78th UE Convention Celebrates Strike Power
From September 17-21, nearly 200 delegates, guests, and staff gathered at the Wyndham Grand Hotel in downtown Pittsburgh for UE’s 78th Convention. Held under the theme of “Building Strike Power,” the convention celebrated UE’s many victories over the past two years.
Many of those victories illustrated the importance of the convention theme: the successful ten-week strike by members of UE Locals 506 and 618 that concluded in August, the six-day “stand down” by city workers in Durham, North Carolina at the beginning of September, and the first contract won by UE Local 256 (MIT-GSU) the week before convention, won after MIT graduate workers demonstrated their willingness to strike to achieve a first contract that met their demands. Read more on ueunion.org »
More Convention Coverage
MIT Graduate Workers’ First UE Contract Sets New Standards
[One week after publicly announcing their strike plan and 24 hours before the public launch of their strike pledge at a huge General Membership Meeting, the graduate workers of UE Local 256 (MIT-GSU) won a strong tentative agreement for our first contract. By Friday, September 22, they ratified their first contract, ending a 12-month struggle negotiating with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).]
Read more on ueunion.org »
“Stand Down” Action and Community Support Win $6.5 Million in Bonuses for Durham City Workers
A month after solid waste department workers “stood down,” refusing to load their trucks for six days to protest low pay and income lost during the pandemic, the Durham City Council voted yesterday to approve $6.5 million in additional bonuses for city workers.
“This is a huge victory for all city workers,” said John Burwell, a solid waste operator and a member of UE Local 150’s Durham City Workers Union chapter. “$6.5 million in the pockets of the city workers is a major step towards economic justice that we all deserve.”
Read more on ueunion.org »
FEATURE
“Building Strike Power” Convention Held in City of Steel ... and Strikes
UE’s 78th Convention was held in Pittsburgh, a city that is not only home to the union’s national office but also to a rich history of worker organizing and strikes. From the 1840s to today, the women and men whose labor built this city struggled — and often struck — to reclaim a share of the wealth their labor produced. Read more »
Strike Won Improved Contract at Wabtec
The contract won by UE Locals 506 and 618 with Wabtec was a significant improvement over the offer that the members had overwhelmingly rejected on June 22. “I believe we got more in this contract than Wabtec ever wanted to give,” said Local 618 Business Agent Janet Gray. “That success is due to the 1400 members who stood strong, the relentless efforts of the officers and executive boards (including the National Officers and Staff assistance) and the overwhelming support from other unions and the community. We would not have succeeded without it.” Read more »
Solidarity with the UAW
In September, as the UAW launched their historic strike against all of the Big Three automakers, UE’s General Executive Board declared, “The auto workers’ strike is all of our fight, and we encourage all UE members and allies to support the strike in whatever way they can.”The UAW has already won a groundbreaking agreement with GM to bring their electric battery manufacturing under the union's National Master Agreement, an important measure to ensure that the green jobs of the future are union jobs.
Click here for ways to show your solidarity with UAW workers »
UE Field Organizer Dennis Orton Remembered
The movement for justice lost a warrior on August 29 when former UE Field Organizer and Black Workers for Justice leader Dennis Orton passed. Dennis made historic contributions to UE’s work in the South. UE Eastern Region President George Waksmunski remembered Orton as “one of the most decent men I have ever met. He cared so deeply for the working class and the labor movement.” Read more »
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