UAW ORGANIZING AGAINST TRUMP 2.0
UAW members are leading the fight to protect research, education, and workers’ rights—on the ground, in the courts, and in Congress. Here’s how we’re taking action:
Fighting cuts to research and education funding
2025: After Trump proposed 35% cuts to science agencies – a total of over $32 billion – including the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, NASA and more, UAW members sprung into action, including:
Initiating “Kill the Cuts” national days of action against research and education cuts on that included thousands of people rallying in dozens of cities
Organizing phonebanks of hundreds of members to pressure Congress to stop the cuts
Building support for bipartisan sign-on letters in Congress that included including over half of the Senate and a total of 22 Republicans; and
Organizing Congressional town halls with testimony from UAW members about the impact of funding cuts
WIN: After a concerted effort which included lobbying and organizing by thousands of UAW members, Congress rejected the cuts and funded agencies at levels close to prior years.
Leading legal efforts to stop grant cancellations
UAW is a plaintiff on cases seeking to reverse cancellations of NIH and NSF grants for ideological reasons, and to reverse federal funding freezes at Harvard University and the University of California
WIN: Hundreds of NIH grants have been restored and the federal government agreed to review hundreds more grant applications that were shelved or denied
WIN: In September 2025, a federal court blocked Trump’s $2.2 billion in cuts to Harvard, ruling they were unconstitutional
WIN: In November 2025, another federal judge ruled that Trump can’t withhold $500 million in research funds or demand payment from UCLA
UAW has also supported additional litigation by filing amicus briefs and declarations, including cases opposing cuts in indirect costs and funding cancellations to Columbia University
UAW is the driving force behind significant state-level funding campaigns in California, New York, Washington and Massachusetts to counter the devastating federal research budget cuts.
Fighting attacks on International Workers
Created resources for international scholar members including a free hotline staffed by immigration attorneys, FAQs and know-your-rights webinars
Organized and won new rights and protections at the University of Pennsylvania, University of California, Washington State University, NYU, University of Maine, Weill Cornell School of Medicine, UConn, and more.
UAW joined as a co-plaintiff to challenge the Trump Administration’s program of surveilling the social media and online activities of non-citizens lawfully present in the United States, and punishing them for disfavored speech that is protected by the First Amendment.
In October 2025, UAW and Local 4811 joined a coalition of plaintiffs to challenge a presidential proclamation on H-1B visas, which, most notably, imposes a $100,000 fee for new visa applications.
Filed amicus briefs in support of several lawsuits that challenge: 1) Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship; 2) the detention of a Tufts University graduate student for protected First Amendment speech, specifically writing an op-ed opposing the war on Gaza; 3) the revocation of Harvard's ability to enroll international students or host certain international scholars and 4) ending of the TCHNV parole program that allows certain immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to be lawfully in the United States with a right to work.
Lobbied Congress to support bills in Congress expanding visa and green card access and to oppose efforts targeting Chinese students and scholars.
Fighting cuts to diversity, equity and inclusion programs (DEI)
UAW challenged the Trump administration's attempts to cancel federal funding based on disfavored topics and populations
WIN: Federal courts ruled that NIH cancellations based on disfavored topics and populations were unlawful, arbitrary and capricious, and therefore void
WIN: For the Harvard and UCLA cases, judges restored funding and ruled that withholding funds for ideological reasons is illegal suppression of free speech.
Defending Federal Programs
Lobbied Congress to oppose Trump Administration proposal to tax student fellowships and scholarships
WIN: Increased taxes on fellowships and scholarships were dropped from the 2025 reconciliation bill; UAW also opposed more draconian cuts to student aid in 2025, a number of which were rolled back
UAW members across the country mobilized to oppose cuts to Medicaid and SNAP and to oppose tax cuts for the rich in the 2025 Reconciliation bill
Defending workers’ rights
Co-plaintiff with a coalition of labor unions challenging the dismantling of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the federal agencies responsible for investigating occupational health and safety.
Co-plaintiff on a lawsuit opposing termination of probationary federal employees