Contact: Kent Holsing, 989-615-3901, kentholsing@gmail.com
(Pittsburgh) – Union leaders representing thousands of workers at Dow, DuPont, Corteva, IFF, and Trinseo locations from the United States and around the globe met last week in Pittsburgh to discuss common issues, devise strategies and pledge their unity.
“As workers continue to experience challenges, both locally and globally, union members around the world and in the U.S. will be working together to ensure our best interests are represented,” said Kent Holsing, chairperson of the Dow DuPont North American Labor Council and president of USW Local 12075 in Midland, Mich.
“The chemical industry is critically important and its workers are a vital part of that,” Holsing added. “Faced with economic uncertainty, the push for sustainability, digitalization and consumer confidence, we know all too well that corporations don’t stop making decisions and acting in the best interest of their shareholders.”
“We must protect workers, not only those in our unions but also non-union employees who don’t have that voice.”
The union leaders, over a three-day period, shared collective bargaining data, identified mutual obstacles and determined potential solutions to concerns like short staffing, excessive overtime and increased workplace fatigue, lack of proper training, and workplace and community safety.
The council also discussed Dow’s flawed decision and the ramifications to abruptly close the Puerto General San Martin, Argentina location, the future of company-union relations, and the financial strength of each company.
The labor leaders strengthened their unions’ international connections, and their interactions boosted mutual respect and understanding across the six companies’ unionized worksites in the U.S. and globally.
Representatives from these unions participated in the annual meeting: The United Steelworkers (USW); the International Union of Operating Engineers; Texas City Metal Trades; the International Chemical Workers Union Council/United Food & Commercial Workers; National Conference of Firemen & Oilers; the Ampthill Rayon Workers Incorporated (ARWI); the Dow Chemical European Employee Forum; the Dow Chemical-Stade Works Council (Germany); UNITE the Union (United Kingdom); the Global Union Federation IndustriALL (Geneva, Switzerland); the Union of Workers and Employees Petrochemicals States-SOEPU (Argentina) and the Petroleum Chemical and Rubber Industry Workers’ Union of Turkey-Lastik-İş (Turkey).
The USW represents 850,000 workers employed in metals, mining, pulp and paper, rubber, chemicals, glass, auto supply and the energy-producing industries, along with a growing number of workers in health care, public sector, higher education, tech and service occupations.
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