Erin Frimpong is a Local 1177 chief steward and a participant in the UE Women’s Leadership Program. As part of that program, she attended a Unity Council training held by UE Locals 506 and 618 in Erie, Pennsylvania.
On May 30, 2024 I had the pleasure and opportunity to join UE Locals 506 and 618 in their Unity Council training. The experience and information that I received was vast but also informational on many levels.
The Unity Council started with two members in hopes of resolving conflict on the shop floor without management involvement as much as possible. When there is conflict between members then the Steward will contact the president of the local who then contacts the Unity Council to step in and do what they do best. This could be from a disagreement on how the other is using their time wisely all the way to harassment and personal issues outside of work.
Frimpong (right) talking with Local 506 Business Agent John Miles.
The union’s main goal is always to protect its members and the Unity Council does just that. The Council allowed us to participate in roleplay and open discussions on many issues that could arise and how to handle them.
Janet Gray from Local 618 [another participant in the Women’s Leadership Program -ed.] was one of the first women to join the Unity Council and paved the way for many more women to get active. In our session we were able to observe around a dozen women in the training. As a member of the Women’s Leadership Program this brings hope and inspiration to all that women are stepping up to be a part of many aspects of the UE now and in the future. We need more members, including our sisters, to join the fight and show everyone who we are: “UE.”
I will definitely be taking everything that I learned back to my Local 1177 and share with everyone that I can. This is definitely a program that all locals need to utilize if not have in the near future.