MARJB Workers United, an SEIU Affiliate

  Brigade Mfg. North LLC takes over Gitman facility in Ashland, PA   

On October 20, 2020, the Mid-Atlantic Regional Joint Board was invited to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony for Brigade Manufacturing North LLC.   In attendance were Regional Director Patrick Jones Sr., Associate Director Patrick Jones Jr., Joint Board Representative Ines Vargas and various public figures within the Schuylkill County and Ashland Community.

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Brigade Manufacturing decided they wanted to take over the Gitman Brothers facility along with all their employees just a few weeks after Gitman made an announcement they were closing the facility in Ashland, PA, and relocating to Tennessee.   Brigade was willing to accept and continue to honor the Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Union.   

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As a special surprise Brigade Manufacturing decided to publicly sign the new CBA at the ribbon cutting ceremony.

2020 Scholarship Winners

Cole Hertzler

received the

Bruce Dunton / Peter Nadash

Award

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Cole's father 

is a member of our 

Local 1398 - 

Merck

in Elkton, VA

Leah Menhart

received the 

Diane Dunton 

Award

​

Leah's grandmother

is a member of our

Local 131A -

Berkley Medical Resources

in Smithfield, PA

Elsa Lopez Monroy  

received the

Joe Bock

Award

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Elsa is a member

of our Local 4 -

Marshalls

in Bridgewater, VA

AFL-CIO Workers First Caravan

for Racial and Economic Justice

On June 17, 2020, MARJB staff participated in the AFL-CIO Workers First Caravan for Racial and Economic Justice, an all-out action of national solidarity calling for racial and economic justice and equality, implementation of America's Five Economic Essentials, and passage of the HEROES Act.  Staff participated in the Caravan in Richmond, VA, but additional caravans from across all 50 states and Puerto Rico participated in solidarity actions.

Workers United statement in support of Black Lives Matter

Now more than ever, America, in the eyes of the world, is a country deeply divided by race, class, and culture.

Throughout our history, racial inequality has led to inequities that we can’t allow to continue.

Workers United stands alongside all the brave men, women, children, and LGBTQ communities who believe that Black Lives Matter.

Workers United condemns the injustices that people of color face every day. We condemn structural racism. And we condemn police brutality.

Workers United believes that the Black Lives Matter movement speaks to the social activism that has shaped our union over the past 100 years.

We believe that Black Lives Matter is a human- and civil-rights movement. We are committed as a union steeped in activism to play our role in ending structural racism.

We stand in solidarity with our black and brown families, who are our neighbors, our colleagues, and an integral part of our community. Within our membership, 70% are people of color. Our diversity has always been our strength as a union.

Words alone cannot change what has happened over the past 400 years. We cannot erase the past, but we can work toward the future. Let us be the generation to end this divide.

Workers United leadership is committed to keeping our eyes and ears open, and our hearts and our minds, to fully appreciate the pain and trials that black people endure every day. We will accept the discomfort this knowledge brings, knowing that white people have played an integral role in this injustice. With this knowledge, we will systematically work to effect change, through our communities, the workplace, and in the halls of government. We call on law enforcement to accept responsibility in the role they have played thus far, and to implement meaningful change that reflects respect for all human life.

Workers United’s legacy shows that organizing, unionization, and collective bargaining helps to ensure that there is no disparate treatment on the job. The current divide in this country brings that into focus even more. With only 6% of the private sector unionized, inequity has been allowed to flourish with the improper treatment of workers without any check and balances. We believe in fighting for our members to be paid based on their jobs and classifications, not what they look like or what gender they are or what language they speak.

Workers United affirms our support of the Black Lives Matter movement by:

     - Working toward ensuring equity throughout our workplaces

     - Fighting against policies that marginalize communities of color

     - Standing in solidarity with black people, and acting against racial injustice

     - Supporting policies and reforms that lead to real freedoms for black people

Workers United will lead by action, because Black Lives Matter.

Audit Committee - Hard At Work

Members of the Audit Committee of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Joint Board met on Thursday, June 25, 2020, to conduct an audit of the Joint Board's financial records for fiscal year 2019.  Members of the committee are David Bailey (Member, Local 1034), Laticia Bradford (Member, Local 15-1), and Patricia Lester (Member, Local 15-8).  The Committee examined checks, vouchers, and other financial records and found everything to be in order with no discrepancies.  We appreciate the hard work this Committee puts forth each year to make sure the Joint Board is keeping accurate and responsible financial records.

Bowling for Gold Union Tournament

MARJB Strike Force

MARJB Strikers!

MARJB had two teams participate in the 28th Annual "Bowling for Gold" Union Bowling Tournament which took place on Sunday, January 26, 2020 at the Crofton Bowling Center, Crofton, MD. 

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This event is sponsored by the Community Services Agency of the Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO.  Participants enjoyed spending a day of fun with  other union brothers and sisters, family and friends while helping to raise money for the Community Services Agency and its Emergency Assistance Fund for needy working families!

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This is the first time our Joint Board has participated in this event, but we are definitely looking forward to next year's tournament! 

MARJB Holds Golf Scramble

to benefit the Scholarship Fund

    The Mid-Atlantic Regional Joint Board and The Greenbrier Resort co-hosted a golf scramble on Monday, November 4, 2019, on the Meadows Golf Course in White Sulphur Springs, WV to raise money to benefit our Scholarship Fund.  The event was well attended with registered participants totaling 108.  There were 96 golfers making up 24 foursome Teams and the 12 remaining participants took advantage of a new option this year and enjoyed other resort amenities while the Tournament was in progress.

     Leadership of the Mid-Atlantic Region was represented by Director Patrick Jones Sr., who addressed the attendees and expressed appreciation for everyone's support of the Scholarship Fund.  In attendance representing the Executive Board were President Antoinette Brown, Vice President Larry Bryant, Secretary Jamie Rhodes and Associate Director Patrick Jones Jr.  In attendance representing Staff were Ines Vargas, Kathy Glover, and Peter Bostic.  Member Volunteer Pam Callison, Local 863 Vice President, also attended and helped with the event.

    The Winning Team with a low score of 45 (-25) was the W.V. & Appalachian Laborers District Council, 2nd Place with a score of 47 (-23) was the Cook Family and 3rd Place with a score of 50 (-20) was the Southwestern District Labor Council. 

    The event raised approximately $14,000 for the Scholarship Fund and will go a long way to support our efforts to offer annual scholarships to our members and their children and grandchildren.   

Veterans on the Rise Event

On Veteran's Day, Monday, November 11, 2019, Chris Roell, Delegate to the Metro Washington Council AFL-CIO, volunteered to participate in Operation Outreach DC.  This event was sponsored by Veterans on the Rise, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing a holistic system of care to fight veteran homelessness in the Washington DC metroplex.  Volunteers were organized into teams and were joined by professional case managers to create Outreach teams of 3 to 5 persons each.  These teams then split up to visit street encampments in Washington DC to distribute personal care kits consisting of caps, gloves, socks, tooth brushes, tooth paste, dental floss, and hand sanitizers.  They also distributed literature that identifies pathways to VA and District of Columbia programs and facilities for homeless and at-risk veterans.  Veterans on the Rise believes that no military veteran should be homeless in the shadow of the National monuments and memorials that were built to honor their service and their mission is to provide the resources and opportunities for each homeless or at-risk veteran to meet the personal and housing challenges they face in order to achieve maximum self-sufficiency.      

        Delegates attend Joint Board Meeting in Gettysburg PA       

      Delegates to the Mid-Atlantic Regional Joint Board, Workers United, gathered at the Wyndham Hotel in Gettysburg PA on September 20-21, 2019 for its annual Joint Board Meeting.  Delegates in attendance discussed the business and affairs of the Joint Board.  Larry Bryant, Vice President, led the meeting due to the illness and absence of President Antoinette Brown. 

      Matt Areman, Attorney, made a presentation on the Duty of Fair Representation, former Joint Board President Bernard Fauntleroy led an education session on Leadership, Joint Board Representatives Diana Wingler and Ines Vargas spoke of the Membership Training they have been conducting across the Region, and Charly Carter, Political Consultant, spoke on the importance of voting and supporting strong pro-worker candidates.

      On Friday afternoon, delegates boarded a bus and took a trip to the Gettysburg Diorama for a presentation on the history of the Civil War.  That evening, they enjoyed fellowship with their brothers and sisters during dinner, karaoke and dancing.    

      The weather was perfect, the hotel was grand, our solidarity is strong, and...we even discovered we have some talented singers in the Region.     , 

Doug Rolon, Local 4 President (Marshalls Distribution Center-Bridgewater, VA) presenting a donation to a representative of the Local Chapter of the American Cancer Society.

Some staff and members of the MARJB attended a week long training session called Union Camp on July 28—August 2nd, 2019 at Lock Haven University.  

Training was sponsored by the PA Joint Board and focused on grievance handling, organizing, negotiations, and building strength among union members.

Attendees enjoyed meeting other leaders from across the Union and received training to further develop their leadership skills and knowledge of the Union.