Soldiers of Solidarity Stands Up for Delphi Workers
Stacey and Don Kemp, both auto workers in Michigan, are looking forward to the Labor Notes Conference. The hard-working couple has decided to mix business with pleasure and report that they’ve booked a Jacuzzi room at the Dearborn Hyatt.
Who said being a rank-and-file activist couldn’t be fun?
Stacey sits on the steering committee of Soldiers of Solidarity (SOS), the rank-and-file group of auto workers that has been organizing against concessions. She’s a member of UAW Local 467 and works at the Delphi Energy & Chassis plant in Saginaw. Don is a GM worker at Flint Truck & Bus.
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Whether talking in front of hundreds of fellow auto workers at the January 8 protest at the North American Auto Show or attending trainings on working to rule, Stacey has not backed down from her belief that workers in the ranks can and should fight concessions.
Recently, Stacey stood up to a chairman at her local who criticized SOS in a local newsletter. Defending her right as a member to criticize union leaders, Stacey wrote back, “As union members, we are responsible to each other, and to become informed and get involved.”
Stacey says of the Labor Notes conference: “I’m happy to have a place to go to learn more skills and network. I want to learn more about dealing with the media, public speaking, and union structure—the information I need to be a better advocate.”
