For press inquiries, please reach out to Communications Director Erin Bzymek at ebzymek@uwua.net or 202-702-9655.
DOL/NLRB decisions help workers For instance, the US Department of Labor under President Obama has taken strong action to expand overtime rights, improve safety rules, require union busters to report their activities, increase the minimum wage for federal contractor employees, crack down on employers that misclassify employees as independent contractors, and expand and improve support for union-sponsored apprenticeship…
The regional conferences are an opportunity for the Women’s Caucus to provide a guide for all locals to gain momentum and resurrect their local women’s committee. We have a charge to empower women, and mentor them to take on more leadership roles. We are looking for “Game Changers” to take the baton and pave the…
With one region left to go, Region IV, I feel good about where we are as a union. Our members are interested in doing whatever they can to protect the quality of their jobs, act in solidarity with other workers, and bring the benefits of collective bargaining to more people. That is the only way…
As the utility industry becomes increasingly multinational, the UWUA is strengthening its bonds with global unions, both to advance international solidarity and to defend the interests of UWUA members working for overseas companies. One case in point involves Spanish energy giant Iberdrola, which employs 28,000 workers in nearly 40 countries, including Spain, the U.S., the…
The UWUA Human Rights Committee was formed in 1971 and is dedicated to its mission statement: “To provide advocacy, training and support to UWUA local unions and committee members in the areas of human rights, civil rights, and matters of discrimination in the workplace. The committee’s priority is to help ensure and support diversity and…
Since joining the UWUA in 2009, Lakeland, Florida Local 604 members have made tremendous advances in a state that is not known for being worker-friendly. With a trend of taking away public sector workers’ defined benefit pensions — Naples, Haines City, Orlando, and now Winter Haven — newly elected 604 President Mike Stewart has made his…
As I travel around the country talking to utility workers, labor and industry leaders, I am finding that our call to Rebuild America is hitting the mark. Most recently, I spoke at the City Club of Cleveland Roundtable. My message was clear: in order to have a thriving economy that works for everyone, be a world leader, and good environmental stewards,…
Nonmembers’ Right to Object. Any employee who is not a member of the UWUA, and who pays fees to the UWUA and/or a Local Union pursuant to a collectively-bargained union-security provision, will have the right to object to expenditures paid for activities which are not reasonably related to collective bargaining. Such activities are referred to…
In addition to the current 10,000 square foot facility, the additional classroom and lab space will meet the training needs of UWUA members and P4A contributing employers. The highlights of the new training space are the welding lab and 30-person classroom space. The welding lab will feature six new welding stations designed so that students can learn the art of welding while under the…
The West Virginia State Legislature wasted no time in giving the back of their hand to their working class constituents by introducing so-called Right-to Work legislation under Senate Bill 1. Yes, that’s right, the number one priority of Republican legislators in West Virginia was a direct attack on workplace democracy. The bill later passed the House…