For press inquiries, please reach out to Communications Director Erin Bzymek at ebzymek@uwua.net or 202-702-9655.
Members of Local 399 ratified a new three-year contract with the City of Cuyahoga Heights on September 11, 2024. The agreement, retroactive to July 1 and extending through June 30, 2027, includes guaranteed annual wage increases of 5%, 3%, and 3%. It also introduces a job description committee, increases rest periods after working 16 hours,…
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) can mean the difference between life and death. Ryan Sundquist’s recent experience is evidence of that. Sundquist is a 13-year member of Local 369 and a veteran underground splicer. In early October, he was working in a manhole, installing cable hangers and re-racking cables — a task he had performed countless…
This year’s hurricane season put the national mutual aid system to the test. Hurricanes Beryl, Helene, and Milton hit the southeast United States and Gulf Coast in swift succession, causing widespread destruction across multiple states. In response, UWUA members from dozens of locals mobilized to help affected communities recover, traveling hundreds of miles to restore…
On August 9, what started as routine storm duty for three utility workers turned into a life-saving rescue in Parma Heights, a Cleveland suburb. Sean Groom and Rob Cecil, electric meter installers from CEI (FirstEnergy/The Illuminating Company), along with CEI engineer Brian Green, pulled a 60-year-old man from his burning home just moments before it…
UWUA leadership recently attended an event at the Palisades Nuclear Generating Station in Covert, MI, hosted by the Department of Energy (DOE) and Holtec. The event celebrated the Biden administration’s conditional commitment of a $1.52 billion loan guarantee to restart the facility, marking the first time a nuclear plant would be brought back online after…
The 2024 Inter-Union Gas Workers Conference (IUGC) gathered over 500 union members in Orlando, Florida, from September 30 to October 3. The conference is held annually, with hosting duties rotating among the six IUGC national and international unions: the Utility Workers Union of America (UWUA); International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW); International Chemical Workers Union…
The UWUA National Safety Committee had a significant presence at the National Safety Council (NSC) Fall Expo and Labor Division Conference, held September 16–18, 2024, in Orlando, Florida. This event provided UWUA with an opportunity to advance its safety initiatives and reaffirm its leadership in advocating for utility worker safety. Participating committee members included Jayson…
Unions have long played a critical role in advocating for workers’ rights, better wages, benefits, and working conditions. However, despite significant progress, women remain underrepresented in union membership and leadership positions. In the U.S., while women make up almost half of the workforce, they represent only one-third of union members. This underrepresentation of women is…
In a victory for remote workers in the labor movement, employees at SEIU’s National Call Center recently ratified their first union contract as members of the newly formed UWUA Local 112. The unit consists of nine part-time employees spread across seven states. These workers specialize in conducting campaigns for a large national education union and…
In Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist, written between 1837 and 1839, young Oliver famously asks, “Please, Sir, can I have some more?” as he seeks a little extra food to fill his hunger. Similarly, union members may feel a hunger — not only for more workplace rights but for connection, knowledge, and community support. The AFL-CIO’s…