Plan 2028 — though it’s still in early planning — is more realistic than many previous calls because it comes from a large union, the UAW, which has major contracts expiring at that time. So whatever happens, there is a possibility that some or all of the 150,000 UAW members at the Big 3 auto companies will be on strike.
Also, unions with a history of successful strikes are aligning with the call. Most notably, the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) has endorsed it and will work to line up their contract talks with UAW’s. CTU worked with the Baltimore Teachers Union to support a resolution at the 2024 American Federation of Teachers (AFT) national convention, calling on AFT locals to support the call. The resolution passed overwhelmingly. The American Postal Workers Union (APWU) also passed a resolution in support. Other unions and labor councils are joining in.
There will be plenty of unions who can’t set up their contract expiration dates for May 2028. Perhaps their agreements will expire in the months before or after, or perhaps not in the same year. Still, the 2028 date gives unions lots of time to do the slow and steady organizing work needed to build capacity to pull off coordinated action of other kinds, such as support for legislative campaigns aligned with May 2028.
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