Madison, WI – On July 29, members of the OPEIU Local 39 took to the streets once again to demand a better contract from their employer TruStage, formerly known as Cuna Mutual Group.

The union conducted a strike in May after TruStage refused to bargain in good faith and retaliated against the union by illegally terminating their chief steward, Joe Evica, who is still waiting for review of the unfair labor practice charge that was filed in response to his termination.

The strike proved effective, as TruStage returned to the bargaining table in the middle of the strike and started bargaining again. Hopeful that this meant the end of their almost 500-day struggle for a new agreement, the members of Local 39 returned to work. However, as soon as they returned, TruStage canceled the next two bargaining sessions and refused to move on the significant priorities that the union proposed. The company continued threatening to cut pensions for new hires, offering wages that are far below inflation, and salary ranges that haven’t kept up with inflation for 20 years.

“I believe they were trying to demoralize us,” said Liz Kidder, one of those that spoke at the rally. Kidder is a senior claims professional at TruStage and an OPEIU Local 39 member. “They have lied, they have tried to intimidate us, and they have retaliated against us. It didn’t work. We are still here, and we are still fighting, and we are going to get what we deserve and that’s a fair contract.”

The rally took place in the heart of Madison. Marching towards the State Capitol building, the union members and their supporters raised their voices proudly, making their way around Capitol Square. Accompanied by the Forward Marching Band, a community-based and democratic 30-piece activist street band, they garnered attention from the hundreds of people attending the farmers market that morning.

After a few laps around Capitol Square, the march ended at the steps of the Capitol building, where various speakers from the union itself as well as from around the community spoke and stood in solidarity with the workers.

Among the many speakers was the daughter of a Local 39 member, Lilly Anderson, who is in seventh grade. She talked about her perspective as a family member of one of the union members. Her father, Mark Anderson, is a software engineer at TruStage and has been very active in the fight for a better contract, causing him to be busy most Saturday mornings and even weeknights. Anderson talked about how she missed spending time with her dad and how frustrated she was when time and time again she would come home from school and there would still be no new updates about the struggle.

She also commented on how during the strike, though her family was able to get by financially, with her mother taking on a full-time job, there were others who were not so fortunate. “During the strike I heard about other families that don’t have enough money for food. It should have never gotten to the point where people had to make a choice between food and getting treated fairly. Everyone deserves to be treated fairly and with respect, everyone.” Then she called on TruStage to, “be fair. These are people’s lives here, it's not just about profit.”

Mike Jones, president of the Educators Chapter of the Madison Teachers Incorporated (MTI), a union representing more than 3000 members across three bargaining groups, spoke about how even though his union is considered a public sector and Local 39 is considered private, they are one in the same. They fight for the same things and should always be there to support each other when the time comes.

“As employees and members, you have stood and come through for your community time and time again. You are one of the reasons why my unit and our employees were able to get our cost of living adjusted, because you showed up with the community to support educators in Madison. It is high time that our community shows up and supports you for your fight for what’s right,” said Jones.

Representatives from Voces de la Frontera, who advocate for immigrant workers’ rights in Madison, were also present standing in solidarity with OPEIU as well delivering speeches at the rally.

One of them, Stephanie Salgado Altamirano, said, “It is important that the Madison community sees labor practices or people defending the workers’ rights because we have not seen this much outrage for a company that we pass by every day on Mineral Point. I think that this should not be normalized but instead sensationalized even more and further out so we can be loud and speak louder. Unionizing is something that not a lot of people have knowledge on, but if we see others and how they do it you can definitely learn from them.”

Another representative of Voces de la Frontera, said in her speech during the rally, “We will keep fighting for what is best no matter how many times they change their names. We will not stop marching, not stop organizing, not stop mobilizing. Through our collective work and showing up through compassion and kindness; through our solidarity, through the intersectionality of our work, we will not be divided. Together we will overcome, thanks to you all – the workers, union leaders, allies and families who keep the workers united and fighting against unfair labor practices.”

OPEIU Local 39 has set up a strike fund to help raise additional funds for a potential future strike, so that members don’t feel pressured to cross the picket line for financial reasons even if they support the union. The community can support them by donating to this fund which can be found on their various social media pages as well as sharing Local 39’s story on social media.

For those in the community who belong to credit unions there are also ways to help support there as well. Most credit unions use TruStage products and services (group life insurance, short term disability, etc.) so another way to support the Local 39 struggle would be to reach out to your credit union. Whether you happen to be using those or are offered those services you can ask for the TruStage sales representative at your credit union and tell them that you refuse to use or buy any TruStage products until they start bargaining in good faith with their workforce.

“We know our destinies are interlinked with each other. So, solidarity today, solidarity tomorrow, and solidarity forever,” said Mike Jones of MTI.

#MadisonWI #OPEIU

Madison, WI – The OPEIU Local 39 union workers, 500 strong, started their strike against CUNA Mutual Group, now formally rebranded as TruStage, this past Friday, May 19. The action is making history not only as their first strike in their 80-year long relationship with TruStage, but also as being the largest strike in the city of Madison since the Act 10 protests on the capitol a dozen years ago. After over 400 days of stalled bargaining processes, refusal to provide information, retaliation against union leaders, and TruStage’s bargaining in bad faith, workers were left with no other option but to strike.

 “We have done absolutely everything we can to open every line of communication, made every movement we could possibly make. They’re not coming to the table,” said Joel Bryhan, a software developer that has been working with TruStage for nine years. “The majority of unfair labor practice charges that we filed are related to not bargaining in good faith.”

It wasn’t until two weeks ago that OPEIU 39 was able to engage a federal mediator to get the company back to the bargaining table. The last time TruStage had bargained with them was in January. Four months went by with the company refusing to bargain. TruStage has been doing everything that it can to prevent OPEIU 39 from being able to reach a decent contract.

The company is also currently using hundreds of contractors to perform bargaining unit work, violating the collective bargaining agreement that they have with OPEIU local 39. In an attempt to keep the information about what the contractors are doing a secret, the company is purposefully withholding that information from the union workers in order to try and bust the union.

“Over the last 20 years we have had 1200 of our jobs outsourced and people have received layoff notices as a result,” said Joe Evica, the elected chief steward, who was illegally terminated in retaliation by TruStage. “They have backfilled many of the positions with temporary contractors who get no benefits and far less compensation for performing the same work.”

Offering “wage increases” that are below inflation, TruStage is still threatening to cut the pension plan for new hires, refusing to stop outsourcing the work, and even going as far as to send out emails falsely accusing OPEIU 39 of being the ones that pulled out of bargaining. Additionally, TruStage has been reaching out to former employees trying, unsuccessfully, to get them to cross the picket line, to which they declined, refusing to scab.

Even with the maneuverings of TruStage, the determination of the union workers was tangible along the picket line. Picketers stood tall and strong as their chants blended with the chorus of honks from supporters that drove by. Support from the community and other organizations has been pouring in at both the picket line and online, scoring the number one spot on the Madison sub-Reddit as of Friday morning. The Dane County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed 2022 RES-371, a resolution supporting the OPEIU 39 strike, along with a majority vote in their favor from the City Council and an overwhelming amount of support from other local organizations.

“NAACP, Workers Justice Wisconsin, AFSCME, SEIU, Smart locals; I would be here all day if I was naming all the different unions that showed up on our picket line. They recognize that what’s happening for CUNA Mutual workers has far-reaching effects on the rest of the city of Madison because if we are successful in our strike, it provides confidence and inspires people to do the same,” said one a striking worker.

To show your support for the strike you can come join the picket line, drive by and honk, or spread the word on social media. Donations in the form of snacks, water, coffee, or even just ordering a pizza to them are all welcome. There is also a GoFundMe page where you can donate to help with the expenses of running a strike if you are unable to attend in person.

Support in any form is appreciated even if it is just liking a Twitter post to help boost the algorithm. It is important that we show the OPEIU 39 workers that we stand with them in their fight against corporate greed and oppression.

As one striker stated, “An injury to one is an injury to all, so when corporations like CUNA Mutual Group come after workers, it’s not just about the employees at CUNA Mutual. It’s about them trying to set a precedent for other employers in Madison and beyond to be able to do whatever they want with their workforce.”

The Linktree page set up by OPEIU Local 39 with more information and various links to help support the strike is at https://linktr.ee/opeiucsc.

#MadisonWI #OPEIU

Muskegon, MI – Workers at Red Cross in Michigan and Ohio have been on strike since March 30, after a clash with management over health care for themselves and others. Workers in other Midwest states are considering a strike over health care and related unfair labor practices by Red Cross bosses too. With public safety in mind, it is important to know the workers are not striking the local Red Cross Chapters and still cover emergency events.

While Michigan union workers are outside on the street, struggling to preserve good health care for themselves and others, inside the corporate offices, Red Cross bosses are demanding union workers give up their right to bargain over health care. This follows five years without a raise and cost cutting flexibility on the part of the health care workers. The union members have been working without a contract for four years now. Red Cross is attempting to impose a “catastrophic” high deductible plan that covers only extreme health situations, not routine care needs.

Cindy Krieger, a union steward with the Office and Professional Employees International Union – OPEIU Local 459 in Muskegon, Michigan – spoke on the picket line with a dozen other workers supporting her, “We hope for a fair health care plan. We understand health care is changing but we want to maintain the right to bargain over it. We offered a plan that would save $1.5 million dollars a year and management denied it. Red Cross refuses to set a date for negotiations or to bargain in good faith.”

Red Cross bosses are forcing a pattern of bargaining that put 11 out of 18 groups on strike prior to getting health care. Most gave up their bargaining rights to obtain their health care. Smaller groups, some with only two people, were forced to knuckle under. The current battle involves over 160 striking workers in OPEIU alone. Red Cross is fighting with other workers too, Teamsters Local 580 in Michigan, Teamsters in Cleveland, and UFCW in Toledo.

According to the OPEIU leaflet, the federal government found the same Red Cross bosses guilty in 2011 of refusing to provide information for negotiations, imposing a “no fault” attendance policy, changing and eliminating retired workers health insurance and 401K savings plans without bargaining, and moving work out of state. Another trial will repeat some of the charges and also deal with the repression and punishment of union stewards and activists for standing up for themselves and the health of the public. Red Cross is out to make the union voiceless.

Besides health care for themselves, the union members from OPEIU are fighting for standards in the blood bank industry. OPEIU Local 459 members at Red Cross last had a contract in 2008. It was extended in 2009, and then nothing. Now Red Cross bosses are attempting to negotiate lower standards with fewer staff. Bosses are moving to eliminate the requirement for a registered nurse to be on every blood drive. Bosses at Red Cross are ready to take risks that health professionals are not. In the economy of the 1%, even health care workers are forced to beg for health care.

#MuskegonMI #MuskegonMN #Healthcare #RedCross #CollectiveBargaining #OPEIU