BUILDING WORKER POWER ACROSS THE COUNTRY
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
As we head into the summer, it’s clear that DC 35 is making significant strides forward. With the rising temperatures, so too are our opportunities to strengthen worker power. We’re not just securing more work hours; we’re also witnessing victories for the labor movement locally and nationally.
DC 35 has been hard at work fighting for our members. In New Hampshire, our members and staff and countless other union members advocated against so-called “right-to-work” laws. Our collective efforts allowed us to stop these laws in their tracks, preventing serious damage to unions in New Hampshire. In Holyoke and Springfield, we signed Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) for upcoming projects, and we’re gearing up to fight for PLAs on projects in Dorchester Bay City and at UMass Lowell.
One of the crucial tools in our toolbox for securing fair wages, safe working conditions, and job security is Project Labor Agreements (PLAs). These agreements are the backbone of our efforts, setting project standards and ensuring workers are protected and fairly compensated. PLAs strengthen pay and safety measures but also foster local hiring, reinvesting in our communities and ensuring that development benefits everyone, not just a select few.
Significant new PLA projects are in the pipeline that will benefit our members and workers throughout the construction industry. Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, $372 million in funding will go towards replacing the Sagamore and Bourne Bridges, creating 10,000 union construction jobs. Project Labor Agreement discussions are also underway for the $33 million Salem Offshore Wind Port project and Global Foundries’s new facility in Vermont. These projects being under a PLA would mean better wages, working conditions, and job security for hardworking people in our union and our communities.
Worker power continues to gain national momentum as well. Volkswagen workers in Tennessee voted to join United Automobile Workers (UAW), with 2,628 votes in favor and only 985 opposed. They are the first nonunion auto plant in a Southern state to go union. UAW previously tried to unionize this plant twice in the past ten years. Their hard-won success shows the power of persistence in fighting for workers’ rights. This win could usher a new era for workers in the region, bringing collective bargaining and a potential for better wages, benefits, job security, and working conditions. In Ohio, Amazon workers are fighting back against Amazon’s union-busting practices, and nurses at the Cincinnati VA are calling out management for staff assignment practices that the nurses feel put veterans at risk of unsafe care.
Back in New England, Smith College library staffers voted unanimously to join the Office & Professional Employees International Union, joining the increasing number of workers unionizing. 37 workers from Lawrence, MA received almost $200,000 in back wages after the Department of Labor found the subcontractor falsified certified payroll, did not let workers accrue sick time, and did not pay proper overtime to skirt prevailing wage rules and avoid giving workers fringe benefits. This is a huge victory for workers and a reminder that when you have people in office who are pro-labor, bad business practices that hurt working people will not prevail.
The fight for labor in every industry, in every state and country, is a fight for labor everywhere. We are part of a greater movement working to protect everyday people. As Business Manager/ Secretary-Treasurer, I’m proud to serve all of you and stand with you in this fight. United, we will continue to advocate for worker rights on the job, in the legislature, and at the polls.
As Business Representative and now Business Manager/ Secretary-Treasurer, I have had the privilege of working side by side with great labor leaders. Over the last 15 months Jeff Sullivan, Chuck Fogell, Tony Hernandez, Michael Moreschi, and James Sullivan have all retired moving on to their next chapter in life and we thank them all for their commitment to our brothers and sisters. Business Representatives Michael Lafferty, Joe Itri, and Bill Legrand have also made the decision to retire I would like to thank Michael, Joe, and Bill for their support, leadership, and un-waivered dedication to the membership of DC 35. I am confident that we will continue this leadership as our new leaders in these roles move DC 35 forward with member servicing, organizing, training, and legislative affairs strengthening the District Council and Labor Movement at all fronts.
