outcome. The UAW’s real power comes from direct contact with voters — a person-to-person effort that shapes how working families see their choices.
“You don’t win campaigns off of your endorsements. You win campaigns at the door, or at the bar, or at the union hall.”
— Robert Bruno, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
For more on the politics and policies shaping Michigan families’ lives, including coverage of the Michigan Senate debates and how Republicans are navigating Trump’s legacy, Michigan Public continues to track the stories that matter most to working voters. This story was reported by Jacqueline GaNun through the Report for America Statehouse News Initiative.