UAW In The News
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Unions like to present themselves as similar to a nonprofit organization, working for the benefit of those they supposedly represent. One of the best ways to evaluate the trustworthiness of a nonprofit is to look at the percentage of total spending that goes directly into their stated programs, versus what they spend on running the organization.
Charity watchdogs like the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance and the Charity Review Council say this percentage should be no lower than 65%.
The average spending on programs of the top 100 charities in the country, according to the Forbes Top Charities list for 2024, was 88% – far above the minimum.
The image above is a list of how some well-known nonprofits stack up to this measure.
Did the UAW even come close?
Hardly! According to their own financial statement, the UAW posted total income of almost $300 Million in 2024, yet spent only 44% on Representational Activities, including strike payments. The rest was spent on salaries, benefits and perks, office space and equipment, politics, taxes, and other overhead expenses. Almost the exact opposite of organizations whose stated purpose is to help people.
8% Decrease in membership
- 2024: 375,161 92%
- 2015: 408,639 100%
23% Increase in dues collected
- 2024: $218,922,949 100%
- 2015: $168,335,253 77%
From 2015 to 2024, the UAW lost 33,478 members, or just about 8% of their total membership. Yet in 2024, the UAW collected 23% more income while with fewer members. Dues, along with fines, fees and assessments, are the major source of a union’s income. How safe is your wallet?
An old adage reminds us to “choose our friends wisely.”
The table at the right provides some indication of the “company you keep” with the UAW. Another indication is how many Unfair Labor Practice charges have been filed against them. The UAW averaged about 210 ULP’s per year throughout the mid-90’s. In the last 10 years, that number has jumped to 245 ULP’s filed against the union per year.
They have also averaged about 15 strikes per year over the last five years. Over the last 10 years, the average strike lasted over 2 months. That’s quite a while to be without a paycheck. During that same 10 years, 9 strikes lasted over 100 days, and 6 strikes lasted over 300 days.
