Refresco Workers Travel to NYC to Deliver Petition, Meet with Investors

Members of UE Local 115 from the Refresco bottling plant in Wharton, NJ traveled to New York City on October 19 to deliver a petition to the private equity firm which owns their company — and to meet with major institutional investors in that firm.

Local 115 is currently in negotiations for a first union contract. As negotiating committee member César Moreira explained, they are fighting for “three basic demands” which are “things that everyone should have as a right” — decent wages and benefits, health and safety at work, and fair schedules.

Since the petition delivery, Refresco has signed a memorandum of understanding improving time off for one department where workers currently aren’t allowed to take any weekends off, and has expressed more willingness to go back to eight hour shifts for the first time, which has been a major demand of the workers.

New National Contract with Hallcon Delivers “Dollars, Not Dimes”

The new UE national contract with Hallcon Corp., covering approximately 2,000 drivers in six UE locals who work in 16 states, will increase wages by up to 22 percent over the next four years, delivering on UE members’ demands for “dollars, not dimes.” Across-the-board wage increases in the first year of the contract alone range from six percent to as high as 13 percent, with drivers in California seeing a $2.10/hour increase to their base wage. The contract was ratified on September 30.

Tuesday is Election Day!

This coming Tuesday, November 8, is Election Day! Do you have a plan to vote?

Visit vote411.org and enter your address to find out where you can vote in person, what voting machines are used, and what you need to bring with you on Election Day. You can also check your registration to make sure you're registered in your state at vote411.org/check-registration (Not registered? In some states you can still register up until Election Day!)

Make sure to read the UE General Executive Board statement on the elections, “Defending Workers’ Interests in a Rigged System.” Or hear what rank-and-file leaders on the UE General Executive Board have to say about the midterm elections.

The working class still makes up the overwhelming majority of our nation’s population and has the power to determine its future, but only if it’s organized, educated and mobilized to exercise its power at the ballot box.

Western Region Meets in California

“It’s just a great feeling for me to see people in-person again,” said UE Western Region President Bryan Martindale, as he looked out over the delegates who assembled for the fall regional council meeting on October 1 and 2. “This is what it’s all about — members interacting with members.” It was a sentiment that was echoed throughout the weekend, as delegates took every opportunity to compare notes with delegates from other locals during breaks and meals, and in the evenings. Read more »

First Contract Struggles Take Center Stage at Eastern Region Council Meeting

“Not to recommend it, not to suggest it, but to demand change — that right there is the union difference.” That’s what being in UE means to thousands of Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate workers, said Nishad Gothaskar, a member of the UE Local 256 (MIT GSU) bargaining committee. Flanked by over a dozen fellow members of his local, Gothaskar reviewed Local 256’s bargaining goals for delegates to the UE Eastern Region’s fall council meeting, which was held on Saturday, October 29. Read more »

Graduate Workers in Chicago, New Hampshire and Baltimore Launch UE Organizing Drives

Over the past month, graduate workers at Northwestern University in Chicago, Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore launched UE organizing drives with rallies and record-breaking numbers of workers signing union cards. Workers at all three campuses are seeking a living wage, more support for international student workers, and a voice at their universities.

Together with graduate workers at the University of Chicago, whose organizing drive launch we reported on in the last UE NEWS Bulletin, these campaigns cover over 10,000 workers.

Local 625 Contract Extension a Win for Workers

After running a militant contract campaign three years ago which culminated in a one-day strike, UE Local 625, whose members build high-quality circuit breakers and high-voltage equipment in Greensburg and Mt. Pleasant, PA, ratified a one-year contract extension on Thursday, September 22. President Mark Shaffer said, “I believe our collective strength as a membership and past contract campaigns, where we put some serious pressure on our employer, motivated the company to come to us early and negotiate this type of agreement.” Read more »

UNC Housekeepers Rally for $20 per Hour, End to Pay-to-Work

On Friday, October 28, housekeepers at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, joined by over 100 supporters, rallied for $20 per hour and an end to pay-to-work policies. Organized by the Workers Union @ UNC, a chapter of UE Local 150, the march and rally featured speak-outs from housekeepers as well as statements of support from the Campus Y, Siembra, and The Black Student Movement. The housekeepers delivered 2,100 petition signatures supporting their demands to the chancellor's office. Read more »

Local 1421 Negotiates New Contract with Stepan

Members of amalgamated UE Local 1421 who work at the Stepan Company ratified a new three-year contract in mid-October. The contract raises wages by 4, 3.5 and 3.25 percent. Workers received a $1,000 bonus upon ratification, and will receive an additional $2,000 bonus in their first pay period after November 16. Read more »

Local 221 “Relishing in Success” of New Contract at CVOEO

Members of amalgamated UE Local 221 who work for the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity (CVOEO) ratified a new three-year contract this past week. The contract covers workers who work for Head Start programs, community action offices, food shelves, and a variety of other programs across the four Vermont counties of Chittenden, Addison, Franklin and Grand Isle. Read more »

Local 896-COGS Defeats Anti-Union Law for Third Time

On October 25, 2022, UE Local 896-COGS, which represents almost 2,000 graduate employees at the University of Iowa, won a recertification election for the third time in six years, with the support of nearly 70 percent of the bargaining unit. Local 896 members Caleb Klipowicz and Glenn Houlihan wrote up a report for the UE NEWS about how they did it. Read more »

Online Workshop Series Helps UE Leaders “Build Union Power”

More than 50 UE members from more than 15 locals participated in a four-part online workshop in September called “Building Union Power.” Members met one evening per week to develop their internal-organizing skills and strategize to put those ideas into practice. Read more »

Brazilian Election a Victory for Working Class, Democracy

On October 30, Brazilian voters elected former metalworkers’ union leader (and former two-term president) Luiz Inácio da Silva, popularly known simply as “Lula,” as president. Lula defeated incumbent president Jair Bolsonaro, a close Trump ally who during his four years in office attacked unions, encouraged violence against opponents, and oversaw massive deforestation of the Amazon rainforests — hastening climate change and putting the entire world at risk. The UE NEWS looks at this historic election and explains some of the background. Read more »