For press inquiries, please reach out to Communications Director Erin Bzymek at ebzymek@uwua.net or 202-702-9655.
On May 12, 2011, as Rick Bonnett stood in line to cast his vote to join the UWUA, he reflected on how difficult the journey had been. In his 19 years, Rick, an instruments and controls technician at Entergy’s Palisades Nuclear Plant, had seen much, and been through more — from working with his original employer, Consumers Energy, to working under a contract management company called Nuclear Management Company, to…
In August, Caucus Chair, Local 601 Executive Secretary Valerie King, and Co-Chair, Local 1-2 Shop Steward Ursula Grant, attended the 39th United Auto Workers Union Women’s Conference at the Walter and May Reuther Family Education Center in Black Lake, MI. It was an engaging, influential, and motivating week of learning, and sisterhood! Action Plan/Next Steps “The conference provided an encouraging, insightful environment for women and men to become aware of…
Employer aggression towards employees is certainly nothing new. Corporations exist for one thing and one thing only, profit. But in a true democracy, those we elect to public office have a duty to represent the citizens who elect them. As we all know, that is not what is happening now. Corporate America has hijacked our democracy and is using government as…
Recognizing the importance of safety and skills training for UWUA members, the National UWUA and American Water Works have entered into a 5-year agreement that will allow the UWUA Power for America Training Trust Fund (P4A) to provide training opportunities for UWUA members across AWW’s water and wastewater operations. “P4A is excited to work with AWW to develop and provide training opportunities,” says UWUA Executive Vice…
More than 1,200 UWUA members working for American Electric Power in Ohio and West Virginia recently won a three-year agreement that includes significant improvements and raises the bar for future negotiations. Up until this round of bargaining, the company always came to the negotiating table at the end of each contract with a “best and…
The release of the final rule on the Clean Power Plan (CPP) by the Environmental Protection Agency on August 3 was undoubtedly one the most impactful events to affect utility workers longterm. The CPP mandates carbon dioxide (CO2) emission reduction standards for the states and applies to all existing power plants. If not for the intervention of the UWUA at the highest levels of government before the issuance of…
With the holidays upon us, now is a good time to reflect on why we get to enjoy the benefits we have today. How is it that we are able to have paid time off to be with family and friends? What brought us paid holidays, vacations, sick days, retirement, and even weekends? Workers joining together, forming unions and…
The Region IV Conference, held in Chicago in August, was the final regional gathering of UWUA rank-and-file members and officers this year. \ From coast-to-coast, hundreds of members participated in the 2016 Regional Conferences, whose theme was “Repower Our Local Unions: Fighting Today for a Better Tomorrow.” They are now armed with the tools they…
We’ve built up a head of steam at the 30th Constitutional Convention and are moving full speed ahead. Our convention theme to “Reclaim, Retrain, Repower, and Repair America!” articulates the sentiments of our members, and the American people as a whole: the need to address the challenges working people face in our country today. In pursuit of the goals expressed in this…
The newest UWUA contract with Consumers Energy is one of the best for utility workers in the nation. The Michigan State Utility Workers Council (MSUWC), comprised of 22 of Michigan’s UWUA local unions, worked with National Executive Vice President Steve VanSlooten to negotiate with Consumers Energy and win a contract that is unprecedented in the United States. All of the local presidents had a say…