For press inquiries, please reach out to Communications Director Erin Bzymek at ebzymek@uwua.net or 202-702-9655.
Baseball players in the minor leagues, retail workers at REI in Cleveland, Starbucks baristas across the country, school bus manufacturers in the South and strippers in California recently secured big organizing wins that will build their power and secure better benefits and safer working conditions. These groups of workers – in roles, industries or regions…
It’s 2023 and yet the pandemic of homeless veterans across the United States is still ever present. So you may be asking what is the big deal? Today’s veterans face many difficult challenges when returning from war. We continue to fight for the most basic services including adequate medical care, accessible treatment facilities, recognition for…
This is a year of leveling up. Women’s Caucus members are making intentional transformations. These sisters are on the wings of change to make impactful differences in their respective locals, regions, and national union. Women on a mission are seeking opportunities to improve the lives of girls and young women. They’re creating partnerships in their…
The UWUA wishes all our retirees health and happiness during your “golden years.” Enjoy it — you’ve earned it! Local 105 Karen McCann Local 106 Andrew J. King Scott A. Price Local 127 Kevin R. Bennett Mark R. Carter Steve M. Carter Jim H. Christensen James E. Cole Timothy J. Coughlin Patrick J. Dix Candace…
After a year of intense negotiations, UWUA members who work as wind technicians at DTE Energy ratified their first union contract. The agreement addresses the issues that had first prompted the group to organize in late 2021 and includes higher wages, caps on healthcare costs, defined work rules and vacation time. The newest members are…
The expected boom in green energy is a complicated issue for UWUA members. While provisions in the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) promise union-friendly project labor agreements, prevailing wages and apprenticeship programs, much of what’s been experienced so far has benefited the construction-side of the business and not…
The other day I was asked, “Why do we still need Black History Month?” First and foremost, I’d say we need it because we have unresolved racial divisions in this country that originated centuries ago with an economy built on slave labor. Black History Month presents an opportunity to educate and raise awareness of the…
The U.S. job market has been on an upswing for more than two years with unemployment in early 2023 at its lowest level in more than half a century. Most industries are now above or close to their pre-pandemic levels of employment. At the same time, workers are engaging in a wave of unionizing. According…
Merriam-Webster defines a millennial as “a person born in the 1980s or 1990s.” This generation, workers aged 24-44, represents around 40% of the American workforce. With surging costs of housing, healthcare, and education, and real wage stagnation that’s lasted for a decade, it’s no surprise that we’re seeing a revitalization in support of organized labor…
Seven New York state utilities in January updated their pilot proposals for the construction of emission-free Utility Thermal Energy Networks (UTEN) that will decarbonize buildings and protect union jobs, and Massachusetts is moving ahead with similar plans. The Utility Thermal Energy Network and Jobs Act, signed into New York law last July, calls for multiple…