UE Cornell Graduate Workers Ratify First Contract With A 97% Yes Vote
The members of UE Local 300-Cornell Graduate Students United, graduate workers at Cornell University, ratified their first contract on April 10 with a 97 percent yes vote. The local attributed the win to the mass participation of graduate workers in building a strike threat. The contract includes 12 weeks of parental leave, a hard-won union shop provision, five days of immigration-related leave, and an almost eight percent raise. Full coverage of the first contract struggle will appear in the next issue of the UE NEWS Bulletin.
Organize, Fight, Win: UE Western Region Builds Worker Power
On March 29–30, delegates from the Western Region met for UE’s Western Regional Council meeting, where members shared hard-fought victories, prepared for upcoming battles, and reinforced their commitment to building a democratic union rooted in militant, rank-and-file struggle. Read more on ueunion.org »
UE Members Join Letter Carriers in Saying ‘Hell No!’ to Dismantling Postal Service
UE members joined rallies hosted by the National Association of Letter Carriers on Sunday, March 23 to say “Hell No!” to dismantling or privatizing the Postal Service. Read more »
Local 792 Wins ‘Potentially Life-Changing’ Contract Settlement
Local 792 won a first-year increase of seven percent, with 3.5 percent increases for each of the following years, as well as improved sick time rollover and Juneteenth as a paid holiday. Local Vice President Printus Foward said, “This is potentially life-changing money for the members. This is now the best-paying food service job in the city.” Read more »
New UE Publication: Member-Run Unions
We are happy to announce a new UE publication, Member-Run Unions: A UE Guide to Democratic Practice. This 32-page booklet describes in detail how UE’s philosophy of rank and file control is best implemented in the day-to-day work of our union: bargaining contracts, fighting grievances, and running our local, regional and national union in a democratic fashion. It also includes numerous practical suggestions for how rank-and-file members can plug into the work of running their union.
An online version of the publication can be read for free at mru.ueunion.org. Printed copies can also be purchased for $3 apiece from the UE online store.
Graduate Worker Unions Urge Universities to Form Mutual Defense Pact in Face of Trump Threats
Twelve UE locals, representing over 30,000 graduate workers at both private and public universities, released a statement this week urging colleges and universities to form a “Mutual Academic Defense Compact” to respond to the Trump administration’s ongoing attacks on higher education. Read more »
Members Learn How to Prepare for Strikes, Fight Unjust Discipline at Erie Educational Event
Nearly 30 UE rank-and-file members from a half-dozen locals participated in a UE Subregion 1 meeting on Saturday, March 8 at the UE Local 506 union hall in Erie, PA. UE Eastern Region President George Waksmunski welcomed the UE members to the meeting and thanked the Local 506 members for the use of their union hall. Read more »
Trump Administration Goes on Union-Busting Spree
While former President Biden’s claim to have been “the most pro-union President in history” is certainly debatable, President Trump is on track to become the most anti-union President in history in his second term. Read more »
UE, Other Unions Demand End to Assault on Right To Organize and Protest
UE has joined eight other national unions, including the United Auto Workers and Service Employees International Union, in issuing a statement calling for the release of abducted union members and political organizers who are being swept up in the Trump Administration’s campaign of terror against working people. The statement declares that “The labor movement holds one value above all others: solidarity. Labor demands an end to the Trump administration’s assaults on immigrant workers, freedom of speech, the right to organize and bargain, and federal government workers, their unions, and the services they provide.” Read more »
Wisconsin Voters Defy Billionaire Elon Musk, Elect Pro-Worker Supreme Court Judge
On Tuesday, April 1, voters in Wisconsin elected the pro-worker Susan Crawford to a seat on the state supreme court, despite billionaire Elon Musk spending more than $20 million to support Crawford’s conservative opponent. Crawford won by a margin of almost 10 percentage points, winning many counties which supported Trump in the 2024 presidential election. Read more »
FEATURE
A Labor Historian’s Legacy
In early April, UE Communications Director Jonathan Kissam presented remarks at a panel at the Organization of American Historians’ 2025 Conference on American History in Chicago. The panel was about the legacy of labor historian David Montgomery, who was a rank-and-file member of UE Local 475 before he became an historian. Kissam spoke about Montgomery’s life-long connection to the labor movement and popular struggles, and how that engagement provides a model for how intellectuals can make their work relevant to the public and to workers in particular. Read Kissam’s Remarks »
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