“I learned two important lessons when young. One was that the company would do nothing for the workers unless forced by collective action. The other was that labor unions were instruments of both economic and social justice.” July 22, 2019 Leo Gerard DAILY KOS I was raised in a company house in a company town where the […]
News from UWUA Local 304
SAVE THE PLEASANTS POWER PLANT AND JOBS NOW
From the office of West Virginia Governor Jim Justice: (click on link above to go to the Governor’s website) Included among the new bills is one which – if passed – would save the First Energy – Pleasants Power Station in Willow Island from closing. This plant has faced financial strain over the past several […]
When a Member Gets Hurt on the Job
The following is used with permission and UWUA Local 304’s grateful appreciation for our union Brothers and Sisters of the the UE (“UE” is the abbreviation for United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America, a democratic national union representing some 35,000 workers in a wide variety of manufacturing, public sector and private non-profit sector […]
Stay with the Union!
How many of you have the following: Car insurance? Homeowners insurance? Renters insurance? Life insurance? Health insurance? Dental insurance? Chances are that most of us have these, and maybe a few others. Truth is, we buy insurance coverage for the important things we value to protect us and our loved ones and investments JUST IN […]
June’s Monthly Meeting Update
This month’s meeting was informative as always. We covered the usual subjects and really took a step back to focus on safety. We talked thoroughly about the incident that put one of members in the hospital here recently. Also, we investigated things we could do outside of work to get together in fellowship and just […]
Contracting Out: Understanding The Impacts
*Daphne T. Greenwood, Ph. D. is professor of economics and director of the Colorado Center for Policy Studies at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. In addition to serving in the Colorado House of Representatives from 1990‐1994, she has been a visiting scholar at the U. S. Treasury Department and the Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin‐Madison, Honors Professor at the U. S. Naval Academy and a corporate economist with Esmark, Inc. Dr. Greenwood authored a recent award winning book on local economic development in the United States and has published widely in the public policy arena. She authored a study for the Colorado Center forPolicy Studies, adjunct to the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, entitled: “The Decision To Contract out: Undestanding The Full Economic and Social Impacts.” (click for full article) *Her Key Findings include: Outsourcing to private corporations undermines principles fundamental to our democratic system by creating conditions such as: Reduced accountability, transparency, and clarity about who’s in charge Frequent conflicts of interest and nepotism and fewer whistleblower protections Removing control of key public decisions from citizens and their elected officials Contracting can involve substantially lower wages and benefits for local workers […]
Utility Workers Getting Younger
With one of the oldest demographics in any industry, power generation and electrical transmission workers are finally turning the corner to bring in younger workers to become the next generation of power plant operators and transmission and distribution lines technicians. The Utility Workers Union of America established Power 4 America as an educational trust to […]
Working Without Prosperity
Anyone who works deserves to have some small amount of success, even if that success only consists of the feeling one gets from being a self-supporting and contributing member of society. West Virginians are in a special circumstance when it comes to work and prosperity. After decades of labor strife, a few coal miners did […]
Be Angry!
America’s electorate is as diverse and fragmented as almost any time in our nation’s history. There are groups divided by race, ethnicity, sexual preference, culture, education, differences in views on abortion, gun rights and responsibilities, and many other issues. Divide and conquer is nothing new, but never has it been so writ large across our […]
Why Veterans Make Lousy Job Candidates
It seems odd, with all the “support our troops” rhetoric, and with the reputation and the well deserved respect our military veterans have garnered, that it would be hard to believe that any veteran would have trouble transitioning into civilian jobs. Many of America’s most successful companies got where they are at with the talent […]
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