By Asia Nail
The Truth Reporter
If you want to understand United Auto Workers Local 12, don’t start with a building. Start on the shop floor.
Imagine a long assembly line. Loud machines. Early mornings. A body shop at the Jeep plant. That’s where President Brian Sims begins, not with a title, but with steel-toed boots and years of showing up.
“I worked the line for about 15 years,” Sims says. “Then I became an overtime coordinator and continued to advance.”
He doesn’t say this like a resume. He says it as if it’s a story that unfolded while he wasn’t looking.
That’s how Local 12 works. It’s built from the inside out.
So… What Is Local 12, Really?
Here’s the simplest way to think about it:
Local 12 is a group of workers who agree not to stand alone.
When you go to work by yourself, you follow the rules. When something goes wrong, you’re expected to figure it out, alone.
A union changes that.
Local 12 is the collective voice for nearly 9,000 workers across more than 40 different workplaces in the Toledo area. Auto plants. Hospitals. Court clerks. Credit unions. Battery plants. Big factories. Small shops most people drive past without thinking twice.
Different jobs. Same idea.
If a worker has a problem, Local 12 helps them understand:
● What the rules actually are
● What their contract says
● What’s fair and what isn’t
It’s not about fighting. It’s about balance.
“I want all 41 shops to feel like they’re all important,” he explains. “Because they are.”
A Union Is a Net, Not a Ladder
It’s easy to think the biggest shop gets the most attention. Sims is clear, that’s not how he sees it.
“I want all 41 shops to feel like they’re all important,” he says. “Because they are.”
Think of Local 12 like a net. Each knot matters. If one weakens, the whole thing stretches.
That’s why Sims spends his time traveling. In just the past six months, he has visited 24 shops. Not for photos. Not for speeches.
Just to show up.
Care is not a press release. Care is presence. And members feel it.
“You should see the smiles on their faces,” Sims adds. “They get excited.”
That excitement tells you something important: people want to be seen.
Teamwork Isn’t a Slogan, It’s a Practice
Sims talks about teamwork the way athletes do. He played basketball in high school so he learned early that no one wins alone.
Now, teamwork looks like monthly chair meetings. Weekly conversations. Sitting down with HR, even when it’s difficult.
“Sometimes you really have to sit down and have discussions,” he admits. “That’s the key to getting to common ground.”
This matters because work is changing. Pressure is real. Tempers flare. Without communication, problems grow legs.
Local 12 acts as a translator in the middle of the room, making sure workers and companies hear each other.
That doesn’t mean everyone agrees. It means everyone shows up.
Education Is the Future
The responsibility doesn’t stop here. What happens next?
Sims doesn’t hesitate.
“Education,” he asserts. “That’s the strategy.”
Local 12 brings training in-house directly to its members. Union 101. Leadership classes. Election committees. Sexual harassment training, so people know what to say and what not to say.
“When our members are educated on how to treat each other first,” Sims insists, “everything else follows.”
Education turns confusion into confidence.
And confidence keeps a union alive.
A Historic First, But Not the Point
Yes, Brian Sims is the first Black president in Local 12’s history.
But he doesn’t lead with that.
“I never really looked at it that way,” he says. “The membership wanted somebody they could trust.”
That trust comes from decades of consistency. From helping people file grievances. From listening. From guiding workers toward solutions, even when Sims can’t fix everything himself.
“I really care deeply for our members,” he says. “Their concerns are my concerns.”
That’s the heartbeat of Local 12.
Why This All Comes Together
Near the end of the conversation, Sims tells a story about his father. About how he could walk up to anyone, anywhere, and not be a stranger.
That’s what it all comes back to.
Local 12 exists so workers aren’t strangers to power. So they’re not alone when something goes wrong. So they have a voice when they need one most.
Sims puts it simply.
“I love people,” he says. “And I love helping people.”
That’s not just his leadership style.
That’s the union’s purpose.
And that’s why Local 12 still matters, right now, and for the next generation watching closely.
Learn more about Local 12 and how it supports workers every day at UAW