Category: Magazine

“It is exciting to see the continued commitment that the UWUA and our fund employers have towards making sure the workers have the skills needed to do the work,” said P4A Executive Director Jon Harmon. High schools and vocational centers could be next Over the year, P4A provided much needed job specific skills to 375…

Water With Congress in flux as the new year approaches, much is being heard about the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), as well as funding to help pay for repairs to the water infrastructure in Flint, Michigan. While prospects are always uncertain in a ‘lame duck,’ session of Congress, many in Washington remain optimistic that…

UWUA leaders recently hosted a meeting with a delegation of 24 trade unionists from the Chubu region of Japan – all officers of Japanese electric power workers union Denryoku-Soren. Like UWUA, Denryoku-Soren is an affiliate of IndustriALL, a global union federation that unites unions representing 50 million workers in energy, mining, manufacturing, and related industries…

Brian Butler, Vice President Local 604 “I expect trade agreements that will protect and keep American jobs from going overseas. I expect reduced regulation that will allow American businesses and industry to compete in the world markets. And, I expect that he will treat other countries in the world the same way they treat America.”…

On January 1, California will take another major step to reduce methane leaks from storage facilities and pipelines. That’s the day legislation, SB 887, becomes state law. UWUA Local 483, with the support of sister Locals 132 and 522, was instrumental in drafting and passing the law that will create good paying jobs for utility…

With the election behind us, now is the time for the country as a whole, and UWUA members in particular, to come together to heal whatever wounds were caused by the most contentious presidential campaign in our lifetime. No matter how we voted and what our beliefs are, we all need to be tolerant of each other, respect…

What’s happening with deregulation in the states you cover? Rich Cossell (National Representative, Region III) – We are experiencing the effects of deregulation in Ohio with FirstEnergy and AEP. And in Pennsylvania, there’s discussion about restructuring, or re-regulating, because there has been a tremendous amount of generation assets shut down or sold off to private…

Legislation reduces methane emissions The UWUA sponsored and led the effort to enact the nation’s first comprehensive legislation to reduce methane emissions from the gas transportation and delivery system by systematically reducing the incidence of leaks. Senate Bill 1371, by Senator Mark Leno, was signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown in September 2014 and became one of the Governor’s showpieces when he attended the Climate…

In order to best represent its members, the UWUA is always looking to maximize the power and potential of its officers and staff. The appointment of National Executive Board member Dan Hurley to the position of Region I senior national representative and moving Bob Mahoney to director of Special Projects will do just that — position the UWUA to take advantage of opportunities in the…