In keeping with the theme of “Building Strike Power,” the convention’s first guest speaker was a leader of one of the most important strikes of the 21st century so far, Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates.
Congresswoman Summer Lee (D-PA) addressed the convention on Sunday morning. She began her remarks with praise for UE’s brand of aggressive struggle. “I know how UE, from Pittsburgh up to Erie, has been putting the bosses on notice time and time again. I know that you all know how to go get results.”
Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) addressed the convention over Zoom on Monday morning.
“Let me thank all of the UE workers for standing up year after year against corporate greed, and demanding that the working class of this country receives the respect and the dignity which it deserves,” he said.
“Decade after decade, the UE has been a leader in the struggle for economic justice. You have been one of the great unions in American history, and I am so proud to be saying a few words to you today at your convention.”
On Tuesday and Wednesday, convention delegates considered resolutions on fighting racism and standing up for the rights of women, LGBTQ+ people and immigrants. These resolutions drew some of the most passionate comments of the whole convention.
In their discussion of several resolutions throughout the week, convention delegates made clear their desire for a just economy and society, where all people have decent working conditions, adequate social support, a dignified retirement, health care and education. They were just as clear that making that vision a reality will require independent political action by working people.
On the final day of the convention, delegates heard remarks from Molly Greenberg of the Moving Forward Network and Tommy Carden of Warehouse Workers for Justice.
When Dhananja Dassanaike, Local 1004, rose to speak in support of the resolution, “For Peace, Jobs, and a Pro-Worker Foreign Policy,” he drew specific attention to its mention of the situation faced by the Palestinian people.
Angaza Laughinghouse, a founding member and three-term president of UE Local 150, received the Discount Foundation’s 8th Annual Legacy Award at the 2023 Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Celebration, held last night by Jobs with Justice. In his acceptance speech, he spoke about fighting for justice in North Carolina. He also called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
With one hour to spare before the expiration of their collective bargaining agreement, the Local 684 negotiating committee reached a tentative agreement with their employer on October 4. Two days before the contract expired, Local 684 members voted overwhelmingly to strike if the negotiating committee could not reach a tentative agreement before the contract’s expiration. The new contract, which was ratified by Local 684 members on October 12, includes some of the largest wage increases the local has ever negotiated.
UE Local 221 members who work at the Northeast Kingdom Community Action (NEKCA) Head Start program won a new two-year contract with significant wage increase for their lowest-paid members, janitors and food service workers. Classroom teachers will also see increases that bring them closer to what their public-school counterparts earn.
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