Labor Unions from Around the World Share Common Concerns

(Langhorne, Pa.) – Union leaders representing thousands of American workers employed at Dow Chemical and Dow Corning Corporation recently met in Pennsylvania to discuss issues common across their worksites. 

The unions spent three days sharing collective bargaining data, identifying mutual obstacles and brainstorming potential solutions.

Delegates discussed a number of issues such as the health effects of rotating shift work, pensions, the future of health care and the potential effect of the Affordable Care Act, organizing and the need for proactive communications between the corporation and the respective unions.

Representatives from the United Steelworkers; the International Union of Operating Engineers; Texas City Metal Trades; the International Chemical Workers Union Council/United Commercial Food Workers; the Dow Chemical European Employee Forum; the Dow Chemical-Stade Works Council (Germany); UNITE the Union (Great Britain) and the Union of Workers and Employees Petrochemicals States (Argentina) participated in this year’s event.

The meeting also served to strengthen international connections and increase mutual respect and understanding across Dow’s unionized worksites.

The USW represents 850,000 members in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. It is the largest private sector union in North America, representing workers in a wide range of industries including metals, mining, rubber, paper and forestry, oil refining, plus office, technical and service workers in health care, security, hotels and municipal governments and agencies. For more, go to www.usw.org