Electrical Workers Complete Largest Solar Installation in Washington, D.C., Metro Area
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“As big as a football field”—the phrase that describes something really big takes on new meaning after members of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 26 helped FedEx Field “go green.” Union members equipped FedEx Field, home of the region’s NFL team, with the largest solar-power installation ever undertaken in the region. As highlighted in the Local 26 magazine, INCharge:
In less than three months, the crew of over 100 Local 26 workers installed over 8,000 solar panels at FedEx Field, connected by over 19 miles of new wiring. Beyond the solar panels above the parking lot and affixed to the side of the stadium, more solar power is captured by the solar sculpture of a football player—affectionately dubbed “solar man” by the Local 26 crew—that can be seen outside one of the stadium’s main entrances. The solar panels create enough energy to meet all of the stadium’s power needs on non-game days, and about 20 percent of the stadium’s power during a game, keeping 1,780 metric tons of carbon out of the atmosphere while keeping the lights shining bright on the Redskins. “This installation shows how, through innovation, creativity and expertise, we are working towards a more secure energy future,” said David Crane, CEO of NRG, which oversaw the design and installation of the solar project.
USW Members Aid in Tornado Recovery Efforts
Doug May, a communications intern at the United Steelworkers, sends us this.
Volunteers from United Steelworkers (USW) locals from the South and Midwest aided communities this spring after a burst of tornadoes killed more than 500 and left a swath of destruction.
A day after a tornado tore across Pleasant Grove, Ala., USW Local 2122 set up coolers outside the union hall and distributed water to patrolling state troopers, National Guardsmen and storm survivors.
“The next thing you know strangers began driving up and dropping off donations at our hall,” said Local 2122 President Bob Irwin.
Our hall became a full-fledged relief center.
America’s Future: Making the Contract for the American Dream a Reality
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Dave Johnson, a fellow at the Campaign for America’s Future, sends us this.
The Take Back the American Dream conference opened Tuesday with a discussion on the “Contract for the American Dream.” Deepak Bhargava of the Center for Community Change began by saying that there is a movement in America today and it’s not the tea party—it’s the American Dream Movement. People are working to build a huge movement that can meet this huge moment.
Our political system captured by powerful interests and angry voices. The American Dream movement is an effort to knit together the grassroots organizing that is already going on around the country and spark and inspire more. Reaching out to thousands of people through house parties and other events.
Justin Rubin of MoveOn described how the Contract for the American Dream was created by millions of Americans. First, dozens of organizations such as MoveOn and the Center for Community Change asked people what should be in a Contract for the American Dream.
Next Up: Young People Take Action to Address Economic Inequality
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| Rally in front of City Hall, Minneapolis | |
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Emmelle Israel, AFL-CIO Media Outreach fellow, is in Minneapolis for the Next Up Young Workers Summit and sends us this report.
Along with 800 young workers, students, and activists, I marched down the streets of downtown Minneapolis, calling for “Good Jobs Now!” during the 2011 AFL-CIO Next Up Young Workers Summit.
The march from the summit to the City Government Plaza Light Rail Station was nearly a mile long. Next Up attendees chanted and raised signs to make their demand of “Good Jobs Now!” known the whole way.
Several taxi drivers, postal delivery workers and bus drivers honked their horns in support as the group marched to the light rail station.
Once at the City Government Plaza Light Rail Station, Jessica Hayssen of the AFL-CIO Young Workers Advisory Committee and the Minnesota AFL-CIO MCed the rally. First up was Mike O’Brian a.k.a. OB, from Steelworkers (USW) Local 6500, who performed his original rap, “One Day Longer.” The song was about a strike his union went through and encourages those on the picket line, telling them that “One day longer” makes them “One day stronger.”
Next, Mike Stenberg, a Metro Transit Operator from ATU Local 1005 in Minneapolis, spoke about how the union job he has now improved the lives of him, his wife and their two young children. He said:
I worked jobs before that were non-union. I wasn’t able to support my family… But now with Metro Transit I’m able to supply my family with a better livelihood. My American dream can come true where before I couldn’t see that happening.
Community Services Welcomes New Liaison
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AFL-CIO Community Services Director Will Fischer sends us this report.
We are excited to introduce our new AFL-CIO Community Service Liaison for the Erie-Crawford Central Labor Council in Pennsylvania, Ron Oliver. A Steelworker for more than 20 years, Oliver has long been involved with United Steelworkers (USW) Local 3199, USW District 10, the central labor council and community services.
Oliver’s experience and passion for community service and the labor movement have always been admired by his peers and he has been involved with everything from strike assistance to Christmas parties for underprivileged children.
Oliver says:
As a community service committee member, I had the opportunity to work with and learn a great deal from former liaison, Brother Tony Ferritto. I look forward to continuing and building on the programs we have in place and expanding community services to new heights. Together there’s really nothing we can’t do. A lot of folks are in need and the labor movement is about helping people.
Ky. Working Families Not Resting on Big Lead in Gov.’s Race
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Union-endorsed Gov. Steve Beshear (D) is up two dozen points over state Senate President David Williams (R), his challenger in the gubernatorial race, which will be decided Nov. 8. Still, Bill Londrigan, Kentucky State AFL-CIO president and member of the Elevator Constructors (IUEC), warns that:
“Anything can happen between now and Election Day. We can expect a whole lot of money coming into the state to undermine our candidate. You can never rest until it’s over. If you do, you give the other side a chance to catch up. We are going to work as hard as we can to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
The latest Louisville Courier-Journal/WHAS11 Bluegrass Poll has Beshear, who also earned the state AFL-CIO endorsement in 2007, leading Williams by 24 points.
Four years ago, Beshear unseated Republican Gov. Ernie Fletcher. Jeff Wiggins, a United Steelworkers member (USW) and president of the Paducah-based Western Kentucky AFL-CIO Area Council, says, “Williams is another Fletcher.”
Steelworkers and Letter Carriers Members Honored with Scouting Award
AFL-CIO Community Services Director Will Fischer sends this news on George Meany Award recipients.
United Steelworkers (USW) member Donald Comer of Decatur, Ill., and Letter Carriers (NALC) member Rick Di Silvio of Clarksville, Tenn., were recently awarded the AFL-CIO George Meany Award which recognizes union members who contributed time in service to various Boy Scout programs.
Comer is an assistant scoutmaster with Boy Scout Troop 104 and has been a maintenance mechanic and 18-year employee of Mueller Co. in Decatur, where he is a member of USW Local 7-838 as a maintenance mechanic. He began his union tenure as a shop steward in September 1993. Comer has been a part of the Scouting program for more than 15 years. In the Cub Scouting program, Comer was a Den Leader and Webelos Leader.
Di Silvio is an assistant scoutmaster with Boy Scout Troop 525 and a seven-year employee of the United States Postal Service at Fort Campbell, Ky. As a postal employee and letter carrier, he’s a member of NALC Branch 5404 where he has served as a branch secretary-treasurer in 2006. Di Silvio has been a part of the Scouting program for more than 15 years, and has served as a leader for a number of young boys, including two of his sons who are Eagle Scouts and currently adult leaders in the troop.
Steelworkers Ratify Paper Industry Master Agreement
Members of the United Steelworkers (USW) employed at 13 paper mill sites in 10 states ratified a new four-year master economic agreement with Georgia-Pacific. The agreement establishes the terms for USW-represented Georgia-Pacific mills.
“Because Georgia-Pacific is such a prominent employer in the industry and our members made great strides in bargaining, this agreement represents another historic milestone in the paper sector,” says USW Vice President Jon Geenen, who heads the union’s paper sector collective bargaining program.
The new master agreement provides for wage improvements in each year, locks in key features in the health care plan and improves the pension and 401(k) plans.
USW Secretary-Treasurer Stan Johnson, who chaired the negotiations with Geenen, says:
We could not be more proud of the dedication, time and energy our locals committed to this effort to ensure a good outcome. The…margin by which the agreement was ratified tells us our members realize this agreement is another step forward. In this difficult economic environment that is a real accomplishment.
Bayer Workers Kick Off New Workers’ Council with Solidarity Day
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| USW Local President Franklin Troyer (center) led the Solidarity Day action in Mishawaka, Ind., with support from Melony Winkel, unit secretary at the plant, and Jeff Fizer, a worker who volunteered to assist with the action. |
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| Maintenance workers Joe La Maestra and Austin Colvard joined their ILWU Local 6 brothers and sisters in the Solidarity Day action at the Bayer Berkeley plant. |
Teresa Casertano in the AFL-CIO Organizing Department’s Global Campaigns section reports on upcoming contract negotiations at Bayer.
With a contract that expires on Aug. 24, more than 420 workers at the Berkeley facility of the giant Bayer pharmaceutical and health care conglomerate have been preparing for bargaining for several months with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 6. Union leaders have held trainings for rank-and-file leaders, collected suggestions for bargaining proposals and held house meetings to prepare members for action to back up the bargaining team.
ILWU Local 6 members also have reached out to other unions that represent Bayer workers in the United States. Since early June, United Steelworkers Local 12273, Machinists locals 656 and 598, Chemical Workers/UFCW locals 566C and 832C and ILWU Local 6 have formed a Bayer Workers Council. Now the unions are beginning to support each other around shared bargaining and representation issues.
The Bayer Workers Council has carried out several joint actions to deliver the message to Bayer that unionized Bayer workers around the country support them in their efforts to win a good contract. In June, with the help of the AFL-CIO, the council unions distributed leaflets at key pharmaceutical industry events where Bayer executives were making presentations.
Alcoa Plant Shows What Manufacturing Could Be
Just a few days after announcing his Advanced Manufacturing Partnership, President Obama today traveled to one of the companies that highlights what workers hope will be achieved by the program. The Alcoa Davenport Works Factory in Bettendorf, Iowa, is a state-of-the-art aluminum rolling mill that serves as the manufacturing hub for Alcoa’s $3 billion aerospace business.
The employees at the Davenport facility, who are represented by the United Steelworkers (USW), manufacture an aluminum-lithium alloy that makes Airbus and Boeing airplanes lighter and more corrosion-resistant at a lower cost. The new aluminum alloy was developed at Alcoa’s research and development center in Pennsylvania, manufactured in Iowa and sent to Kansas to be finished and exported all over the world.
