United Steelworkers Press Releases Feed

  • Health Care Workers Dive into Tailored Programming at 2024 Health, Safety and Environment Conference
    Dozens of health care workers from districts across the union sharpened their skills and shared their stories last week at the 2024 Health, Safety and Environment Conference in Pittsburgh, Pa.Dietary workers, paramedics, pharmaceutical workers, CNAs, LPNs, and others participated in a full day of customized health care programming on Wednesday.  In a first-of-its-kind offering, health care workers discussed how new technologies impact workers and patients alike in a session titled Technology in Health Care: Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Sensors, and More. Members shared their experiences with robots that deliver food to patients, electronic welcome screens and kiosks, and automated call-backs for patients. While AI and new technologies will continue to impact USW workplaces, the union provides avenues to address issues and respond proactively at the bargaining table and beyond. “We’ve been down this road before as Steelworkers,” said Tamara Lefcowitz, course facilitator and coordinator for the Health Care Workers Council. “We’ve been dealing with new technologies and automation for 80 years. The biggest weapon that we have is a seat at the table.”Health care members of all stripes also benefited from workshops like Ergonomics in Health Care: Safe Patient Handling and Office Equipment, which reviewed ergonomic hazards unique to patient care and office work. Lisa Baum, an Occupational Health and Safety Representative for the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) and a member of USW Local 9544, and Micki Siegel de Hernandez, the Communication Workers of America’s (CWA) National Deputy Director for Occupational Safety and Health facilitated the course. The workshop also featured a hands-on presentation of safe patient handling equipment and a practice computer workstation. Equipment specialists were available to answer specific questions.Wednesday’s programming concluded with Mental Health for Health Care Workers, a panel discussion examining the taxing nature of caregiving and how the union can help. The panel had several important takeaways for Elaine Stewart, a personal support worker from Local 8300 in Toronto.“Mental health impacts all of us in some way,” said Elaine. “As a union steward and member of my local’s health and safety committee, I feel like I will be better able to serve my coworkers if someone calls me needing help or support.” The health care track at this year’s conference was made possible by the USW Health Care Workers Council, the USW Health, Safety, and Environment Department, the Tony Mazzocchi Center, the Education and Membership Development Department, and the union’s Legislative and Policy Department.  — Aug 27
  • Union Members Serve Up Pyrex Glassware
    When Heather Roberts travels outside of her small hometown of Charleroi, Pa., and tells people where she is from, more often than not, they recognize that it also is home to Pyrex, the iconic heat- and shatter-resistant glassware that has been a staple in American kitchens for generations. Roberts is president of Local 53G, which includes more than 260 workers who produce the glass storage and mixing bowls, measuring cups and baking dishes for which the Pyrex brand has been known for more than a century. “We take a lot of pride in what we do,” Roberts said of herself and her co-workers, which over the years have included her husband, mother, father-in-law, sister and numerous other relatives and neighbors. Members of Local 53G make the well-known glassware while, about 150 miles to the east, in Greencastle, Pa., members of Local 1024 process and manage online orders and distribution of the products. Roberts has worked at the factory for 17 years, and in 2015, she joined her co-workers and the town (population 4,200) in celebrating the brand’s 100th birthday. In honor of the centennial, Charleroi renamed itself Pyrex, Pa., for 100 days and held a large-scale celebration with a giant measuring cup as the centerpiece. When she and her fellow Women of Steel engage in their regular community outreach efforts, Roberts said, they often encounter residents who identify closely with the Pyrex brand, even if they never worked at the factory. When the company holds occasional public sales in town, lines stretch out the door, Roberts said. “People come from everywhere,” she said. For More Information: Visit corelle.com/pages/pyrex. #USWMade is a feature focusing on products made by USW members that consumers can purchase in stores or online. Follow the #USWMade hashtag on social media and check out the #USWMade playlist on YouTube to learn about other products made by USW members. If your local makes a product that you would like to feature in USW@Work, send an email to: [email protected]. — Aug 21
  • The Future of Steel at EVRAZ Pueblo
    From Rail Lines to Steel Pipe to Rebar, USW Members at Colorado Mill Support Nation’s Infrastructure Needs Chuck Perko is a fourth-generation steelworker who still wears his grandfather’s USW dues-payer’s pin. The president of Local 3267, he works at a mill in Pueblo, Colo., that has existed for more than 150 years. The mill has employed thousands over those decades, providing an economic boom for the entire region. While Perko and his 1,000 USW colleagues in two local unions at EVRAZ Pueblo are rightly proud of that history, the future of their workplace is just as compelling as its past. Construction for a state-of-the-art $900 million long rail mill is ongoing, and the facility is scheduled to begin operations early next year. The mill will have the capacity to produce quarter-mile-long sections of rail that can be used in high-speed train projects. “We will be one of two mills in the country that can produce it,” Perko said. “We definitely stand to benefit from the rail business.” Infrastructure Law That business got a significant boost from the Biden administration’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which included $66 billion in new funding for passenger and freight rail over 10 years. That, coupled with hundreds of billions more earmarked for roads, bridges, waterlines, and other projects, means USW members in Pueblo can look forward to a future of good-paying, community supporting jobs, the kind that the mill has provided for generations. “What this mill does for Pueblo is just amazing,” said Ashton King, who works at the factory with both of his parents. “It’s great being a part of that history, and still being able to make these rails today.” Steelworkers’ Pride While the new rail mill represents the future for members of Local 3267 (clerical and technical) and Local 2102 (production and maintenance), other parts of the mill – where members recycle and manufacture reinforcing bar, known as rebar, steel rod, and seamless pipe – also stand to benefit from the infrastructure law. “It feels good to be a part of something that I know is going to make a difference,” said Theo Garcia, a Local 2102 member and utility man whose family has worked at the mill for three generations. Like Garcia, Rodney Himelrick has worked at the mill for about seven years. And, like his union siblings, he takes tremendous pride in the products they produce at EVRAZ Pueblo. “We’re making a good, strong product that is going to last a long time,” Himelrick said. “It’s going to help America for a long time.” Focus on Sustainability In addition to supplying essential components for the nation’s growing infrastructure needs, EVRAZ Pueblo is one of the world’s most sustainable steel mills. The mill boasts the largest on-site solar field for a U.S. mill, with 750,000 panels providing 95 percent of the plant’s electricity needs. As one of the largest vertically integrated steelmakers in North America, EVRAZ also operates 17 recycling facilities throughout the continent, supplying scrap metal for their electric arc furnaces. The new rail mill – which EVRAZ Pueblo’s senior director of operations Dmitry Belov calls the steel mill of the future – will bring with it the promise of hundreds of jobs and a prosperous future for the company, its workers and the community. Core USW Values That was exactly the idea when, in 2021, USW members mounted a campaign for, and President Joe Biden delivered, a massive $1.2 trillion infrastructure package. The plan was to provide much-needed upgrades to the nation’s roads, bridges, airports, shipping and rail systems, communications, water and utility networks, and other vital programs, while putting more Americans to work in good-paying union jobs that support families and build strong communities. Moody’s Analytics predicts that, by 2025, the new law will create nearly 900,000 jobs, many of them in industries where USW members work. The law also includes strong Buy American provisions to ensure U.S. workers reap the benefits of their tax dollars, an important step as China continues to undercut the North American steel market with cheap, subsidized and often illegally traded products. The infrastructure program – promised but never delivered by his predecessor –  was one of several key legislative wins Biden achieved that match up perfectly with the USW’s core values. Those values are reflected in members like Jeff Varner, who has worked at EVRAZ Pueblo off and on since 2013. Varner, now in his second stint at the mill, looks forward to a secure retirement thanks to his service at the plant and his membership in the USW. “I knew that this was an opportunity to support my family,” said Varner, who spends his shifts operating and monitoring activity in the furnace. “How many people in the world get to do what I do every day?” The opportunity to work at a historic and cutting-edge steel mill, while earning strong USW-negotiated wages and benefits, makes jobs at the Pueblo site among the best in Colorado, said Local 2102 President Eric Ludwig. Mary VanGorder, who has worked at the mill for nearly three years, said that between pay and benefits, she received a “life-changing” $32,000-a-year raise from her previous job when she arrived at the mill. “There aren’t many places in Pueblo that can offer what this place has to offer,” said seven-year member Daniel Duran. Besides the solid financial benefits, their USW membership gives workers in Pueblo a voice in efforts to improve health and safety at the plant, a priority that they share with mill management. USW member Rich Darris, who serves on the labor-management safety and health committee, described the group’s efforts as a “symbiotic relationship.” “We work hand-in-hand with the company,” he said. “With the union behind you, there is more of a safety net.” Continuing that collaboration as the future of steel unfolds in the Rocky Mountains, and at similar facilities across the union, means a solid foundation for U.S. manufacturing for years to come, said District 12 Director Gaylan Prescott, whose region includes thousands of members in Colorado and 10 other Western states. “Thanks to the infrastructure law and other federal efforts, we are growing our manufacturing capacity, strengthening our supply chains,” Prescott said, “and USW members are leading the way.” That resurgence is as evident in Pueblo – known as the “steel city” of the West – as it is anywhere in the country. “It is ingrained in this town,” Darris said. “It’s a matter of pride.” Click here to view and download the summer 2024 issue of USW@Work. — Aug 16
  • Paige Cisco Prioritizes Health and Safety at Local 689 in Ohio
    For Paige Cisco of Local 689, fighting for workers’ health and safety is what motivates her every day. Cisco first began working at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Ohio six years ago in order to be closer to her family. Both her parents worked at the plant, and her father was facing cancer for the second time. One thing she knew she wanted to do with her time in the union, especially since the nuclear field can be a dangerous one, was become a health and safety representative. “I don’t want anyone getting sick again like my dad,” she said. “I don’t want anyone else to struggle the way my family has struggled.” Cisco said that many outsiders, and even some atomic workers, believe the only risk of the job is radiation. Chemical exposure is also a concern as workers at the plant tear down old facilities and enrich uranium. “I care about everyone out there, and this new generation coming in has no historical knowledge about the industry and its dangers,” said Cisco. The full-time health and safety representative educates her fellow members every chance she gets, as well as serving as a worker-trainer through the USW Tony Mazzocchi Center. Her team is currently implementing hazard mapping to train everyone across the massive atomic site. Cisco believes this education is vital as the local’s membership continues to grow. “We’re organizing constantly,” she said. “People want to join the union and work here.” Cisco was first motivated to get more involved in the union, particularly the USW Women of Steel Leadership Development Course, from the encouragement of two women in her local. “Watching those two and how they handle things made me want to get involved,” she said. “I want to keep the gate open so more women step up when the older generation leaves. I want to be a mentor the way others were mentors for me.” What Cisco loves most about the leadership program is its focus on comradery and self-care. “What we learn goes beyond the union,” she said. “It’s really about building us up as people and making us the best version of ourselves.” — Aug 16
  • Rapid Response: Feedback Report: Great Work, Massachusetts Steelworkers!
    Click here to download this Feedback Report as a PDF. The legislative session has ended in the Massachusetts statehouse, and we are thrilled to report that we were successful in two key USW issue areas.Protecting Our Job Security and Health and SafetyLast month, you sent over 1,100 letters to your legislators asking that they put Massachusetts’ safety first by stripping out two amendments from an energy bill that would impact both the work our gas workers do and the safety of the communities they serve.Because of your engagement, those amendments did not make it into the bill for final passage. We know this issue will resurface in the next legislative session, so we must be ready to have a responsible plan in place to ensure we are protecting our members as well as the environment. We know both can be accomplished through commonsense and responsible measures.USW members have long led the fight within the labor movement to help both America and the world meet important climate goals, while also creating and maintaining good, family-supporting jobs in our union. However, not all legislation shares these goals, and we have to be sure we have a seat at the table for those discussions. Honoring Our VeteransFor the last four years, the USW has been championing legislation across the country that requires a standardized workplace posting that includes basic information about benefits to which Veterans are entitled and a way to learn more about programs designed to help them. Our veterans often return to civilian life after serving our nation without guidance on how to receive the benefits their service entitles them. This legislation brings us one step closer to making sure their sacrifice is properly honored.We are so happy to share our language was included in the HERO Act (H.4976). This was done through the hard work of our Veterans of Steel siblings and USW members who support them through our lobbying efforts. We will continue to push for the same legislation in every state across the country. These efforts help to ease the transition back into civilian life and ensure that families and communities are supported after giving selflessly for our country This good work never gets done without you. Thank you! — Aug 16