On September 28 and 29 respectively, UE Locals 728 and 228 ratified new one-year agreements. The locals collectively represent over 800 workers who process visa petitions and provide petitioner support at the U.S. Department of State’s (DOS) Kentucky Consular Center (KCC) in Williamsburg, KY (Local 728), and National Visa Center (NVC) in Portsmouth, NH (Local 228). They are sister locations whose members are both employed by federal contractor LDRM under DOS’s Visa Support Services contract.
The Trump Administration’s drastically increased visa application fees, regional travel bans, and newly-imposed visa bonds have driven workloads at both facilities to historic lows. Taking that into consideration, along with an impending surge in the cost of health insurance premiums, the bargaining committees of both locals made the decision to pursue one-year extensions of their current contracts and bargain exclusively over wages and fringe benefits. Despite the odds, Locals 228 and 728 won new union contracts with substantial, combined flat hourly increases of $2.10 and $1.60, which represent average gains of seven and six percent, respectively.
Local 728 negotiations kicked off in Williamsburg on September 15 but got a burst of energy the following day when members onsite at KCC held a rally just minutes before the committee presented a counter-proposal. By the time the employer delivered their last, best, and final offer, several members had shown up to observe negotiations firsthand. Recalling the experience, Local 728 First Shift Chief Steward Daulton Couch noted, “Through member support and attendance backing the bargaining committee while at the table, we collectively fought and won a substantial wage increase to help combat the increased costs of everyday living as well as assist with the harsh reality that is the healthcare system in America.”
Local 228 began their round of negotiations in Portsmouth, NH on September 22 by reminding the employer just how astronomically high the cost of living on the New England Seacoast had become. Determined to steer the course of negotiations the following day, members onsite at NVC took action. “When management submitted their first two passes, their proposals were identical to the first two passes they presented to our sister Local 728 a week prior,” said Local 228 Sergeant-at-Arms Dave Kirby. “When the committee called them out on their ‘mirrored bargaining’ as not bargaining at all, the membership took action. They held a walkout at their breaks on both shifts. After that, the real negotiation began. Direct action is one of the only tried and true methods to get management’s attention,” The employer delivered their last, best, and final offer to the Local 228 committee on September 23 in a packed, standing-room-only conference hall.
Looking back on the locals’ joint contract campaign, Local 728 Second Shift Chief Steward Kala Collett said, "No matter how bleak the circumstances may seem, you can never forget how powerful [our] locals become when the members work together as one…and [we] have proven that during every contract bargaining."
The Local 228 Bargaining Committee consisted of President Jane Shepard-O’Connor, First Shift Chief Steward Shane Tassinari, Second Shift Chief Steward Ed Martin, Sergeant-at-Arms Dave Kirby, and Stewards Dee Towne, Courtney Smith, and Danny McNair. The Local 728 Bargaining Committee consisted of President Caroline Gambrel, First Shift Chief Steward Daulton Couch, Second Shift Chief Steward Kala Collett, and stewards Brian Bradley and Ashley Perkins. They were assisted by UE Field Organizer Kevin White.