First Contracts, Inflation and Midterms Top General Executive Board Agenda

Meeting in-person for the first time since January of 2020, UE’s General Executive Board convened in Pittsburgh from September 14-16 to review the union’s work and the economic and political situation facing working people. They issued a statement, “Defending Workers’ Interests in a Rigged System,” about the upcoming midterm elections, and participated in a new UE workshop on inflation and how to fix it without losing jobs.

Refresco Workers Make Progress Towards First UE Contract

After beating company union-busting and winning a second NLRB election in May, more than 200 workers at the Refresco bottling plant, members of UE Local 115, are finally at the bargaining table with their employer. The elected union negotiating committee has been meeting regularly with the company since July, and has already reached agreement on several issues.

You can help make sure Refresco workers get a fair contract, with safe working conditions and decent schedules, by signing this online petition, sponsored by our allies at the National Coalition for Safety and Health (National COSH). Refresco workers plan to deliver the petition this month.

Inflation, the Cost-of-Living Crisis, and the Danger of Recession

UE General President Carl Rosen published an op-ed in the Chicago Tribune in September, warning that the interest-rate hikes that the Federal Reserve Board keeps implementing will push us into recession (and won’t solve inflation), and outlining other tools the government has to address the cost-of-living crisis. The latest issue of the UE NEWS also includes a feature article explaining the causes of the high prices we are currently seeing, and why the solutions being pushed by corporate politicians won't help (but will hurt us).

FEATURE

Young Workers Confront Union Busting

Retired UE Political Action Director Chris Townsend wrote a feature on the union-busting industry for the latest issue of the paper. “What stops workers from organizing is the fact that employers will — and do — resist with every legal and illegal means when workers try to exercise their right to organize,” he writes. “This single fact is the root answer why union membership continues to drop, why union bargaining clout continues to erode, and why the overall condition of the working class is dire and worsening by the day.” Read the article »

State Mental Health Workers from across North Carolina Speak Out at Local 150 Forum

On Thursday, September 29, state mental health workers from Department of Health and Human Services facilities across the state gathered in Goldsboro at the Rebuilding Broken Places center, and virtually via Zoom, to speak-out for safe staffing, family-supporting wages, and a voice on the job. The forum was organized by the DHHS Council of the North Carolina Public Service Workers Union, UE Local 150. Read more »

Graduate Workers at MIT, New Mexico State and University of Chicago Rally

Hundreds of MIT graduate workers rallied in Cambridge, MA on September 12 to kick off bargaining for their first UE contract. The rally sent a clear message to the MIT administration that the members of UE Local 256 (MIT GSU) are prepared to fight for provisions to address harassment, housing insecurity, and healthcare access.

In Las Cruces, New Mexico, Members of UE Local 1498, joined by faculty leaders and undergraduates, rallied and spoke at the New Mexico State University Board of Regents meeting on September 15. Local 1498 leader Bryson Stemock told the regents, “We are here for our peers who can't feed their families, who are skipping meals. We are here for international students who had no protections and were forced to leave the country.”

And at the University of Chicago, Graduate Students United-UE kicked off their union drive on September 27 with a rally for a living wage — and collected over 1,100 union cards from University of Chicago graduate workers on the first day! GSU-UE is organizing for a living wage, expanded benefits, equitable policies, better support for international students, and transparency and democracy at their university. GSU has been organizing since 2007, and affiliated with UE in August.

Virginia Beach City Workers Rally for Collective Bargaining Before Local Elections

As the City of Virginia Beach prepares for an important election, with city council districts newly re-drawn to rectify a history of racial disenfranchisement, city workers, faith leaders, community and labor allies spoke out at an educational rally on Saturday, September 17 about why collective bargaining is an important aspect of democracy. Read more »

UE Prevails in Near-Unanimous NLRB Vote at Legal Services Firm

On July 28, the National Labor Relations Board counted the votes of a union election held for approximately 200 workers at the legal services firm Hudson Institute for Process Research (HIPR). All but one of the workers voted for UE. The story of Hudson workers is a story of courageous worker perseverance in the face of wanton lawbreaking by their employer. Read more »

UE Mourns Loss of Retired International Representative Saladin Muhammad

Retired UE International Representative Saladin Muhammad passed away on September 19, after a long battle with illness. Muhammad played a key role in the founding and building of UE Local 150, UE’s statewide local in North Carolina which recently celebrated 25 years of struggle. Read more »

Eastern Region President Promotes Aggressive Rank-and-File Struggle on New England Tour

In the first part of September, UE Eastern Region President George Waksmunski visited UE locals across New England to remind them of the basic tenets of UE principles, found in the preamble to our national constitution. “Our union believes in aggressive, militant struggle,” he said. “We believe in rank and file control, and that all workers need to be united regardless of their age, race, sex, sexual orientation, political affiliation, or anything else.” Read more »

Local 170 Fights for Better Conditions for State Hospital Workers

UE Local 170 Recording Secretary Leslie Riddle reports on ways Local 170 members have been fighting to improve conditions for state hospital workers and build their union, including a productive August 24 meeting with the Chief Operating Officer of the state hospitals and the human resources director for the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources. Read more »

Local 106 Reins in New Manager with Grievances, Demands to Bargain

When Buckeye Partners recently promoted a new manager over the yard where UE Local 106 members work, he began unilaterally changing a number of practices. The local has successfully fought off every regressive action the supervisor has taken. Read more »

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