You are the Union

As a member of Local 9, you have many rights with membership. You have the right to attend union meetings and to express your views at those meetings. You have the right to vote to select the union officers. You have the right to vote on labor contracts affecting your employment, which become legal and binding. You have the right to vote on dues issues. You have the right to be provided with a copy of the labor contract that you are working under. You have the right to nominate candidates to run for union offices, and to run for union office.

One of Local 9's primary goals as an organization is to elevate the craft of operating engineer, and to improve the wages, hours and working conditions of its members. Local 9 meets with your employer on a regular basis every few years to collectively bargain with your employer for a labor contract which will govern your employment. You are provided with personal protections under the terms of your labor contract. In the event that your employer does not abide by the terms and requirements of the labor agreement, requires that you be exposed to unsafe working conditions, or fails to treat you fairly and with dignity, you have the ability to address these problems with the assistance of a union steward or a Local 9 representative. All labor agreements which Local 9 has negotiated on behalf of its members contain a formal grievance procedure. You are strongly encouraged to familiarize yourself with the terms of the labor contract which you work under, and to know the grievance procedure contained in the labor contract.

In addition to hourly wages, working conditions and fringe benefits negotiated through your labor contract, Local 9 provides additional benefits for its members and their families. If you have questions pertaining to membership with the Operating Engineers, Local 9, please contact the closest Local 9 office, either in person or by telephone.

Local 9's success as a labor organization is directly dependent on the support and participation that is given by the Local 9 membership. Local 9 encourages you to support and participate in your labor union.

"We rarely hear, it has been said, of the combinations of masters, though freqeuntly those of workmen. But whoever imagines, upon this account that masters rarely combine, is as ignorant of the world as of the subject. Masters are always and everywhere in a sort of tacit, but constant and uniform combination, not to raise the wages of labour above their actual rate...

When workers combine, masters... never cease to call aloud for the assistance of the civil magistrate, and the rigorous executiuon of those laws which have been enacted with so much severity against combinations of servants, laboureres, and juorneyman."

18th century economist Adam Smith

Construction Organizing Membership Education Training -COMET

Did you know your skills as a craftsman may be worth more today than at any time in recent history. This is because of a Union Program called COMET. This makes your skills worth more. As a merit shop worker, you are viewed as "safe" and merit shop employers are competing for your services. COMET is an educational program for all workers. The COMET program, launched several years ago in the state of Colorado, has informed thousands of workers of their right to organize and to cultivate feelings of friendship among those in the industry. COMET raises the standard of living for all workers, instead of lowering their standard of living in the construction industry. The living standards of American workers have fallen along with the percentage of unionization. It's time for construction workers to work together to build a strong economy with middle-class jobs and a good future for ourselves and our children.

Construction Organizing Membership Education Training

Contact your local union or the AFL-CIO to find out when a class is available near you.