Happy Labor Day! We hope you and your family are enjoying the three-day weekend, and will take some time today to reflect on the hard work and sacrifices of those who built the labor movement, and the ways we can work together to build a world of justice for working people.

Local 150 Celebrates 25 Years of Struggle

Gathering at the historic Franklinton Center at Bricks in the eastern part of the North Carolina, UE’s statewide Local 150 held its 12th biennial convention on August 20 and 21. Nearly 70 delegates and guests gave reports on important victories and struggles across the state, discussed the role of community-faith-labor coalitions in winning broad social changes, and celebrated 25 years of struggle since Local 150’s founding in 1997. Bishop William J. Barber II of the Poor People’s Campaign gave the keynote address.

The UE Congressional Scorecard Is Back!

The UE Congressional Scorecard is back! Visit scorecard.ueunion.org to find out how well your representatives in Washington supported workers during the 117th Congress.

To score the members of the 117th Congress, we rated them based on UE policy, which is debated and adopted by rank-and-file delegates at UE conventions. Current policy is based on resolutions passed by the 77th UE Convention, held in September 2021, and attended by over 100 delegates from UE locals across the country.

Visit scorecard.ueunion.org »

Sign Petition to Support UE Members at Refresco

Workers at Refresco, one of the largest bottlers in North America, voted twice to join UE, in June of 2021 and again this past May. Now they’re bargaining for a first contract, and they need support. The National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, a key UE ally in this fight, has launched a petition calling on Refresco to bargain a union contract in good faith, so that workers can secure fair pay, benefits, and safe working conditions.

Refresco workers are injured at alarming rates from lifting heavy objects and vibrating machines, they are prone to slips and falls because the factory floor is rarely dry, and workers have gotten mangled in unguarded machines. To add insult to injury, Refresco gives their workers inadequate health insurance that is not even accepted at the local hospital, so workers are left to fend for themselves after getting injured on the job.

Today, Refresco worker and member of the UE bargaining committee Cesar Moreira published an op-ed in Fortune Magazine calling on KKR, the private equity firm that holds a majority stake in Refresco, to support a fair union contract at the bottling plant they own.

Tell Refresco workers you stand with them and that they’re not alone in this fight »

Local 1466 Rallies for Rights, Walks to Work Together on First Day of Semester

On August 22 members of the United Graduate Workers of University of New Mexico (UGW-UE Local 1466) held a rally at the UNM bookstore and walked in to work together to start the fall semester. Local 1466 is currently negotiating for a first UE contract.

“We want to show the university that the semester doesn’t start until we show up,” said Duncan McGraw, union treasurer and bargaining committee representative. “From my time on the bargaining committee, it’s clear that UNM admin has no respect for the labor we do or the essential services we provide.”

Read coverage from Source NM »

Local 1498 Fighting to Solve Tuition Crisis

Graduate workers at New Mexico State University, members of UE Local 1498 and also in negotiations for their first UE contract, have been taking a variety of actions to pressure NMSU to end its pay-to-work policies. NMSU graduate workers live below the federal poverty line and are forced to pay tuition as a condition of employment. Local 1498 has worked tirelessly at the bargaining table to try to solve the tuition crisis NMSU has created, but the NMSU administration has so far only offered unfair, insulting, and potentially illegal proposals.

Last month, UE members met with New Mexico State Senator Carrie Hamblin and State Representative Joanne Ferrary to talk about the tuition crisis. Sen. Hamblin, Rep. Ferrary and their colleague, Representative Angelica Rubio, wrote a letter to the Las Cruces Sun News in support of Local 1498’s demands.

Local 1498 has also launched an online action where supporters can send a pre-written letter to NMSU Chancellor Dan Arvizu. Send a letter today »

Local 683 Secures Major Improvements in First Contract with New Employer

UE Local 683 members secured major improvements in their first contract with their new employer American Iron & Metals (AIM), including a $3.75 wage increase over the life of the three-year agreement. “I think negotiations went really well with the new company,” said Local 683 President Ben Seidler. “We won a lot of improvements for our members. And, we finally won union security after 20 years of fighting for it.” Read more »

UE President Rosen Attends Unifor Convention

UE General President Carl Rosen was a guest at the 4th Constitutional Convention of UE’s Canadian sister union Unifor, which was held from August 8-12. Rosen joined 1,800 Unifor members as they debated and voted on priorities for their union and elected a new national president. Unifor is Canada's largest union in the private sector, representing 315,000 workers in every major area of that country’s economy. Read more »