Local 1466 Reopener Wins Historic Raises for Lowest-Paid Workers

Members of Local 1466, the United Graduate Workers of UNM, won 30 percent raises for project assistants, the lowest paid workers in the bargaining unit, during their reopener which began April 8, 2024. The members, who are graduate workers at the University of New Mexico, began their second compensation bargaining reopener with the UNM administration stalling for three hours before adjourning the day’s meeting without providing a counter proposal. It was clear to all members of the local’s bargaining team that the administration was ill-prepared to meet with us at the bargaining table.

General Executive Board Discusses Election, Budget

UE's General Executive Board, made up of elected rank-and-file members from across the union, met in Pittsburgh last week, from June 5-7. They reviewed the union’s annual budget, along with the union’s organizational, educational, political action, and international work. They also issued two statements, on the stakes of the 2024 presidential election and solidarity with campus protests.

UE Members Learn about Struggles of Mexican Workers in Worker-to-Worker Exchange

A UE delegation traveled to Mexico for a week in May to meet with our allies at the Frente Auténtico del Trabajo (FAT) for the first time since 2017. The trip was an important opportunity to ground UE members in the union’s international solidarity work, which prioritizes supporting workers in their struggles with their bosses. As members learned, even when our managers might be different, our employers use the same kinds of tactics to prevent workers from organizing and to exploit workers’ labor.

Take Action: Support UE Leaders Being Sued by their Former Employer

Three leaders from UE Local 666 are being sued by their former employer, Hudson Legal, years after being fired for their organizing activity. This has resulted in tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees, but the organizers at Hudson Workers United are still fighting for justice. Take a look at UE Local 666 merch and consider buying something to support their legal fees! Or make a donation here.

UE Helps Lead Community Roundtable on Rail Pollution

UE Local 1177 President Larry Hopkins was one of the panelists at a community roundtable about rail pollution on Wednesday, May 29. “I live on the southwest side of Chicago,” Hopkins said, “and I’m bounded by four rail yards within a two to four mile radius.” He charged that the old, polluting diesel locomotives used in Chicago’s rail yards are “harming railroad workers and drivers like myself, and people that live in these communities.” Read more »

Local 150 Holds Political Action Day at State Legislature

UE Local 150 members from the Department of Health and Human Services and the University of North Carolina held a political action day at the state legislature on Thursday, May 16 to urge their representatives to take action to improve working conditions for public-sector workers around the state. Members gave speeches and chanted outside the capitol on the front lawn to call attention to their unlivable wages and working conditions. Read more »

New Chasen Agreement Codifies Wages, Guards Against Favoritism

On Thursday, May 30, members of Local 155 at Chasen Fiber Technologies unanimously ratified a mid-contract agreement codifying starting wages, promotion raises, new job classifications, and pay for the new night shift. Management attempted to implement a new night shift and re-create a new maintenance mechanic position without negotiating with the union. The local sent a demand to bargain and began negotiations two weeks later. Prior to the agreement, only the starting wage for line workers was codified in the contract. Read more »

Local 799 Wins Improvements in Wage Reopener

Members of Local 799, who work various jobs in the food service, maintenance, custodial, and transportation departments at Delaware City Schools, had to settle their previous contract with the school district in 2022 under difficult circumstances. In reopener negotiations this year, they won a five percent raise and eliminated a historic contract issue: “duplicate” steps in which members were moved up a step but did not get a raise. The local also achieved longevity bonuses for members sooner, language that allows them to pick up additional work outside of their job codes, and a $250 one-time bonus to offset rising insurance costs. Read more »

FEATURE

“Solidarity” Mural Teaches Labor History Through Art

UE Local 1122-NUGW and art historian Emma Kennedy writes about the history, meaning and future of the mural that graced the interior walls of the UE Hall in Chicago for five decades. Read more »

Women’s Leadership Program Participant Visits Local 506 Unity Council Training

Erin Frimpong, a UE Local 1177 chief steward and a participant in the UE Women’s Leadership Program, writes about attending a Unity Council training held by UE Locals 506 and 618 in Erie, Pennsylvania. “I will definitely be taking everything that I learned back to my Local 1177 and share with everyone that I can.” Read more »

Webinar Reviews Pro-Worker Changes at Labor Board

On Tuesday, June 11, the pro-worker think tank Economic Policy Institute held a webinar titled “Organizing, Collective Action, and the National Labor Relations Board,” which discussed recent developments at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and their impacts on worker organizing. Read more »

Sanders, Khanna Introduce Legislation to Forgive Medical Debt

Saying, “The time has come to cancel all medical debt,” Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) announced legislation in May that would eliminate the over $200 billion in medical debt held by millions of Americans. Companion legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives by Congressman Ro Khanna (D-CA). Read more »

Canadian Parliament Unanimously Passes Anti-Scab Legislation

On Monday, May 27, Canada’s parliament unanimously passed new “anti-scab” legislation that will prohibit federally-regulated employers from using replacement workers during a strike. “This legislation is about protecting the right to fair and free collective bargaining, including the right to strike,” said Lana Payne, National President of UE’s Canadian ally Unifor. The bill “modernizes Canada’s labor relations system to reflect the current social and economic context of this country, where increased corporate power and wealth requires an effective counter-balance.” Read more »

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