More than a dozen members from six UE locals gathered on Friday, March 22 for a subregional education event to exchange ideas and plan for next steps in member mobilization. For most of the participants, many of them newly-elected stewards or local officers, it was their first UE event outside of their own local.
The group explored “Beating Member Apathy” and “Finding New Leaders” with Director of Education Kari Thompson, drawing on a range of experiences in the room, from members with more than two decades in the labor movement to those still fighting for a first contract at a newly organized shop. Local leaders discovered a common challenge of keeping members engaged when there is a lot of turnover among the workforce. They shared best practices for having meaningful conversations to draw disengaged workers into the union.
Members left energized and thankful to have met others from around the state. Eastern Region President George Waksmunski and Field Organizer Abbie Curtis arranged the event.