We are everywhere! From coast to coast, Steelworkers are participating in rallies, meetings, forums, roundtables and marches to let Congress know that Fast Track is the wrong way to deal with trade policy. Check out just a few highlights of the more than 90 events that have happened in the last week!
ALABAMA
Steelworkers marched through the streets of Birmingham, then delivered a thank you message to Representative Terri Sewell for her opposition to fast track.
ARKANSAS
Steelworkers met at Congressman Bruce Westerman’s office in Hot Springs and urged his staff to tell the Congressman to please stand with workers and to oppose Fast Track!
CALIFORNIA
Steelworkers are joining the regular protests outside his office and will continue to do so, urging Congressman Bera to stand with them and oppose Fast Track.
District 12 members joined with the CWA to tell California Representative Torres that we appreciate her announcement of opposition to Fast Track!
ILLINOIS
Illinois Steelworkers from U.S. Steel in Granite City protested outside Representative Bost’s office in Belleville, urging him to oppose Fast Track. These workers know firsthand what bad trade policy can do. They are against the fast track trade bill because they said it facilitates the importation of cheap, foreign steel. U.S. Steel is temporarily closing its Granite City mill at the end of May, which will lay off 2,080 workers.
INDIANA
USW Local 104 held an informational picket outside the Congressman Bucshon's District Office on Friday, May, 8, 2015 in Evansville, Indiana. After the picket, they handed over 1000 petition signatures to the Congressman’s staff.
LOUISIANA
On May 7, 2015, Louisiana activists held a rally and delivered constituent letters and petitions to the District Office of Congressman Cedric Richmond, urging him to oppose Fast Track.
MINNESOTA
125 Minnesota Steelworkers and allies rallied outside of Senator Amy Klobuchar’s District office in Minneapolis, MN, urging her to stand with workers and oppose Fast Track!
NEW YORK
The New York City Council took up a resolution declaring the City of New York a "TPP-Free Zone" and urging Congress to oppose Fast Track. Thank you to our New York Steelworkers who were there to rally in support of this resolution!
NORTH DAKOTA
USW Local Union 560 delivered 120 signatures to Senator Heitkamp’s office in Grand Forks, urging her to oppose Fast Track!
OHIO
In Ohio on May 4, a group representing nearly two dozen local unions and organizations along with Senator Sherrod Brown gathered at USW Local 979's hall in Cleveland to show their opposition to the proposals currently moving through Congress. Steelworker Ryan Dietz, who was laid off from his job at United States Steel Corp. in Lorain about three weeks ago spoke as well. He said he believes the layoffs are directly related to foreign steel dumping.
Members of USW Locals 1538 and 2211 participated in the meeting in Congressman Bill Johnson's office in Salem, OH. While there, they expressed their frustration about job losses and loss of community jobs and services due to unfair trade in their individual facilities and communities.
OREGON
Steelworker Dixie Hyde is joined by a next generation Steelworker at a rally with Rep. DeFazio!
USW Rapid Response Coordinator Catherine Houston and area Steelworkers join with allies for a demonstration outside of Representative Schrader’s office in Oregon.
PENNSYLVANIA
District 10 members, community allies and elected officials joined together to say NO to FAST TRACK at a town hall event in Linwood, PA!
A Steelworker attending the Steel Bargaining Conference last week in Pittsburgh took a moment to make a call to his Congressman, making it clear that Fast Track is wrong for the steel industry.
Flanked by steelworkers, and with a hulking steel mill as a backdrop, Sen. Bob Casey rallied at USW Local 1219’s hall against a proposed trade agreement between the United States and 11 Pacific Rim nations as a job killer for the steel industry.
VIRGINIA
USW Local 1023 Rapid Response activists Dale Bare and Dave Wiley (pictured) along with CWA members dropped off hundreds of postcards and letters against Fast Track to Senator Kaine's office.
Virginia Steelworkers and allies met in Richmond, VA for a round table discussion on labor’s opposition to Fast track with Senator Kaine.
USW Local 831 in Danville, VA used a union meeting as an opportunity to get members to write and collect hand-written letters as well as asking them to make calls to Senators and Representatives.
WEST VIRGINIA
West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin joined the members of USW Local 37 at Steel of West Virginia to highlight opposition to Fast Track. Our members there make bulb flats, a component in shipbuilding. Bulb flats haven’t been made in the U.S. since 1962, and now this product line is re-established here. Senator Manchin, Company President Tim Duke, WV AFL-CIO President Kenny Perdue and District 8 Sub-Director Randy Moore let the press know that to keep these jobs here, trade needs to be fair!