(DETROIT) – Today, the United Auto Workers (UAW) held their 36th Constitutional Convention at Cobo Center to approve organizational changes and elect new union leadership. At the convention, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) delivered opening remarks and was honored with the Owen Bieber Social Activist Award for his years of public service dedicated to advancing labor rights. The award is named for former UAW leader, Owen Bieber, who served as President from 1983 to 1995. After receiving the award, Representative Conyers issued the following statement:
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| U.S. Representative John Conyers, Jr. |
"I am honored to have helped open the 36th United Auto Workers Constitutional Convention and to receive such a significant award. I am grateful for the UAW’s recognition, but more importantly I am thankful for their decades of tireless commitment to America’s workers and their families,” said Conyers.
“From an early age, my father - who worked as a UAW organizer - instilled in me the values of labor and standing up for workers’ rights. I was just a young boy when my father fought to organize the Ford plant and suffered at the hands of their security forces at the Battle of the Overpass. From my very first days in Congress, I carried these memories with me and was inspired by my father’s teachings. Our fight for justice must continue to extend to the workplace, to afford all workers a sense of dignity and fairness.
“The UAW is proud to have helped build the great city of Detroit, and with it the American middle class. The economic downturn of the last several years presented a fresh challenge to organized labor, but the fundamental promise of collective bargaining remains the same. Through a renewed commitment to full employment, we can once again restore the American economy and build a better future for everyone.”
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