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Portsmouth Local 689 President Herman Potter Announces Retirement USW Local 689 President Herman Potter announced his retirement after 36 years of serving the local in southern Ohio and working at the Portsmouth former gaseous diffusion plant as a lab technician and production process operator. Potter will retire from his position with North Wind Dynamics (NWD) and resign from his union leadership role effective Feb. 2, 2025. Potter has held various roles in the local union throughout his career, including safety representative, vice president and president. Potter was also instrumental in setting priorities during his longtime membership to the Atomic Energy Workers Council (AEWC). “Stepping away at this time will allow me to reduce my workload and also give others in our local opportunities to move into leadership positions,” said Potter in a letter to Local 689 members in early January. Evan Brown, the local union’s vice president, is set to succeed him as president of Local 689. Potter expressed his intention to possibly engage in part-time assignments for the USW and to continue his membership on the EM advisory board for Portsmouth. Potter has been heavily involved in improving the community surrounding the Portsmouth plant throughout his career, serving on the board of the Southern Ohio Diversification Initiative and collaborating with other organizations to improve the quality of life for residents. “Herman’s leadership and dedication to his local and to workers in the nuclear sector have been instrumental in improving both the safety of our members and advancing key nuclear legislation,” said USW International Vice President Roxanne Brown, who has worked closely with Potter on AEWC in her role overseeing the council. “His tireless efforts within Local 689, on the council and in his community to help revitalize and seek long-term investments for the Portsmouth site have left a lasting legacy that will continue to benefit our members and Pike County for years to come. We thank Herman for his service and wish him all the best as he enters retirement.” In addition to thanking his fellow local USW members, Potter also acknowledged the cooperation of DOE and its contractors in addressing worksite issues and planning for the re-industrialization of the former gaseous diffusion plant complex, stating, “Even though there have been differences of opinion, I do not feel it was personal.” Click here to read more about Potter and his fellow union members at Portsmouth, who were featured in the Fall 2024 issue of USW@Work magazine. — Jan 29
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From the SOAR Director: Biden Expands Social Security, Supports Domestic Steel During Final Days of Presidency In early January, concluding what has been said by many to be the most pro-worker administration in history, President Joe Biden acted on two fronts that will directly impact Steelworker members and retirees for years to come. Most recently, on January 5, President Biden became the first president in more than 20 years to expand Social Security benefits after signing the Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. 82) into law. The new law passed with large bipartisan majorities in the U.S. House (327 to 75) and Senate (76 to 20) and will ensure a dignified retirement for more than three million police officers, firefighters, nurses, postal workers, teachers, and other public sector workers and their surviving family members. By eliminating the unjust Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP), H.R. 82 will lead to an average monthly benefit increase of $360 for frontline workers who have dedicated their lives to serving our communities. "The bill I'm signing today is about a simple proposition: Americans who have worked hard all their lives to earn an honest living should be able to retire with economic security and dignity," Biden said. Additionally, after a year-long campaign by our union to educate lawmakers, stakeholders, USW members and families about the potential drawbacks of the proposal to sell U.S. Steel to Nippon, a campaign aimed to build bi-partisan support for our position, President Biden acted on USW members’ behalf and blocked the deal. In a statement following President Biden’s action, United Steelworkers International President David McCall said: “Throughout the past year, as the proposed transaction was under review, our union’s first and only concern has been the long-term viability of our facilities as we look to ensure a strong domestic steel industry well into the future. “Nippon has proven itself to be a serial trade cheater that for decades worked to undermine our domestic industry by dumping its products into our market. Allowing it to purchase U.S. Steel would have offered it the opportunity to further destabilize our trade system from within and in the process, compromise our ability to meet our own national security and critical infrastructure needs. “It’s clear from U.S. Steel’s recent financial performance that it can easily remain a strong and resilient company. We now call on U.S. Steel’s board of directors to take the necessary steps to allow it to further flourish and remain profitable.” The USW also commended President-elect Donald Trump for his continued opposition to Nippon Steel’s acquisition of U.S. Steel. We remain steadfast in our pledge to work with any administration that shares our commitment to sustaining a thriving, domestically owned and operated steel industry. Click HERE to see the recent statement on the blocked U.S. Steel/Nippon agreement. — Jan 29
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From the SOAR President: It’s a New Year, and We Begin With a Conference I hope everyone enjoyed a healthy and happy holiday season, is well-rested, and is ready to begin another year of activism and involvement in your community and your union through SOAR. As the International SOAR Conference approaches this year, I would like to give a heads-up to those who plan to attend regarding what will take place. SOAR will be celebrating our 40th anniversary and will recognize some of the accomplishments of our members and chapters during this time. During the Conference, we will hold elections to elect or re-elect members of the SOAR Executive Board. The SOAR delegates in attendance will debate and vote on resolutions submitted by chapters and the SOAR Executive Board concerning how we operate as an organization. We will discuss the successes of our efforts aimed at improving the quality of life for our members, as well as outline what steps we need to take in the future to maintain or enhance their standard of living. Some of the achievements we will celebrate include:
- The passage of the Butch Lewis Act (which protected the pension of many of our members in multi-employer plans.)
- Passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (which put a cap on out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs and made certain vaccines available without cost-sharing.)
- The recent passage of the Social Security Fairness Act that repealed the Social Security Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset, two pieces of federal law that robbed millions of public servants of Social Security benefits they earned for over 40 years, (which reduced Social Security benefits for nearly 3 million retirees, many of them USW retirees.)
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Michigan Public Sector Workers: We Need Your Voice Now More than Ever. Click here to download this Action Call as a PDF. Michigan Public Sector Workers: We Need Your Voice Now More than Ever. This Wednesday, January 29, at 7:00 PM ET, the labor movement is hosting a critical town hall to discuss the alarming changes to public-sector workers’ healthcare caused by Speaker of the House Matt Hall’s unconstitutional actions. These changes could cost workers like you thousands of dollars a year. We must act together to protect the healthcare benefits you’ve earned. This town hall is your opportunity to get the latest updates from your union, learn what these changes mean for you and your family, and find out how we can fight back to stop these devastating policies. Public Sector Healthcare Changes Town Hall When: Wednesday, January 29, 2025 Time: 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM ET Where: Online (RSVP for the link) Click HERE to RSVP. Once registered, you’ll receive the link to join. We are reaching out to public sector workers specifically for this call to ensure you have the most up to date information on the status of HB 6058 (80/20 Hard Caps). Please click HERE to see additional information on the bill and to take action. For additional information, please contact District 1 Rapid Response Coordinator, Sue Browne at [email protected] or 269-838-5956. — Jan 27
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Labor Rallied Against Right-to-Work in New Hampshire! Click here to download this Feedback Report as a PDF. Despite the -10° temperatures on Wednesday, nearly 200 labor supporters turned out to protest HB 238-FN, the “Right-to-Work” bill in New Hampshire. In addition to the rally, over 1,400 individuals registered their opposition. These impressive actions are thanks to your efforts! Due to the large volume of testimonies submitted, the House Labor Committee has postponed their vote on the bill, which is now set for Tuesday, January 28th at 10:00 AM. NEXT STEPS Prior to the House Labor Committee’s vote, a labor rally will be held. Details are below. WHEN: Tuesday, January 28, 2025 from 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM WHERE: 33 North State Street, Concord, NH 03301 NOTES: The rally will be held outside. For updates regarding the rally, please visit the Facebook Event Page. Stay tuned for more information following the House Labor Committee vote! For more information on this issue or how you can get more involved with Rapid Response, please contact District 4 Rapid Response Coordinator, Mark McDonald, at [email protected]. — Jan 27
United Steelworkers Press Releases Feed
- Portsmouth Local 689 President Herman Potter Announces Retirement
- From the SOAR Director: Biden Expands Social Security, Supports Domestic Steel During Final Days of Presidency
- From the SOAR President: It’s a New Year, and We Begin With a Conference
- Michigan Public Sector Workers: We Need Your Voice Now More than Ever.
- Labor Rallied Against Right-to-Work in New Hampshire!