 YOUNION RIGHTS YOUNION RIGHTS. The name comes from YOU BECAUSE YOU ARE THE UNION. Younion Rights: The Wagner Act provided in Section 7 that private-sector employees "...shall have the right to self organization, to form, join or assist labor organizations, to bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing, and to engage in concerted activities, for the purpose of collective bargaining or other mutual aid or protection." U.S. SECRETARY OF LABOR ALEXIS HERMAN SAYS, "unions can be the most powerful force for positive change in poor and working class communities, helping people earn decent wages and gain self-respect."
NOW, information at your fingertips on the Internet. News & Views, Union History, Organizing, Links to many other interesting sites on the Internet, Safety and Health, Bulletins, Notices, Electric & Gas Deregulation, ALL YOURS with the click of a mouse. No access? If you or your local does not have Internet access, copies of any old publications and articles are available at your request. Simply send a request to the Council. Copies will be sent to the Local Union President who can copy them for you and retain a copy for the locals files and other requests.
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SUPERVISORS CANNOT DO Supervisors cannot attend any union meetings, park across the street from the union hall to see which employees enter the hall, or engage in any undercover activity which would indicate that the employees are being kept under surveillance to determine who is and who is not participating in the union program.
UNION MEMBERS NEED TO BE AWARE OF THEIR RIGHTS AND REAFFIRM WHY IT IS BENEFICIAL FOR THEM TO BE A PART OF OUR UNION.
Under Section 8 of the National Labor Relations Act, your employer cannot legally punish or discriminate against any worker because of union activity. For example, your employer cannot legally do the following: * Threaten to or actually fire, layoff, discipline, harass, transfer, or reassign employees because they support the union.
The Utility Workers Union of America have established a presence to help the non-exempt employees to organize when they make a commitment to do so. The Utility Workers have now laid the ground work to help the non-exempt workers form and build a Union. It is now up to the non-exempt employees to make it work by forming in-house committees and talking to their coworkers. The Utility Workers will continue to communicate rights to foster and help those who want to help themselves to have a meaningful voice in the work place. Once a significant interest surfaces by those who want to exercise their rights and collective bargaining strength, the Union will assist in the completion of the process.
OUR MEMBERS SHOULD TELL NON-EXEMPT EMPLOYEES WHO THEY KNOW THAT THEY SHOULD TAKE AN INTEREST THEIR FUTURE FOR GOOD JOBS FOR THEMSELVES, THEIR CHILDREN AND FOR OUR COMMUNITIES .
It is time for non-represented employees to stand up and insist upon their rights to choose who will represent their interests and not rely on those who aid and abet management to promote themselves and their selfish interests. It takes YOU, to take that step and become US. It is only then, that you will have a voice and the self respect to demand a work environment free from harassment and discrimination. Partnership and power to gain self-respect and a voice in your future at a time when it is most needed through deregulation.
CALL AND LEAVE A MESSAGE FOR FRANCISCO VELASQUEZ AND/OR BRENDAN BARROWS AT UWUA HEADQUARTERS AT (517) 484-8053
CLOTHING UPDATE: The Council met with the Company representatives of the Committee on December 8 and we are getting closer to a resolution and recommendation. Hopefully, this will be finalized the first part of January.
On November 11 an agreement was signed, completing the Gas T&S job reevaluation project. The union committee was chaired by State Council Vice President John Ostrander and consisted of members of the five Locals that have T&S employees. The five committee members were Mike Grimm (Local 105), Mike Kielbasa (Local 254), Carl Bell (Local 347), Dan Thomasson (Local 123) and John Moyer (Local 150). Our thanks to those serving on the Committee and to V. P. John Ostrander for a job well done. THE MSUWC EXECUTIVE BOARD
Utility Workers Concerns In light of the recent Commission orders and concerns of future Commission orders, The Utility Workers ask that the Michigan Public Service Commission Plan for restructuring of the electric utility industry: * Include reciprocity between the states to provide fair competition and balance load necessary to insure the safety and integrity of the transmission system * Include Michigan community protection from unfair job competition which will erode good paying jobs which contribute to, and support our communities with prevailing wage protections to insure quality work, skills and safety and reliability. * Require suppliers and distributors and/or aggregators to file inspection, maintenance, restoration and repair plans with outage reports and penalties for non-compliance to include penalties and loss of certification to insure safe and reliable delivery of energy. * Prevent out of state suppliers from subsidizing their energy supply in Michigan with assets which utilities within the state of Michigan are not allowed to subsidize their energy supply with. * Not allow discriminatory pricing between residential and industrial customers. * Not allow any requirement for divestiture of generating plants but allow for orderly functional separation of distribution, transmission and generation * Not allow suppliers to certify or be licensed to supply energy to Michigan if their generating plants do not meet or exceed the emission levels of Michigan power plants. * Establish a code of conduct for load aggregators and suppliers and establish penalties to include loss of certification for abuses. * Establish a standard format for energy service offerings to facilitate easy understandable comparisons by consumers so that they can exercise choice without having to understand complex marketing schemes and strategies. * Not allow unauthorized switching of energy suppliers, and provide third party verification before energy suppliers or aggregators can switch a customers energy supply and/or aggregator. * Retain jurisdiction over how high utility rates can go in Michigan. * Provide oversight and community involvement in any decisions of utilities or suppliers to merge acquire and/or shut down plants and require successor agreements to operate and maintain facilities and/or require utilities, assigns or successors to retain or offer employees jobs with comparable wages and benefits. * Provide for worker retention, severance, early retirement benefits and retraining, placement, and extended unemployment benefits for the complete retraining and placement period and provide such placement in jobs with comparable wages and benefits, including moving costs, etc. * Comply with the dissenting opinion of Commissioner Shea and make any fundamental changes in the electric utility industry reversible if a cost/benefit analysis determines that those changes are detrimental to the industry, the State of Michigan and its consumers. 1999 MARSHALL M. HICKS SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM Please note that the Michigan State Utility Workers Council is now accepting applications from all eligible members and retirees for the 1999 Marshall M. Hicks Scholarship Program. This year's program is for students who will be graduating in the spring of 1999 and beginning courses at an accredited college that fall. This notice was previously sent out in the Newsletter dated September 22, 1997. Please remind your members that a student who did not take the 1997 PSAT/NMSQT but who meets the requirements for participation in the 1999 Merit Program, may still be able to enter the competition. The student must write directly to NMSC no later than January 1, 1998, to request information about possible alternate testing arrangements. If the student's letter is postmarked by this date, the request will be considered. Write to Department of Educational Services & Selection, National Merit Scholarship Corporation, 1560 Sherman Avenue, Suite 200, Evanston, Illinois 60201-4897; telephone (847) 866-5100. The student also must file an entry form directly with the Council by March 1, 1998. The entry form for the 1999 competition may be obtained from your respected Local President or from James E. Davison, Secretary-Treasurer, Michigan State Utility Workers Council, AFL-CIO, 110 W Lenawee Street, Lansing, MI 48933. Thank you for visiting our Web Site Address: E-Mail Address: |
