United Steelworkers Press Releases Feed

  • Part 1: Labor and Elections
    The most important work we do as a union involves bargaining and enforcing good contracts to secure fair wages, dependable benefits and safe working conditions. However, whether we like it or not, workplace health and safety, wage and overtime regulations, retirement security and even our right to organize and bargain collectively are all tied to local, state and federal laws and the people making them. In August, the USW will officially launch our 2022 efforts to elect lawmakers who will support workers, no matter their party affiliation. If you’re new to our union or even a veteran USW member who has just now gotten involved in our union’s political work, you might not be aware of the fact that much of our union’s efforts around elections are carried out collaboratively with dozens of other unions under the umbrella of the AFL-CIO.  This campaign, which will be more commonly referred to as Labor 2022, will be active in states across the country. However, most of our resources and “people power” will go to those legislative districts that have competitive campaigns and enough union voters to carry labor-friendly candidates to victory on Election Day, which is Tues., Nov. 8. Labor 2022 will tap into the hard work of USW members, retirees, our families and community allies who will volunteer their time registering voters, talking to fellow members at their homes, attending rallies in support of pro-worker candidates and much, much more. Additionally, the USW will enlist dozens of members who will take union leave so they can dedicate their time and efforts to recruiting and training union volunteers, and helping plan and execute the day-to-day strategies of our campaign. In order to achieve the best possible outcome for our members and all working families, our union is working tirelessly to prepare for the midterm elections in November. But, this work isn’t just happening right now. It dates back to the days of our union’s founding. Did You Know At the United Steelworkers’ first Constitutional Convention in 1942, delegates passed a resolution on Political Action (Resolution No. 14), which stated:
    1. “The United Steelworkers of America pledges its full efforts in all elections to secure election to Congress of representatives, regardless of political faith or allegiance, who have demonstrated that they may be relied upon to back the full objectives of labor,” and,
    2. “that the United Steelworkers of America urges that the CIO and its affiliates and the AFL and the Railroad Brotherhoods undertake joint action through the nation in conformity with this pledge.” 
    And so, Resolution 14 began our union’s longstanding commitment to political organizing.     — Jun 27
  • Dave McCall discusses the link between inflation and corporate greed on the Leslie Marshall Show
    USW International Vice President Dave McCall appeared on the Leslie Marshall Show this week to discuss the ways in which corporate greed is fueling inflation. Price gouging impacted nearly every sector of the economy, McCall said, leading to huge profits for many corporations, while working people suffer. “It's an issue that we really need to come to terms with as citizens in this country, to stop this kind of gouging that the corporations get away with,” said McCall. While corporations rake in the profits, they’re lining stockholders’ pockets with billions in dividends and buybacks. “It's always about stockholder value,” said McCall. “How about what's good for our economy and good for working people and working families in this country?” Oil and gas companies are intentionally limiting gasoline production to keep prices high, McCall said. Grocery chains like Kroger and Albertsons and food companies like General Mills are also reaping huge profits while consumers pay the price. Broken supply chains are partly to blame. Yet these, too, are caused by years of corporations outsourcing production overseas in order to cut costs, McCall said. Producing the goods and services we need domestically with union labor is one major way to make sure working people receive a fair cut of the profits companies pull in. “The real way to have a growing economy is having people go into work making a decent living,” said McCall. “Instead of being angry with each other all the time, we got to think about working together and think about who the real enemy is -- some of these corporations that are unbelievably raking in the profits.”  Click below to listen to the full interview with Dave McCall about inflation and corporate greed. USW New Media · What Greedy Corporations Don't Want Working Families To Know About Inflation — Jun 23
  • Minnesota health care local scores multiple wins, bonuses in latest contract
    Roughly 70 members at the Range Center in Hibbing, Minn., who provide top-level care to people with mental and physical disabilities, won multiple gains in their latest contract that was negotiated in a single day. One of the top priorities at the bargaining table for Marketa Anderson, president of amalgamated Local 9349 and unit chair for the Range Center, was recognition pay for workers who’ve been at the center for many years. “It’s the veterans who keep this place going,” Anderson said. “It was important for their work and commitment to be recognized.” The bargaining committee was able to do just that and secured longevity bonuses for employees with a minimum of two years of service. They also won significant increases to starting wages for all job classifications, from dietary instructors and office assistants to licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and custodial workers. Maintenance technician starting wages saw the biggest increase by $4.25 per hour. The team also negotiated an increase to the company’s monthly contribution to the workers’ HSA from $50 to $100, helping to offset rising costs. The local has seven more contracts up for negotiations this year with large health care employers, including Essentia Health. Anderson said they are hoping to continue building community support as these campaigns launch. — Jun 20
  • Sharing our Fred Redmond with the World
    In a moving moment earlier this week, our International President Tom Conway formally nominated our former Vice President Fred Redmond as Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL-CIO, making Fred the highest-ranking black American labor leader ever. Fred will lead America's 12.5 million union members along with Liz Shuler, who was elected the first-ever female President of the AFL-CIO at the same convention. Conway, a member of the nation's top labor organization's executive council, was flanked by USW leadership and members who attended the convention when he said, "I'm surrounded by our family today and we're all so proud to make this nomination of our brother, Fred Redmond. "This is an amazing story of a man who can trace his ancestry on both sides - maternal and paternal - to slavery," Conway said as he recounted the personal story of Redmond's family's rise from cotton fields to a middle-class life in Chicago, in part, thanks to good, union jobs at Steelworkers facilities.  "Fred remembers getting dental coverage and good healthcare through his union," Conway recalled. "Eventually Fred followed in the footsteps of his uncle and Dad and worked his way up through our union's ranks." "Our union could not be prouder of Fred. There is no one better prepared," Conway said. Redmond gave the USW a special shoutout in his acceptance speech. "I want to give special thanks to my union, the United Steelworkers, and to president Tom Conway for putting my name forward and for your unyielding trust in me. The Steelworkers union has nurtured me and allowed me the opportunity to be a leader in our great union. And I will always be indebted to you and to former president Leo Gerard, who brought me on board," Redmond said in his speech in Philadelphia. Watch the whole segment here, followed by Fred's full acceptance speech:  Watch Fred's acceptance speech here: — Jun 18
  • Solvay Execs Outline Company Split at Global Forum Meeting, Emphasize Continuity
    Solvay’s planned split into two, independent public companies will not immediately impact USW members, corporate officials told the Solvay Global Forum at its March 28-April 1 meeting in Brussels. The Solvay Global Forum meets in person annually in Brussels, site of the company’s corporate headquarters, to discuss with management the state of the company’s businesses, plans for future investments, challenges, and policies and procedures. Pictured: Solvay Global Forum and Solvay management team. Eight worker representatives from the company’s facilities around the globe and three management representatives are members of the forum. Jeff Hill, a member of Local 14200 at the Solvay Marietta, Ohio, plant, is the forum’s North American labor representative. At this year’s meeting, Solvay CEO Illham Kadri explained the split, which the company calls the “Power of Two.” The separation is scheduled to be completed in the third quarter of 2023. One company will include commodity chemicals and have nine U.S. plants. Local 7-765-01 at Chicago Heights and Local 4294-03 at Alorton, Ill., are two Solvay sites likely to fit into this business, Hill said. The second company will have nine U.S. sites and focus on chemical materials and items like specialty polymers that are more complex to manufacture, Hill said. He said the Marietta, Ohio, plant will likely fit into this business. “The split won’t impact union contracts initially,” Hill said, “Solvay will keep everything in place to keep anxiety down.” To that end, the same labor relations model will govern both companies: Each one will have a global forum, a European Works Council and a board of directors. During its meeting, the Solvay Global Forum also addressed the yearly bonus, the proposed stock purchase plan and changes to the family leave policies, which now allows employees to break up their 16 weeks of leave into multiple chunks within one year as long as the scheduling is reasonable. During the forum meeting, IndustriALL and Solvay signed the Global Framework Agreement for an additional four-year term.  Both parties also signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for Labor Relations in the United States that establishes a task force of union leaders and management that works toward ensuring the Global Framework Agreement is properly implemented.   Both documents also promote “social dialogue” between workers and management, a commitment to labor rights, health and safety protections, environmentally sustainable operations and a pledge to remain neutral in organizing. This fall, Local 14200 President Greg May will take over as the forum’s North American labor representative, upon Hill’s retirement. Hill has been a member of the Solvay Global Forum since its first meeting in March 2015. “The Solvay Global Forum has been invaluable for resolving conflicts some USW locals had with plant managers and U.S. Solvay management,” Hill said. “It has enabled us to improve U.S. labor relations, and has been an incredible experience for me to make our workplaces better.” — Jun 13