UE Education: Essential for Rank-and-File Unionism

In order to have robust rank-and-file participation in our union at all levels, member education must remain a top priority for UE. We must provide the skills and knowledge to empower our members to take on the boss, to engage in community struggles that advance worker rights, and to run the union. We must prioritize time for this education at every opportunity. 

Our union's educational work provides members with the tools to resist employer attacks on wages, benefits, and working conditions. UE's geographic structure of regions and subregions enables us to bring a variety of educational workshops to a broader layer of local union leaders, activists, and members. Educational events help members and local union officers learn about policies on union financial integrity and practices, grievance handling, workplace representation, preparation for bargaining, and other leadership skills. Combined with workshops in regional council meetings, national conventions, and training sessions organized by local unions, this education helps members fight back in an era of increased anti-worker attacks. 

Despite the pandemic, UE has continued to hold education events. The UE Education Department has converted traditional workshops to online learning formats, which contributed to our efforts to bring forward new activists and leaders who will carry the union’s work into the future. UE also advanced member education with new workshops on topics including climate action, building solidarity for racial justice, understanding COVID-19 and workplace safety, and educating members on our principles through our new publication, Them and Us Unionism.

The union continues to benefit from its education initiatives of recent decades. The UE Steward Handbook and the UE Leadership Guide – both published in the late 1990s — remain the most thorough and useful training materials for rank-and-file leaders. The UE Steward, a newsletter of useful information and tips for shop leaders, continues to be one of the most sought after publications, and since December 2017 has been distributed via email, website and social media in addition to print. The UE News provides not only reporting on our recent struggles and other activities, but also in-depth analysis of current issues facing union members as well as UE and working-class history helping members understand our legacy. In areas with significant Spanish-speaking membership, the union provides these and other materials in Spanish to enable more members to participate, and has begun translating materials into Vietnamese. 

Our website (ueunion.org) contains information and news helpful to union members and unorganized workers, including dozens of issues of the UE Steward, and links to access the UE News archives maintained by the University of Pittsburgh. Our social media accounts regularly publicize UE educational materials, and many UE locals also have an interactive web presence through Facebook. 

A strong and effective union depends on an educated, informed leadership, an effective steward system, and an involved membership. 

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT THIS 77th UE CONVENTION:  

  1. Commits the national union to provide both in person and virtual educational materials and workshops to assist members in running effective local unions and successfully waging local, national and international struggles, including: 
    1. Democratic operation of a local, including steward training and grievance handling, local union finances and integrity, and preparing for escalating shop floor campaigns, negotiations, and in-shop struggles, with training tailored to the needs of each local; 
    2. Sub-regional educational and training conferences;
    3. A day of workshops at the National Convention and workshops for use at regional, sub regional, and local membership meetings;
    4. The UE Steward and other materials for local officers, stewards, and members; 
    5. Political education that counteracts corporate media influence and promotes a working-class consciousness;
    6. Protecting the union in a right-to-work state and implementing strategies to maintain member unity and combat right-to-work laws; 
    7. Maintenance and promotion of the UE website and social media; 
    8. Continued publication of UE News; 
    9. Continued translation of materials into Spanish and/or other languages; 
    10. Providing language interpretation of meetings where appropriate; 
    11. Continued use of video teleconferencing to conduct educational training; 
    12. A revised UE Leadership Guide; 
  2. Encourages all locals to: 
    1. Commit to leadership development of African Americans, women, LGBTQ+ members, young workers, members with disabilities, and workers of other nationalities; 
    2. Educate members about UE history and principles using the Them and Us Unionism booklet; 
    3. Regularly publish local newsletters; 
    4. Conduct classes to introduce new members to the union, explaining policies, structure, and collective bargaining agreements; 
    5. Seek the right to conduct union orientation for new hires during work time; 
    6. Establish websites, use social media, and regularly update union bulletin boards;
    7. Negotiate employer-paid lost time for members to attend training and educational events; 
    8. Hold regular steward trainings and membership involvement classes.