First and foremost, unions are a coming together of working people to try and collectively make their lives better. That means that we are the union, and what it does, and how well it does it, depends on what we put into them.
USW Local 9460 is a member driven union. Despite being a large union, representing workers at a number of different worksites spread across the region, we strive to provide a variety of ways for our members to plug in and make this union their own. Below is a list of some of the various ways you can get involved with your union.
MONTHLY MEMBRSHIP MEETINGS: Our union holds monthly membership meetings. They are on the 3rd Tuesday of every month at 5:30pm in the basement of the Duluth Labor Temple (2002 London Road, Duluth MN). All of our members welcome, and encouraged to attend, and you have the right to speak out on, make motions and vote on anything and everything that comes before the Local.
WORKERS INFORMATION NETWORK: To help better get the word out to our various worksites and departments, we are setting up a "WIN" team to serve as a sort of phone/texting/leaflet/word of mouth tree to get important updates to their co-workers on the shopfloor. If you'd like to be part of our WIN team, please contact the Local office.
COMMITTEES: Our Local has a variety of standing committees that work on various things. Some of them are very active, some are still getting off the ground. Either way, we are always looking for folks to get involved in them. Here is a list of them. Contact the Local office if you would like more info about any of them.
- Civil Rights Committee
- Health & Safety Committee
- Next Gen
- Rapid Response & Legislative Committee
- Veterans of Steel
- Women of Steel
- Workers' Aid
BECOME A STEWARD: Stewards are trained volunteers located in each workplace that help make sure that our employers honor their contracts with us, and treat our members fairly. We are always on the lookout for more stewards, so contact the Local's office if you're interested in finding out more about how you can become a Steward. Click here for a list of existing Stewards.
UNITS: Our Local is divided up into Units, which each have their own contract, their own elected president and have the option of having their own Unit meetings and committees. And it is the Unit Presidents who appoint the Union Negotiating Committees that negotiate with our employers during contract time.
- Green Book (Essentia Health Duluth campus)
- Red Book (Essentia Health Duluth campus)
- Blue Book (Essentia Health Duluth campus)
- Chequamegon Clinic (St. Luke's in Ashland)
- Ecumen Lakeshore (Duluth)
- Essentia Health Ashland Clinic
- Essentia Health Ely Clinic
- Essentia Health Hayward Clinic
- Essentia Health Hibbing Clinic
- Essentia Health Spooner Clinic
- Itasca Hospice (Essentia Health in Grand Rapids)
- Lake Superior Community Health Center Professional Unit
- Lake Superior Community Health Center Support Staff
- Pine Medical Center (Essentia Health in Sandstone)
- St. Luke's Technical Unit
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: In addition to working on issues directly relevant to our members, we are also very involved in trying to make our respective communities a better place. We have helped projects like Habitat for Humanity and the Homeless Persons Bill of Rights Coalition, we have gathered supplies for the Safehaven battered women's shelter and the Solidarity Food Shelf, and have directly provided hats, mittens and other winter wear to folks in need through the "Giving Tree" that we set up outside of our office. Plug into our Workers' Aid committee, or call Adam at the Local office to plug in to our community solidarity projects.
NEWSLETTER: Our local union publishes a newsletter called the Pulse. We're always looking for writers! Contact the local Union office if you're interested!
UNION OFFICERS: And last but not least, you can get involved in your union by running for elected office. Our Executive Board is made up of a President, Vice President, Financial Secretary, Treasurer, Inner Guard, Outer Guard, Guide, three Trustees and the Unit Presidents. All of these positions are decided by elections that are held every three years.
