For press inquiries, please reach out to Communications Director Erin Bzymek at ebzymek@uwua.net or 202-702-9655.
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…
Natural gas, composed primarily of methane, is highly flammable and can pose significant risks if mishandled. It takes special training and skills to safely transport and deliver to customers. Our members’ diligence and expertise are paramount in safeguarding communities and ensuring that natural gas continues to be a reliable and safe energy source for homes…
Local 1-2 Wilbert A. Bascom Terrence T. Banks Steven D. Bavuso Drane Donna Berisha Pamela C. Blunt Jose M. Bravo Maureen Bridges Lebrun E. Burnett Ralph P. Calise Frank M. Casella Moises D. Chacon Garry Chan Ruben Clemente Connie Cosme Michael S. Crispino Jr. Judy-Rae Crooks Gibson Ellen Deren John P. De Modna Niguel Douglas…
The American columnist and author Peggy Noonan said of the importance of voting, “Our political leaders will know our priorities only if we tell them, again and again, and if those priorities begin to show up in the polls.” In 2024, several states have made it clear to their legislative bodies that workers’ rights are…
Human Rights Committee Chair Nathan Waters will retire June 30. Appointed to the committee by the union’s executive board in 2017 and named chair in 2018, Waters served 3, two-year terms and steered the committee through COVID. The 45-year member of Michigan Local 105 spent his entire career at Consumers Energy. The Utility Worker interviewed…