UE News
Directory

Blood and Oil:
A Middle-East Primer

Home of ancient civilizations and holy lands, the crises and incessant drumbeats of war in the Middle East often seem to defy understanding or solution. Only an examination of the fascinating and complex history of the region over the past century can provide a framework for understanding how the Middle East has developed. Central to the story, in understanding both its politics and players,  is a substance more valuable than gold: oil ... and the struggle to control its supply.  Here's part one and part two) ...

The Great Strike of 1877 —
Remembering a Worker Rebellion

125 years ago this summer, American workers exploded with rage. Driven by depression's despair and desperation, workers battled troops in the streets of major U.S. cities in what would become this country's first nationwide strike. It was a massive confrontation with the nation's most powerful companies ... a confrontation that helped give birth to the modern labor movement.  Here's the story ... (06/02)

American Freedom
Under Attack

What could be more basic to American Liberty than the right to speak out, the freedom of association, the right of working people to organize unions, to demand better working conditions, a better life for their families? Seldom secure from the greedy grasp of the rich and powerful, these freedoms are facing new threats in the wake of the horrific crime of September 11th.  Here's the story ... (03/02)

Sister Shops —
Building Solidarity in the Global Economy

Growing numbers of UE members are employed by transnational corporations, both U.S. and foreign owned. These big firms make investment decisions that directly impact the lives of millions of workers and consumers the world over. In the process, they are creating lots of potential allies in the struggle for a better world ... allies that have already come together to win significant victories. Here's the story, with some eye-opening possibilities ... (03/02)

Exploring the Origins
Of Terror Incorporated

UE News Book Review: The images of September 11th are unforgettable. The fallout from those attacks has been far-reaching economically and politically. It has also led us to ask how this could have happened ... a question that can be hard to grapple with. Looking for answers, UE's Political Action Director found a book, researched two years before September 11th, that lays out in graphic detail the events that led to the creation of Osama Bin Laden's terrorist army and the role U.S. policy makers played in creating it. Here is his review of independent journalist John Cooley's Unholy Wars ...  (02/02

Building UE Among North Carolina
Health and Human Services Workers

UE is organizing North Carolina's Department of Health and Human Services — and that's bringing hope to hundreds of workers in state psychiatric hospitals, mental retardation centers and other facilities. Workers are joining UE to address problems like understaffing and low pay, to fight closures and layoffs, and to gain dignity, justice and power on the job. Here, in three parts, is our coverage of UE Local 150's work in North Carolina ...  (06/01)

FTAA Spells Seriously Bad
News for Jobs and Democracy

'For working people, the North American Free Trade Act (NAFTA) was bad news. The news could get a lot worse. The United States and other governments in the Americas are currently negotiating a trade deal to cover the entire Western Hemisphere (except Cuba). The Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) would be like NAFTA — but even more of a threat to jobs, living standards and democracy. General Electric worker Sue Smock, who went to Quebec in April to protest the trade deal, put it this way: "With FTAA anything goes, and what's going to go is our jobs!" Here's the story ... (06/01)

Public Power:
The Electric Alternative that Works

'Rolling Blackouts Hit California' ... but not in Los Angeles. Why? Because LA residents are served by the publicly owned Los Angeles Department of Power and Water ... which continues to supply affordable electricity to its customers. Public ownership of utilities is not a new idea – it's efficient and reliable.  In this UE News Feature, we examine the the efficient, conservation-friendly and reasonably-priced solution to the electric energy crisis: public power.  Here's the story ... (05/01)

Who Cares About
Public Education?

Who cares about public education? Parents, children, teachers, support staff  — and a majority of citizens. But they have reason to be concerned about the new corporate interest in education. The apple President Bush would like to bring to class has worms in it: vouchers, privatization schemes and high stakes testing. If the Bush plan to provide additional funds and advance reading is a response to the public’s demand for improved schools, the Administration’s "worms" are a concession to who are looking to profit at the expense of children’s education. Here's the story ... (03/01)

Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s —
People in Struggle Changed History

Some were murdered. Many were brutalized, more were jailed. But despite the odds, thousands of Americans, black and white, tore down the oppressive system of racial segregation that had dominated the South for decades. And UE played a consistent role in that struggle from its earliest days. Here, with a timeline, photos and stories we note this remarkable period in U.S. history. This feature requires a frames-capable browser and is best viewed with a screen resolution of 800x600 or higher. (02/01)

A Cartoon View
Of the New Administration

Having failed to win a majority of the popular vote, and having gained a majority in the Electoral College with an unprecedented assist from the United States Supreme Court, George W. Bush can hardly claim a mandate. But that’s not stopping him from pushing his right-wing agenda. Here are a few takes on President George W. Bush — and his agenda ... (01/01)

UE's Annual
Congressional Scorecard

How did your members of Congress vote on issues of importance to working people? Here's where you can find out as we rate the Congress that was (and find out that the 106th Congress did little for working people, but did do big business big favors).  You can start with our background information ... or jump right to our new rankings page, where you can select the states and years you'd like to view ... and get a "report card" on each of the members of Congress that we've ranked ... (01/01)

Nasty Nazi Business:
Corporate Deals with Nazi Germany

Nazi planes powered by GM engines ... Nazi troops in Ford-built trucks ... and a war materiel critical to the Allied war effort bottled up by General Electric? Could U.S. companies have actually undermined the war effort? In short, yes ... that was the case during World War II. We think this is an instructive lesson during this era of ever-growing and unbridled corporate power. Judge for yourself as we examine "Corporate Deals with Nazi Germany." Full story ... (12/00)

With Workers' Rights Violated
Bosses Gain 'Unfair Advantage'

How bad is the abuse of workers’ rights in the United States? A report issued by Human Rights Watch, gives the facts in sorry detail. Many workers in the U.S. have rights to organize and bargain under the National Labor Relations Act. But, the report says, "The reality of NLRA enforcement ... [is that] workers who try to form and join trade unions to bargain with their employers are spied on, harassed, pressured, threatened, suspended, fired, deported or otherwise victimized in reprisal for their exercise of the right to freedom of association."  Full story ... (11/00)

On Election Day, 
Some Americans Spoke
Louder Than Others

American voters have spoken — although some have spoken louder than others. They are the super-rich, who contributed to both major presidential candidates to protect their gold-plated lifestyles. Here's an overview of how money was collected ... and how much money was spent to buy your vote (at last count: about $184 million for George W. Bush ... and $133 million for Al Gore) ... (11/00)

'There's Still That Great Difference' ...

• IUE Moves on — UE Lives On
The union created for the sole purpose of eliminating UE has, itself, passed into history. The International Union of Electronic Workers became a division of the Communication Workers of America on October 1st ... (10/00)

• A Rank and Filer's Lifetime of UE History
"There’s still that great difference between UE and the rest of the labor movement," says Joe Geraneo. "The members run this union." Geraneo should know. This dedicated organizer first joined the union in 1937, and even as the unlikely president of an IUE local, he says it was his "wish and dream for 20 years — to come back to UE." In 1974, he did ... and he's still pouring his energies into building the union ... (10/00)

Campaign 2000 —
A Candidate Worth Choosing?

Where do the leading candidates stand on the issues important to UE members and our families? Here's a look at four presidential candidates (George W. Bush, Al Gore, Ralph Nader and Pat Buchanan) and their positions on six key issues ranging from health care to public education that are important to working people ... (07/00)

The Struggle For Workplace
Democracy In Iowa's Public Sector

An effective union. A fighting union. A democratic union, run by the workers themselves. These are the goals of Iowa public employees who have made UE Local 893 one of UE’s largest and most influential local unions. Covering three decades, theirs is a story of almost epic proportions — from a state employees’ association, to merger with a major AFL-CIO affiliate, to a bold revolt and establishment of an independent union, to eventual affiliation with UE ... Part One • Part Two • Part Three  (04 -05 - 06/00)

Free Radio Takes Aim
At Corporate Media
The free radio movement is one that has exploded across the country in recent years. It is estimated that there are currently over 1,000 "pirate" radio stations operating in the U.S. Free radio is largely a response to the growing corporate control of media, and the lack of access to the airwaves for voices of dissent ... (07/00)

Colombia: Clinton's
Deadly Gamble

Imagine a country where union members are assassinated nearly every working day. Where political opposition is silenced through assassination. Where political violence has forced more than 1.7 million poor farmers to flee their homes since 1985. Imagine your tax dollars being spent to support a military waging war on its own people. Imagine no more. The country is real. The country is Colombia. Now, the Clinton Administration wants a $1.6 military aid package ... and the Pentagon is considering intervention. Here's the story ... (03/00)

UPDATE: House Approves $1.7 Billion in Military Aid; Senate Action Expected in May ... meanwhile, a leader from Colombia's largest union talks with UE members in Pittsburgh ... (04/00)

Organizing Fellows

UE'S LONG STRUGGLE FOR WORKER UNITY IN VERMONT'S MACHINE TOOL INDUSTRY — It was in 1943 when UE first set its sights on building unity and strength among the workers in Vermont's "Precision Valley" ... where some 10% of all precision tools produced in the United States were made. Bosses, predictably, fought back. But no one thought the battle would last for twenty-five years. Here's the story ... (02/00)

Shocking News!
Alan Greenspan Not a Deity

Is Alan Greenspan the greatest thing since the invention of the remote control, Woodstock or even the birth of the Super Bowl? Pundits and politicians seem to think so, giving the chairman of the Federal Reserve Board credit for the nation’s longest-ever peacetime economic expansion. But does he deserve another term in charge of the direction of the U.S. economy? The answer to that question probably depends on how you’re faring during the current boom ... (02/00)

   
UE's 1999
Congressional Scorecard

Did your Senators and Representative vote for ... or against ... you during the first session of the 106th Congress? Were they working to make life better for working people ... or just for the rich and big business? We've taken five key issues to check on "how they voted" and, sorry to say, there are only seven members of Congress who earned the right to be in our "Hall of Fame." Here's our scorecard ... (01/00)

There's No Escape —
Cosmic Doom is Good For You!

WTO stands for World Trade Organization — but it means a world of trouble to the world's workers. Its mission is to make the world safe for corporate investment ... often at the expense of health safety and environmental standards and human and and labor rights. Artist Mike Konopacki and writer Alex Dubro teamed up to bring you the story of the WTO — and why tens of thousands protested against it in Seattle. Here's the story ...

  
The Amazing Disappearing Pension —
The Bosses' Cash Balancing Act

Companies are cashing in on a perfectly legal means or pocketing millions of dollars in pension funds – at our expense. "Not since companies dipped into pension funds in the 1980s to finance leveraged buyouts have corporate treasurers been so abuzz over a pension technique," reports the Wall Street Journal. Unfortunately this "technique" is costing thousands of long-service workers as much as half the value of their expected pensions. Here's the story ...

   
North Carolina Public Service
Workers Build their Union

Strong and Bold: It hasn't been long since the members UE Local 150, the North Carolina Public Service Workers Union, wrapped up their union's first constitutional convention — but already the decisions that were made are being put into action. Facing racism and discrimination in an anti-union state, they've got a tough fight ahead, but they're proud of what they've accomplished and determined to keep winning ... (10/99)

   
Just Faking It – Bosses
'Reform' Workers' Compensation

Workers' Compensation programs are being gutted in state after state. Hyping stories about fake injuries, business has carried out a successful attack on a system in desperate need of genuine improvement. During the course of this decade more than 40 states have enacted workers’ compensation reforms that have largely meant fewer rights and benefits for injured workers and lower costs for companies. Here's the story ... and what we can do about it ... (07/99)

The only crises facing Social Security are privatization and low wages. In fact, we believe the greatest – and most immediate – danger to Social Security is the plot to privatize the system and the lies and phoney arguments used to justify a plan driven by greed and an unbridled grab for power. Here are the dangers as we see them ... and what could be done to strengthen the System in worker-friendly ways ... (06/99)

   
Privatization:
Hurts the Public – Hurts Workers

Privatization threatens both the quality and availability of public services as well as the jobs and working conditions of public-sector employees. We take a look at the experiences of UE members in three states where the consequences of privatization have ranged from death to foregone public services. Here's our view on privatization ... and what workers and communities can do about it ...

UE News Book Review
At Any Cost: Jack Welch,
General Electric
and the Pursuit of Profit

Given the enormous profit records racked up year after year by GE, it's not surprising that many books have appeared filled with praise for the company and its dynamic CEO, Jack Welch. But now there's a book which punctures Welch’s and GE’s bubble for the general reader. In it, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette business editor Thomas O’Boyle presents a picture of the company that GE workers will clearly recognize ... (03/99)

Outsourcing Goes Inside

It's the latest management rage ... and just the latest insecurity for workers. In a convergence of two trends — subcontracting and what's been described as "lean, mean, supply-chain management" — manufacturing employers are now discovering they can "insource" work where entire plants can be divided among subcontractors. Workers can even be "rented" by one company from another in these environments. Want to know more? (02/99)

The second session of the 105th Congress — one of the least productive and most anti-labor sessions in recent history — concluded in December shortly after the House of Representatives voted to impeach President Clinton. So, how bad was it? Find out by checking out our Congressional Scorecard ... and then let your members of Congress know what you thought of what they did ...

The Cold War Comes to Erie

In a recent collection of essays dealing with, well, fear, there are studies of conspiracy theories and witch trials along with accounts of religious and racial bigotry rooted in fear of others. But wait — what’s this chapter about Erie, Pa. and UE? Find out about the terror that was inspired in this Pennsylvania city by big-business ... and how UE members confronted and defeated it ... (01/99)

1948 — Year of Hope,
Year of Tragedy

A new political party for working people? It seemed like more than a dream in 1948 — but, in the end, it wasn't to be. Big business and its political allies had another agenda ... here's how it all happened in that year of hope and tragedy ... (11/98)

A New UE Cartoon Collection!
Working Class Hero

Seventeen years after publishing the third edition of Fred Wright’s So Long, Partner, UE has brought out another classic collection of labor cartoons: Working Class Hero. Created by UE’s Gary Huck and Mike Konopacki, these cartoons "laugh in the face of power and greed — and encourage us to do likewise" ... (12/98)

Hands Off Social Security!

Social Security — easily the most popular government program in U.S. History — is under attack by those who claim the system is in trouble and must be dramatically reshaped before 'it goes  broke.' Is Social Security really in trouble — or is there another agenda behind the rhetoric? (07/98)

401(k) Plans —
How Safe Is Yours?

Safe and convenient? Sometimes. But 401(k) plans can be mismanaged and even plundered by unscrupulous bosses. Here's an overview and some tips on what to watch out for ... (07/98)

Hate On The Web

White Supremacists Target Working-Class Youth Using the Internet ... Jostling for Web surfers’ attention along with hate music sites are neo-Nazis, racist skinheads, Ku Klux Klan factions and ersatz religions based on white supremacy. To visit some sites is travel the ideological road to the Oklahoma City bombing ... (06/98)

Where Are These
People Coming From?

Exactly where are these people coming from? No, not the corporate lobbyists crowding Capitol Hill, but the Representatives and Senators themselves — if it’s possible to tell the one crowd of suits and ties from the other. Just one look at the backgrounds of our current politicians is reason enough to suuport the Labor Party! (06/98)

It's Our Voice and Our Right!

The assault on labor's right to free speech was beaten back in California — but the attack continues. (06/98)

Combining Union
Busting with  Teamwork

They'll help the boss in any way they can (and pocket a cool chuck-of-change, of course). Non-union or union, it doesn't matter: union busting is big business. From "staying union-free" to "making teamwork work" ... find out what union busters are pitching to your boss ... (03/98)

A Secret Trade Deal
Designed to be the Enforcer
For the New World Order

A power grab unlike any in history: it's called the Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI) and it represents a staggering assault on our rights. Business Week calls it the "most explosive trade deal you've never heard of." Find out why in this UE News Special Feature Special Feature (03/98)

Turbulence at Work
Nancy Lessin and Charley Richardson

The factory of the future is here ... with new technology, cell manufacturing, teams, downsizing and part-time work. Do U.S. unions have a strategy for reasserting worker control in the workplace? What should such a strategy look like? (02/98)

Book Review
Benedita da Silva

The story of  Benedita da Silva, a woman who emerged from poverty to change not only her own destiny, but her nation's. Find out more about her incredible story in this UE News book review ... (02/98)

UE's 1997
Congressional Scorecard

In Congress: who supported workers ... and who supported bosses and the rich? Find out by checking our Congressional Scorecard ... (01/98) ...

The World According
To An Outsider Like Us

Bernie Sanders — the first independent in the U.S. House in 40 years — tells what it's like to be an Outsider in the House — and proud of it! UE News Book Review (12/97)

Unions File NAFTA Complaint
SPECIAL INTERNATIONAL SECTION:  Confrontation Leads Echlin to Promise Meeting and Investigation; Meanwhile, workers face lies and betrayals following what should have been a union victory in Tijuana (12/97)

Thugs, Votes and Exchanges
SPECIAL INTERNATIONAL SECTION:  a union victory in Tijuana; UE acts on a thug-infested election; murals across the border; and 'eye-opening' exchanges. (11/97)