United Steelworkers Press Releases Feed

  • Hundreds of Members Plot Future with New Bargaining Policy
    The following article was published in the Fall 2024 issue of USW@Work. As president of Local 1327, Jennifer Beard represents the production workers at Domtar’s paper facility in Ashdown, Ark. This August, she got her first opportunity to join her USW siblings from across the industry at the union’s paper bargaining policy conference, where they set a new agenda for their industry and prepared to meet those goals with a schedule packed with training sessions and discussions on the future of their craft. “We have to continue to produce quality products in a sustainable way,” Beard said. “And we must continue to be innovative by finding ways to produce products or ways to use our products that will set us up for a positive future.” Those items were on the agenda for Beard and her colleagues at the four-day conference, which included 500 members from across North America. The union’s 10th paper bargaining conference, with the theme “The Power of Paper: We Matter,” brought together a diverse group of workers from one of the union’s largest sectors. For Beard, the conference offered a chance to network with union leaders from across the USW who, despite working in other states or for other companies, shared many of the same issues on the shop floor. “The conference is a way for us to share commonalities and learn from one another,” she said. Aside from kitchen table issues like wages, benefits and retirement security, the conference included presentations and panel discussions on legislative issues, the sector’s efforts on “Raising the Bar for Women’s Health and Safety,” the importance of adding domestic violence leave language to union contracts, and updates from the union’s global allies in the paper industry. In his role as USW international vice president, Luis Mendoza oversees bargaining for about 80,000 members across 550 paper locals and 30 bargaining councils. Fighting for safer and healthier workplaces for each of those members is the most essential aspect of union leadership, he said. “There’s nothing more important than making sure workers get home safely at the end of their day,” Mendoza said. “Fighting for safer workplaces is our most important mission as union leaders.” In addition to Mendoza, the conference included remarks from International President David McCall, International Vice Presidents Emil Ramirez, Kevin Mapp and Roxanne Brown, and Directors Larry Burchfield of District 13, Donnie Blatt of District 1, Cathy Drummond of District 11 and Daniel Flippo of District 9. Randall Child, president of 9-738 at the International Paper mill in Riegelwood, N.C., was attending his fourth paper conference as a union leader. Child, who represents about 380 members at his mill, said it was important for all members to support the union’s national paper bargaining policy and its 10-point safety action plan for making and converting paper. That plan updated the safety priorities for the sector, such as green-on-green training and mental health awareness, and added more focus items, including developing a program for safe work conversations based on critical hazards and underlying factors. “All of those things are critical to making the paper industry safer,” said Child. “This has historically been a very dangerous industry to work in.” Also critical, Child said, is making sure local leaders employ the USW’s “Raising the Bar” document, an action guide with sample contract language aimed at helping workers experiencing intimate partner abuse, as well as other issues including harassment, gender identity, ergonomics, work-life balance, restrooms and change rooms, uniforms, personal protective equipment and reproductive health. Beard agreed that focusing on those issues would improve the environment for all paper workers. “Working in a male-dominated industry, awareness around women’s health and safety is something we all could use,” said Beard. Having a safety and health program in every shop, with buy-in from both rank-and-file members and plant managers, is critical, Child said. That doesn’t happen without USW leaders who advocate on behalf of their members. “That’s the only way you’re going to be safer is to get the workers engaged and bring it down to the workers’ level,” he said. “It doesn’t happen overnight, but things like the conference, where you get to hear from the entire membership, are essential.” Participants also took part in multiple workshops on relevant topics including health and safety, mental health in the workplace, organizing, collective bargaining, Women of Steel, and the USW’s legislative efforts. The union’s legislative work on the federal, state and local levels can be a key factor in building a strong, sustainable future for the industry, Beard said. “We must be active and pressure our legislators to work with us,” she said, “to advocate and produce reasonable solutions when making policy and regular decisions concerning the paper industry.” In one of the key pieces of business at the conference, delegates voted to adopt the 2024-2026 Paper Bargaining Policy as recommended by the elected policy committee. The new policy amends the previous document that members put in place at their 2021 conference, including updates on retirement security language, successorship language and benefit administration, and improvements in vacation at all levels of seniority. “I hope that all of the conference attendees go back to their locals energized to take what they have learned in the plenary sessions and workshops,” Mendoza said. “I hope that through networking and discussions with other local leaders, they can continue the work they do for their members fighting for the economic security, safety and benefits for all workers in the paper sector.” — Oct 15
  • USW Welcomes 23 New Pediatric Specialty Care Workers in Danville, Pa.
    For Danielle Aunkst, a Registered Nurse at Pediatric Specialty Care Medical Day at Danville, the decision to organize was motivated by a desire to continue to show up at her best for the population of vulnerable children in her care. Aunkst and her colleagues work as RNs, LPNs, childcare workers, and more at a pediatric care center in Danville, Pa. The children in their care have chronic lung disease, genetic disorders, seizure disorders, feeding intolerance, and other medical conditions.After months of organizing and a grueling campaign with an employer that forced workers into two separate union elections, Aunkst and her colleagues unanimously voted to join the USW in August. The tight-knit group of 23 was motivated by their desire to build a better future for the center's health care workers, children, and families. “This is what it comes down to: if we can’t have our own health and safety concerns taken care of, how can we take care of these kids?” asked Aunkst. “We’re trying to care for medically fragile children, and we don’t have paid sick days or affordable health insurance.”Aunkst and her colleagues are most excited that unionizing grants them the voice on the job they’ve desperately needed. They also look forward to bargaining over paid time off policies, affordable health insurance, and various employer-sponsored benefits as they prepare to negotiate their first union contract. “We’re a very close-knit facility, and the employer couldn’t break us down,” said Aunkst. “We care about these kids. They are our main focus, and they can’t take that away from us.” — Oct 15
  • USW Health, Safety and Environment Activists Renew Commitment to the Cause
    The following article was featured in the Fall 2024 issue of USW@Work. Before Christopher Burks and his 325 co-workers at Kumho Tire in Macon, Ga., ratified their first contract in August 2023, they had little recourse to address their concerns about health and safety on the job. Now, after a six-year fight against long odds to join the USW, the members of Local 9008 are working under their first union contract, with health and safety language covering training, a workplace safety committee, incident investigations and other important provisions to prevent recurrence. “It was such a long battle. It was a hard fight,” Burks said. “In our first contract, we didn’t get everything we wanted, but we are better than we were before we started, and we are going to continue to grow.” Not long after that first contract took effect at Kumho, in April 2024, 57-year-old worker Steven Brookins was killed in a tragic workplace incident. If not for the USW contract there, members might not have been able to fully participate in the investigation and aftermath of that incident. Founding Principle It is that work – fighting for workers’ safety and health – that is the bedrock principle of union membership, International President David McCall said in August in his address to almost 1,700 members and guests at the USW Health, Safety and Environment Conference in Pittsburgh. “Health and safety is the foundation of the labor movement,” McCall said, emphasizing the importance of steadfast solidarity when it comes to safety. “No matter what the issues are, it’s about workers. It takes every one of us to make things better.” McCall spoke on the conference’s opening day, just after hosting meetings with acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Julie Su, along with Burks and other new USW members from Kumho Tire and Blue Bird bus company in Fort Valley, Ga. Su congratulated the workers on their victories and made the case that having a union to fight for worker protections is the most basic aspect of a good job. “No job should be a death sentence,” Su said. “Every worker should know that they’re going to come home healthy and safe at the end of their work shift.” Protecting Workers Organizing more workers into the union, as USW members have done at Kumho, Blue Bird, the University of Pittsburgh and elsewhere in recent years, is the best way to protect workers, she said. “It happened because you organized, and it happened because you acted in solidarity,” Su said of the recent surge in union activism. “It also happened because leadership matters. Together, we are ushering in a new era of a pro-worker, pro-union America.” Ted Campiso, Rapid Response and safety representative for Local 13-447 in Westwego, La., said that making sure workers are safer on the job is not just a union issue – it also is a political one. “We have to have the right legislation,” Campiso said. “Elections have consequences, and bad things can happen very quickly.” In his address, McCall noted a number of the positive consequences of the Biden-Harris administration’s election in 2020, including new rules limiting worker exposure to silica dust, ensuring safe staffing in nursing facilities, and expanding the rights of workers to participate in incident investigations. Workers across the country made all of those gains thanks to the activism of USW members, McCall said. “We’ve weathered a lot of rough times, but we now have leaders who listen to what our issues are and are sincere about helping us with those problems,” he said. “It’s good to have so many friends who have our backs.” Heat Standard Another victory for worker safety could be on the way in the form of a standard protecting workers from the effects of extreme heat, said James Frederick, a former USW health and safety representative now serving as deputy assistant secretary of labor for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Frederick spoke to members at the conference about the progress his agency has made since January 2021. The heat standard, which the Biden administration proposed this summer and which is currently in the review process, would cover 36 million workers in both indoor and outdoor workplaces, he said. Joining Frederick in addressing the conference was Steve Owens, chair of the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) along with other health and safety regulators. Refinery Tragedy Owens and Frederick led a discussion of the importance of thorough incident investigations, focusing on the tragic loss of two USW members and brothers, Ben and Max Morrissey of Local 1-346, in September 2022 at the BP-Husky oil refinery in Oregon, Ohio. The CSB investigation of that tragedy found a series of failures on the part of refinery management and led the agency to issue seven recommendations to refinery operators, and others, to prevent future tragedies by addressing the safety gaps that led to the fire. “Nearly everything that could go wrong did go wrong during this incident,” Owens said. “The tragic loss of life resulting from this fire underscores the importance of putting in place the tools that employees need to perform tasks safely.” Making sure workers have those tools requires support from the USW, employers, and securing those commitments is one of the most important jobs of a union-management health and safety committee, said USW Health, Safety and Environment Director Steve Sallman. “We are here to do everything we can to prevent this from happening again,” he said. Training and Education For USW members, the work of preventing such fatal and life-altering incidents on the job takes on many forms, including investigating, training workers, inspecting work sites, identifying and eliminating potential hazards, and communicating with members and management about issues of concern. To help members do that work, the weeklong conference provided 303 workshops covering topics such as incident investigation, fatigue, active shooter, whistleblower protections, ergonomics, workplace stress, chemical safety, fall protection, industrial hygiene, cancer in the workplace, reducing toxic exposures, safe patient handling for health care workers, and the first-ever industry/sector breakout meetings. Elaine Stewart, a personal support worker at Cogir and member of Local 8300, said the conference gave her a chance to learn how her fellow health care workers are addressing their on-the-job issues. “I leave knowing other people are going through the same issues of short staffing and workplace violence that we are,” she said. “I know that we can help each other and work together to solve these issues.” Help for Members Campiso said the health, safety and environment conference is one of the most important events for USW members to attend, because it arms local union leaders with the tools and the knowledge they need to make their workplaces safer. “Our union has so many resources, and members need to know about them,” he said. Those resources include assistance with incident investigations, training and education through the USW’s grant-funded Tony Mazzocchi Center, and help in the aftermath of tragic events through the union’s Emergency Response Team (ERT). The ERT provides members and families with immediate aid, counseling, help in investigating root causes of accidents, as well as assistance with legal, financial and other needs. ERT Director Duronda Pope, formerly a member of Local 8031 in Denver, said that even though the work of ERT coordinators can be extremely difficult and stressful, it also can be the most rewarding work union members do. The ERT currently has 62 team members across the United States and Canada. “We advocate for people during the worst time in their lives,” Pope said. “Looking after each other is key, because we are our brother’s and sister’s keeper.” The conference’s second day began with a solemn reminder of why that work is so critical. The conference hall fell silent as video screens displayed the traditional memorial scroll with the names of workers who had their lives taken from them at USW-represented workplaces since the union’s last health, safety and environment conference in April 2023. That memorial, McCall said, is the most important part of the event. “It really is a stark reminder that our work is never done,” McCall said. “We don’t know how many lives we’ve saved. There’s no way to measure it, but it’s work that can never stop, and we can never quit.” — Oct 11
  • Atomic Energy Workers Council Focuses on Retention, Safety
    At the Atomic Energy Workers Council (AEWC) biannual meeting last week, representatives from the United Steelworkers (USW) addressed pressing challenges facing atomic workers, including retention, health and safety concerns, and the upcoming presidential election. Retention challenges at the forefront Derek Gaston, Deputy Technical Area Director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation program, addressed the council about the workforce needed to achieve the Biden administration’s goal of tripling nuclear energy output by 2028. Gaston estimated that nearly 375,000 new workers will be required—approximately four times the current workforce. “We need your help to reach these goals,” Gaston said. “The future of nuclear energy relies on a strong, well-trained workforce.” Council members voiced concerns about the recruitment and training necessary to meet these ambitious goals. Matt Chavez, President of USW Local 12-652 at the Idaho National Lab, pointed out that issues related to wages, pensions, and stringent clearance requirements are hindering recruitment efforts, particularly among younger workers. “These guys are seeing the writing on the wall – employees will be jumping ship,” Chavez noted, highlighting higher wages available in nearby Boise. “We’ll face serious challenges if we don’t address this.”  Safety and maintenance concerns Jeff Avery, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Office of Environmental Management, listened as representatives from various atomic sites raised alarms about health and safety due to inadequate maintenance of facilities and equipment. At the Idaho National Lab, council members reported a number of pressing health and safety concerns regarding equipment and infrastructure. Representatives from the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant also highlighted the urgent need for upgrades to critical infrastructure at the New Mexico site. Avery acknowledged a “broad awareness” within the EM office that WIPP requires funding from the DOE for these projects. Training and workforce development successes Despite these challenges, USW-led training programs for nuclear workers are proving successful. The USW Tony Mazzocchi Center (USWTMC) has surpassed its workforce development target, achieving 123 percent of its goal for the number of nuclear workers trained through TMC programs. The Portsmouth, Ohio site continues to improve its training efforts and recently secured a $2 million grant to provide skills training and certification programs for 700 workers. Looking ahead USW International Vice President Roxanne Brown, who leads both the USW’s legislative work and the union’s atomic sector, underscored the significance of the upcoming 2024 presidential election for the nuclear industry. “This sector is unique; who occupies the White House and leads Congress truly matters,” Brown stated. The USW has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz for the presidential ticket, expressing confidence that Harris will continue to champion essential policies for the sector, such as climate action and workforce development. The council intends to meet with the incoming administration next year to outline their priorities. “We want to ensure that we clearly communicate our expectations for this sector and its implications for the economy,” Brown emphasized. As the council prepares for the next administration, the focus will be on securing firm commitments for the future of atomic workers. The AEWC plans to reconvene in April 2025 at the USW’s Constitutional Convention to consolidate the priorities they want to deliver to the next administration. “This is fundamentally about ensuring a future for our jobs at these sites,” Brown said. “We have a unique opportunity to outline what that future should look like. We know how to do this work; we just need to be clear and specific about our requests.”  — Oct 8
  • From the SOAR Director: USW Retirees and Active Members Hopeful for Continued Progress in 2024 Elections
    With the 2024 election fresh in our minds, I thought I’d take this opportunity to take stock of the top legislative and policy victories we’ve secured over the last four years.  While we can’t possibly list every victory, I’m hopeful that this review will embolden and motivate us for the important work that lies ahead.  Federal legislative and policy victories:
    • Union Pensions Rescued:  120,000 active and retired USW members were among the 1.3 million union members whose pensions were rescued by the Biden/Harris American Rescue Plan.
    • Lower Prescription Drug Costs were achieved through the historic Inflation Reduction Act, which empowered Medicare to negotiate costs with drug manufacturers.  As a result, Medicare recipients now enjoy a $35 monthly cap for their insulin and, beginning in 2025, a $2,000 cap on out-of-pocket prescription costs, saving an estimated 19 million Medicare beneficiaries $400 per year on average. 
    • Renewed, Pro-worker direction at the National Labor Relations Board has helped spur a massive surge in union elections.  President Biden took swift action to fire the former NLRB general counsel who turned the Board against workers, chipping away at our bargaining ability and generally weakening unions.  Then, on numerous occasions, Vice President Kamala Harris cast the tie-breaking vote to confirm labor-friendly members to the Board, creating an opportunity to restore and increase Board funding and to reverse Trump-era rules that restricted union activities in American worksites.
    • Historic investments in American manufacturing, thanks to another tie-breaking vote from Vice President Harris, helped pass the Biden/Harris Inflation Reduction Act.  This law is sparking private investment in new manufacturing and has provided existing facilities with the resources to upgrade technology to remain competitive.
    • Hard-fought improvements in workplace health and safety include a new ban on the import and use of asbestos in worksites and a long-awaited rule to limit workers’ exposure to silica dust.  Additionally, the Biden/Harris Department of Labor has moved to create a new federal standard to protect workers from heat-related illnesses and death. 
    State-level legislative and policy victories: 
    • Michigan’s newly-elected, pro-union governor and legislature – the state’s first in nearly 40 years – acted to restore workers’ collective bargaining rights by repealing the state’s so-called right-to-work law and putting an end to the unfair pension tax.
    • Minnesota’s pro-worker, pro-retiree legislature and governor, Tim Walz (now our endorsed Vice Presidential Nominee), passed a state budget (HF3028/SF3035) that was hailed as the “most significant worker protection bill in state history.”
    • In Ohio, voters defeated Issue 1, which would have raised the threshold for voters to amend the constitution to a supermajority of 60 percent and enacted stricter requirements for getting amendments on the ballot.
    I hope this much-abbreviated list of accomplishments fills you with confidence and resolve as we gear up for another year of fighting to strengthen union power, enhance workplace safety and health, and protect every American’s right to a secure retirement. While much attention has been focused on the presidential campaign, we must remember that state and federal lawmakers also make the decisions that impact our access to health care, our ability to afford prescribed medications, the availability of various health care services in our communities, and so much more. Strengthening retirement security has long been a top priority of Steelworkers, as evidenced by our 2020, 2022 and 2024 Your Union, Your Voice (YUYV) survey results.  We must remain vigilant in growing union power as we celebrate these policy victories and keep the momentum going.    -Julie SteinSOAR Director     — Oct 3