Although we summarized the election results in our November Election Connection newsletter, we wanted to take a moment to highlight the following important work USW members contributed to the election effort:
- More than 5,000 USW members responded to our 2024 Your Union, Your Voice survey to share their thoughts on the most pressing current issues.
- More than 100 USW members and retirees led our full-time “boots on the ground” election work across critical states.
- 152 million Americans voted in the 2024 election, which is about 64% of those eligible to vote.
The 2024 election might not have turned out exactly how we wanted it to, but so many good things were accomplished on behalf of workers this year because we’ve helped elect pro-worker allies in local, state and federal government.
While it’s not a complete list, all of the following wins for workers were highlighted in our Election Connection newsletter over the last twelve months:
- Twenty-two states increased their minimum wage, raising pay for nearly 10 million workers. Only three of these states are so-called “Right to Work” states.
- Steelworkers rallied a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers to defeat anti-union laws that had been proposed in Utah and New Hampshire.
- The Biden administration advanced a series of safety and health rules to protect workers on the job, including the USW-backed “Walkaround Rule,” a ban on the import of asbestos, and a historic move to protect workers from heat exposure on the job.
- In July, the Biden administration officially celebrated one million pensions rescued by the American Rescue Plan. This includes the pensions of 120,000 active and retired USW members.
- Thanks to the Biden administration’s Investing in America agenda – which includes the American Rescue Plan, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, CHIPS and Science Act and Inflation Reduction Act – a historic $693 billion has been invested to date to spur growth in American manufacturing. As a testament to the benefits, earlier this year USW members from Local 1688 were joined by U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg for an event highlighting how federal investments have added jobs at Cleveland-Cliffs steel mill in Steelton, Pennsylvania.
- In November, Biden’s National Labor Relations Board banned “captive audience” meetings. Before this recent ruling, employers were permitted to require workers to attend presentations explaining the company's position on not joining or forming unions. These obligatory meetings tend to coerce employees and harm workers’ chances of getting the union they want.