*UPDATE: CONFERENCE RESOURCES*
The following resources will be used throughout the conference:
- Trade Enforcement Fact Sheet
- The Workplace Action for a Growing Economy (WAGE) Act Fact Sheet
- Protecting America’s Workers Act (PAWA) Fact Sheet
- Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Fact Sheet
- China’s “Non-Market Economy” Status Fact Sheet
- USW Report: Chinese Steel Overcapacity; A Legacy of Broken Promises
The 2016 Rapid Response and Legislative Conference will be held from April 25-27, 2016, in Washington, D.C., at the Omni Shoreham Hotel. This year’s conference features a new format, a new location and lower hotel rates.
As 2016 unfolds, the issues facing our union could not be more serious: China and other countries continue to flood steel, aluminum, paper, tires and other commodities and products into our market, causing job loss for our members and irreparable damage to our industries. The proposed Trans Pacific Partnership promises to further unravel our economic stability. Efforts to change longstanding export laws threaten USW members in oil, chemical and elsewhere. Upcoming healthcare insurance taxes impact negotiations at nearly every bargaining table, while state-level attacks and potentially damaging Supreme Court decisions add to the concerns. There is hardly a sector within our union that is not experiencing a challenge.
While all of this may seem daunting, that’s why we have Rapid Response. It’s our union’s network to educate, empower and engage in the issues that impact our members, our families and our communities. In 2015, we’ve carried on our 20-year-strong tradition by standing up and fighting back against billionaire-backed efforts to undermine our rights on the job, supported trade cases to keep our jobs here and worked harder than ever to ensure that a middle class remains in our country. Our activism has never been more crucial. The louder our voices and the more we engage, the more we win!
Conference veterans know that our time in Washington, D.C., is more than just a conference. It’s an opportunity to take our message directly to decision-makers and show our strength in numbers. Your presence in our nation’s capital underscores our reputation as a fighting union with engaged members who take legislation seriously and hold lawmakers accountable. It’s also a way that we build skills to apply to other challenges we face at our locals.
In recent years, our conference has taken place at the same time as the Good Jobs Green Jobs Conference (GJGJ) and included participation in sessions with our allies. For 2016, GJGJ will take place separately, on June 6, in Cleveland, OH. Given this, we expect to explore issues in even greater depth, devote extra attention to program building and provide more opportunities to learn from each other.
Whether your local has been attending for years or is contemplating attending for the first time, we need you in this fight. We urge all locals to make a strong effort to send as many representatives as possible.
Click Here for a copy of the Call Letter
SCHEDULE
Registration: Conference registration will take place on Sunday, April 24, from 1-7 p.m., and on Monday, April 25, from 7-9 a.m.
Monday, April 25 & Tuesday, April 26: The conference will begin at 9 a.m. on Monday. General sessions and workshops will continue throughout Monday and Tuesday. Check our conference website at www.usw.org/RR-conference for announcements on speakers and additional details.
Wednesday, April 27 – Lobby Day & Closing Reception: In the morning, we’ll head to Capitol Hill for a day of fighting for our agenda and meetings with elected officials. That evening, we’ll hold a special closing reception.
REGISTRATION
Please pre-register online, by mail or by fax before April 1, 2016. There will be a discounted early-bird registration fee of $175 per delegate if registering before March 1, 2016. If registering after that date, the regular fee will be $200. Checks should be made payable to USW Secretary-Treasurer.
Online Registration: Click Here to register online. Pay online or mail the check to the address below.
Staff Registration: International or District Staff Registering for this Conference, click here
Mail Registration: Mail the registration form and your check to: United Steelworkers Rapid Response, 60 Blvd. of the Allies, 7th Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Fax Registration: Fax the registration form to the USW Rapid Response Department at 412-562-2266, then mail checks to United Steelworkers Rapid Response at the address above.
HOTEL AND AIRLINE INFORMATION
Hotel: A block of rooms has been reserved at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C. Attendees should make their own hotel reservations by calling the hotel and referring to the United Steelworkers 2016 Rapid Response and Legislative Conference. The hotel will accept reservations until April 1, 2016. To ensure availability, please make your reservations as soon as possible.
Omni Shoreham Hotel rates (per room, per night): Single/double occupancy rate is $229; triple rate is $269 and quad rate is $289. All rates are subject to 14.5% tax. A credit card will be needed to reserve the room. If a reservation must be cancelled, please do so 72 hours before arrival or your card will be charged. Payments made by check need to be received by the hotel one month prior to check in. Check-in is 3 p.m. and check-out is 12 p.m. Hotel parking is $35 daily plus tax.
Omni Shoreham Hotel
2500 Calvert St., NW
Washington, DC 20008
Phone: 202-234-0700 (ask for the United Steelworkers 2016 Rapid Response and Legislative Conference)
Fax: 202-756-5145
Click here for a link for online hotel reservations.
OVERFLOW HOTEL ROOMS
To Reserve Rooms: Call directly at 301-654-8111 and ask for our Group and Code (see below). Contact Wendy Gonzalez at 301-654-8111 ext. 7006 or email her at wendy.gonzalez@hilton.com. Rooms are available for a $239 discounted rate plus tax. The rooms will be available until they are gone.
Alternatively, you can book online by clicking here.
Hilton Garden Inn Washington DC/Bethesda
Group Name: United Steelworkers
Group Code: STEEL
Check-in: 24-APR-2016
Check-out: 28-APR-2016
Hotel Name: Hilton Garden Inn Washington DC/Bethesda
Hotel Address: 7301 Waverly Street, Bethesda, Maryland 20814
AIR TRANSPORTATION
In cooperation with Professional Travel, we have made special arrangements for air transportation. Reservations may be made by calling 1-877-499-1149 and selecting option #4. When calling, please identify yourself as a participant in the 2016 Rapid Response and Legislative Conference, code 2016RAPUSW. Please call between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday; otherwise, an after-hours transaction fee of $16 will apply if the call is outside of these regular business hours.
In accordance with our established policy, the International Union will not be responsible for the cost of delegate(s) participation. Your local union must bear any expenses for attendance, including airfare and hotel fees.
STAY CONNECTED
Join our conference mobile alerts by texting DC2016 to 69866 (standard messaging and data rates may apply).
If you have any questions regarding the registration process or conference details, please contact the Rapid Response Department at 412-562-2291. We look forward to your local’s participation in what promises to be a very exciting conference.