View photos from the 2010 Legislative Conference

JOIN  WITH  YOUR  UNION  BROTHERS  &  SISTERS  IN  WASHINGTON

SEND A  CLEAR  MESSAGE  TO  CONGRESS :

WE  ARE SERIOUS  ABOUT  PROTECTING THE  RIGHTS  OF  WORKING  PEOPLE AND  WE  WANT  TO  BE  PART  OF  THE DECISION  MAKING  PROCESS

We fully expect and believe that the April 25, 26, 27 and 28 UWUA Legislative Conference will be the most important and newsworthy legislative conference our union has ever had.  All levels of our national government will be represented.

Our goals are to connect policy initiatives to legislation that can build and change our industry, and to political action to bolster that legislative action to growth and power for Utility Workers.  Our entire legislative conference will be focused on building power for utility workers - power in the workplace, the economy, with our employers, and in the broader society.

Our industry is in the midst of major changes.  Climate change legislation would greatly accelerate those changes and create 1.7 million new jobs in the utility industry.  To make sure those are good UWUA middle class producing jobs, we have to be out in front of the changes - making our case, driving the change, not being driven by the change.

We want to use this legislative conference to springboard into the largest and deepest UWUA political action ever this fall.

Conference Schedule

We will begin on Sunday afternoon.  All participants and delegates should plan to arrive by 3:00 pm on April 25.

Sunday afternoon, from 4:00 until 6:00, we will have training on lobbying and
political action.  This will be conducted by Arthur Matthews.

Monday morning at 8:00 am, we will have continental breakfast and coffee.
Our program will start at 9:00 am.  Speakers will include:

• President Rich Trumka - 10:00 am
• President Mike Langford - 10:45 am
• President Allison Chin of the Sierra Club - 11:30 am

We will break for an hour for lunch.

• At 1:00 pm, we will resume with Dean Baker, director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research.
• President Leo Gerard of the United Steelworkers - 1:45 pm
• David Foster, director of the Blue Green Alliance - 2:30 pm
• Congresswoman Linda Sanchez - 3:15 pm

At 5:00 pm, we will have a reception, book reading, and book signing for Stewart's new book, Getting America Back to Work, dedicated to the leadership and rank and file of the UWUA.

We will begin Tuesday, April 27, at 8:30 am.  Speakers will include:

• Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis - 9:00 am
• Jared Bernstein, Vice President Biden's chief economic advisor - 10:00 am.
• Senator Debbie Stabenow - 11:00 am

Lunch will follow; then to Capitol Hill for lobbying visits.
At 5:30 pm, we will gather for our legislative reception with Members of Congress and their staff.  At 7:00 pm, Joe Uehlein and the U-Liners will join us to perform songs of worker's rights and justice.

Wednesday morning, we will begin at 9:00 am.

From 9:30 till 11:30 am, we will have a town hall meeting with a panel of Washington insiders and power brokers, including Chris Hayes, editor of The Nation, who frequently appears on MSNBC's Morning Joe; Keith Olbermann of MSNBC's Countdown; Rachel Maddow of The Rachel Maddow Show; and Fred Azcarate of the AFL-CIO.

Location / Room Reservations

A number of rooms are being held for the UWUA delegates at the L'Enfant Plaza Hotel, 480 L'Enfant Plaza SW, Washington, DC 20024, phone - 202.484.1000.  The room rate is $219.00 per night (single or double), with an anticipated arrival date of Sunday, April 25, and an anticipated departure date of Wednesday, April 28.  Parking is $33.00 overnight with in-and-out privileges.

Make Your Reservations

It is extremely important that you give this matter your attention. Reservations must be made by Friday, MARCH 26, 2010.  Reservations can be made by calling the hotel's Reservations Department at (800) 635-5065 between the hours (EST) of 8:00 am and 10:00 pm, Monday - Friday, and 9:00 am - 5:00 pm, Saturday and Sunday.  Make sure to specify that you will be attending the Utility Workers Union of America Legislative Conference 2010.  Reservations can also be made online by going to: https://gc.synxis.com/rez.aspx?Hotel=16836&Chain=5388&group=UWA425

The group code is UWA425.  A fee (first night's room deposit) will be charged for cancellation made less than 24 hours prior to scheduled arrival date.

Please call Rosanna Farley at 202.974.8200 with any questions or for additional assistance.  We will be updating the website with additional information. I look forward to seeing you at the conference, and working together to make the democratic process work for UWUA members.