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UE News Updates

Chasen Workers Force Boss to Pay Severance After Surprise Plant Shutdown

Four hours after beginning the process for negotiating a new union contract with their employer, members of UE Local 155 at Chasen Fiber Technologies were notified that their parent company, Integreon Global, intended to shut down their plant on November 1.

A New Jersey law requires that companies pay severance when they shut down a plant, but the Chasen facility’s small size exempts it from the law. Integreon attempted to take advantage of that loophole to avoid providing any severance to its workers.

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UE Political Action Updates

Bernie Sanders Announces Senate Vote Next Week to Block Arms Sales to Israel

Next week, Senator Bernie Sanders plans to file resolutions to block over $20 billion in offensive U.S. weaponry sales to Israel. “There is no longer any doubt that Netanyahu’s extremist government is in clear violation of U.S. and international law as it wages a barbaric war against the Palestinian people in Gaza,” said Sanders in announcing his efforts to block the arms sales. “Out of a population of 2.2 million, over 43,000 Palestinians have been killed and 102,000 injured – sixty percent of whom are women, children, or elderly people.

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UE News Features

“Uphold UE Policies; Fight Company Unionism”: The 1949 UE Convention

Seventy-five years ago today, what was perhaps the most dramatic national convention in UE history opened in Cleveland.

In the months leading up to the convention, the corporate and government forces that sought to wipe out UE’s brand of militant, rank-and-file unionism were gathering steam. The UAW and the Steelworkers had been taking advantage of the anti-union Taft-Hartley Act, passed in 1947, to raid UE shops. And within the union, a faction that wanted to abandon UE’s principles of aggressive struggle, rank-and-file control, political independence, international solidarity, and uniting all workers were preparing to try to wrest control of the union at the upcoming convention by accusing the union of being “communist-dominated.”

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Information for Workers

More than 80 years of experience. Information for stewards, officers, and workers who want to know more about their rights, workplace issues and our union. Click here to subscribe to the UE Steward, our monthly publication for stewards. Click here to view more resources.

Dealing with the Media

There are lots of reasons why unions should talk to the press. Often we need the support of the community in taking on a battle with the employer. Getting the word out to large numbers of people can usually only be accomplished by getting coverage in the media. (Though the union should never ignore the value of passing out leaflets informing the public of what is happening, especially if their workplace is regularly visited by the public, like a grocery store or a university.) Good stories in the press and on the internet can also lead to contacts for organizing new workplaces.

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Changes to the Legal Landscape

UE members know that US labor law is stacked against workers–boss law, as some people call it. The best way to win what workers need is to organize together and put pressure on the boss. But it can still be good to know where we can use the law to our advantage. Stewards should understand how workplace rights have changed so they can talk with members about it if it comes up.

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Stress in the Workplace

How often have we heard coworkers complain that coming to work makes them sick? How many times has a steward had to intervene on behalf of a worker who blew up at a boss or walked off the job? How often do people continue to work at full speed, despite suffering from pain or injuries because they are afraid of losing their job? These are symptoms of workplace stress.

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Books and Publications

Labor's Untold Story

The adventure story of the battles, betrayals and victories of American working men and women. An extensively researched, yet highly readable, history of the U.S. labor movement from the Civil War through the Eisenhower Administration.

Published in 2020, “Them and Us Unionism” draws on UE history to identify five core principles of UE’s approach: aggressive struggle, rank and file control, political independence, international solidarity, and uniting all workers. Available as a 24-page booklet, PDF or on the web

International Solidarity in Action: The relationship between the United Electrical Workers (UE) and Frente Auténtico del Trabajo

This 2022 e-book by retired UE Director of International Affairs Robin Alexander tells the story of the partnership between the UE and the Mexican Frente Auténtico del Trabajo (FAT), a story that is a testimony to the power of rank-and-file solidarity.

More books and publications available at the UE Online Store »