UE NEWS Updates

UE members in Chicago, Milwaukee and Los Angeles participated in mass marches on May 1, International Workers’ Day, focused on the fight for the rights of immigrant workers in the U.S.

Over 50 UE members were among the more than 150,000 marchers in Chicago, birthplace of May Day as a world labor holiday. UE’s contingent included members of Locals 1101, 1110 and former Local 1104.

APRIL 3, 2007

In a strongly-worded decision made public today, the International Labour Organization (ILO), an agency of the United Nations, issued an unprecedented call for the United States to “promote the establishment of a collective bargaining framework in the public sector in North Carolina,” and called specifically for the repeal of North Carolina General Statute §95-98, the state law that prohibits public employee collective bargaining.

On Saturday, February 10, over 3,000 people from all over North Carolina joined a People’s Assembly and March in support of a 14-point progressive agenda. That people’s platform included collective bargaining for public workers, living wage, education, health care, housing, environmental justice, immigrant rights, and ending discrimination, racism and the Iraq war. The “HKoJ” (Historic Thousands on Jones Street – the location of the State General Assembly) was sponsored by the State NAACP and over 60 other organizations, including UE Local 150, the NC Public Service Workers Union.

Members of UE Local 893/Iowa United Professionals have approved new two-year agreements for both of its bargaining units – social services and scientists. Besides pay increases, the significant change is the state’s agreement to pay a bigger percentage of family health insurance premiums.