By: Kim Jones

Greetings Sisters and Brothers,

It finally feels like autumn is in the air, and I’m watching trees change to golden, leaves falling, and the season changing. Enjoy the season while you can, it will be cold and snowing before you know it.

Local 659 presents Trunk or Treat, brought to you by the Recreation, Women’s, and Community Service Committees on October 26, 2025 from 1:00-3:00 p.m. Dress in your spookiest or silliest Halloween costume. Bring your decorated vehicle to UAW Local 659 to be part of the fun. Go from vehicle to vehicle to see what treats lie in store. the community is welcome.

Remember to fall back as Daylight Savings Time ends on November 2,2025 at 2:00 a.m. Set your clocks back one hour and enjoy the extra hour of sleep.

Each October, we wear pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. During the month of October, it’s a time to create awareness, honor the millions of lives affected by breast cancer, and reaffirm our global commitment to equitable access to care and improved survival for all.

This year, we highlight the theme “Every Story is Unique, Every Journey Matters.” Why this theme? Every breast cancer diagnosis is personal. Behind every diagnosis is a story or courage, resilience, and hope. This theme reminds us that breast cancer touches the lives of women and their families around the world differently, and that every journey deserves compassion, dignity, and support.

This year’s theme recognizes the diversity of experience and reinforces the need for compassion, timely and quality care for all, regardless of geography, income or background.

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women worldwide. In 2022, approximately 2.3 million women were diagnosed and another 670,000 died from the disease. These are not just numbers, but mothers, sisters, daughters and friends who deserve help and dignity. While the five-year survival rate for high-income countries is in the 90%, the figure drops to 66% in India and 40% in South Africa. These disparities are driven by unequal access to early detection, timely diagnosis and effective treatment.

Although breast cancer is much more common in women, breast cancer affects men , too. In 2021, President Joe Biden designated October 17 through October 23 as Men’s Breast Cancer Awareness Week. According to the American Cancer Society, about 2,800 men in the U.S. will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2025, and about 510 are expected to die from the disease. A lack of awareness and stigma can be barriers to detection and care in men.

A Few U. S. Breast Cancer Statistics

People of every country, race, ethnic group and income level are affected by breast cancer. In the U.S., the percentage of women diagnosed with breast cancer has been slowly rising for the past couple of decades.
– A woman in the U. S. today has a 1 in 8 chance of developing breast cancer over her lifetime, and a 1 in 43 chance of dying from breast cancer.
– Nearly 30% of women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer later develop metastatic breast cancer.
– The average lifetime risk that a man in the U.S. will develop breast cancer is 1 in 726.
– There are about 4 million breast cancer survivors in the U. S. including women receiving breast cancer treatment.
– While the percentage of women dying from breast cancer has gone down in recent decades, Black women remain more likely to die from breast cancer than women of any other racial or ethnic group.
– If you know someone who is living with breast cancer or has been affected by the disease, check in with them to ask them how they are doing.
– Schedule your annual mammogram, and encourage your friends and family to do the same.
– If you would like to support breast cancer research and programs that support people touched by breast cancer, consider donating directly to organizations that do this work like breastcancer.org. When you give, your donation goes directly to what you read, hear and see on breastcancer.org.

There are different symptoms of breast cancer, and some people have no symptoms at all. Symptoms can include:
– Any change in the size or shape of the breast.
– Pain in any area of the breast.
– Nipple discharge other than breastmilk (including blood).
– A new lump in the breast or under the arm.

If you have any signs that worry you, see your doctor right away.

Some main factors that affect your chances of getting breast cancer include:
– Being a woman
– Being older. Most breast cancers are found in women who are 50 or older, but breast cancer also affects younger women.

You can do things to help lower your breast cancer risk.
– Keep a healthy weight and be physically active.
– Choose not to drink alcohol, or drink alcohol in moderation.
– If you are taking hormone replacement therapy or birth control pills, ask your doctor about the risks.
– Breast-feed your children, if possible.

October is also Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Domestic violence is also referred to as dating violence, relationship violence and intimate partners violence. It can include physical, emotional, verbal and psychological violence, as well as stalking. It is associated with other forms of violence and various serious health consequences and economic impacts. The theme for domestic violence awareness 2025 is With Survivors Always.

Many people who have experienced domestic and gender-based violence either don’t know who to turn to or have had a bad experience when they reached out for help. Your willingness to help can be important to a victim’s safety planning efforts. Here are some tips to help you help someone else. Remember that being willing and well-meaning is good, but being ready to offer the kind of help that’s needed while keeping yourself safe is even better.
– Believe victims and let them know that you do. If you know the person who has or is abusing them, it may be hard to believe that they are capable of abuse, but remember that abusers typically act different in public than they do in private.
– Listen to what they tell you. Avoid judgement and giving advice. They will let you know what they need.
– Refer them to a service provider who can provide necessary medical attention, counseling or emotional support, safety planning, housing and discuss their options.
– Validate feelings . It is common for victims to have conflicting feelings of love and fear, guilt and anger, hope and sadness. Let them know these these feelings are normal.
– Take it seriously. If you are concerned about their safety, tell them you are concerned without judgement by simply saying your situation sounds dangerous, and I’m concerned about your safety.
– Give them control. Abuse and assault takes control away from victims. Support their decisions about who to tell, what steps to take, and what types of support they need. Additionally, ask them before offering physical support such as a hug and being upfront about what support you can and cannot provide allows them to take control of their safety and next steps.
– Support and respect their decisions. Remember that there are risks with every decision a victim makes and there is no one way an individual must react to abuse or assault. If you really want to be helpful, be patient and respect their decisions even if you don’t agree with them.

Domestic Violence Facts
– In the U.S., over 10 million adults experience domestic violence every year.
– 1 in 4 women and 1 in 10 men experience sexual violence, physical violence and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime.
-Intimate partner violence is most common among women who are aged 18 to 24.