The year 2020 presented us with many challenges and we have experienced quite a bit of adversity. We are all doing business a little bit differently than pre-pandemic days. However, one requirement as an organization does not change: fiscal responsibility. While many in-person training conferences and meetings have been curtailed, the UWUA maintains our commitment…
During the 2020 campaign for president, Joe Biden repeatedly said, if elected, he would be the most pro-union president since Franklin Delano Roosevelt. If the first actions of the Biden-Harris administration are any indication, he is going to keep that promise. Photo caption: Biden’s Secretary of Labor nominee, Marty Walsh, is a member of the…
As an affiliate of the national AFL-CIO, the Utility Workers have signed on in support of five core principles that illustrate the best of trade unionism and provide a measure of our expectations as working people: Worker Empowerment Stronger unions will aid in addressing the economic, social justice and public health crises facing America. By…
The presidential inauguration in January ushered in a new era of governing. The mindset of national government has moved rapidly from being relentlessly anti-worker and anti-union toward an approach that places the well being of working families at the center of the administration’s mission. Perhaps in a way not seen since the Great Depression, progressive…
Dave Coggins is a 35-year member of Local 270 working as a master mechanic at the Perry Nuclear Power Plant in Ohio. He helped organize technicians there some years ago and has volunteered to organize other utility workers who do not have union representation. As support for unions reaches a peak not seen in decades,…
The last year has been a challenge for every UWUA member, however the challenge is even greater for the unorganized. Whether it be layoffs, furloughs, reduced hours or wages, or just changes in working conditions, the unorganized have been unprotected during the COVID-19 pandemic and, in many cases, it has shown them the value of…
Continuing a string of victories in its water division, Ohio Local 270 recently welcomed the City of Berea Water Department workers as its newest members. The Berea win is an example of how successful organizing drives emerge when members who enjoy the benefits of a UWUA contract share this with others who work for…
Larry Kelley, who retired in 2018, recently passed away. Larry was a 38-year member of Local 102H. He started as a volunteer national organizer in 1996 and then served 10 years as a UWUA national organizer. Thousands of UWUA members benefited from Larry’s work, which he always enjoyed. He was a lineman and serviceman for…
Four hundred Local 470 members who work for United Illuminate in Connecticut welcomed the new year enjoying the benefits of a new contract that protects their jobs, brings 3.5% annual wage increases, and keeps health care costs level, for the duration of the 4.5-year agreement. Gains came during the onslaught of the pandemic after local…
A lot of people are hurting in our country today. The pandemic has revealed weaknesses that need to be addressed if we are to move forward as a nation. We have our differences but we all have shared values and common goals: economic security, a safe place to live, a good education, and affordable quality…