How to Prepare for Your Next Contract Fight

UAW members have achieved recent contract victories through shaping bargaining demands, mobilizing their coworkers, and taking collective action. Members who helped build contract campaigns at Daimler Truck in North Carolina, Electric Boat in Connecticut, and Volkswagen in Tennessee share what it took to win.

This article summarizes our February 15th 2026 Contract Summit webinar. 

Over the past several years, UAW members have been using new strategies to win stronger contracts. Rather than the old approach of black-out bargaining, where members would be left in the dark, the new approach gets members involved in shaping demands and taking action ahead of contract expirations. By showing that our members are paying attention and ready to strike if necessary, we’ve been winning record gains and reversing concessions. The major wins in contracts with the Big 3, Daimler Truck, and GE Aerospace are some examples of how the contract campaign strategy has changed the game.

What is the contract campaign strategy?

In “black-out” bargaining, negotiations are inaccessible for most of the members. The bargaining team meets privately with management, and wins at best depend on the company giving in to demands of negotiators. Traditional bargaining lacks input from the membership on their contract priorities and leaves members uninformed about progress.

The contract campaign strategy on the other hand, starts off with members providing input on their bargaining demands and receiving regular updates from the bargaining team on progress. Members take collective action to demonstrate power and generate greater leverage for their bargaining team at the table. The victories are a result of our solidarity.

Kim Deschamps, a strike captain organizer with UAW Local 571 in Connecticut, shared the difference she saw between previous negotiations and their contract campaign in 2025:

“Before, our members were sitting on their hands, just waiting for the bargaining team to do their thing. In this strategy, you're going to see a lot more practice pickets. You're going to see big meetings where all your members come out and are getting involved, showing the company: This is not some idle threat. We are ready, and we care.”

Victory at Volkswagen

One outstanding success so far this year is the contract campaign at Volkswagen in Chattanooga, TN, which culminated in UAW Local 42 members winning the first new contract for auto workers in decades. Yogi Peoples, a Bargaining Committee member, spoke about her experience going up against VW at the bargaining table. 

“For a long time in the South, we were told that we should be grateful for whatever the company had decided to give us. But through the [negotiation] process, [we] realized that the gratitude doesn't pay for medical bills, gratitude doesn't ensure that we have a safe workplace, and so, this contract did. It put in black and white exactly what you expect to happen, and it was a guarantee, and not just a broken promise.”

How can I bring this strategy to my union negotiations?

If you are in contract negotiations, reach out to your Region to request support from the Department of Bargaining Strategies — a team of International representatives who can support your contract research, communications, bargaining, and organizing.

UAW Member Action is also here to support you! If you’re interested in building a contract campaign and need assistance planning your timeline, surveying members or building participation, reach out to us.

Read an in-depth example of the strategy in action: A Case Study of the 2024 Contract Bargaining Campaign at Daimler Truck by the UAW.

Learn about your legal rights in bargaining and strikes: No Contract, No Peace by Robert M. Schwartz, a labor attorney.

Watch the 2026 Contract Summit to learn more about the battles coming up this year and hear from members who put this playbook into practice.