USW@Work: Volume 18, Issue 2

Built near the Delaware River in 1937 as a gunpowder factory, the facility now turns out a variety of surfactants, which are essential ingredients in a wide range of consumer health and hygiene products, including makeup, shampoo, laundry and dish detergent, baby care products and other daily necessities.

USW members voted overwhelmingly this spring to ratify two new master agreements, with International Paper and Essity, that cover more than 7,500 workers at 23 facilities.

Both agreements raise wages by at least 3 percent in each year of the contract and include numerous other financial and language improvements.

USW leaders celebrated Women’s History Month in March by reaffirming their commitment to fighting to improve the health and safety of all women.

Long before the union made that pledge, however, members had already begun stepping up their efforts to fight for protections for women— at the bargaining table, in the halls of government, and beyond.

“As a union, we will continue the fight for true gender equity and affirm our commitment not simply to equal pay for equal work but also for comprehensive health and safety for all workers,” International President Tom Conway said marking International Women’s Day on March 8.