This page is an abridged version of the UE Aims and Structure section of the UE website.
What is our relationship to UE?
UE is our parent union. We have been affiliated with UE since we first organized in 1996. While all UE locals (like us here at 896) are autonomous, UE provides guidance, assistance, and resources to us.
Who is UE?
UE is a national democratically-run union that has been helping workers organize themselves since 1936. The aims and values of UE are best summarized in the Preamble to the UE Constitution, which is unchanged since 1936:
How does UE work?
UE recognizes that the bosses are organized and if we as workers are going to win, we have to be organized too. Importantly, UE also recognizes that we have to organize ourselves from the bottom up. This is called rank-and-file unionism: unions by the membership.
UE policy is made up of a set of resolutions which are revised by membership and their elected delegates at the National Convention every two years. COGS sends 3 delegates every year consisting of the President, the Chief Campus Steward, and a third delegate elected by membership. You can find UE policy resolutions that dictate policy for the next two years at www.ueunion.org/ue-policy.
We convened the 78th Convention in September 2023, which you can learn more about in our Fall 2023 edition of COGNITION.
