December 17, 2019
Brothers and Sisters,
This is a follow-up to the October 1, 2019 letter that we sent to you concerning the Nation’s refusal to bargain with the UMWA. We want to provide you with an update regarding this dispute.
The UMWA is working very hard to get the Nation to resume bargaining to reach a new Collective Bargaining Agreement covering the Executive Branch, Division of Public Safety, and Navajo Head Start. As of the date of this letter; we have not received a response from the Nation regarding our bargaining request.
The UMWA has also filed a lawsuit against the Nation in the Nation’s court system for its failure to recognize the UMWA as its bargaining agent. There has also been no response from the Nation on the lawsuit, but we expect the Nation to file its answer shortly.
We face a big fight in getting the Nation to comply with Navajo law and to bargain with the UMWA. President Roberts is committed to doing whatever is necessary to win this fight on our behalf. However, we need your help as well.
The October 1, 2019, letter asked that you contact/write President Nez’s office and also contact/write your respective Council Delegate. Hopefully, by now you have done this. If you have not, please do so right away. Keeping you advised of our efforts is of the utmost importance.
We desperately want to keep the lines of communication open. In order to accomplish this, we are asking you to complete a contact form you can find here.
This information will ensure that we will be able to contact and communicate with you. Together, if we “Stand in Solidarity” we will be successful. Should you have any questions contact Justin Tsosie at (928)255-7644 or email at jsosie75@hotmail.com.
In Solidarity,
The UMWA
