UE NEWS Updates

On September 12 workers at Northrop Grumman at the Vermont Service Center in St. Albans, Vermont voted to ratify their first union contract. The three-year agreement comes after months of struggle by the members of new UE Local 208. Besides solid contractual protections and benefit improvements, it provides 9 percent increases in wages that they employer resisted granting right to the end.

Plans for bargaining, organizing and political action were intensely discussed as UE Local 893-Iowa United Professionals held its 26th annual convention July 26 .  “Members representing all areas of the state were in attendance and they were enthusiastic about the issues,” says Local President Becky Dawes. “Our Local will be heading into negotiations with the state in late fall and early winter, and we anticipate a difficult time due to the national economy and the additional impact of the state’s recent natural disasters.”

Members of Local 204 used stickers, lunch time meetings, vocal chords, and a final-day march to the front office to achieve a three-year contract the committee could unanimously recommend, and the members would overwhelmingly ratify. Management at Haskon knew that to go beyond the August 6 expiration date would leave production completely in hands of the members without the  “no work stoppage” clause of the contract being in effect. Once the expiration date rolls around, bosses are never quite sure what Local 204 has in store for them.