For press inquiries, please reach out to Communications Director Erin Bzymek at ebzymek@uwua.net or 202-702-9655.

New Agreement in Ohio with AEP

Local 116 recently settled a three-year contract renewal with American Electric Power (AEP). The local represents about 140 linemen and substation workers in the Canton, OH, region. IBEW represents other AEP workers in the same area. The new agreement runs through June 2025 and includes 9% in guaranteed wage increases for all members as well…

Agreement Reached with Perry Nuclear Plant’s New Owner

Operations, mechanical and electrical maintenance, warehouse and garage workers at the Perry Nuclear Power Plant in Ohio ratified a new agreement with Energy Harbor in early November. The contract covers roughly 100 craft workers who are members of Local 270. The local also represents the plant’s 50 technicians. Perry underwent a recent ownership change related…

Preparing for the Boom in Offshore Wind

Three representatives from the UWUA traveled to Denmark at the invitation of the Trade Council of Denmark of North America to develop an understanding of Danish offshore wind (OSW) training programs and bring back recommendations for how to best train our members for the coming boom in North American wind related jobs. There’s money pouring…

Recognizing the Essential Nature of Our Work

Throughout the COVID pandemic the title of essential worker was liberally applied to various individuals whose occupations companies, the government, and society could not afford to have stay home. These occupations included the obvious police, fire, paramedics, and hospital personnel, as well as utility workers. In addition to the obvious occupations, others were included like…

How Can We Change Our Workplaces for the Better?

We recently asked our members on Facebook, “What’s one good change you’ve seen over the course of your career in the utilities?” In your responses, safety came up most often. You brought up ways our members now have more of a say about how to safely get the job done, your ability to work more…

2023 Off to a Safe Start

New York Recognizes Essential Role of Utility Workers After a years-long campaign, members of Local 1-2 in New York finally achieved official legal recognition as essential workers. New York law now acknowledges that utility workers play a critical role in emergency preparedness and response and, as such, exempts certain utility and other workers from travel…

Key Filing Compliance Requirements

This article is a reminder that it is that time of year to review our year-end financial records and execute our compliance requirements. We have seen a large number of retirements in our ranks and many younger members are getting involved in their local leadership. This new energy is encouraging and exciting and will require…

Speaking Out: The theme of the upcoming UWUA Convention is Utility Workers: Essential by Industry, Exceptional by Choice. How does this theme apply to how you and your coworkers approach your job?

Richie Hughes, Local 369 “The utility worker being essential needs no explanation. We deliver the products to the public that make everyday life as we know it possible. We perform the highest quality work while maintaining the highest level of safety for our members and the public. We do this from call centers, offices, control…

WOMEN’S CAUCUS: Evolving Our Industries

We can’t fight tomorrow’s battles with today’s resources. As we move forward, our focus remains on grassroots efforts — the foundation for building back our union stronger. This begins with advocating to grow our union through collaboration on all levels — nationally, locally, and regionally. Our formula for success is an all-hands-on deck, boots-on-the-ground approach.…