USW@Work: Spring 2025

Nursing Home Workers Fight for Fair Treatment, Quality Care

Even before she joined the USW, nursing home worker Desirae Beatty knew the power of a union. She had been unjustly discharged by her employer and had to fight to regain her job.

By the time she and her co-workers left their former union behind and became members of USW Local 9002 three years ago, Beatty was ready to gain the recognition, respect and powerful voice that come with being a Woman of Steel.

“We knew what can happen without a union,” Beatty said. “We knew what was taken away from us, and we knew we needed a union.”

Read more on page 12.

Trump-Musk Onslaught Aims to Cripple Labor Rights, Safety, Oversight

Soon after taking office in January, the Trump administration launched a campaign to cripple workers’ rights, dismantle safety agencies, and turn back the clock on years of progress for working families.

The attacks began in Trump’s’ first week with the unprecedented firing of Gwynne Wilcox, chair of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Her dismissal effectively shut down the panel and left workers without access to the independent agency that for 90 years has overseen union elections, responded to unfair labor practices and resolved labor disputes. Trump also fired NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo.

Wilcox sued, seeking reinstatement as a result of statutory language protecting NLRB members from arbitrary dismissal and longstanding Supreme Court precedent upholding such protections. The Trump administration hopes to overturn these protections, and the case is slated for consideration before the high court.

In the meantime, only two of five NLRB seats are filled, and the board is prevented from deciding cases due to a lack of quorum.

Read more on page 18.

Struggles of Tire, Glass Workers Highlight Need for Major Reform

USW members have fought for decades to ensure a level playing field in the global marketplace, but they continue to face an uphill battle in the fight for justice from the nation’s trade enforcement system.

The recent struggles of workers in the tire and glass industries shed new light on the need for comprehensive reform from leaders in Washington, D.C.

“USW members take immense pride in making the best products in the world,” said International President David McCall. “But unfair imports, in many cases underwritten by Chinese investments, put jobs, families and communities at risk.”

Read more on page 20.

Plan Helps Chart Course to Revitalizing Domestic Industry

The USW-led petition aimed at reviving domestic shipbuilding got a boost this spring when the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) released a plan to address the predatory practices China has used to dominate the shipbuilding sector.

The Section 301 petition, which the USW and four other labor groups filed in March 2024, called for an investigation of Chinese shipbuilding and encouraged the USTR to counter Chinese government policies that have decimated U.S. shipbuilding.

Read more on page 22.

In 1995, workers saw a shifting political landscape in Washington, D.C. The North American Free Trade Agreement had taken effect a year earlier, and the 1994 elections saw an anti-worker majority take control of Congress for the first time in 40 years.

Workers were on the defensive. Pensions were under attack, and vital programs like Social Security and Medicare had an uncertain future. Leaders in the labor movement sought to reinvigorate and mobilize rank-and-file members to confront changes that could hurt working families.

It was in that environment that USW members created what remains one of the most effective grassroots, member-driven education and mobilization programs in the country – Rapid Response.

Read more on page 27.