The last two years were full of uncertainty and more than a share of pain for the American working class. However, they were largely a good period for taking on the boss. Although businesses are not currently hiring as many people, few of them are laying workers off. This means employers have had to give additional ground on wages and working conditions. UE members have taken advantage of this to negotiate another historic round of contracts, a testament to what a rank-and-file union can accomplish.
Nowhere have the advances of the current period been stronger than in wages. Most agreements across the private sector achieved substantial increases, with dozens seeing the highest wage increases reported ever—increases which put real wage growth solidly ahead of inflation. Large increases were seen across many UE sectors, including manufacturing, higher education, food co-ops, and government contractors.
While not every UE shop saw historic wage increases, the tight labor market and rise in militancy reaped dividends everywhere. Many long-established UE locals were able to leverage the current conditions, in concert with aggressive shop-floor action, to fight off concessions to current health benefits, while improving paid leave, work rules and other contract language.
Unfortunately, numerous policy changes from the second Trump Administration suggest far more uncertainty over the coming period across essentially all UE sectors, all while dealing with the typical ratcheting down of labor rights under reactionary presidents. While the U.S. may yet avoid a recession, most of our shops will likely face more trying times when they next return to the table. Thankfully, UE is also at our strongest position in decades, and more able as a national union to punch back against this systematic war against the working class when it impacts us at the bargaining table.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT THIS 79th UE CONVENTION:
- Calls for education, engagement, and mobilization of members in preparation for the aggressive campaigns that are necessary for favorable contract settlements;
- Calls for broadening contract struggles beyond the bargaining table by including strategic campaigns, shareholder actions, and labor-community alliances;
- Calls for building solidarity with other unions (both domestic and international), especially those of the same employer;
- Calls on locals to keep members informed, engaged, and mobilized at every stage of negotiations;
- Directs the national union to continue providing:
- Research packets to UE workplaces entering contract negotiations, and to continue including in these materials the suggested bargaining goals list based upon best practices of UE locals developed through years of struggle;
- Trainings and workshops, as well as in-person support by regional or national officers as needed.