By Barbara White Stack, USW Communications

Artur Henrique dos Santos, president of the Unified Workers Central (CUT), which is Brazil’s largest labor federation with 7.5 million members, brought Steelworker delegates to their feet when he told the convention in Las Vegas that multinational corporations must respect workers and the societies in which they live.

“Any company from any country that goes to any other country must respect the traditions, the culture and the history of the lives of the workers there,” dos Santos told the crowd, which is highly sensitive to this issue because of the contempt that the Brazilian-based mining corporation Vale displayed toward USW members in Canada.

In introducing dos Santos to the group, International President Leo W. Gerard noted that the CUT helped overthrow Brazil’s dictator and elect two successive Brazilian presidents who have created 20 million jobs and lifted 26 million people out of poverty. The CUT, Gerard said, has proven to be among the Steelworkers’ strongest and most steadfast allies.

Dos Santos said he was glad for the opportunity to go to Sudbury and stand with Gerard and the Steelworkers in the Vale strike. “I learned lessons with you Steelworkers that I will carry the rest of my life.”

In addition to Vale, dos Santos said, “There are many Brazilian companies operating around the world; this is another reason we need international solidarity.”

And he promised, “We are together as one fighting for our rights, our dignity. Long live international solidarity!”

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