For press inquiries, please reach out to Communications Director Erin Bzymek at ebzymek@uwua.net or 202-702-9655.
On September 11, eighty-eight call center workers represented by Local 18007 at Peoples Gas in Chicago, Illinois began enjoying the benefits of their first union contract. This followed their overwhelming 90% plus majority ratification vote for the contract in late August. Local 18007’s call center bargaining team celebrates their first contract. “I am extremely proud…
The need to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure is a hot topic this election year. Everyone realizes something must be done. As a leading voice in the national dialogue about investing in infrastructure in the utility industry, UWUA President Mike Langford is successfully spearheading efforts on Capitol Hill and in State Houses to draw attention to…
In 2015, P4A was awarded an OSHA Susan Harwood safety training grant to train workers in hazards associated with construction. Initially, P4A planned to train 40 trainers and 400 employees during 2016. Beginning in May 2016, P4A trained 58 UWUA members to be trainers at American Water and Consumers Energy. These 58 trainers spent most…
While calling on the nation’s leaders to invest in both our energy and human infrastructure, UWUA members are repowering the union by engaging social media tools, consisting of a grid that connects the National Union, locals, individual members, and the public. Leading the effort is a social impact agency called m. that works with labor unions to get…
The utility industry is in the midst of upheaval. A new report by the Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO examined the impact the upheaval had on the utility industry from 2003 to 2015 and identified potential organizing opportunities. The report found that industry changes affected all aspects of the industry, including utility companies, the workforce,…
The right of employees to have union representation at investigatory interviews was announced by the U.S. Supreme Court in a 1975 case (NLRB vs. Weingarten, Inc.). These rights are known as the Weingarten rights. Employees have Weingarten rights only during investigative interviews. An investigative interview occurs when a supervisor questions an employee to obtain information…
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…