For press inquiries, please reach out to Communications Director Erin Bzymek at ebzymek@uwua.net or 202-702-9655.
While the COVID-19 pandemic impacted everyone, it especially hit the military community hard. According to the COVID-19 Military Support Initiative, weekly polls and town hall discussions show that more veterans are struggling financially. Seven percent of veteran families sought emergency food assistance in the last six months and 6 percent were unable to make payments…
The national shift away from coal as a primary source of electricity generation has accelerated over the last decade, too often leaving coal workers and their families behind while unraveling the social fabric of their communities. These workers, and the communities they call home, have powered the nation for generations; they deserve a fighting chance…
Stepping up to the challenge of bringing new members into the union in the pandemic, the UWUA National Organizing Department held its first virtual organizing training workshop earlier this year. Participants included volunteer regional organizers: Region 5, Lita Jimenez, trustee/steward, Local 132; Region 4, Michael Mullins, organizing director, Local 223; Region 3, Jason Wensel, Local…
As we mark our 75th anniversary, I think it is important to go right to our beginnings, not just to celebrate our founders, but to learn from them as well. In the beginning was the UWUA Constitution. It is our union’s bible. The preamble is as relevant today as it was when first written in…
The year 2020 presented us with many challenges and we have experienced quite a bit of adversity. We are all doing business a little bit differently than pre-pandemic days. However, one requirement as an organization does not change: fiscal responsibility. While many in-person training conferences and meetings have been curtailed, the UWUA maintains our commitment…
During the 2020 campaign for president, Joe Biden repeatedly said, if elected, he would be the most pro-union president since Franklin Delano Roosevelt. If the first actions of the Biden-Harris administration are any indication, he is going to keep that promise. Photo caption: Biden’s Secretary of Labor nominee, Marty Walsh, is a member of the…
As an affiliate of the national AFL-CIO, the Utility Workers have signed on in support of five core principles that illustrate the best of trade unionism and provide a measure of our expectations as working people: Worker Empowerment Stronger unions will aid in addressing the economic, social justice and public health crises facing America. By…
The presidential inauguration in January ushered in a new era of governing. The mindset of national government has moved rapidly from being relentlessly anti-worker and anti-union toward an approach that places the well being of working families at the center of the administration’s mission. Perhaps in a way not seen since the Great Depression, progressive…
Dave Coggins is a 35-year member of Local 270 working as a master mechanic at the Perry Nuclear Power Plant in Ohio. He helped organize technicians there some years ago and has volunteered to organize other utility workers who do not have union representation. As support for unions reaches a peak not seen in decades,…
The last year has been a challenge for every UWUA member, however the challenge is even greater for the unorganized. Whether it be layoffs, furloughs, reduced hours or wages, or just changes in working conditions, the unorganized have been unprotected during the COVID-19 pandemic and, in many cases, it has shown them the value of…