UE NEWS Updates

Negotiating a wage increase with an employer is one of the most common things that most union locals do. But since an anti-union law went into effect eight years ago, UE Local 896-Campaign to Organize Graduate Students, which represents 2,000 graduate workers at the University of Iowa, has been forced to simply accept the maximum arbitration award mandated by that law — as has every other union which bargains with the state’s Board of Regents, which governs the Iowa’s higher education system.

Twenty-seven members from four UE locals attended the Labor Notes Troublemakers School which was held at the Steamfitters Local 601 Hall on October 4. Locals 1103, 1122, 1177, and 1186 each contributed members to the UE delegation, which was by far the largest of any union in attendance. The Troublemakers Schools are all-day conferences that cover organizing skills and highlight real-world examples of taking on the boss.

Passaic Library workers, members of amalgamated UE Local 155, won four percent wage increases in each year of their new three-year contract. This was the first multi-year contract in many years; for some time, the local has been negotiating one-year extensions due to issues with the library’s finances. In addition to the wage increases, which are higher than they have historically received, the workers won an extra early closure day (with pay) and increased the travel reimbursements.

On July 31, 2025 my wife and I had an amazing opportunity to travel to Japan for the International Trade Union Forum for Peaceful and Just World without Nuclear Weapons.  At this International Solidarity conference, we met with several different trade Unions from around the globe including Zenroren — Japan, Confederação Geral dos Trabalhadores Portugueses (General Confederation of the Portuguese Workers, CGTP) — Portugal, Confédération Générale du Travail (General Confederation of Labor, CGT) — France, Korean Public Service and Transport Workers’ Union (KPTU) — South Korea