Latest News
Hospitals, employees seeking protective equipment donations
Medical workers union members are calling upon the public to help with the drastic shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) in local hospitals.
The Office and Professional Employees International Union Local 40 is accepting donations of PPEs, such as unused N95 masks, and other unused masks, protective eye wear/safety goggles, and gowns that will be distributed to the medical staff it represents at local respective hospitals who are running out.
Use the Defense Production Act to Protect Frontline Professionals and Those They Care For
Dear Lawmakers,
Healthcare workers and patients don’t have the proper CDC recommended safety equipment to protect us from COVID-19. We care for patients who are infected with the COVID-19 virus every day, often with inadequate protective equipment, masks that have been reused for days or no protective equipment at all. This is not only a danger to healthcare professionals working on the front lines, but a danger to patients and their families both with and without the virus.
Sign the Petition Now
Hardship Benefits Available to You Through Your Union
BLOGPOST: https://www.unionplus.org/blog/consumer-tips/coronavirus-covid-19-resources
HARDSHIP LINK: https://www.unionplus.org/hardship-help/union-plus-hardship-help-benefits
HARDSHIP FLYER: Click to Download
Letter to OPEIU Members Regarding COVID-19
Sisters and Brothers:
As the United States and nations throughout the globe are facing concerns related to the new coronavirus known as COVID-19, I feel it’s important to speak directly to all OPEIU members and share the following information.
OPEIU is taking very seriously this pandemic and its impact on our members and the industries in which they work. We are working with our local leaders throughout the country to put in place protocols to ensure we best serve our members and your needs during this crisis. We are also following directives given to businesses and organizations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO). OPEIU staff and leadership have taken several steps to limit potential exposure, including instituting a travel ban and restrictions according to potential geographic threat levels, restrictions on modes of transportation, and the instituting of a remote work policy when possible.
The Union Plus Mortgage Program
Spring marks the start of the home buying season. If you’re a union member who will be house hunting soon, check out the Union Plus Mortgage program, with financing available through Union Plus Mortgage Company. UPMC offers a wide choice of lenders; an easy and convenient loan application; and a mortgage assistance program in the event of eligible income loss due to disability, unemployment, etc.Apply now while rates are still low and get a $500 gift card after closing (NMLS Number 1561829).
https://unionplus.deals/a0p
Read about the new faces of the labor movement, including OPEIU’s new Kickstarter affiliate, in the New Yorker
Chris Haag graduated from Hampshire College in 2006, and jumped headlong into the gig economy. He played in a rock band, tried his luck as a filmmaker, and acted in several productions at the Public Theatre, in New York City. He also helped to build sets for the Public, and with the skills he acquired there landed a job as a freelance art installer at moma PS1, in Long Island City, in 2013, where he still works today.
Personalized home insurance with MetLife Choice
As a union member, you now have special access to personalized home insurance with MetLife Choice ℠ Quickly and easily compare and save with multiple quotes from highly rated carriers all in one place – in just minutes. MetLife Choice gives you access to convenient payment options. Plus, save even more when you bundle auto, home and renters policies together. It’s fast. It’s easy. Get your personalized quotes today! Call 1-855-666-5797 or visit https://unionplus.deals/9t8
Listen to the Union Strong podcast and hear all about OPEIU’s historic affiliation of Kickstarter employees.
Employees at the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter are making history. They are the first employees at a major technology company in the U.S. to unionize. A Kickstarter employee and spokesperson for the newly unionized Kickstarter United explains why and how it happened and what’s next.
https://unionstrong.podbean.com/e/episode-31-welcome-to-the-labor-movement-kickstarter-united/
https://nysaflcio.org/news/union-strong-podcast-episode-31-welcome-labor-movement-kickstarter
Kickstarter United Wins NLRB Election, Becoming One of First Tech Unions in U.S.
New York, N.Y. (Feb. 18, 2020) – The Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU), AFL-CIO, is proud to announce today that 85 engineers, directors, analysts, designers, coordinators and customer support specialists and others at Kickstarter have voted to affiliate with OPEIU Local 153 in New York, becoming one of the first unions for tech workers in U.S. history.
The workplace issues that more than one year ago spurred the creation of the new union’s organizing committee, known as Kickstarter United (KSRU), are identical to the issues resonating with professionals throughout the unorganized tech industry. Kickstarter employees felt their employer, a public benefit corporation, should live up to the foundational progressive values it espouses by ensuring trust and transparency from management, guaranteeing equal pay for equal work, implementing more inclusive hiring practices and giving employees a voice in the decision-making process,
“We believe unionizing provides a path toward furthering all of our goals,” said Oriana Leckert, a KSRU spokesperson who is a senior journalism outreach lead at the company. “It was truly an honor to get to have deep conversations with so many of my colleagues around these issues. Utilizing our collective power to improve our workplace and our professional lives will increase Kickstarter’s ability to have a radical, positive impact on society by allowing us all to advocate for workers’ rights, which is a core pillar of the fight against inequality.”
Union Members at the Postal Service Need Our Help!
Our sisters and brothers at the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) need our help! On Feb. 25, postal workers and the communities they serve will be standing up for our public Postal Service. See below to learn how you can help protect one of America’s most cherished institutions.
The USPS Fairness Act (H.R. 2382) passed the House of Representatives last week with a huge two-thirds majority.
A bipartisan vote of this size could not have happened without the work of hundreds of thousands of people just like you across the country. The message is clear. Our elected leaders must take the unfair prefunding mandate off of the back of the USPS.
Let’s savor this win, but we must remember there is more work to do. We need all of our strength to get the USPS Fairness Act’s companion bill, S. 2965 passed in the Senate. That’s why we are organizing a nationwide call-in day on Feb. 25.