Over the past several months, I have had the opportunity to attend our UWUA Regional Conferences across the country. While every region is different and every conference has its own personality, one thing has been consistent everywhere we have gone: the energy, commitment, and engagement of our members.
For me, that has been one of the most encouraging things to see.
Our regional conferences provide an opportunity to bring members and leaders together from different locals, employers, industries, and communities. They give us a chance to share information, learn from one another, and talk about the challenges facing utility workers. But this year, they have also been an opportunity to see some of the very best of the UWUA.
Throughout the conferences, our UWUA committees and caucuses have delivered powerful and inspirational messages.
Our Veterans Committee continues to remind us of the service and sacrifice of the veterans within our ranks and the responsibility we have to support them. Our Women’s Caucus continues to develop leaders and create opportunities for women throughout our union. Our Young Workers Initiative is bringing new energy and new ideas while preparing the next generation to carry the UWUA forward.
Our Safety Committee continues its critical work of reinforcing something that must always remain at the center of our union: every member deserves to finish their shift safely and return home to their family. And our Human Rights Committee reminds us that solidarity means standing together, respecting one another, and making sure every member has a voice in our union.
What impressed me just as much as the presentations, however, were the members sitting in the audience.
The level of engagement has been remarkable.
Members weren’t simply attending the conferences — they were participating. They were asking questions, sharing experiences, engaging in discussions, and bringing ideas back to their tables and their locals. Whether the discussion was about leadership, artificial intelligence, safety, union history, or the future of our union, members wanted to be part of the conversation.
That tells us something important.
Our members want opportunities to learn.
They want information that helps them become better stewards, officers, activists, and union members. They want to understand the changes taking place in our industries and workplaces. And they want the tools necessary to represent their coworkers and strengthen their local unions.
As a National union, we need to continue providing those opportunities.
Education and training are not simply programs we offer — they are investments in the future of the UWUA. Every time we help a steward become more effective, develop a new local union leader, teach a member more about our history, or give someone the confidence to become more involved, we make our entire union stronger.
That is why I hope every UWUA member takes some pride in the brothers and sisters their local sent to this year’s regional conferences.
They represented you well.
They gave up time away from their families and their regular responsibilities to participate, learn, and bring something valuable back home. Ask them what they learned. Ask them what ideas they heard. Ask them what they believe your local can use. Most importantly, give them the opportunity to share that knowledge with others.
Because the real value of a regional conference isn’t measured by what happens inside the conference room. It is measured by what happens afterward — when members return home and put what they learned to work.
After traveling through our regions and spending time with so many UWUA members, I come away more convinced than ever that the greatest strength of this union isn’t found in Washington, D.C., in a National union office, or in any single program.
It is found in our members.
It is found in the steward who wants to become a better representative. The young worker who decides to get involved. The veteran union leader willing to share decades of experience. The member who asks a question, joins a committee, attends a training program, or steps forward for the first time.
That is how we build stronger locals.
That is how we build stronger members.
And that is how we build a stronger UWUA.