For press inquiries, please reach out to Communications Director Erin Bzymek at ebzymek@uwua.net or 202-702-9655.
When Dominion Energy announced the intended sale of its Ohio operation to Canada-based Enbridge last September, Local G-555 leadership immediately began negotiating terms to protect members’ pay, benefits and working conditions. In February, the local sent a letter to its membership detailing the results of these efforts. First, Enbridge agreed to assume all obligations under…
With another presidential election on the horizon, the leadership of the UWUA has spent the last several months evaluating who is looking out for the interests of working families in America. Based on the performance of the administration over the last few years, Joe Biden has emerged as the most pro-union president we’ve seen in…
The UWUA Executive Board recently welcomed Tom Cole to its ranks. Cole brings a wealth of experience to the role. He’s a 34-year veteran of the electric industry, with three decades in power generation. A welder by trade, he spent the past 20 years working at Consumers Energy’s Ludington Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Plant. Cole is…
As with military personnel exposed to injury and death, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can have significant effects on utility workers who witness a serious injury or fatality incident. It can manifest in several ways: Flashbacks and Intrusive Memories: These can include flashbacks, nightmares, or distressing thoughts that disrupt daily life. These memories can be triggered…
In Chicago, Gasworkers Local 18007 is revitalizing its Veterans Committee with a new and exciting direction. The committee is establishing its own American Legion Post to support our local’s veterans. The American Legion assists veterans in obtaining comprehensive medical, career, and educational benefits and helps with VA claims applications. One of our primary goals is…
Hector Alvarado II, Local G-555 “I look at being in a union as having worker insurance. We have insurance on all of our most valuable possessions, why not our livelihood? If something unexpected happens, I know I have my union to back me up.” Matthew Kolbl, Local G-555 “I’m part…
U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer traveled to Covert, Michigan, on March 27 to unveil a joint federal and state financing package to fund the recommissioning of the Palisades nuclear power plant. It includes a $1.52 billion conditional loan from the U.S. Department of Energy, $150 million in state…
My first visit to the Palisades Nuclear Plant was in the mid-1990s as the newly elected vice president of Local 150. During my nearly 25 years with the local and then the Michigan State Utility Workers Council (MSUWC), I made countless trips to Palisades, located just 40 miles from my hometown near South Haven, Michigan,…
Earlier this year, I contacted local officers regarding UWUA’s five committees: Veterans Committee, Women’s Caucus, Young Workers Initiative Committee, Safety Committee and Human Rights Committee. Following a planning meeting in December last year, UWUA’s officers and I were looking for ways to reinvigorate and lift up our committees’ work. One of the ways we were…
MI: With help from the Michigan State Utility Workers Council (MSUWC), Local 150 organized 19 workers at the Covert Gas Generation Plant across the street from the Palisades Nuclear Plant. Covert was recently purchased by Consumers Energy, and its union workforce is now covered under MSUWC’s contract with Consumers — bringing pay raises and lower…