When Dominion Energy announced the intended sale of its Ohio operation to Canada-based Enbridge last September, Local G-555 leadership immediately began negotiating terms to protect members’ pay, benefits and working conditions. In February, the local sent a letter to its membership detailing the results of these efforts. First, Enbridge agreed to assume all obligations under…
With another presidential election on the horizon, the leadership of the UWUA has spent the last several months evaluating who is looking out for the interests of working families in America. Based on the performance of the administration over the last few years, Joe Biden has emerged as the most pro-union president we’ve seen in…
The UWUA Executive Board recently welcomed Tom Cole to its ranks. Cole brings a wealth of experience to the role. He’s a 34-year veteran of the electric industry, with three decades in power generation. A welder by trade, he spent the past 20 years working at Consumers Energy’s Ludington Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Plant. Cole is…
As with military personnel exposed to injury and death, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can have significant effects on utility workers who witness a serious injury or fatality incident. It can manifest in several ways: Flashbacks and Intrusive Memories: These can include flashbacks, nightmares, or distressing thoughts that disrupt daily life. These memories can be triggered…
In Chicago, Gasworkers Local 18007 is revitalizing its Veterans Committee with a new and exciting direction. The committee is establishing its own American Legion Post to support our local’s veterans. The American Legion assists veterans in obtaining comprehensive medical, career, and educational benefits and helps with VA claims applications. One of our primary goals is…
Hector Alvarado II, Local G-555 “I look at being in a union as having worker insurance. We have insurance on all of our most valuable possessions, why not our livelihood? If something unexpected happens, I know I have my union to back me up.” Matthew Kolbl, Local G-555 “I’m part…
U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer traveled to Covert, Michigan, on March 27 to unveil a joint federal and state financing package to fund the recommissioning of the Palisades nuclear power plant. It includes a $1.52 billion conditional loan from the U.S. Department of Energy, $150 million in state…
My first visit to the Palisades Nuclear Plant was in the mid-1990s as the newly elected vice president of Local 150. During my nearly 25 years with the local and then the Michigan State Utility Workers Council (MSUWC), I made countless trips to Palisades, located just 40 miles from my hometown near South Haven, Michigan,…
Earlier this year, I contacted local officers regarding UWUA’s five committees: Veterans Committee, Women’s Caucus, Young Workers Initiative Committee, Safety Committee and Human Rights Committee. Following a planning meeting in December last year, UWUA’s officers and I were looking for ways to reinvigorate and lift up our committees’ work. One of the ways we were…
MI: With help from the Michigan State Utility Workers Council (MSUWC), Local 150 organized 19 workers at the Covert Gas Generation Plant across the street from the Palisades Nuclear Plant. Covert was recently purchased by Consumers Energy, and its union workforce is now covered under MSUWC’s contract with Consumers — bringing pay raises and lower…
Natural gas, composed primarily of methane, is highly flammable and can pose significant risks if mishandled. It takes special training and skills to safely transport and deliver to customers. Our members’ diligence and expertise are paramount in safeguarding communities and ensuring that natural gas continues to be a reliable and safe energy source for homes…
Local 1-2 Wilbert A. Bascom Terrence T. Banks Steven D. Bavuso Drane Donna Berisha Pamela C. Blunt Jose M. Bravo Maureen Bridges Lebrun E. Burnett Ralph P. Calise Frank M. Casella Moises D. Chacon Garry Chan Ruben Clemente Connie Cosme Michael S. Crispino Jr. Judy-Rae Crooks Gibson Ellen Deren John P. De Modna Niguel Douglas…
The American columnist and author Peggy Noonan said of the importance of voting, “Our political leaders will know our priorities only if we tell them, again and again, and if those priorities begin to show up in the polls.” In 2024, several states have made it clear to their legislative bodies that workers’ rights are…
Human Rights Committee Chair Nathan Waters will retire June 30. Appointed to the committee by the union’s executive board in 2017 and named chair in 2018, Waters served 3, two-year terms and steered the committee through COVID. The 45-year member of Michigan Local 105 spent his entire career at Consumers Energy. The Utility Worker interviewed…
Over the past 30 years technology has impacted the way we live and work. Remember the days when you could only call and talk to people over the phone when they were physically at home? It’s hard to imagine a world without cell phones, the internet, tablets or laptops, but we did exist for a…
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…
Local 686 gas workers will work to upgrade 40 miles of aging cast iron pipes with modern materials under a $75 million grant Philadelphia Gas Works (PGW) recently received from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. The funding, a result of President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will bolster PGW’s Main…
In the realm of labor relations, agreements between labor unions and employers play a crucial role in shaping the terms and conditions of employment. Two such agreements that often come into discussion are Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) and Labor Peace Agreements (LPAs). While both aim to promote cooperation between unions and employers, they serve different…
I’m happy to share two important developments in the safety arena that will have long-term benefits for UWUA members. First, UWUA now has a voice in the four key areas of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) safety standard setting committees. Second, OSHA recently amended its rules to allow workers to choose their own advocate…
When it comes to creating safe workplaces, labor unions are workers’ strongest advocates. Time and again, we witness the tragic consequences of employers who prioritize expediency and cost savings over protecting the health, welfare, and very lives of their employees. This issue was starkly highlighted when Trey Michael Gray, a 20-year-old city utility worker, lost…
For over 60 years, UWUA has represented employees at the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority (Alcosan), which provides wastewater treatment services to 900,000 residents across 83 municipalities, including Pittsburgh. In May, Local 433 concluded a year-long process for a contract renewal covering its 283 members employed at Alcosan. The contract encompasses over 100 job classifications across…