USW Blog

Last year, unions, including the USW, made significant progress toward electing pro-worker, pro-retiree allies in key gubernatorial, legislative and judicial offices nationwide.

While we can’t possibly list every victory from the last year, I feel it is necessary to highlight a few of the biggest:

• Union-backed candidates were victorious in four special elections in Pennsylvania, which helped secure a new pro-union, pro-retiree majority in the state’s House of Representatives.
  
  
• Michigan’s newly-elected, pro-union governor and legislature – the state’s first in nearly 40 years – acted to restore workers’ collective bargaining rights by repealing the state’s so-called right-to-work law and putting an end to the unfair pension tax.
  
  
• Wisconsin voters turned out in droves to secure a 4-3 pro-union state Supreme Court majority. 
  
  
• Minnesota’s pro-worker, pro-retiree legislature and governor, Tim Walz, passed a state budget (HF3028/SF3035) that was hailed as the “most significant worker protection bill in state history.”
  
  
• In Ohio, voters defeated Issue 1, which would have raised the threshold for voters to amend the constitution to a supermajority of 60 percent and enacted stricter requirements for getting amendments on the ballot.
  
  
• Labor-backed candidates maintained control of Virginia’s State Senate while reclaiming a pro-worker majority in the general assembly for the first time since 2021.
  
  
• Our close friend, Governor Andy Beshear of Kentucky, won reelection; and,
  
  
• In Pennsylvania and Indiana, we proudly backed close allies who were victorious in their campaigns for local and state offices.

This year presents union members and retirees with another historic opportunity to build upon these victories.

In addition to the critically important presidential election, voters will weigh the decision of who controls Congress, with all 435 U.S. House of Representatives up for election, along with 34 U.S. Senate seats. 

Control over 86 legislative chambers will also be decided by voters in 44 states, 11 of whom will choose their next governor.

Eighty-two state supreme court and 216 intermediate appellate court seats will also appear on voters’ ballots this November.

While much attention will be given to the presidential campaign, we must keep in mind that state and federal lawmakers also make decisions which impact our ability to access health care, afford the medications we are prescribed, the availability of various health care services in our communities, and so much more. 

I hope everyone enjoyed a healthy and happy holiday season and is well-rested and ready to begin another year of activism and involvement in your community and your union through SOAR.

During the extremely cold weather days we have been experiencing here recently in Western New York, I have spent a lot more time indoors thinking, and I would like to share some of those thoughts with you.

• A recent report revealed how successful members of Congress were, for those of them who were willing to report it, regarding their success or failure in picking winning stocks. The report also reflected how fortunate they were in the timing of selling stocks before the stock took a significant drop. The report seems to reflect that many members of Congress were much more active in buying or selling stock successfully than they were concerned about passing legislation that would help working people.
  
  
• Recently, an investment firm sold 264 houses in the Las Vegas area to another company in one day. This sale was part of a larger sale of 1,900 single-family homes in the Sun Belt area. Investment groups have been buying up homes nationwide for a few years now. A recent study showed this could lead to higher rental prices and fewer available homes.
  
  
• Exxon Mobile has reported a decline in revenue for the last half of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022. Public records indicate this is true. For those last six months of 2023, Exxon only made around $98,000,000 per day! I wonder why gas prices have not come down.
  
  
• General Motors took a strike from the UAW, claiming the demands were too much. Within days of reaching an agreement with the UAW, GM reported to its shareholders that the company would begin to buy back $10,000,000,000, a BILLION worth of stock and would increase its stock dividend by 33%.

SOAR will be involved in this year’s electoral process and will attempt to make sure only candidates who support our issues are supported by us.                   

I wish you all a happy and healthy New Year!

Sources:

• https://unusualwhales.com
• https://investor.exxonmobil.com/earnings/financial-results
• https://fortune.com/2023/11/29/gm-stock-buyback-10-billion-electric-cars/

Members of the USW 3M Council began their Jan. 25 meeting mapping out a strategy for combating the chemical company’s attempts to change the pension structure they believe may be coming given a recent announcement regarding nonunion workers. 

3M announced in early January that it will freeze U.S. pension plans for nonunion employees, effective Dec. 31, 2028.

 USW International Secretary-Treasurer John Shinn, who oversees bargaining in the chemical sector, said that the situation starkly illustrates the benefits of forming a union and collectively bargaining a contract, namely that that management cannot unilaterally alter or eliminate benefits for USW members.

“We expect that 3M will likely try making changes to our members’ pensions in future negotiations, and we are going to have to be organized and have a well-planned campaign,” said Shinn.

The group also addressed strategy around other proposed changes.

Members at multiple 3M locations are dealing with the company’s attempts to alter contractual overtime premium payments, with USW now hiring attorneys to handle arbitration at Cottage Grove. The changes primarily impact anyone who works a rotating shift or 12-hour shifts.

“We’re going to tell the company they can’t just jam changes down our throat,” said Shinn. “They have to work with us.”

Meanwhile, at the Tonawanda facility in New York, contract negotiations were nearing completion when 3M handed over a 150-page benefits book that included massive changes. At the time of the council meeting, the bargaining committee was hard at work reviewing the book and submitting their comments. 

The Tonawanda team is also hoping to make headway on a health and safety proposal as part of the union’s sector-wide plan to improve conditions at all USW-represented chemical facilities.

The 3M Council plans to meet in-person this April. Stay tuned for announcements regarding a date and location.

Click here to download this Action Call as a PDF

Back in January, we asked you to show up at the statehouse and voice your opposition to House Bill 1377-FN, this year’s House version of so-called Right-to-Work (RTW), and you delivered! Now, we need your help again.

Next Wednesday, the House Labor Committee will be holding another public hearing, and they need to hear from us. 

So-called RTW is deliberately designed to make it harder for unions to help workers negotiate with their employers for better pay and working conditions. It deprives unions of the resources they need to organize and provide basic services to the workers they represent.

Backers of these laws claim they protect employees’ freedoms, but we know better. So-called RTW laws are nothing more than an attempt by corporate special interest groups to weaken unions or even go as far to abolish unions altogether—they couldn’t care less about the freedom of New Hampshire’s workers. 

1. Come to Concord February 7th! 
   Time: 9:30 AM 
   Location: Legislative Office Building, Room 307 
   New Hampshire State Capitol 
   107 N Main St, Concord, NH 03301 
2. Tell the House Labor Committee that so-called Right to Work is WRONG for New Hampshire. 

 To sign in to register your position on a bill and/or submit testimony, click HERE. 

1. After clicking the link, fill in the content boxes with your first and last name, as well as your town, state, and email address. 
2. Select the date of the hearing on the calendar (2/7), by clicking on the relevant date. 
3. In the drop box below "Select the Committee," select House Labor, Industrial and Rehabilitative Services 
4. In the drop box below "Choose the Bill," select 9:30 AM - HB 1377 
5. Select the appropriate option for the "I am" drop box (likely "Member of the Public") 
6. Fill in the content box under "I'm Representing" with the business, organization, or group you are representing. If you are representing yourself only, write "myself." 
7. Under the “Indicate Your Position on this Bill,” check the circle that says "I Oppose this Bill" 
8. If you wish to speak during the hearing to present your testimony, you will need to attend in person at the State House, but you may upload your testimony if you cannot attend. 
9. If you wish to submit testimony on the bill, click the “Choose File” button to upload the testimony file from your computer. 
10. Once you have reviewed that the information that you have entered is accurate, click the “Submit” button at the bottom of the webpage. 

In the past, both democrats and republicans have come together and agreed RTW has no place in New Hampshire. We need that kind of solidary with workers once again. 

 For more information on this issue or how you can get more involved with Rapid Response, please contact District 4 Rapid Response Coordinator, Mark McDonald at mmcdonald@usw.org. 

Click here for a printable PDF of this Info Alert.

A majority of Americans would join a union right now if they could, and working people across all sectors of the economy are organizing like never before. As a matter of fact, recent polling data shows that seventy-one percent of Americans support unions, the highest level in nearly 60 years, with eighty-eight percent of young people showing support for unions. People are fed up with an economy forcing them to swim upstream, working two jobs or more, just to make a decent living. Unions are the best tool we have as a working class to change the status quo. That’s why they are coming after us by drafting Georgia Senate Bill 362.

Senate Bill 362:

• Rewards Union Busting – SB 362 prohibits any businesses that receive state subsidies from voluntarily recognizing a union if workers have demonstrated majority support in their workplace. This could force workers into an unnecessary election to once again prove support leaving the employer more opportunity to bust the union. It quite literally awards businesses for being anti-union.
• Violates Federal Labor Law – Voluntary recognition of a union is protected by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). These protections and prohibitions cannot be circumvented by state legislation and would subject the state (and its taxpayers) to years of costly litigation, all so the policy can be ultimately struck down by the courts.
• Discourages Economic Growth – SB 362 ties the hands of businesses that want to locate in Georgia in the future, driving some to other states that will not condition economic development support on how a business chooses to conduct their labor relations. The bill would impact all businesses receiving state funding, including those in USW represented sectors.

When workers are asking for basic rights and are supported by the employer, the state government stepping in to ban that recognition simultaneously harms workers AND takes away individual freedoms for business owners. Stay tuned to Rapid Response in the coming days to find out how you can help us push back on SB 362.

For additional information, please contact District 9 Rapid Response Coordinator, Shane Mitchell at smitchell@usw.org or 256-239-9981.

Click here for a printable PDF of this Info Alert.

HB160 is a bipartisan bill that would require a standardized workplace posting that includes basic information about veterans’ benefits and programs available to them. Our nation is home to nearly 16 million veterans of the Armed Forces. Many have come home and entered the civilian workforce in a variety of occupations and industries. We’re extra proud of those who are USW members.

Both our state and nation have shown through policymaking that we respect and honor the patriotic service of our Veterans, and their families, by ensuring the existence of programs to assist in education and training, job placement, health care, and more. These programs help to ease the transition back into civilian life and ensure that families and communities are supported after giving selflessly for our country.

Postings will include the following information on programs and benefits:

• The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Crisis Line;
• Contact and website information for the Executive Office of Veterans' Services and the Department of Veterans' Services;
• Information about substance abuse and mental health treatment resources;
• Educational, workforce and training resources;
• Resources for tax benefits information;
• Information about obtaining a veteran’s indicator on a state driver’s license or identification card;
• Information about eligibility for unemployment insurance benefits under state or federal law;
• Legal services

Requiring a standardized workplace posting would make it easier on our vets to get the information for available programs and benefits.

HB160 has passed the Virginia State House. USW members Vince Harris, Veterans of Steel Chair at Local 8888, and Luke McCann also of Local 8888, shared their stories by testifying in the Labor and Commerce Sub Committee Hearing, reinforcing how critical our voices are in these fights!

There is still more work to be done!

Stay tuned for future action to get HB160 passed in the Virginia State Senate.

 For additional questions about this issue or ways to get involved in Rapid Response, contact Chad Conley,
USW District 8 Rapid Response Coordinator, at (606) 465-6862 or cconley@usw.org

More than 800 union activists, including members of the USW, gathered in Montgomery, Ala., for the 2024 AFL-CIO Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Civil and Human Rights Conference on Jan. 12-14.

This year’s conference was titled “Our Voice, Our Ballot, Our Future” in honor of Dr. King’s vision for collective action to safeguard the pillars of our democracy.

Keynotes and panels focused on topics including organizing the South, advocating for LGBTQ+ workers, and fighting for democracy in state legislatures. Conference members also enjoyed remarks from Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su.

Herm Santana, who serves as chair of the Civil and Human Rights Committee at Local 12775 in Indiana, said that the most impactful event of the conference for him was touring the Legacy Museum, which is located on the site of a cotton warehouse where enslaved Black people were forced to labor in bondage. The museum tells the story of slavery in America and its legacy through interactive media, first-person narratives, world-class art, and other exhibits.

“I saw images there that I don't think I will ever forget,” said Santana. “I am a Puerto Rican man, and while my culture is known for being mixed and all encompassing, it was a vivid reminder of why civil and human rights affects us all.”

Maggie Gamboa, who serves as grievance chair for Local 7600 in Southern California, was also incredibly moved by her tour of the museum as well as by attending a workshop on the struggles of migrant workers.

As the child of immigrants, Gamboa is well aware of the many obstacles the community faces, and her time at the conference reinstated her commitment to solidarity.

“At the end of the day, our battles extend past your specific job, background, or history,” she said. “There are so many willing to break us and keep us separated, which is why it is so important to educate our youth on the past so it doesn’t get repeated.”

Click here to view videos from the MLK Conference.

As you know, ATI has annuitized the pensions of more than 4,000 USW retirees. ATI alerted the USW of this plan on Oct. 17, 2023, less than 24-hours before issuing a news release on the morning of Oct. 18, 2023.

Annuitizing, also known as “derisking” pensions, has become more common. The USW requested more information from ATI regarding the transfer to Athene.

Lawyers from our Legal Department and from an outside firm that has represented the union in numerous pension cases are conducting a complete review of the annuitization to make sure all retirees’ rights are protected.

While we are still waiting for ATI to provide additional information so that we can then meet and discuss this further, the company confirmed that all participants should be receiving monthly payments with no additional action required.

We do not want any retirees or surviving spouses to miss a payment of a pension benefit they earned.

To date we are unaware of anyone not receiving payments due to them because of the annuitization.

Please notify the District 10 Office immediately, regardless of the facility you retired from if your payment is not made or you receive an incorrect amount. The District 10 Office telephone number is (412) 824-8140.

This issue applies solely to ATI retirees and does not impact any current ATI employees.

USW District 4 Director Dave Wasiura this week appeared on the Leslie Marshall Show to discuss the positive impact unions and union members make on their communities as they help reduce economic inequality and advance worker-friendly policies that have widespread benefits.

“Unions give workers a voice in shaping their communities,” said Wasiura. “That includes increased civic engagement and more focused political power for working families. It's a win win-win all-around.”

Wasiura cited nurses at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, N.J., who were on an unfair labor practice strike for nearly five months last year. Their primary concerns centered not on wages, but on safer staffing ratios designed to protect both nurses and their patients.

“The labor dispute really came down to community, and how nurses could best continue providing top quality care for their patients over the long term,” Wasiura said.

“This wasn't about their personal interests or bettering themselves; it was, ‘I need more help on my job, so I can help people and save their lives.’”

Wasiura said the nurses fought to ensure they were safe at work and had the help they needed, so patients could be seen quickly and properly.

The USW is also using its deep community roots and relationships with federal agencies to help workers in Puerto Rico as they grapple with the recent privatization of their power grid.

“We are working together to rebuild the infrastructure for the power grid to make sure that every corner of the island is being touched by this renewal and sustainability of power, not just in the larger cities,” Wasiura said.

“We go to work every day for eight to 10 hours – sometimes longer,” said Wasiura. “We want those workplaces to be as safe and as healthy as possible.”

The full interview is available below.

Listen to "How Unions Help Communities" on Spreaker.

Tim O’Daniel and his fellow Local 1014L leaders understand the importance of engaging new members right as they come through the door of Akron General Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.

The past few years have made that difficult as their employer, like many in health care, moved their employee orientations to virtual meetings as opposed to in-person.

This year, however, the local will begin meeting with new hires face-to-face once again, and they’re hitting the ground running by creating 500 custom new member kits.

O’Daniel, who is the long-time president of Local 1014L, said engaging with new members is incredibly important, especially in health care, which is experiencing unprecedented challenges.

“Right now, the sector is struggling. I’ve never seen vacancies like this; people are leaving the sector in droves,” said O’Daniel. “People are burnt out, and workplace violence is a major problem.”

Because of this high turnover, O’Daniel wants to ensure the new members understand the value of a union and how people are working behind the scenes on a daily basis to fight for them. He believes this is vital for a union as big as theirs, which hovers around 835 members who work across dozens of departments.

“They have rights, but if you don’t know your rights you might assume you don’t have any,” said O’Daniel.

New members of Local 1014L will now each receive a folder including a variety of resources, including: a copy of their contract, Weingarten cards, a welcome brochure from the USW, a letter from O’Daniel, information on the dues structure, current officers list, and the local union meeting schedule.

O’Daniel said that if other union leaders are looking to create their own custom kits, they can find plenty of resources on the USW website. They can also reach out to Lisa Jordan in the USW Education Department to get copies of brochures and other handouts.

“You can always build upon them and tweak them,” he said.

For O’Daniel, getting members engaged and educated right at the beginning of their journey is all about growing the next generation of labor activists and ensuring the survival of the union.

“I’ve been here for more than 40 years, and I want to make sure the local is in the same condition or better than I found it in,” said O’Daniel. “Both me and our vice president want to make sure we leave it in good hands.”

Click here to download this Action Call as a PDF.

We’re just a few days into the new year, and anti-worker legislators and their corporate cronies in New Hampshire are wasting no time in picking their first fight. We have just learned that House Bill 1377-FN this year’s House version of so-called Right-to-Work (RTW), will have its public hearing on Wednesday, January 10th, at 3:00 PM. 

So-called RTW is deliberately designed to make it harder for unions to help workers negotiate with their employers for better pay and working conditions. It deprives unions of the resources they need to organize and provide basic services to the workers they represent. And it’s unnecessary. 

Here are the facts. So-called Right to Work: 

• Denies New Hampshire workers the freedom to join together to form strong unions if they choose to. 
• Suppresses wages, lowers workplace safety, and reduces the quality of public services our communities rely on. 
• Is sponsored by out-of-state corporate special interests who don’t care about New Hampshire’s workers. 

Backers of these laws claim they protect employees’ freedoms, but we know better. So-called RTW laws are nothing more than an attempt by corporate special interest groups to abolish unions altogether—they couldn’t care less about the freedom of New Hampshire’s workers. 

Come to Concord January 10th! 

We’ll be joining with our labor allies and attending the public meeting at 3:00 PM in Representatives Hall. 

New Hampshire State Capitol 
107 N Main St.
Concord, NH 03301 

Tell the House Labor Committee that so-called Right to Work is WRONG for New Hampshire. 

CLICK HERE to send a pre-written email to the Committee urging them to vote no. 

There is no urgent or responsible reason to enact a law that offers no proven benefits to people who live and work here, especially when passing so-called RTW would have predictable and harmful consequences for New Hampshire's economy and working families. In the past, both democrats and republicans have come together and agreed RTW has no place in New Hampshire. We need that kind of solidary with workers once again. 

For more information on this issue or how you can get more involved with Rapid Response, please contact District 4 Rapid Response Coordinator, Mark McDonald at mmcdonald@usw.org.