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UE District 2 Reaffirms Commitment to Preserve UE, International Solidarity

West Lebanon, NH

Assessing the recent UE convention and looking at the work that lies ahead, delegates to the UE District 2 Council Meeting in West Lebanon on October 17-18 reaffirmed the importance of preserving UE as a militant, democratic, rank-and-file union. In discussions and shop reports, delegates repeatedly stressed that no other union is as accountable to its members, as aggressive in challenging the bosses, or as forward-looking in political action and international solidarity, as UE. The UE members also held elections, heard from two speakers on international issues, and heard a report about a new organizing initiative in Vermont.

UE District 2 Executive Board Delegates re-elected President Peter Knowlton, Vice-President Ray Pompano (Local 243) and Secretary-Treasurer Jonathan Kissam (Local 221) as District Officers, and elected Shirley Audette (Local 267), Jason Dominic (Local 204), Wayne Ericson (Local 262), Jerry LaValley (Local 274), Wayne Morrison (Local 243), Carl Olsen (Local 248), Bob South (Local 234), and Joyce Sumner (Local 332) to the District Executive Board. Sylvia Davis (Local 243), Reg Haselton (Local 234), and Shirley Nutting (Local 234) were elected as District Trustees.

Russ Davis of Massachusetts Jobs with Justice gave a presentation on the Free Trade Area of the Americas, an expansion of NAFTA to 34 countries in the hemisphere, which is being negotiated in Miami in November. He noted that when manufacturing jobs were destroyed by "free trade," workers were told to retrain for all the high-paying white-collar jobs that the "new economy" was supposed to create; now white-collar jobs are being moved overseas as well. Deborah Messing (Local 255), reported that her local had sponsored a presentation on the FTAA for their members the night before, and are planning to host an anti-FTAA speaking tour in November. Delegates also endorsed a motion to send Secretary-Treasurer Kissam to the protests against the FTAA in Miami in November.

Francisco Ruiz Francisco Ruiz from the miners' union in Colombia showed a video about violence against trade unionists in his country, where a trade unionist is killed every other day, and then spoke about his own experience. Trade unionists are targeted for kidnapping and assassination by right-wing paramilitaries who work closely with the country's military, which in turn receives massive aid from the U.S. government. Corporations take advantage of the violence against trade unionists to push down wages and working standards. The International Monetary Fund is pressuring Colombia to weaken laws about rights to decent labor standards, education and living conditions, and the paramilitaries target those who fight back. Ruiz's younger brother was killed by the paramilitaries, and he is in the U.S. as part of an AFL-CIO program to offer shelter to Colombian trade unionists targeted by the paramilitaries. After his speech, President Knowlton presented brother Ruiz with a Spanish copy of "Labor's Untold Story" which had been signed by all the delegates, and delegates took up a collection to benefit solidarity activities with Colombian trade unionists, raising $206.

UE General President John Hovis gave an overview of the economic and political situation facing working people, and UE's response. The economy is in a "jobless recovery," where companies want to increase productivity instead of hiring people, "free trade" continues to destroy good jobs, the public sector is facing layoffs and privatization and our soldiers continue to be killed in Iraq while the administration that put them there has produced no weapons of mass destruction, only escalating bills to pay for the war and occupation. UE's response to this situation has to mount a principled, militant, rank-and-file fightback. Hovis reported on the first contract settled at TEMCO after nearly four years of struggle, and on increased organizing activity around the country. He said the officers were looking at the future of the union, how to best preserve UE's traditions of democracy and militancy, and that morale was good.

International Representative Kim Lawson reported on a new organizing initiative that UE and the Vermont Workers' Center/Jobs with Justice has started in Montpelier, Vermont's capital city. The "Citywide Organizing Project" aims to unite downtown retail and service workers into one UE local, with a single citywide contract, using a community-based campaign to pressure the many small employers downtown to sign onto the contract. In the week prior to the council meeting, UE had achieved a majority and demanded recognition from six employers.

Saturday the council meeting closed with shop reports, including reports of successful first contract achieved by Locals 203 and 255, and with a discussion of plans to participate in the December 10th day of action for the right to organize.