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Smooth Talks and a Satisfactory Contract for Local 121

September 2, 2023

The 60 members of UE Local 121 who work for Clendenin Brothers ratified a new five-year contract in May. Local 121 members manufacture industrial fasteners.

Local 121 President Marcus Davis, who was elected shortly before negotiations began, called the experience “thrilling and interesting. It was a good experience.” Treasurer Sheldon Brooks added, “The contract talks went pretty smoothly this year.”

Leadership and Staff Development Program Participants Learn on the Picket Lines

September 2, 2023

Participants in the second cohort of UE’s Leadership and Staff Development Program met at the UE Local 506 hall in June for a few days of workshops and experiences on the picket lines outside the Wabtec plant. As these rank-and-file members traveled to Erie from around the country, UE Locals 506 and 618 were taking a vote on whether to accept Wabtec’s last contract offer or go on strike.

First Contract at Refresco

September 2, 2023

After 11 and a half months of negotiations and struggle, and two years after they first voted to join UE, workers at the Refresco bottling plant ratified their first union contract on June 29 and 30; workers received immediate pay raises when it went into effect the next day. The contract includes significant pay increases, strong health and safety language, and protections against workers being forced to work 12-hours shifts, all major issues that fueled the organizing campaign.

UE Local 770 Honors David Disbrow, Fights for Safety and Dignity at Work

September 2, 2023

On August 3, 2023 Local 770 member David Disbrow died from an ongoing health condition while performing regular job duties at his workstation at Hendrickson Suspension, a manufacturing facility for medium and heavy-duty mechanical vehicle suspensions. While there is no evidence that working conditions contributed directly to Dave’s death, the company’s inadequate response to his passing did not honor Dave or protect his coworkers. Steward Tony Lowry said, “There was only one garbled announcement, at first no one knew what was going on. Now everyone is asking, ‘will the company do the same thing if this happens to me at work?’”

Parental Leave, $3/Hour Wage Increase Among Highlights of New Local 267 Contract

September 2, 2023

The over 300 service and maintenance workers who maintain and clean the University of Vermont’s buildings, grounds, and other physical infrastructure received a “historically high” wage increase of $3 per hour on July 1 thanks to UE Local 267’s new three-year contract. They will also now be able to take up to eight weeks of paid parental leave upon birth or adoption of a child.

Local 234 Opens Up Historic Wage Increases with Early Negotiations

September 2, 2023

Members of UE Local 234 who manufacture precision scales in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom opened their contract in May, securing larger wage increases than the local has seen in over a generation. Management had approached the union about a wage re-opener, but the local insisted on taking advantage of the leverage workers have in the current economy to negotiate a new contract which will go through October 2025.

Local 225 Contract Improves Working Conditions, Benefits

September 2, 2023

Educators who work for the Vermont Achievement Center, members of UE Local 225, negotiated a new two-year contract this spring which includes improvements in benefits and working conditions and larger wage increases than workers have seen in over a decade. Local 225 members work for two programs at VAC: an early education and childcare program, and Sheldon Academy, which provides special education for older children.

Sweet $17 in Local 203 Box Office Contract

September 2, 2023

The new four-year contract between amalgamated UE Local 203 and the Flynn Regional Box Office boosted wages to $17 per hour when it went into effect on July 1, representing a double-digit percentage increase for workers who previously made between $15 and $15.50. Wages will increase to $17.68, $18.21, and $18.76 in the second, third and fourth years of the agreement.

Virginia Beach Organizing Blitz: An Opportunity to Break Down Barriers

September 1, 2023

The Virginia Beach City Workers Union (UE Local 111) hosted an organizing blitz from August 7-11 with a main objective of making their union stronger. Building their numbers and increasing their membership will assist municipal workers in Virginia Beach in gaining collective bargaining rights. In the words of co-chair Pat Thebert, “collective bargaining for the city of Virginia Beach will make a world of difference.

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