On Monday morning of convention, UE delegates heard from Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who praised UE for its history of standing up for the working class, and for “bringing people together from so many different walks of life, blue-collar workers, graduate students, understanding that we are all in this together.”
National Nurses United (NNU) Executive Director Puneet Maharaj addressed the convention on Tuesday morning, following the reading of the resolution “Medicare for All.” She commended UE for the union’s decades-long commitment to establishing a universal, Medicare for All-style single-payer healthcare system, saying, “We know we have to fight against the attacks that are before us, but we also have to create the future that we all deserve as the working class.”
UE’s Higher Education Conference Board released a statement today calling on universities to reject the so-called “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” being promoted by the Trump administration, which asks universities to exchange autonomy for preferential funding. On Monday at 7pm ET / 4pm PT, the conference board will be hosting a “Workers Over Deals” webinar to discuss how higher ed workers can push back through collective organizing.
On the final day of the 79th UE Convention, delegates debated and passed resolutions on jobs, peace, healthcare, civil liberties, public education, climate, and the economy. Taken together, these resolutions outline a comprehensive vision of a future in which all working people have good jobs and safe workplaces; housing, education, healthcare, and a secure retirement; the freedom to speak their mind without fear of retaliation; and a peaceful and livable planet to leave to their children.
Elections for UE’s three top officer positions were held this afternoon at the 79th UE Convention. Scott Slawson, the president of UE Local 506 in Erie, PA, was elected General President of the National Union. Secretary-Treasurer Andrew Dinkelaker was re-elected as Secretary-Treasurer, and UE Staff Coordinator Kim Lawson was elected as Director of Organization. Lawson will be the first woman to serve as Director of Organization, and the second woman to serve UE as a national officer.
Today, delegates to the 79th UE Convention unanimously endorsed a resolution, “End the Genocide in Palestine,” which demands that the U.S. government immediately cease all military aid to Israel, and instead pressure Israel to end its genocide against the Palestinian people.
Hundreds of UE members took to the streets during the second day of the 79th UE Convention, shining a light on the role of a local Chicago billionaire, Valor Equity CEO Antonio Gracias, in engineering a massive transfer of resources into the pockets of corporations and the wealthy.
UE’s 79th Convention opened today in Chicago with the theme “One Voice, One Fight, One Future.” The fifth UE convention to be held in the Windy City, this convention is also the largest in recent memory, with over 150 delegates and alternates, joined by more than 60 staff and guests.
The members of UE Local 1009 settled a new three-year agreement with Hitachi Energy on July 23. The agreement includes a four percent wage increase each year and significant improvements to language on standby time and travel per diem. These are important wins for the members because many are transformer technicians who do servicing work across the country. The members also won a ten percent raise for all night shifts.
“Ten percent night shift bonus for all is great,” Local 1009 member Riley Leafstone said. “I won't mind working nights now.”
Almost 400 workers, including 20 UE members, from all 13 southern states attended the Southern Worker Action Summit organized by the Southern Workers Assembly, a key UE ally and partner, on June 13-15.
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