UE Members March on MLK Day

Over the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend, UE members in Virginia and North Carolina held marches honoring Dr. King’s fight for civil rights and workers' rights. Workers spoke about the lack of progress for workers since the 1960's, and called for the right to collective bargaining — a basic right restricted in both states.

Member-Run Unionism, Building Diverse Leadership Top GEB Agenda

“No one is born saying I want to be a union president,” Local 506 President Scott Slawson reminded his fellow members of UE’s General Executive Board during the board’s meeting on January 25 and 26. Throughout the two days, board members and national officers repeatedly emphasized the importance of giving UE members the skills to run their own local unions without relying on staff — and the measures that the National Union, and many locals, are taking to make that happen.

Local 1118 Wins Record Pay Increases, Expanded Union Rights

UE Local 1118 members who process paperwork for the US Citizen and Imigration Services (USCIS) in Chicago have seen a lot of contractors come and go, but have never had the challenges they experienced over the past year getting paid for work they had already performed. Their new contract includes stiff penalties for the employer if they do not pay workers on time, along with record pay increases and expanded union rights. Read more »

Local 1160 Pumps Up the Volume

“We made a lot of headway on economics in this contract, but to be honest, the improvements we made to the quality of work, like the ability to listen to music or an audiobook, while we work were just as important,” said Vice President Ashlee Vandusseldorp. “Building power at work allows us to live better, but it also gives us more power over our lives at work. We spend so much time at work, a victory like this is more than symbolic, it really improves our quality of life.” Read more »

Local 1121 Members Fight Back Union-Busting Attack and Win New Contract at Aramark

The members of UE local 1121 at Aramark/Vestis ratified a new five-year agreement on October 13, after fighting back a bitter attempt to break the local union by the boss. Despite the employer’s illegal tactics of threats, lies, and outright bribes to break their local union, members voted by a two-to-one margin to reject an attempted decertification. Read more »

Connecticut Paraeducators Secure 25 Percent Wage Increase

After their last contract with the Windsor Locks Board of Education, members of the UE Local 222 Sublocal 4 negotiating committee continued to meet every six to eight weeks to see how things were going and what they would fight for in the next contract. When it came time to negotiate a new contract in 2023, these seasoned veterans all brought their stories to the table, did their research, and stood firm with management when they would question them on an issue. Read more »

Local 1498 Reopener Wins Improved Wages, Tuition Coverage and Health Care

UE Local 1498-Graduate Workers United won $1600 in tuition coverage and a six percent wage increase in reopener negotiations with New Mexico State University this fall. “These are important wins for us and ensure that grads will have at least one class covered and a bit more money in our pockets come spring,” said Local 1498 President Alexander Allison. Combined with the 6.8 percent wage increase won in the initial year of their first contract, graduate workers at NMSU have won a combined 12.8 percent raise since joining UE. Read more »

UE Working to Preserve the Solidarity Mural in Chicago

Fifty years ago, a team of artists led by John Pitman Weber and Jose Guerrero created the “Solidarity” mural in the lobby of the UE Hall in Chicago, at that time the center of a vibrant working-class neighborhood. With the neighborhood gentrifying, UE is in the process of selling the aging building — but is working hard to preserve the mural for the Chicago community and future generations. Read more »

Locals 718 and 777 Win Improved Severance in the Face of Plant Closing

On November 29, 2023, Post Consumer Brands called a meeting to notify the 160 UE members who maintain the facility (Local 718) and manufacture cereal (Local 777) at the Lancaster cereal plant that they would all be out of a job in six months to one year. The officers of both locals got this terrible news via a PowerPoint presentation from the Post corporate officials in a hotel conference room a few towns over, and halted further discussions until they could get back to the plant and inform the membership of both locals in person. Read more »

FEATURE

UE: A Remarkable Example

In January, the UE NEWS republished an article written by retired UE Political Action Director Chris Townsend about our union’s history, principles and importance to the broader labor movement. Read it here »

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