Local 1-2 Albert Alvarez Charles Bordes Joseph Catalano Billy Clayton Edward Coleman Doreen Conte Robert Crespo Donato Donnis William Ferre Joseph Ferro Jeffrey Frankl Pamela Gainey Louis Goss Stanley Graham Christopher Hughes James Keenan Justin Kemp Richard Kristinich Michael Milano Robert Ottulich Mason Patterson Lula Ravenel George Renwick Harry Schwartz Joseph Sheridan Stuart Syetta Conrad…
WOMEN’S CAUCUS – Valerie King, Co-Chair, Women’s Caucus Am I My Sister’s Keeper? Sisters and Brothers, it is time we let these words, ‘Am I My Sister’s Keeper’ resonate to our core! As women, we all face the same societal and economic issues, regardless of our ethnicity, demographic, union affiliation, education, or career. Inequality in…
HUMAN RIGHTS – Nate Waters, Chair, Human Rights Committee I AM 2018 Campaign Honors Dr. King, April 2–4 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated while fighting for the rights of sanitation workers in Memphis, TN on April 4, 1968. This year marks the 50th anniversary of his death, which happened just two weeks before…
During the 2016 Presidential campaign Donald Trump repeatedly invoked the concerns of working Americans. He spoke of economic uncertainty, income inequality and stagnant wages. On the campaign trail, Trump promised to be on the side of workers and put their issues first. Over 12 months into President Trump’s first term, now is a good time…
Local 393 Puts Safety First I would like to commend Local 393 for its victory in getting the New York State Department of Labor and the Division of Public Employees Safety and Health to conduct inspections of various Suffolk County Water Authority pump stations on Long Island, NY. This resulted in the Water Authority creating…
NATIONAL VICE PRESIDENT’S REPORT – John Duffy, National Vice President The Undermining of Our Democracy Through Gerrymandering Is Finally Being Challenged Gerrymandering, or manipulating, the boundaries of election districts is nothing new. The term gerrymander was first used in Boston back in 1812. Massachusetts Governor Elbridge Gerry had redrawn State Senate election districts to the…
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT’S REPORT – Steven VanSlooten, Executive Vice President From Cradle to Grave, No One Works Nuclear Better! Our members have been responsible for safely operating and maintaining much of our nation’s fleet of nuclear power generation facilities since they went online more than half-a-century ago. With the so-called free market and the price…
Implementing Our Training Objectives At our 75th National Convention in 2015, the Utility Workers Union of America laid out the guiding principles of our organization and we proudly proclaimed our theme: Reclaim, Retrain, Repower, and Repair America. At the convention, UWUA Delegates passed many constitutional amendments and resolutions. Our task moving forward is to implement…
National Union Unites Locals in Fight for Nuclear Decommissioning Work The U.S. nuclear powerplant fleet has been providing reliable, carbon-free electricity for the country since an early reactor, located at Fort Belvoir, Virginia first began feeding power onto the commercial grid in 1957. Over the following decades, more than 100 were built, primarily in eastern…
NM Local 51 Wins Arbitration Reinstating City Employee, Sets Stage for City Elections Local 51 started off the New Year with some great news when a neutral arbitrator ruled in the union’s favor in a case involving UWUA member Armondo Rosales, who was unfairly terminated by the City of Roswell, New Mexico a year ago.…
Utility and Communications Workers Join to Fight for Union Jobs and Member Safety Rapid expansion in the communications industry over the last few decades has resulted in utility poles burdened to an ever greater degree with much more than just electric power lines. Phone companies, cable television, mobile communications providers, and more, have added their…
Canada Hydro Power Competition Triggers TAA Benefits for Brayton Point Workers When Dynegy announced the closing of Brayton Point, the largest coal-fired power plant in New England, the National Union and Local 464 fought hard to keep it open. After the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) rejected their argument that the company’s decision resulted from…
Local 393 Wins Right to Conduct Union Orientations for New Hires Suffolk County Water Authority workers, members of Local 393, recently won contract language that guarantees the local the right to meet with new hires and welcome them with a union orientation. In today’s workplace, a new hire is often told by management that the…
John Daly, Nuclear Executive Board – VP Pilgrim Local 369 “UWUA President Mike Langford said it best, ‘We are the safest, most productive, highest skilled workers in the world.’ Local 369 members at Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station are some of the most highly motivated workers in the nuclear industry. We have spent a large portion of…
Job-Saving Wins Set Stage for Upcoming Contract Talks Four Local 132 members’ jobs were recently saved, thanks to successive arbitration victories won by the local’s leadership. An arbitrator found Edwin Riley, Frank Zavala, Simon Mendoza, and Juan Torres were wrongfully terminated and they have either returned to work or are in the process of doing…
Fires and Floods Highlight Work of CA Members as First Responders While UWUA members continued their rebuilding efforts on hurricane devastated Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, California was hit with wildfires and flashfloods. The growth in the severity of storms is shining a light on the role of utility workers as first responders. When…
The Year Ahead! This year is shaping up to be another blockbuster year for the UWUA. Our signature theme of Reclaim, Retrain, Repower, and Repair America is resonating with government officials, employers, industry regulators, and the public. We have positioned ourselves to make the most of what 2018 has to offer. Foremost is President Trump’s…