As I travel around the country talking to utility workers, labor and industry leaders, I am finding that our call to Rebuild America is hitting the mark. Most recently, I spoke at the City Club of Cleveland Roundtable. My message was clear: in order to have a thriving economy that works for everyone, be a world leader, and good environmental stewards,…
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 to…
In addition to the current 10,000 square foot facility, the additional classroom and lab space will meet the training needs of UWUA members and P4A contributing employers. The highlights of the new training space are the welding lab and 30-person classroom space. The welding lab will feature six new welding stations designed so that students can learn the art of welding while under the…
The West Virginia State Legislature wasted no time in giving the back of their hand to their working class constituents by introducing so-called Right-to Work legislation under Senate Bill 1. Yes, that’s right, the number one priority of Republican legislators in West Virginia was a direct attack on workplace democracy. The bill later passed the House…
Based on the highly successful Utility Workers Military Assistance Program (UMAP) in Chicago between Local 18007 and Peoples Gas, the Michigan State Utility Workers Council (MSUWC) and Consumers Energy will pilot a gas bootcamp for current Michigan National Guard service men and women, as well as post 9/11 honorably discharged veterans. The idea for the program came to MSUWC President Pat Dillon and Power for America (P4A) Executive Director Jon Harmon after attending the 2015 UWUA National Convention and…
Welcome to 2016, a new year with new opportunities. At the Utility Workers Union of America’s 30th convention, we independently passed a number of resolutions that will guide our organization through the next four years. All of these resolutions can be found on our app – available for free from the app store on your smart phone…
It’s becoming more and more critical to invest in the physical and human infrastructure necessary to maintain reliable services to keep the nation strong. “If we want to be a first class nation, if we want to be a world leader, then we better put our money into re-building our water, gas, and electricity infrastructure,”…
In this issue of The Utility Worker, we highlight our Power for America Training Trust’s continued growth. We are expanding our successful Utility Workers Military Assistance Program for veterans to include the National Guard. We are constructing our second building on the Potterville, Michigan campus to allow us to train welders. We are adding new class-…
With the strong push for more environmentally friendly energy sources, such as clean coal, solar, and wind, the topic of new energy technologies was more than a side note during the 2010 contract negotiations between the Michigan State Utility Workers Council (MSUWC) and their largest employer, Consumers Energy. At the time, Consumers Energy’s existing coal-fired baseload generating fleet — averaging 50 years of age — was the oldest in the country and…
Over the last several months, by deploying their shop stewards throughout their 20,000 square mile service territory, over 200 workers have signed union cards and now enjoy the full benefits of being UWUA members. This increase to their membership not only strengthens the local, but the new stylistic approach to organizing is better educating newer members of the importance of unionism. In addition to signing up current SoCalGas employees,…