Amidst the booming age of social media and the internet, mobile apps have become an efficient and easy way for individuals to connect and share information. Factory Social, a new social media app for current and retired members of the Union Auto Workers (UAW), has officially announced their launch this year. Factory Social is on a mission to sign up its first 2,500 members, with an overall goal to reach as many active and retired members as possible. To celebrate each milestone, Factory Social will be giving special prizes away to randomly selected members every time a new milestone is reached. This will include a prize called “Target Go Crazy”, where one Factory Social member will be chosen at random to fit as many items as they can into a Target cart to take home.
General Holiefield is the founder of Factory Social, a social media application meant for UAW members who are looking for a platform to share ideas. At 22, Holiefield was one of the youngest elected union officials in UAW history at Chrysler’s biggest site for their biggest contractor. His father, General Holiefield Sr., was the Vice President of the UAW. Coming from a familial background of activists and union workers, Holiefield has experience in both member and leadership positions among the UAW. The Factory Social app is now on a mission to sign up its first 2,500 members, and Holiefield continues to work towards reaching as many UAW members as possible.
With around 400k active and 600k retired UAW members in the United States to date, Factory Social has made it their mission to build spaces for auto workers to connect all over the country
Holiefield, who has over two decades worth of experience in communications, labor, unions, manufacturing and grass roots politics, was inspired by the noticeable gap between the hourly shop floor and the executive branch.
“Factory Social is an exclusive place for UAW Members to speak freely, share ideas, build strategies, settle differences and run election campaigns,” says Holiefield. “I noticed the mass amounts of people that would come out to the rallies, and protests. I was inspired to create a vlog where all this action could be captured in one place. That vlog turned into a website in 2010, and now since the emergence of social media, after much trial and error, we’ve finally been able to launch the Factory Social app to capture the voice and culture of union members in a digital space created just for them”.
The app’s launch marks the beginning of Holiefield’s goal to have a positive impact on the UAW and the auto industry. “I noticed the unbelievable impact that the auto industry has on the middle class and the country,” says Holiefield. “I also witnessed the bankruptcy period first hand – these experiences motivated me to build a digital space where UAW members can exist and have the same impact in the current digital age as the union had during the height of the industrial age. In the near future, Holiefield also hopes to use his platform to create jobs and offer them active and retired members to wish to lend their knowledge to the next generation.
Factory Social is officially up and running for members to sign up and be a part of history by helping launch the first social media platform for UAW members all over the country. The social media app gives members a chance to discuss and share ideas, stories, and other important information that can be found all in one place. Members can sign up for a subscription fee of $29 a year. In this digital age of social media and online applications, Holiefield aspires to adapt to this rapidly changing world and impact as many union workers as possible. Regardless of background or status, Factory Social is continuously expanding to invite all UAW members, whether current or retired. For more information regarding Factory Social and its features, visit their website at factory.social.
