AUD strives, as it has since 1969, to democratize our labor movement. These days, we continue to provide guidance to unionists seeking to reform their unions, as evidenced by the testimonials below. Currently, we are working with reformers in IATSE, CWA, IUOE, Utility Workers and many many more. These reformers have come to AUD with questions and concerns about election rights, grievance procedure, fair trials, and occasionally improper terminations.

This year, we write as a very special project is unfolding at AUD. Some of you may know that we have been planning to create a documentary film of the history of AUD. We are happy to report that this project has now reached its second stage. AUD has retained, Sid Levin, a top notch film editor from the Boston area to help us edit and finalize the many hours of footage of the unionists and the AUD staff that were in the trenches with those unionists. AUD’s rich archives, including the Herman Benson Papers, residing at the Walter Reuther Library, provide ample documentary evidence of what the interviewees discuss.

The documentary will serve to memorialize the work of the many reformers that have been associated with AUD and Union Democracy, such as Ed Sadlowski, Frank Schonfeld, Dow Wilson, Dan Boswell, and Jock Yablonski, as you can see from the photo collage of some of our archives. We hope you will give to AUD as always, but perhaps increase your contribution to help us fund this exciting project. Your contributions can help offset documentary expenses such as the cost of travel to the archives, not to mention the costs of filming and paying for our editor. It is our hope to launch the film by next Spring and feature it at an AUD Conference on Union Democracy. We hope, as AUD supporters, you value this effort and will be even more generous.