UAW REGION 1A

Today, we remember former UAW REGION 1A Director Robert "Buddy" Battle, born on June 4, 1917.

Robert "Buddy" Battle III was born in Detroit, the son of a cleanup crew supervisor for railroad cars. He went to work as a sand-slinger in the Ford Rouge plant foundry in 1936 and quickly became an organizer for the UAW.

Beginning in the early 1940's, he was elected to a number of positions at UAW Local 600, including district and bargaining committee person, chairman of the special foundry unit, and local vice president, culminating in his election as Director of Region 1A in 1976.

Recognizing the inhumane conditions of foundry labor, Battle helped establish the union's Foundry Wage and Hour Council in 1946, which fought for and won paid sick leave and a 25-and-out retirement for foundry workers. A skilled and aggressive negotiator at the bargaining table, he served on the UAW Ford national negotiating committee in 1967, 1970, and 1973.

Battle worked to increase African American leadership in the UAW and, with Horace Sheffield and others, formed the Trade Union Leadership Council in the late 1940's, which became the nucleus of the national Negro American Labor Council. As TULC president, he oversaw the organization's pre-apprenticeship training program designed to help Black and other minority individuals enter the skilled trades.

Buddy Battle was also active in Democratic Party politics as UAW CAP chairman in the 1st and 13th congressional districts of Detroit and, later, chairman of the 1st congressional district. He played a prominent role in the campaigns to elect Detroit's first black City Council member, William Patrick, and its first black mayor, Coleman Young.

After he retired from the UAW in 1983, Brother Battle served as Young's executive assistant. He died on August 4, 1989, at the age of 72.

📸 Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor & Urban Affairs

🚨 UAW Retired Members — Your Voice Matters! 🚨

Make sure your contact information is up to date so you stay informed and receive your ballot for the 2026 UAW International Officer Election.

🗳️ Every vote counts.
✊ Every member deserves to be heard.

Don’t wait until it’s too late — update your information today and make sure your voice is part of shaping the future of our union.

UAW Local 174 Education Committee hosted a successful Keys to Effective Standing Committees class on Saturday, May 9.

A special thank you to President Jim Brock for his support and commitment to member education and leadership development. Programs like these help strengthen our union by building informed, active, and engaged committees that keep our locals moving forward.

Strong committees build stronger unions. Solidarity!

🚨The revised Education Department 2026 Black Lake Schedule is out, including our rescheduled date for the Member Mobilization Institute!
Visit www.uaw.org/education/events for all the details!

📚✊ Join us for the next UAW Region 1A Education Advisory Council Meeting!

🗓 Tuesday, May 5
🕓 4:00 PM
📍 UAW Region 1A
9650 S. Telegraph Rd.
Taylor, MI 48180

Be part of the conversation as we work together to strengthen education, leadership development, and member engagement across Region 1A.

Your voice matters. Your participation makes a difference.