As we mark the Utility Workers Union of America’s 80th anniversary, I’m proud to lead this organization and to confront the challenges our members face head-on as utility workers and as members of the labor movement. I stand firmly on the shoulders of the many great labor leaders who came before me.
We’ve come a long way as an organization since that very first Constitutional Convention of the organization named the “Utility Workers Union of America, CIO,” which gaveled into session in April 1946. Prior to the convention, several scattered and newly formed unions sought to leverage more power against their employers, which led to the formation of the Utility Workers Organizing Committee (UWOC).
At that time, there were organized garment workers, steel workers, rubber workers, batters and dyers and packers, to name a few. But until the UWOC formed, no one spoke for utility workers.
Those who attended the first Constitutional Convention came together out of necessity: to fight for safer working conditions, curtail long hours on the job, and demand more respect from their employers.
As I meet and talk with our members across the country today, those issues remain a common thread linking us closely with our founding members.
This union was born of necessity. Too many utility workers have been killed or irreparably harmed while doing this essential work for communities and businesses. This mission is personal to me. I’m a second-generation utility worker, continuing the fight my father started. I am also driven to fight for the generations of utility workers who will come after us.
One of the biggest takeaways from every conversation I have with members is pride in the work we do. Communities rely on us, and they’re always grateful to have essential services restored, whether after a natural disaster or extreme weather.
We take our responsibility to care for utility infrastructure seriously. Making sure we have the safest and highest-skilled workers in the utility industry remains one of our highest priorities and most serious responsibilities. It’s our job to protect workers.
Ensuring our members know they have a voice on the job — whether at the bargaining table, in their communities, or advocating for stronger safety protections — is just as important today as it has ever been. That’s part of what we’re focusing on at this year’s regional conferences. Having a voice and knowing how to use it means we have a say in shaping our future and the future of our industry.
I take my role as president very seriously, and I am committed to making sure our members gain the skills to strengthen their own leadership capabilities and to empower the next generation of leaders to take up the mantle and be leaders in the labor movement and in their communities.
We’ve come as far as we have because so many UWUA leaders stepped up to the plate along the way. Today, I challenge our younger members to step up, get involved, and find their own ways to lead.
As we enter year 81 and beyond for the UWUA, it’s important to reaffirm the core values that brought us together 80 years ago and continue to draw us to the union today: solidarity, safety, and dignity on the job. I’m grateful for the trust UWUA members have put in me and for members’ resilience every day doing the job safely and well. Our important work continues and so does the UWUA.
