3 October, 2013Union leaders representing more than 3,000 North American workers employed at the bargained sites of Dow Chemical and Dow Corning Corporation, recently met in Kentucky to discuss common issues and concerns faced by union members.
The Dow North American Labor Council, DNALC, is made up of local unions of various Internationals, such as the United Steelworkers (USW); International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE); United Association of Pipefitters (UA); International Association of Machinists (IAM); and the International Chemical Workers’ Council-UCFW.
The DNALC is for the mutual defense and advancement of labour; to provide a communications link between each local union, to advocate the assets of Dow and employees and to pursue, whenever possible, a cooperative relationship between labor and the Corporations for the common good of the members, the company and the community.
This year’s Council event was held in Louisville, Kentucky from 9 to 11 September, and the participating unions shared and discussed collective bargaining data, and identified issues of common concern and potential solutions.
Establishing a collaborative effort with the employer to improve worker safety and workplace fatigue in both Dow Chemical and Dow Corning was one of the key issues discussed. Also included in this conference was the exchange of information and messages of solidarity from other Dow Chemical unionized sites from around the globe such as the United Kingdom, Brazil, Germany and Japan.
In fact, since 2005, the DNALC has reached out on a global basis, communicating and interacting with various unions representing Dow Chemical sites in Brazil, Argentina, the United Kingdom, Germany and Japan along with the global union IndustriALL.
Kemal Özkan, Assistant General Secretary of IndustriALL Glabal Union participated, presenting data on the state of global chemical manufacturing, as well as discussing aspects and importance of global networking.
“It’s very encouraging and promising that the DNALC shows willingness for international solidarity matters,” says Kemal Özkan.
The DNALC will forward the concerns, causes, observations and recommendations discussed to the companies.
For further communication about the DNALC, please pass your messages to Kent Holsing ([email protected]), coordinator of the Council and President of USW Local 12075.