Six-State Brings Renewed Union Spirit to Huntington

RWDSU members, stewards and union representatives of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union convened in Huntington, West Viriginia, for the union’s Six-State Conference. Due to the pandemic and 2022 RWDSU convention, this was the first edition of this meeting since 2019, and it brought with it a sea of new faces eager to learn how to better represent members and strengthen the RWDSU. Over half of the attendees had never been to a Six-State Conference before, and the enthusiasm and energy was off the charts.

The centerpiece of the conference was three classes to help educate union representatives. One such class focused on Duty of Fair Representation to help stewards and representatives better understand their responsibilities to members. An OSHA presentation used role-playing to help identify the right ways to report and fix health and safety issues in the workplace, and an internal organizing workshop focused on how to make our union workplaces stronger by bringing more members into the union.

There were also meetings for all of the different regions represented to get together and discuss issues they face and strategies for the future.

The strength of the RWDSU is in its members, and that power was clear to see at this year’s Six-State Conference. Attendees are already looking forward to next year’s edition.