By Bill Pienta
SOAR President
Unfortunately, COVID-19 caused many of our SOAR chapters to either stop entirely or reduce significantly doing what we do best: dealing face-to-face with people. Many chapters stopped holding meetings, and those that did saw a poor turnout with severely limited activities. Consequently, many of our chapters have struggled to engage in the important issues relevant to SOAR.
Well, I am happy to report that most chapters are showing increased activity and returning to their pre-pandemic level of activism.
In March, SOAR contributed to the success of the Next Gen Conference by hosting workshops and engaging in discussions with many of the delegates in attendance. Additionally, SOAR made up a strong showing at the recent Rapid Response Conference, assisting less experienced delegates in getting around Washington and demonstrating how to conduct business effectively with their representatives.
SOAR is participating in the 2024 Your Union, Your Voice (YUYV) town hall meetings currently being held throughout our USW districts. SOAR members are also taking the YUYV membership survey, which is still available on the USW Voices website. To take the survey or find a town hall meeting in your area, go to www.uswvoices.org
Many of our chapters are again showing up on picket lines, taking part in events that benefit their communities, and becoming active once more. If you visit the SOAR Facebook page, you can view photos of our members participating in various initiatives. Whether it's lobbying at the state house, attending town board meetings, or organizing collections for the homeless and veterans, SOAR members are actively engaged in their communities.
As SOAR resumes activities that benefit our active and retired USW members, we see more people wanting to get involved in our program. Despite these difficult times, we are witnessing a growing number of chapters forming, and many retirees who were previously inactive are now joining SOAR due to the activism demonstrated by the chapters.
Thank you to all the existing SOAR chapters and to those who have formed new ones. You indeed are the "next level of activism," which is what SOAR is all about. We are back!
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