Organizing Updates Around CWA - MPP and Boulder County

Metal Powder Products

Earlier this month, workers at Metal Powder Products (MPP) in Campbellsburg, Ind., with the help of IUE-CWA organizers, successfully cast their ballots to join the union. This victory came under intense anti-union campaigning by management, including surveilling employees, obstructing access to the ballot box, and campaigning within 10 meters of the election site. Despite many hurdles thrown in their way, MPP workers remained united in their determination to have a say in their workplace.

“I wanted to form a union because the company kept taking everything from us, and it turned into a place where it was no longer a good place to work,” shared Randall Baker, a machine operator at MPP. “I want it to be a decent place for my children and grandchildren to work. MPP is a big part of the community, so it was very important to me.”

The campaign was led by IUE-CWA Campaign Lead Orvin Caraballo under the direction of IUE-CWA District Organizing Coordinator Wren Keturi. They received assistance from IUE-CWA Local 83761 Member-Organizer Eric Sims, IUE-CWA Local 88502 President Torres, and 88502 Vice President Jesse Merat. CWA organizers Hayden Blankenship and Isham Christie also lent their expertise.

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Boulder County 

After months of organizing, Boulder County workers officially filed for a union election earlier this week to be represented by CWA. Their unit will be named the Boulder County Employees Union-CWA (BCEU). Workers cited a lack of job security and an inability to negotiate work-life balance issues collectively as reasons for forming the union.

“Boulder County workers continue to show up fearlessly for the community through natural disasters, the pandemic, the opioid epidemic, and the affordable housing crisis. We fight daily for racial equity, accessibility, and more robust services for residents,” said Brianna Barber, an application support administrator with Boulder County and BCEU organizing committee member.

The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment is expected to work with BCEU workers and Boulder County to determine the dates and methods for the election. BCEU will be the largest worker union in the county since the passage of the Collective Bargaining by County Employees Act (COBCA) in 2022.

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This post originally appeared on cwa-union.org.