Member minute

Tammy Jackson is financial secretary of UAW Local 600 DDMP Bargaining Unit and has worked at Ford Motor Co.s Dearborn (Mich.) Diversified Mfg. Plant since 1996. Shes also president of the UAW Region 1A Young Workers Council (YWC).

Why did you get involved with the YWC?

It was a place where I knew I could stand up and make a difference. Today's young workers and their families face some of the toughest economic and social challenges. The YWC is a social movement. We're making a grassroots effort and taking it to the community where our workers live. We're also empowering, educating, coalition building and creating positive social environments for young workers in the UAW.

Why is it important to be involved politically?

Everything we fight for at the bargaining table can be lost if we don't elect the right people. They appoint the Supreme Court and the National Labor Relations Board, which we need on our side so the labor movement can survive. That's why I believe in and work hard for our UAW-endorsed candidates.

What do you say to people who don't support, understand or are unfamiliar with the union?

Without a union you don't have a voice in the workplace.

Gwynne Marie Cobb