The anthem of the UAW is "Solidarity Forever", written in 1915 by Ralph Chaplin

Red Shirt Wednesdays

We wear red shirts on Wednesdays as a sign of union solidarity. When a sea of red shirts greets management, it’s a way to let them know that we stand together. This tradition goes back to 1989 with the Communications Workers of America (CWA) who began wearing red to commemorate the death of Gerry Horgan. 

Horgan was a CWA chief steward for Westchester County in New York who died of head injuries after being struck by a speeding car on a picket line. That vehicle was driven by a scab, the daughter of a manager. She was never charged for his death.

White Shirt Day - February 11th

UAW members celebrate “White Shirt Day” on February 11th to honor the GM workers from who participated in the Flint Sit-Down Strike.  Workers wear white shirts every February 11th to show that “blue collar” workers deserve the same respect as “white collar” workers. 

The meaning behind wearing white shirts on that day is to celebrate all the struggles and accomplishments of workers who came before us and fought for fairness, dignity, and respect in the workplace.

International Workers' Day - May 1st

May 1st is International Workers' Day, a day in which we celebrate in solidarity the struggles and accomplishments of workers across the world. This day marks the anniversary of the Haymarket Massacre. In early May of 1886, unionized workers went on a general strike to fight for a standard 8 hour workday. After a few days, police violently suppressed the peaceful strikers at a rally outside a McCormick plant on the West Side of Chicago, Illinois. They shot and killed a few protesters. 

In response, a protest was held on May 4th, at Haymarket Square. Police began suppressing the protesters, and a bomb was thrown, killing and injuring dozens. Seven political activists were sentenced to death for the bombing, even though the court proceedings proved none of them threw the bomb and only two were even at Haymarket Square at the time.

At the convention of the American Federation of Labor (AFL) in 1888, the union decided to campaign for the shorter workday again. May 1, 1890, was agreed upon as the date on which workers would strike for an 8 hour workday. In 1889, AFL President Samuel Gompers wrote to the first congress of the Second International, informing them of the AFL's plans and proposing an international fight for a universal 8 hour workday. The Second International adopted a resolution calling for "a great international demonstration" on a single date so workers everywhere could demand an 8 hour workday, and to honor the memory of the Haymarket martyrs and other workers who had been killed in association with the strikes.

Labor Day - 1st Monday in September

Labor Day is an annual celebration of the social and economic achievements of American workers. In 1882, Peter J. McGuire, co-founder of the American Federation of Labor (AFL), suggested setting aside a day for a "general holiday for the laboring classes" to honor those "who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold."

Also in 1882, Matthew Maguire, proposed the holiday while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York.

Finally, on June 28, 1894, President Grover Cleveland signed a law making the first Monday in September of each year a national holiday.