In an historic win for the UWUA, and labor, Local 118 gained five new members May 18, after filing an election petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), and winning the election to represent workers at Ohio Edison/FirstEnergy.
“I am proud to say Local 118 made history when it became the first union to win an election under new NLRB ‘quickie election rules’ that went into effect April 14,” said UWUA National Organizer Larry Kelley. “We will continue to organize. We are always looking for new members to join their sisters and brothers in the UWUA.”
The new members are: Randy Floyd, Jim Seivert, Charles Shall, Patrick Rowe and Arthur Sims. They are the reconnect/disconnect and collectors of the past due bills from customers and work out of Youngstown and Salem, Ohio. No bid rights, no advancement opportunity, and no voice at work were the issues that brought these workers to seek union representation.
The hard work of organizing this unit into the union was performed by Local 118 officers Eric Rininger and Diane Walkama, with support from Kelley.
The new NLRB rules simplify and streamline the election process, which has so often been subverted by employers who are against workers joining together and representing themselves in a union. The changes include E-Filed documents by all parties, making the time for the election proceedings much quicker.