Your Union contract will expire, soon – and that means we will be renegotiating your Union contract this year! We are looking for volunteers to be part of the bargaining team. We need your voice!
Bargaining will be done virtually, on Zoom. The Employer will approve paid release time for bargaining team members. If you are interested in participating, please reach out to abbie@wpea.org. There are opportunities for members to be involved in bargaining without being at the table, too! If you have an interest in working with your Union to advocate for you and your colleagues during contract negotiations, even if you don’t want to be on the bargaining team, please reach out! We prioritize making sure that participating in contract bargaining is accessible for all members. We will work with members to make sure that if they want to participate, they can. Not sure what bargaining is? Check out our FAQ page January 24, 2024 – In the state renowned for its lush greenery and frequent rainfall, the irony of outdoor workers lacking proper rain gear is a tale that spans over two years. The journey began with a visit to the Cedar Creek Correctional Facility, where forest crew supervisors provided a tour. While exploring the grounds, a coatrack filled with well-worn and near-expiration rain gear caught the attention of Department of Natural Resources representative Julia Thurman-Lascurain. Shockingly, the forest crew supervisors disclosed that they purchased their own rain gear because the agency failed to supply it. Recognizing the absurdity of the situation, efforts were initiated to address this overlooked need.
Assurances were made that the issue would be resolved in a matter of weeks. However, the anticipated solution did not occur, leading to a persistent advocacy campaign. Between the initial conversation in January 2022 and May 2023, the rain gear issue became a recurring topic in every meeting with DNR management. Despite the constant reminders, progress remained elusive until June 14th when a breakthrough occurred during a union meeting where agency finally approved the provision of rain gear for outdoor workers. Despite the approval, the implementation before the rainy season, promised on June 14th, did not materialize by October 2nd. Members were still without rain gear during the actual rainy season. The agency's response was the formation of a committee to discuss rain gear options and create a menu for members to choose from. The specifics, including vendor selection and delivery logistics, were yet to be worked out. Fast forward to January 24, 2024, thanks to ongoing collaboration with Shop Stewards from Washington Public Employees Association (WPEA), and input from staff throughout the agency, DNR has committed to providing rain gear to employees as part of their Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) program. Eligible employees can select one top (jacket) and one set of bottoms (pants or bibs) from the DNR Supply Catalog, with supervisor approval required. Through the commitment to safety and teamwork by WPEA DNR Shop Stewards, outdoor workers in the rainiest state can now look forward to being equipped with proper rain gear. WPEA celebrates a significant step toward ensuring the well-being of those who tirelessly contribute to the state's natural resources. Union membership in Washington state slipped in 2023, but the state remains the third most unionized in the country, according to the annual estimates released today by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Meanwhile, union members earned 15.9% more than their nonunion counterparts on average last year.
According to the latest BLS report, Washington had 576,000 union members in 2023, representing 16.5 percent of the state’s workforce. Only New York and Hawaii had a higher percentage of union members in their workforces than Washington. For 2022, the BLS estimated Washington had 615,000 union members and 18 percent union density. Nationally, union membership increased by 139,000 to more than 14.4 million workers, but union density edged lower from 10.1 to 10.0 percent, as job gains slightly outpaced union organizing gains. April Sims, President of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, said the latest BLS numbers demonstrate the need for labor law reform that restores the freedom to form unions: “Today in Washington state and across the country, union organizing, worker activism, and public support of unions are all higher than they’ve been in our lifetimes. The fact that these latest numbers don’t reflect that enthusiasm should be a concern for all Americans. More than two-thirds of us support unions, including nearly 90% of young Americans. Why is it that two-thirds of us say we would join a union right now if we could — but we can’t? “The answer is that there are too many obstacles to joining together in unions. Corporate union-busters spend billions to deny workers their rights. Anti-worker politicians and Supreme Court justices continue to create roadblocks. They do this because the rich and powerful know that unions work. They raise workers’ wages, improve benefits and working conditions, and they give us a strong collective voice so we can stand up to powerful interests. “Life is truly better in a union. That’s why we need to demand — in the streets with our voices and at the ballot box with our votes – that our freedom to join together in unions is restored.” According to a 2023 Gallup poll, labor unions continue to enjoy high support in the U.S., with 67% of Americans approving of them, similar to the elevated level seen in recent years after more than a decade of rising support. Meanwhile, studies show that 70 percent of hourly workers say they would join a union if given the opportunity. A report released in October 2023 by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) found that, after an astounding 53 percent increase in union election petitions in FY 2022, the number of petitions for union elections continued to increase in FY 2023. Union membership once again meant higher wages in 2023. Median weekly earnings for union members was $1,263 last year, according to the BLS report, compared to $1,090 per week for non-union workers. In other words, union members earned 15.9 percent higher wages. That’s the Union Difference. ► Today from the AFL-CIO — Union membership grew by 139,000 in 2023, thanks to worker wins — The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released its annual report on union density today and it shows that union membership grew by 139,000 in 2023, although union density remained flat. AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler said: “The labor movement is more focused and committed than ever on ensuring that every worker who wants a union has a fair shot at joining one. Organizing is happening at a rate not seen in generations, and new federal investments by the Biden administration in emerging sectors of the economy creates more opportunity for workers to attain good union jobs. The AFL-CIO’s Center for Transformational Organizing has become a hub for multiunion organizing strategy and investment in the clean energy and technology sectors as new jobs emerge over the next several years catalyzed by these federal funds. Working people are on the rise, and the progress we’re seeing now is just the beginning.” Original Article: https://www.thestand.org/2024/01/union-membership-slips-in-wa-but-state-remains-3/?link_id=1&can_id=c0d2771788ffc20e5ab8804c795f013b&source=email-union-difference-159-iam-boeing-talks-delayed-seattle-freeze&email_referrer=email_2180193&email_subject=union-difference-159-iam-boeing-talks-delayed-seattle-freeze The results of WPEA elections are in. Congratulations, and thank you to everyone who ran, nominated, and voted in this election. President Joey Hicklin, 22.6% Amanda Hacker, 71.2% Alex Feliciano, 6.2% Recorder Carl Sofie, 55.5% Justin Lewis, 44.5% Here is your new WPEA Executive Board, taking office January 1, 2024:
President Amanda Hacker Secretary-Treasurer Frederick Pieters Recorder Carl Sofie District 1 VP Dave Gellis District 2 VP Vacant District 3 VP Tim Shimp District 4 VP Vacant District 5 VP Vacant District 6 VP Vacant District 7 VP Vacant District 8 VP Vacant District 9 VP Debi Schoonover District 10 VP Candace Alvarez ILWU 22 members picket for fair contract at Port of Tacoma The following is from the Pierce County Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO:
PORT OF TACOMA (Oct. 18, 2023) — Hard-working members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 22 held an informational picket outside the Port of Tacoma offices on Tuesday morning, immediately prior to the regularly scheduled commissioner meeting. More than 40 members lined the entrance with signs demanding a fair contract and a cost-of-living adjustment that keeps up with inflation. One young supporter carried a sign that said, “diapers are expensive pay my dad COLA.” Trucks and other cars passing by honked their horns in approval of the action. “We are part of the union team that kept this port going through COVID,” said Local 22 President Mike Kisak, “while management continues to do remote work, we do what we’ve done every day — we show up and keep the port moving. We are dedicated to our work and we deserve a contract that keeps up with the cost of living.” When the commissioners heard of the informational picket, they cancelled their regular meeting and urged both sides to meet and work out a solution. “In more than 50 years of my work, I have never crossed a picket line, and I was not going to do so today,” said retired ILWU member and current Port of Tacoma Commissioner Dick Marzano. Bargaining sessions resume today (Wednesday, Oct. 18). Short URL: https://www.thestand.org/?p=120542 Scholarship Opportunity! Since 1991, the Union Plus Scholarship Program has awarded more than $5.4 million to students of union families. Over 3,800 union families have benefited from our commitment to higher education.
https://www.unionplus.org/.../edu.../union-plus-scholarships Application deadline: 12:00 PM (Noon, Eastern Standard Time), Wednesday January 31, 2024. Award amounts: $500 to $4,000. These one-time cash awards are for study beginning in the Fall of 2024. Students may re-apply each year. Award date: May 31, 2024. During the first week of June 2024 award recipients will be notified by postal mail, and all applicants will be sent email notification. After a year of bargaining, Coalition of City Unions demands fair contractThe following is from the Coalition of City Unions:
SEATTLE (Sept. 20, 2023) — More than 1,000 city workers, community members, and political leaders rallied Tuesday on the steps of Seattle City Hall and then marched along 4th Ave. to Westlake Park to mark one year of difficult and contentious contract negotiations with the City of Seattle. At the Rally for #RSPCT — organized by the Coalition of City Unions (CCU), a group of 16 unions representing nearly 6,000 city workers — attendees stood in solidarity to demand an equitable contract with provisions to ensure safe workplaces, and wages that keep up with the cost of living. Relative to inflation, the cost of living adjustment (COLA) for City of Seattle employees has not kept pace, lagging 5.7 percent between 2015 and 2023 — a relative pay cut. Meanwhile, private sector wage growth in the city has nearly matched inflation. The median income for city workers in the CCU is currently $75,000, with half — often women and workers of color — earning far below that rate. “To keep up with the cost of living, inflation, and the lack of COLA, I have had to work a second job on the weekends along with my full-time job here at the City,” said Dominique Ingram, who works as an Administrative Specialist at Seattle Municipal Court. “So I’ve worked seven days a week since the pandemic, and the only days off that I’ve had are government holidays.” City employees have also moved out of the city because they cannot afford to live in Seattle. According to membership data collected by one union in the Coalition, from the period of 2019 to 2023, 8.7 percent of members who work for the City of Seattle moved outside of the city limits, bringing the total percentage to just 42.9 percent who live in the city they serve. “As an engineer, my salary and my co-workers’ salaries have fallen so far behind that we cannot fill vacancies because people can get better jobs in the private sector or in better paying municipalities,” said Rachael Brooks, an Engineer at Seattle City Light. “I also recently moved to Snohomish County to help my parents, and made the decision to stay because I just can’t afford to spend the majority of my salary on rent in the city I love.” In August, union negotiators walked out of a contract bargaining session after City negotiators continually refused to budge from their offer of a one percent COLA, first proposed back in March 2023. In the following session, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell made an unusual appearance and promised to do better, but the Unions and City still remain far apart. The contract expired on Dec. 31, 2022. “Labor needs to be a priority for the City of Seattle,” said Monte Anderson, President of the Seattle Building Trades. “Union workers are the foundation of this City, and it’s time the City recognizes this fact and compensates accordingly.” The historical rally is part of the CCU’s campaign for #RSPCT: Racial Equity, Safety, Pay/Affordability, Climate Justice, and Time/Work-Life Balance. Lining the steps and street outside Seattle City Hall, attendees chanted and cheered for a fair contract now, and listened to community and political leaders lend their support to the cause. “We Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders in the labor movement stand with City of Seattle workers who are standing up to ensure that their families can survive and thrive,” said Ligaya Domingo, President of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA). “We stand in solidarity to ensure that City of Seattle workers get a contract that works for all workers, whether we are Black, Brown, Asian, or white and no matter what job workers do. All jobs are critical and we must ensure that we are able to retain all workers in their jobs.” Teresa Mosqueda, Seattle City Councilmember and candidate for King County Council, also spoke at the rally: “I am proud to stand with city workers in their fight for a fair contract. They are not only fighting for wages and improved working conditions, they’re fighting to ensure the city continues to address our housing crisis, our affordability crisis, our climate crisis. Inflation remains at record highs and middle class families are struggling to make ends meet. They’re fighting to ensure that Seattle works for working people.” Other speakers at the rally included Cherika Carter, Secretary-Treasurer of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, Katie Garrow, Executive Secretary of MLK Labor, and several union executive directors, city workers, and members of the negotiating team. Short URL: https://www.thestand.org/?p=119878 Auto workers strike for a fair share of record profitsDETROIT, Michigan (Sept. 15, 2023) -- The Stand Up Strike is on.
UAW auto workers walked out on strike in the early hours of September 15 as their contract expired. Workers are standing up strike lines at three locations, deploying a creative strike strategy to keep the companies guessing and build leverage at the bargaining table. The following is from the United Auto Workers, released at midnight. UAW family and allies -- A few minutes ago, thousands of UAW members at Ford, GM, and Stellantis walked out, marking the beginning of the Stand Up Strike. UAW members at GM Wentzville Assembly, Local 2250 in Region 4 are ON STRIKE. UAW members at Stellantis Toledo Assembly Complex, Local 12 in Region 2B are ON STRIKE. UAW members at Ford Michigan Assembly Plant – Final Assembly and Paint, Local 900 in Region 1A are ON STRIKE. This fight is our generation’s defining moment. Not just at the Big Three, but across the entire working class. We will stand up for ourselves. We will stand up for our families. We will stand up for our communities. Follow @UAW on Twitter for updates. National Hispanic Heritage Month starts next week and the AFL-CIO is accepting submissions for their series of profiles of union members.
Please submit your members as soon as possible. AFL-CIO Communications will prioritize by submission date for the first profile submitted. Extra submissions may or may not be used, time and space permitting. SUBMIT YOUR MEMBER HERE Please submit a headshot of the member you nominate and provide them with 2-3 sentences about their accomplishments and why they should be featured this month. If you have any questions, please send them to Kenneth Quinnell at kquinnell@aflcio.org. |
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