USW@Work: Volume 14, Issue 4

Local 132 members at Spring City Electrical Manufacturing produce ornate cast iron lamp posts for big cities, small towns, college campuses and theme parks.

After a decade of no wage increases, a coalition of nearly 2,000 union workers led by the USW struck copper producer ASARCO, a Grupo Mexico subsidiary, in mid-October over unfair labor practices.

Members voted by a wide margin in August to ratify a new three-year contract with BFGoodrich that covers about 2,5 00 workers at facilities in Tuscaloosa, Ala., and Fort Wayne, Ind.

USW members at Alcoa overwhelmingly ratified a four-year master agreement that improves wages and maintains quality health care coverage for about 1,600 production and maintenance workers at five U.S. facilities.

This summer brought sweeping changes to the USW International Executive Board when the retirement of International President Leo W. Gerard and other officers opened doors to the largest group of women to have ever held leadership positons in the union.