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Rapid Response Feedback Report: Great Work, Illinois Steelworkers! Click here to download this Feedback Report as a PDF. The legislative session has ended in the Illinois statehouse, and we are thrilled to report that, with your help, we were successful in ushering through two bills we lobbied on at the District’s Illinois Lobby Day back in April. Ensuring Fairness in Our Right to OrganizeWhen Illinois voters passed the Workers’ Rights Amendment in 2022, they made it clear that workers’ rights come first. When we get momentum, we take opportunity in it. That’s why we made our next priority the Illinois Worker Freedom of Speech Act, SB 3649. The legislation tackles the growing problem of employer-run “captive audience” meetings where an employer shares their political or religious views with employees who are forced to attend. Meetings often include anti-union rhetoric in an attempt to derail organizing drives. Because of your hard work, SB 3649 has been signed into law in Illinois. This is a massive win for workers and the labor movement! Honoring Our VeteransFor the last four years, the USW has been championing legislation across the country which would require 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 bill, HB 4757, has now been signed into law! This was accomplished through the hard work of our Veterans of Steel siblings and USW members who support them through our lobbying efforts, and 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, and having your voices front in center in front of legislators has critical impact. Thank you! — Aug 16
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Rapid Response Activists Deliver Message of Good Jobs and Fair Trade to Capitol Hill Jessie Newson Jr. of Local 7686 led 700 of his fellow USW members on a march and rally in Washington, D.C., this spring as they called on Congress to restore the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program, a crucial support system for displaced workers. Newson learned in 2016 how vital TAA benefits can be when he, along with hundreds of his fellow members, endured the idling of the Missouri aluminum smelter where they worked, a casualty of unfair imports. “TAA provided a lifeline for us,” he said. “It helped out union members in a very dark time.” With their workplace now idled again, Local 7686 members are facing similar struggles, this time without any help from TAA, a support system that has been in place since 1962 but which Congress failed to reauthorize for the past two years. Rapid Response Issue For decades, TAA provided a wide array of benefits to workers harmed by illegal trade. Restoring the once-robust program was one of the issues that brought Newson and other members from across the United States to Capitol Hill in May for the 2024 Rapid Response, Legislative and Policy Conference. The event began with two days of speeches, panel discussions, workshops and training sessions designed to prepare members for the focal point of the conference – the third and final day, when members visited their senators and members of Congress to advance the union’s core values. “All the issues that we talk about here, they are all directly tied to legislation or government actions that impact us at the bargaining table,” International President David McCall told the delegation. “You are part of the most effective grassroots program in the labor movement.” Pro-Worker Priorities In addition to seeking the renewal of TAA, members urged lawmakers to support additional funding for the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), safe staffing requirements for nursing homes and other important pro-worker legislation. International Vice President Roxanne Brown, who oversees the union’s legislative and policy work, rattled off a list of victories that USW activists played a key role in delivering in recent years. Those wins – which Brown dubbed “epic shit” in her rousing keynote address – include new laws to invest billions in infrastructure, create jobs, rebuild supply chains, reduce health care costs, and save the pensions of more than a million workers, including 120,000 USW members. “These victories have been life-changing,” said Brown. “This will have a massive long-term impact, largely because of all of you in Rapid Response.” Manufacturing Policy Thanks to the strength of the USW’s nationwide grassroots network and how it amplifies workers’ voices, Brown said, the union was able to work with the White House and Congress to achieve a national manufacturing policy for the first time in decades. “This is the industrial revolution of our time, and our job is to make sure that it happens with American workers and American industries,” she said. “Our job is to seize this moment.” That was the goal on members’ minds as they headed to the Capitol, engaging in more than 175 face-to-face meetings with lawmakers and staffers, while providing information on the union’s core issues to the office of every legislator in Washington. Veteran of Lobbying Such lobbying is nothing new for Lloyd Allen, paperworker and member of Local 983 in Augusta, Ga., who said he has traveled to Washington more times than he can count to talk to legislators about the union, as well as on behalf of the Pulp and Paperworkers’ Resource Council. Allen said having face-to-face interactions with representatives is essential to making sure they understand the diverse issues workers face. “It’s important for them to know we’re here,” Allen said. “We have to find a middle ground.” Whether they were from states considered red, blue or purple, finding that middle ground was a big part of members’ connections with legislators. “We’re speaking for everybody,” Newson said. Julie Sweet of Local 912 in Toledo, Ohio, attending her first national Rapid Response conference, led a delegation of members from northwest Ohio to the office of their longtime representative, U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, where they discussed trade, occupational safety and health, staffing shortages, and other issues. Sweet said it was eye-opening to witness USW members wielding their collective power. “The passion that everybody has is amazing,” she said. “I really feel like I made a difference, and that’s a great feeling.” While the conference focused on federal issues, Brown was quick to point out that the Rapid Response network is active at the state and local levels as well. Members put a stop to union-busting right-to-work (for less) laws across numerous states, and led the way on issues such as veterans’ rights, unemployment, minimum wages and voting access. Safe Staffing Chad Shepersky of Local 9349 in Minnesota, a certified nursing assistant, said that the fight to achieve safe staffing in health care and nursing facilities would benefit workers and patients, as well as the families of both. Shepersky said chronic understaffing leads to a “chaotic” environment where workers can’t possibly deliver the care that patients truly deserve. “You have to work faster and spend less time with people,” he said. While unionized health care workers can at least try to bargain for better staffing, they’re often faced with a choice between wages and staffing. “There’s only so much money to go around,” he said. District 11 Director Cathy Drummond, who oversees bargaining for the union’s 50,000 health care workers, said improving enforcement of labor laws would help health care providers, and workers in all sectors, achieve justice. “We’re seeing a pattern of employers acting more aggressively,” Drummond said, calling on Congress to fully fund and staff the NLRB so workers’ concerns can be addressed quickly. After a successful day of lobbying, McCall encouraged attendees to return home, talk to other members and encourage them to get involved. “Those conversations have more power than any other form of communication,” he said. --- Click here to read the Summer 2024 issue of USW@Work. — Aug 9
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Home Care, Hospice Workers in Minnesota Secure Strong First Contract Thirty-five USW members in Hibbing, Minn., who work as home care and hospice workers at Fairview Range Medical Center, last month ratified their first union contract, lasting through 11 grueling months of bargaining and overcoming a robust anti-union campaign. The group, which includes registered nurses, physical therapists, social workers, administrative assistants, home health aides, licensed practical nurses, workers in scheduling and billing, and more, began organizing in February of 2023 in the wake of the pandemic. Zach Lahti, a Registered Nurse at the facility, said that employee morale deteriorated as management made unilateral changes to workers’ job duties and responsibilities during that turbulent time. Lahti also said that the pandemic led to other employers in the region raising wages and providing extra incentives. “When we looked at our pay compared to other facilities in our area, we realized how far we had fallen behind,” he said. In addition to maintaining current practices and working conditions, such as scheduling flexibility, Lahti is most proud of the across-the-board wage increases he and his colleagues secured. “We were able to raise wages for people pretty significantly, especially our longevity employees. Over a twenty-year period, they really fell behind, but working with the company we developed a plan over the life of the first contract to get people to where they should be,” Lahti said. Now, Lahti and his fellow members are looking forward to enjoying the benefits of a first contract. “I’m so proud of how we persevered and stuck this out,” Lahti said. “It’s been such a great accomplishment for us, and we’re looking forward to having our contract in place so our members have a voice in their jobs.” The home care and hospice workers at Fairview Range Medical Center are members of amalgamated Local 9349. — Aug 7
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Virgin Islands Workers to Receive $20 Million in Back Pay USW members who serve as government support staff members in the U.S. Virgin Islands secured a major victory this summer when the union and the government agreed to a $20.4 million settlement following a 12-year fight for back pay. Under the USW contract with the territorial government, about 500 USW members were owed pay increases covering the years 2009 to 2013, which they never received. The USW fought back, filing grievances and a lawsuit, and holding numerous public events calling on the government to fairly compensate the members of Locals 8249 and 8677 on St. Thomas and Local 8248 on St. Croix. “These hard-working and dedicated union members are the backbone of the essential pubic services on the islands,” said District 9 Director Daniel Flippo, whose territory includes the U.S. Virgin Islands and seven southern U.S. states. “It’s a shame that it took 12 years, but they kept fighting and never gave up. That’s what Steelworkers do.” USW members’ fight for justice faced a series of delays, including changes in governmental leadership, a series of devastating hurricanes, and the COVID-19 pandemic. USW leaders said they would make sure that the territorial legislature includes the back pay funds in its fiscal 2025 budget. “It should be very simple – the government must meet its obligations to its work force,” Flippo said. — Aug 5
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From the SOAR Director: What Happens in Washington Matters In mid-May, Tammie Botelho, a retiree from Bic Corporation and proud member of Local 134L in Milford, Conn., joined dozens of SOAR members and hundreds of rank-and-file Steelworkers for the USW's annual Rapid Response conference in Washington, D.C. This three-day conference included plenary sessions, workshops, and opportunities to build solidarity with USW local unions and SOAR chapters. On the final day, conferencegoers met face-to-face with federal lawmakers and their staff to discuss various issues, including health care, union rights, workplace issues, retirement security, and more. In meetings with two members of Congress and one senator, Tammie expressed her concerns about a controversial proposal to fast-track cuts to Social Security and Medicare. "Our lawmakers need to hear from folks like me who have worked for decades and paid into programs like Social Security and Medicare, so we could someday retire with the dignity we deserve," said Botelho. "But it's not just retirees' issues that concern me. We need to fight against all efforts to undercut the protections Steelworkers are fighting for on the job, and Rapid Response offers all of us an opportunity to do exactly that." However, like so many SOAR members, Tammie's activism extends beyond attending the annual Rapid Response Conference. As a new SOAR chapter president, Tammie leads by example in her community. "I wanted to start a SOAR chapter to stay involved in our union's work and help younger members and fellow retirees understand that what happens in Washington matters," she said. During one of the conference's plenary sessions, Cheryl Omlor, a former healthcare worker who now works as an administrative assistant in the USW's SOAR office, participated in a panel discussion about unsafe staffing ratios in nursing homes. During the panel discussion, Omlor reflected upon her time as an evening receptionist and Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) at a senior living and supportive care community. "Understaffing impacts the quality of care patients receive, as well as the mental and physical well-being of those working in the industry," Omlor explained to Steelworkers attending the panel discussion. "One time, I found a resident on the floor who needed immediate help from a qualified nurse. However, with only one nurse working in the entire facility at the time of the emergency, they ended up passing away before they could get the appropriate care," she said. The resident's family eventually sued the facility, and an investigation revealed a number of other families with similar stories of their loved ones not receiving assistance when their call bells were pressed. Omlor testified in a hearing that their death resulted from understaffing and not an accidental fall like management alleged. After the hearing concluded, the family did receive some monetary compensation. However, the family of the resident who passed away did express to Omlor that it was her testimony and the subsequent termination of the facility director that made them believe justice had been served. Unfortunately, the issues of understaffing persisted even after a new director was appointed, forcing Omlor to decide a month later that it was time for her to move on. "The pandemic revealed to many of us the overwhelming struggles health care workers and those who work in nursing homes face each and every day," Omlor said recently. "That's why the voices of USW members are so important in the fight to address issues like staffing ratios, time off, health care, and so much more." "It was such an honor to represent SOAR at the USW's 2024 Rapid Response Conference and to see firsthand the impact USW members and retirees can have when we work together,” said Omlor. -Julie SteinUSW SOAR Director — Aug 5
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United Steelworkers Press Releases Feed
- Rapid Response Feedback Report: Great Work, Illinois Steelworkers!
- Rapid Response Activists Deliver Message of Good Jobs and Fair Trade to Capitol Hill
- Home Care, Hospice Workers in Minnesota Secure Strong First Contract
- Virgin Islands Workers to Receive $20 Million in Back Pay
- From the SOAR Director: What Happens in Washington Matters
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