For press inquiries, please reach out to Communications Director Erin Bzymek at ebzymek@uwua.net or 202-702-9655.
Fabio Erickson Gomes Pires, a member of Local 369 residing in Brockton, MA, died at age 31 on October 17. He worked as an underground operating mechanic for Eversource. On July 12, Pires was conducting routine maintenance in an electric vault in Boston when an equipment malfunction caused an explosion. Pires suffered severe burns and…
Sean Toolan is a member of Local 365 in Hewlett, New York, where he works for Liberty Utilities’ water division. He’s also a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps. He wore both hats when he spoke at the Region I conference in September and delivered a powerful testimony to the work that he and other…
Earlier in the fall, Local 648 and American Water held a fundraiser for Camp Freedom, an adventure camp for disabled veterans, first responders and Gold Star families. The 1,800-acre camp is located in Northeast Pennsylvania, near where Local 648 members live and work. It provides hunting, shooting sports, fishing, camping, hiking, biking, and other year-round…
In the first half of this year, 22 people died in trench-related accidents in the U.S., far exceeding the 15 trench-related fatalities for all of 2021, according to government data. This increase prompted the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to announce tougher trench-safety rule enforcement. The deaths also drew attention to an innovative program…
UWUA Local 1-2 in New York City is playing a leading role in an initiative to turn the city’s largest fossil fuel power plant, the Ravenswood Generating Station, into a new renewable energy hub. If approved by regulators, the project — called Renewable Ravenswood — will help New York achieve climate targets to source 70…
An arbitrator recently ruled that AEP’s action to transfer employees represented by another union from one plant to another plant to perform UWUA members’ work violated Local 492’s contractual rights. UWUA Local 492 represents 110 workers at the AEP Kentucky Power Company Mitchell Plant in West Virginia. AEP also operates the Cook Coal Terminal (CCT)…
Local 335 is once again partnering with Missouri-American Water and the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance to build a new resource for the community. This time it’s a two-story, accessible archery range in Florissant, Missouri’s Sunset Park. It will cost $20,000 to build and is scheduled to open this coming spring. This is the third project in…
UWUA members take pride in the services we provide to our customers: clean water, reliable power, heat when it’s cold, cool when it’s hot. But we give in so many other ways, too. As 2022 comes to a close, The Utility Worker shines a spotlight on how members are making a difference in their communities.…
Local 582 recently settled a new four-year agreement with the Grand Haven Board of Light & Power, a community-owned electric company in Michigan. The contract is notable because it is the first negotiated since the city closed its coal-powered generation plant in 2020. Beau Ryther, the local’s president for 12 years, says that pay was…
Gas workers in Kentucky and Georgia will soon begin negotiating their first contracts, following votes for UWUA representation. Both are seeking higher pay and the stability and security of a union contract. Delta Gas, Kentucky The Kentucky workers are employed by Delta Gas, a division of Pittsburgh, PA, based Peoples Gas. A second, smaller unit…