UE NEWS Updates

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UE’s Leadership Program Continues with Second Group

February 3, 2023

A second cohort of UE activists began meeting in January, over Zoom, as part of UE’s Leadership and Staff Development Program (LSDP). As approved by delegates at UE’s last convention, UE embarked on the LSDP to strengthen skills and provide mentorship to members of all racial and ethnic backgrounds who are currently underrepresented in UE leadership or staff. 

Johns Hopkins Grad Workers Join UE in a Landslide

February 2, 2023

With what the UE NEWS believes to be the largest “yes” vote of any NLRB election among graduate workers, the 3,300 graduate workers at Johns Hopkins University voted by a margin of 2053-67 to be represented by Teachers and Researchers United/UE. The voting took place on January 30 and 31, and is the culmination of years of JHU grad workers fighting for a living wage and fair working conditions.

General Executive Board Demands Public Ownership of Railroads, Discusses Young Worker Upsurge

January 31, 2023

Meeting on January 28 and 29, UE’s General Executive Board unanimously endorsed a statement demanding that Congress “immediately begin a process of bringing our nation’s railroads under public ownership.” The statement notes that “the private owners of our nation’s Class 1 railroads have shown themselves utterly incapable of facing the challenge of the climate crisis, dealing fairly with their own workers, or even meeting the most basic needs of their customers.”

On King Holiday, Virginia Beach City Workers Rally for Collective Bargaining

January 20, 2023

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. took his last stand supporting city workers in Memphis, Tennessee demanding the right to collectively bargain. The 1,300-strong sanitation workers’ strike in 1968 was sparked by the deaths of two Black city workers who had been crushed on the job by a malfunctioning truck. 

As the nation celebrated the King holiday, the Virginia Beach City Workers Union, UE Local 111 honored his real legacy as they gathered at the Virginia Beach City Council meeting on Tuesday to request that the council pass a resolution in support of Collective Bargaining. 

Northwestern Grad Workers Vote UE By 93.5% Margin

January 18, 2023

In a National Labor Relations Board election held on January 10 and 11, graduate workers at Northwestern University voted by 1,644 to 114 to join Northwestern University Graduate Workers-UE. They organized to win competitive pay, support for international students, a fair grievance process, sustainable transportation options, and other improvements.

UE President Rosen Talks Green Locomotives, Right to Strike on Union Podcast

January 12, 2023

UE General President Carl Rosen joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast yesterday to talk about UE’s Green Locomotive Project, the right to strike, and how young workers are driving a surge in organizing.

“The American working people have realized that there is a fundamental problem about the way our economy is organized,” Rosen told host Ed “Flash” Ferenc.

Inflation is Falling Much Faster Than Most People Know; and The Fed’s Response to Inflation May Pose a Bigger Threat than the Inflation Itself

December 16, 2022

In this op-ed reprinted in the UE NEWS, economist Mark Weisbrot explains how misunderstanding of inflation and the economy distorts American politics and can influence not only elections but also the most important economic policy decisions that our government makes — and warns of the danger posed by the Federal Reserve Board’s interest rate hikes.

Vermont Locals Hold Steward Training

December 15, 2022

Over twenty stewards and officers from five Vermont UE locals and six shops gathered at the Vermont Workers’ Center for a two-day steward training on December 8 and 9.

“The steward’s training provided me with ample information, tools, and contextual examples to equip me and better prepare me for representing and aiding my colleagues, going forward,” said Ryan Southworth, a Local 203 steward at City Market in Burlington.

Local 696 Members Ratify First Contract After 20-Month Struggle

December 14, 2022

After a 20-month struggle, the members of UE Local 696 at Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania ratified their first UE contract on Monday, December 12. The three-year agreement will raise wages by an average of over $2 per hour in the first year, and guarantees a path to a $20/hour minimum base wage with at least three years of service.

UE to Labor Board: Rights of Millions of Workers at Stake in Proposed Joint-Employer Rule

December 14, 2022

UE’s national officers submitted a comment to the National Labor Relations Board on December 6, encouraging the board to adopt a proposed rule that would make it easier for workers employed by “joint employers” (such as workers at a McDonalds franchise) to secure their rights under our nation’s labor laws.

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