UE Grad Worker Locals Win First Contracts at University of New Mexico and New Mexico State University

Graduate workers at the University of New Mexico and New Mexico State University will see raises of 7.12 and 6.8 percent respectively, thanks to first UE contracts ratified by the members of UE Locals 1466-United Graduate Workers (UNM) and 1498-Graduate Workers United (NMSU) this week.

The Local 1466 contract sets a new minimum pay rate, so that those at the minimum will see a ten percent raise, and adds three days of bereavement leave and two weeks of paid medical leave each semester. New international graduate workers will now be reimbursed for the SEVIS fees they have to pay in order to work in the U.S.

Although Local 1498 was unable to win full tuition reimbursement in their first contract, they did secure an agreement to renegotiate tuition coverage in March, after the coming New Mexico state legislative session. Both the union and the university have committed in the contract to working together to advocate for funding specifically for tuition coverage for graduate workers.

Both contracts were won following months of escalating pressure, including a December 1 picket by Local 1498 and a December 7 walk-out rally attended by over 200 members of Local 1466.

In addition to ratifying their contract, Local 1466 members voted overwhelmingly this week to launch a campaign to win the right to strike for public sector workers in New Mexico.

The next issue of the UE NEWS will include more in-depth coverage of both first contract, and the struggles that won them.

Local 696 Members Ratify First Contract After 20-Month Struggle

After a 20-month struggle, the members of UE Local 696 at Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania ratified their first UE contract on Monday, December 12. The three-year agreement will raise wages by an average of over $2 per hour in the first year, and guarantees a path to a $20/hour minimum base wage with at least three years of service.

Tell Congress: Fund the NLRB!

We are in the midst of a historic wave of new union organizing — but if Congress doesn’t take action this month to fully fund the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), employers will continue to break the law with impunity to keep workers from having a union. Take action »

Inflation is Falling Much Faster Than Most People Know; and The Fed’s Response to Inflation May Pose a Bigger Threat than the Inflation Itself

In this op-ed reprinted in the UE NEWS, economist Mark Weisbrot explains how misunderstanding of inflation and the economy distorts American politics and can influence not only elections but also the most important economic policy decisions that our government makes — and warns of the danger posed by the Federal Reserve Board’s interest rate hikes. Read the op-ed »

UE Local 613 Fulfills Key Goal with New Agreement

UE Local 613 ratified a new four-year agreement on October 14 that secures contract wins long-sought by the union. For the first time, members will be compensated based on salary step scales — an improvement much desired by the local’s rank-and-file. The initial placement of Local 613 members will guarantee everyone a minimum increase of $2,000 in the first year of the agreement, with most members receiving a significantly larger increase based on their years of service and current salary. Read more »

Vermont Locals Hold Steward Training

Over twenty stewards and officers from five Vermont UE locals and six shops gathered at the Vermont Workers’ Center for a two-day steward training on December 8 and 9. “The steward’s training provided me with ample information, tools, and contextual examples to equip me and better prepare me for representing and aiding my colleagues, going forward,” said Ryan Southworth, a Local 203 steward at City Market in Burlington. Read more »

FEATURE

Remembering Ralph Fasanella, UE Organizer and Painter of Working-Class Life and Struggle

Ralph Fasanella, the former UE organizer who became recognized as one of America’s greatest painters of working-class life and struggle, passed away twenty-five years ago, on December 16, 1997. His paintings — which he intended to be viewed in union halls, not private homes — depict a working class that is diverse, politically engaged yet exuberant in their leisure, and, most importantly, organized and willing to engage in struggle. Read more »

UE Plans Return to In-Person International Exchanges in 2023

In a “Giving Tuesday” email to supporters of UE’s international solidarity work this morning, UE Director of International Strategies Kari Thompson announced that “In 2023, we are planning to return to in-person member exchanges with workers in other countries, if health conditions continue to allow.” Specifically, Thompson said, UE is making plans for a worker-to-worker exchange with UE’s close allies in Mexico, the Frente Auténtico del Trabajo. Read more »

UE Officers: Congress Must Respect Rail Workers’ Rights

UE’s officers issued a statement calling the imposition of a contract on rail workers by President Biden and Congress in the face of a potential strike “an unconscionable attack on rail workers, the labor movement, and the entire U.S. working class.” They noted that “The right to strike is a fundamental human right, and one of the only effective tools working people have to win justice from the corporations and capitalist oligarchs who increasingly seek to control not only our economy and our government, but every aspect of our lives.” Read the full statement »

Young Voters Defeat Anti-Worker and Anti-Democratic Forces in Midterm Elections

As young workers are re-energizing the U.S. labor movement, young voters turned out in record numbers in this year’s midterm elections, turning an expected “red wave” of anti-worker Republican victories into a mere trickle. Read more »

Ontario Workers Defeat Anti-Strike Legislation

In early November, workers in Ontario won an inspiring victory against their right-wing government. Premiere Doug Ford’s government passed a special bill in an attempt to impose a contract on 55,000 education workers and revoke their right to strike. Those workers went on strike anyway, receiving support from the rest of the province’s labor movement (including important support from UE’s close Canadian ally Unifor), and on Monday the government announced it would withdraw the bill. Read more »

UE to Labor Board: Rights of Millions of Workers at Stake in Proposed Joint-Employer Rule

UE’s national officers submitted a comment to the National Labor Relations Board on December 6, encouraging the board to adopt a proposed rule that would make it easier for workers employed by “joint employers” (such as workers at a McDonalds franchise) to secure their rights under our nation’s labor laws. Read more »

Bulletin