Local 897

The USW was established May 22, 1942, in Cleveland, Ohio, through the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) by a convention of representatives from the Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel, and Tin Workers and the Steel Workers Organizing Committee, after almost six years of divisive struggles to create a new union of steelworkers. The founder and first president of the USW, Philip Murray, led the union through its first organizing drives and dangerous first decade, when the workers of USW went on strike several times to win the right to bargain collectively with steel companies. Through collective bargaining they secured higher wages and paid vacations.

 

shop floor moves

Rapid Response News

Rapid Response, our union’s nonpartisan grassroots activist program, provides an opportunity for every USW member to weigh in on legislation concerning labor and work-related issues. By joining together, we encourage government actions that will positively impact our families, contracts and communities. Learn more!

Rapid Response News

Union Plus Benefits

Did you know your USW membership entitles you to discounts on wireless, car rentals, movie tickets, car insurance and more? Visit the Union Plus website to view current discounts and programs.

Union Plus Benefits
Rally

What is a Union?

A union is a group of people working together to advance their interests in the workplace through collective action and collective bargaining.

Bargaining Basis

Bargaining Basics

Information on what it means to collectively bargain and how your involvement can help win fair contracts.

The Difference

The Union Difference

Unions allow us to speak with one voice to address the things most important to us on the job and build power for working people.

Know Your Rights

Know Your Rights

Most private sector employees have the right to organize under the National Labor Relations Act.

USW National News

  • It’s Better in a Union

    USW Hosts AFL-CIO Bus Tour Promoting Unions, Fighting Trump USW members helped the AFL-CIO kick off a pro-union bus tour in July with rallies in Pittsburgh and Newport News, Va., denouncing the Trump... —

  • Job-Killing Cuts – Trump Administration Claws Back Funding, Stunting Growth

    USW members at the Libbey Glass plant in Toledo, Ohio, celebrated last year when President Joe Biden’s administration awarded the company up to $45.1 million from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to... —

  • ‘Women of Steel Make Us Stronger’

    20 Years Have Passed Since Members Approved WOS Constitutional Amendment Bonnie Carey has been a Woman of Steel since 1978, when she went to work at the massive aluminum mill in Davenport, Iowa. In a... —

  • Safety Agencies in Danger

    Scheme to Gut Federal Watchdogs Puts Workers at Risk When an explosion at the BP-Husky refinery in Oregon, Ohio, took the lives of Max and Ben Morrissey – siblings by blood and USW membership – in Sep... —

  • ‘We Created a Family’ – After Historic Wins, Blue Bird Workers Look to Future

    Three years ago, Ciera McClinton and many of her co-workers at Blue Bird Corp. were struggling at times to make ends meet and facing issues of favoritism, forced overtime and other unfair conditions o... —

Get Involved!

As USW members, advocacy is at the heart of everything we do. We push for pro-worker policies, and we give back to our communities. We keep each other safe, and we lift up each other’s voices. So whether you’re a seasoned veteran or an emerging activist, there’s a place for you to get more involved.

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Get Involved!