UE NEWS Updates

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Local 225 Contract Improves Working Conditions, Benefits

September 2, 2023

Educators who work for the Vermont Achievement Center, members of UE Local 225, negotiated a new two-year contract this spring which includes improvements in benefits and working conditions and larger wage increases than workers have seen in over a decade. Local 225 members work for two programs at VAC: an early education and childcare program, and Sheldon Academy, which provides special education for older children.

Sweet $17 in Local 203 Box Office Contract

September 2, 2023

The new four-year contract between amalgamated UE Local 203 and the Flynn Regional Box Office boosted wages to $17 per hour when it went into effect on July 1, representing a double-digit percentage increase for workers who previously made between $15 and $15.50. Wages will increase to $17.68, $18.21, and $18.76 in the second, third and fourth years of the agreement.

Virginia Beach Organizing Blitz: An Opportunity to Break Down Barriers

September 1, 2023

The Virginia Beach City Workers Union (UE Local 111) hosted an organizing blitz from August 7-11 with a main objective of making their union stronger. Building their numbers and increasing their membership will assist municipal workers in Virginia Beach in gaining collective bargaining rights. In the words of co-chair Pat Thebert, “collective bargaining for the city of Virginia Beach will make a world of difference.

Thousands of Stanford Graduate Workers Join UE in Lighting-Fast Campaign

September 1, 2023

Thousands of Stanford graduate workers wrapped up the 2022-2023 academic year with a record-breaking vote to unionize under the UE banner. The newly formed Stanford Graduate Workers Union broke UE's record for the most cards signed on the first day of a campaign (2,571) and is the first graduate union to complete a card drive and NLRB election in the same quarter. Hundreds of student organizers volunteered their time and energy for this campaign - turning out friends and colleagues to vote, phonebanking, texting, and tabling on campus.

Green Locomotive Activists Leaflet Rail Yard in Solidarity with Wabtec Strikers

August 2, 2023

On Saturday, July 29, Green Locomotive Project volunteers in California brought the fight for green locomotives and green jobs to the entrance of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad (BNSF) rail yard. The activists distributed leaflets explaining the struggle of striking UE Local 506 and 618 members in Erie. The 1400 members of the two locals have been on strike since June 22 demanding a fair contract and that Wabtec invest in making green locomotives in their plant.

The Saladin Muhammad Organizing Blitz: Building Power with UE Local 150

August 1, 2023

On June 26, North Carolina Public Service Workers of UE Local 150 kicked off their summer organizing blitz in honor and remembrance of founding organizer of Local 150 and leader of the Black workers’ movement in the South, Saladin Muhammad. Members from four of UE’s newly organized graduate worker locals traveled to North Carolina to join the blitz and support Local 150’s efforts. Graduate workers from the University of Minnesota, Johns Hopkins, Stanford, and Northwestern worked with Local 150 rank-and-file members and staff throughout the week to have conversations with workers about their conditions and the importance of building a strong union.

Erie Strikers Receive Support from Pittsburgh, California, North Carolina

July 31, 2023

On Saturday, striking members of UE Locals 506 and 618 got support from a “convoy” of supporters from Pittsburgh who drove to Erie to join the picket line at the Wabtec locomotive plant. On the same day, in California, volunteers with the Green Locomotive Project distributed literature at the Barstow Rail Yard, where Wabtec operates a receiving facility, and on Friday, members of UE Local 150 distributed leaflets at the Wabtec plant in Maxton, North Carolina.

Wabtec Admits Strike “Does Have a Cost” to Company on Earnings Call

July 28, 2023

On Wabtec’s second-quarter earnings call with investors yesterday, the company was forced to address the ongoing strike by members of UE Locals 506 and 618 at the company’s locomotive plant in Erie, PA. Chief Financial Officer John Olin admitted that “margins were down a little bit more than we expected. The key driver of that … was the inefficiencies we're experiencing at our facility in Erie behind the strike.”

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