AUGUST 31, 2021 - UMW Newsletter
Hello United Museum Workers,
It is an exciting time to be a part of our union. Even before our contract negotiations have commenced, we have already secured victories for our members. UMW was not satisfied with the initial update to CMP’s masking policy announced on August 9th; so armed with the invaluable insight and thorough research of our members, we promptly submitted a proposal to require that all visitors wear masks in our museums. We are thrilled to share that last week we reached an agreement with management to require that all visitors age 2 and above wear masks in our museums until the COVID-19 transmission levels in Allegheny County improve.
This is an important victory for our union, and it is only the beginning; health and safety has always been one of our top priorities. We realize that the responsibility of enforcing the mask policy will fall on the frontline staff. Each of us should feel empowered to escalate to management and security when issues arise,. If you encounter problems with mask enforcement or with management’s implementation of the updated mask policy, please contact your museum’s CAT Coordinator or contact us at unitedmuseumworkers.usw@gmail.com. We eagerly await your concerns and suggestions.
SUCCESS AT THE SCIENCE CENTER
As part of our continuing bargaining efforts with CMP, our Bargaining Committee recently held an open house with union members from CSC’s STEM Outreach teams to discuss a new proposal from management. This proposal would restructure their department with new job titles and responsibilities, as well as changing the internal reporting structure and training opportunities. At this meeting we learned what provisions worked for our members and what needed clarification and improvement. After this meeting we submitted a counter-proposal, focusing on the issues our membership deemed the most important.
We are happy to report that management accepted every point of our counter-proposal! We were able to make substantive changes to new job descriptions, establish language for cross-training between departments, and secure the right to negotiate wages on internal transfers. This is a huge win for the workers in CSC STEM Outreach, but also for our union as a whole. The work we did to refine and polish this proposal will help the STEM Outreach department for years to come! Thank you to all our members who came out to work with us on this proposal.
UMW PROFILES
Our bargaining committee begins negotiations on September 1st, so now is a great time to get to know our UMW team and supporting USW staff. We are excited to introduce you to two of these dedicated UMW members.
Meet Kelly Weaver:
It is an exciting time to be a part of our union. Even before our contract negotiations have commenced, we have already secured victories for our members. UMW was not satisfied with the initial update to CMP’s masking policy announced on August 9th; so armed with the invaluable insight and thorough research of our members, we promptly submitted a proposal to require that all visitors wear masks in our museums. We are thrilled to share that last week we reached an agreement with management to require that all visitors age 2 and above wear masks in our museums until the COVID-19 transmission levels in Allegheny County improve.
This is an important victory for our union, and it is only the beginning; health and safety has always been one of our top priorities. We realize that the responsibility of enforcing the mask policy will fall on the frontline staff. Each of us should feel empowered to escalate to management and security when issues arise,. If you encounter problems with mask enforcement or with management’s implementation of the updated mask policy, please contact your museum’s CAT Coordinator or contact us at unitedmuseumworkers.usw@gmail.com. We eagerly await your concerns and suggestions.
SUCCESS AT THE SCIENCE CENTER
As part of our continuing bargaining efforts with CMP, our Bargaining Committee recently held an open house with union members from CSC’s STEM Outreach teams to discuss a new proposal from management. This proposal would restructure their department with new job titles and responsibilities, as well as changing the internal reporting structure and training opportunities. At this meeting we learned what provisions worked for our members and what needed clarification and improvement. After this meeting we submitted a counter-proposal, focusing on the issues our membership deemed the most important.
We are happy to report that management accepted every point of our counter-proposal! We were able to make substantive changes to new job descriptions, establish language for cross-training between departments, and secure the right to negotiate wages on internal transfers. This is a huge win for the workers in CSC STEM Outreach, but also for our union as a whole. The work we did to refine and polish this proposal will help the STEM Outreach department for years to come! Thank you to all our members who came out to work with us on this proposal.
UMW PROFILES
Our bargaining committee begins negotiations on September 1st, so now is a great time to get to know our UMW team and supporting USW staff. We are excited to introduce you to two of these dedicated UMW members.
Meet Kelly Weaver:
I started my union journey as a member at AllClad Metalcrafters in Canonsburg Pa, operating 300 ton hydraulic presses, where I became the Unit Secretary of Local Union 3403-25. In 2014 I became an International Staff Representative for District 10 of USW. As a Staff Rep, I service between 35-40 contracts representing various industries in our union, including hospitals, nursing homes, call centers, grocery stores, transportation, jail lieutenants, and public sector employees. I am also the Women of Steel Coordinator and the Health Care Workers Council Coordinator for the District.
Meet Charlie Legere:
LABOR DAY UPDATES
Due to concerns about elevated coronavirus transmission rates in Allegheny County, the Pittsburgh Labor Day Parade has been canceled by the organizers at the Allegheny-Fayette Central Labor Council.
"Our parade has always been about solidarity and family," said CLC president Darrin Kelly. "During this pandemic the safety of this region and the health will always be our number-one priority. Our focus will continuously be helping out the region, maintaining a healthy work force, and seeing to it that all of our children go back to school safely.”
In light of the cancellation of the parade, we have decided to celebrate Labor Day on social media with a Virtual Visibility Day! Take a selfie with your UMW button or a UMW sign and send it to us via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or unitedmuseumworkers.usw@gmail.com. Or you can post it yourself and tag us @UMWpgh. Please include your name, the name of the museum where you work, and if you’d like, a short message about what it means to celebrate Labor Day as a union worker. We will also accept pet photos, baby photos, drawings, paintings, cartoons, songs, and poems. Be creative! Send us your post by 12:00pm on Monday, September 6th and check out our social media feeds throughout Labor Day to participate in our online celebration.
Still have questions? Ideas? We want to hear from you! Write to us at unitedmuseumworkers.usw@gmail.com. Our strength as a union lies in our transparent communication and shared experience. Let’s chat!
Due to concerns about elevated coronavirus transmission rates in Allegheny County, the Pittsburgh Labor Day Parade has been canceled by the organizers at the Allegheny-Fayette Central Labor Council.
"Our parade has always been about solidarity and family," said CLC president Darrin Kelly. "During this pandemic the safety of this region and the health will always be our number-one priority. Our focus will continuously be helping out the region, maintaining a healthy work force, and seeing to it that all of our children go back to school safely.”
In light of the cancellation of the parade, we have decided to celebrate Labor Day on social media with a Virtual Visibility Day! Take a selfie with your UMW button or a UMW sign and send it to us via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or unitedmuseumworkers.usw@gmail.com. Or you can post it yourself and tag us @UMWpgh. Please include your name, the name of the museum where you work, and if you’d like, a short message about what it means to celebrate Labor Day as a union worker. We will also accept pet photos, baby photos, drawings, paintings, cartoons, songs, and poems. Be creative! Send us your post by 12:00pm on Monday, September 6th and check out our social media feeds throughout Labor Day to participate in our online celebration.
Still have questions? Ideas? We want to hear from you! Write to us at unitedmuseumworkers.usw@gmail.com. Our strength as a union lies in our transparent communication and shared experience. Let’s chat!
@UMWpgh
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