Local 2195 Retiree Chair Receives UAW Region 8 Director Award

Chuck McDonald Receives Region 8 Director’s Award

Local 2195 Retiree Chair received the UAW Region 8 Director’s Award from UAW Region 8 Director Tim Smith at the 2026 UAW Region 8 Retired Worker’s Conference. Director Smith initiated the award two years ago. A total of six have been presented, prior to the Retiree Conference where Director Smith awarded six.

“I wanted a way to recognize our members who make a lasting impact on the region,” Director Smith stated. “We came up with this award to show our appreciation to those who make a difference in their local, in their communities, in their region and the union as a whole.”

The Director’s Award is a collectable coin, with the Region 8 Logo on the front and the “Who Are We” logo on the back.

Chuck McDonald is well known throughout Local 2195, Region 8 and the International Union as a whole. Born and raised in the coal hills of Kentucky, Chuck went north seeking work in the Auto Industry. In 1965 he was hired at GM and joined the union. He was elected to several positions at his first local. In 1979, GM offered transfer rights to union members to the Alabama Site. “For me it was a chance to get back closer to home,” Chuck recalled. “I was a little reluctant because the site wasn’t organized. I decided to transfer and try to organize the workers there.”

Chuck McDonald and several others began working to organize the employees at Saginaw Steering Gear with the union being recognized in 1982. Chuck served as the first Chairman at 2195 and later was elected president. In 1986 he was appointed to Region 8 Staff, working in organizing. Chuck and fellow Local 2195 member James Brymer organized a number of locals in the Carolinas as well as the Murray Ohio Plant in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee. Chuck was eventually named Organizing Director for UAW Region 8. He retired from the International Union in 2000, ending a 35-year career with the UAW.

Since his retirement, he has served as the Retiree Chair for Local 2195. He also continues to mentor younger members and is a well-known labor resource across the region and the International as a whole.

Congratulations to Chuck McDonald for his well deserved recognition with the UAW Region 8 Director’s Award.