For decades, Ohio politicians and legislators have participated in the undemocratic practice of gerrymandering. Gerrymandering is a process that manipulates voting district boundaries to enhance the power and interest of a political party without regard for voters’ rights. Put simply, voters often don’t get to choose their representatives while politicians select their voters. This always leads to an imbalance and is a necessity to change for Ohio citizens.

Earlier this year, we sent an InfoAlert letting you know about The Citizens Not Politicians Amendment. Its goal is to end gerrymandering and draw fair legislative districts by creating an Ohio Citizens Redistricting Commission. The amendment bans political officials and lobbyists from joining the commission and makes designing voting districts that favor or discriminate against political groups or politicians unconstitutional. By taking action, The Citizens Not Politicians Amendment will end gerrymandering and make drawing district boundaries a transparent process that fosters fair representation.

Ohioans, join us at a rally against gerrymandering!

On Monday, July 1, Ohioans are rallying at the Ohio Statehouse Atrium to deliver signatures that will put the Citizens Not Politicians Amendment on the ballot for the November General Election. It is important to show your USW pride by wearing t-shirts, hats, and buttons to display our commitment to building power for working people.

Please RSVP for the rally by clicking HERE. The doors open at 11:00am and the rally begins at Noon and lasts until 1:00pm. Please make sure you arrive early to allow time to get through security.

Help us right the wrongs caused by unfair voting maps and give the power to choose our representatives back to the Ohio people. Stay tuned to Rapid Response for other potential actions to ensure everyone receives fair representation.

American workers can compete with anyone on a level playing field, but all too often bad actors in other countries seek to dominate our markets and undercut our industries by engaging in dumping, illegal subsidies, currency manipulation, and other unfair trade practices. Our union has been fighting for a level playing field for decades, and recently, we celebrated some wins.

Section 301: China’s Technology Transfer

In May 2024, President Biden directed the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to increase tariffs under Section 301 on $18 billion of imports from China, including steel and aluminum, semiconductors, electric vehicles, batteries, critical minerals, solar cells, ship-to-shore cranes, and medical products. This action directly impacts the competitiveness of sectors where our members work by helping to level the playing field against unfair imports from China and bolsters investment in domestic manufacturing.

Section 301 Petition on China’s Shipbuilding and Transportation Policies

Our union has never shied away from using U.S. trade laws and tools to help defend and bolster our members’ jobs and industries. For decades, the USW has fought against harmful trade policies and held bad actors accountable. With that spirit in mind, we filed a Section 301 petition against China regarding their predatory commercial shipbuilding and transportation practices. In April 2024, the Administration agreed with us and officially initiated an investigation into China’s bad actions. Building back our domestic shipbuilding industry will ensure our country’s national security and supply chains are strengthened, as well as create and sustain thousands of good-paying manufacturing jobs.

New Tools for Antidumping/Countervailing Duty Investigations

On March 25, 2024, the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) issued a final rule aimed at enhancing its antidumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) regulations. This final rule expands the agency’s enforcement capabilities by clarifying its authority to factor in the impact of labor, environmental, and intellectual property law enforcement into duty assessments. The final rule also empowers them to investigate claims of transnational subsidies, specifically targeting countries like China that heavily invest in other nations to evade our trade laws.

Our union will continue to push our elected officials to offer specific, achievable plans to preserve domestic manufacturing and revamp our broken trade system in order to support American workers over the long-term.

Nearly 500 USW members and activists rallied at the Transcending arch monument in Detroit, Mich., on Tues., June 11, their chants demanding social and racial justice for all workers echoing through the downtown streets. 

The “Time to Move” rally was part of the USW Civil and Human Rights Conference, held June 9-12 in the Motor City. Focused around the theme “I’ve Got the Movement in Me,” the gathering was the first of its kind since before the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the globe, revealing long-lasting racial and economic disparities.

The conference kicked off on the evening of Sun., June 9, with a welcome by USW Vice President of Human Affairs Kevin Mapp. The former industrial maintenance mechanic was born and raised in Detroit and serves on both the metro-Detroit and national boards of the A. Philip Randolph Institute (APRI), where he works to promote social and economic justice, voting rights and community education.

“This is a time to recommit to the fight for collective liberation and celebrate the victories we’ve achieved together,” Mapp told the crowd at the Marriott Renaissance Center. 

Mapp also reminded the activists what most of them already know – the outcome of the upcoming general election this November will have profound impacts on marginalized communities.

“It’s overwhelming,” Mapp said, “and here’s the truth – we must be all in on women’s rights, on LGBTQ+ rights, on immigrants’ rights, on voting rights, as the rich and powerful look to divide and dominate us.”

Wins for Workers

The following day, Vice President at Large Roxanne Brown got the group fired up for their first full day of workshops with a fiery and informative speech. She focused on the many ways working-class and marginalized people have benefited from the Biden administration’s policies, including the expansion of the Child Tax Credit, which cut the Black child poverty rate in half in 2021.

“Can we afford to lose?” Brown asked the crowd, who responded with a resounding “No!”

Brown also highlighted the historic low unemployment rates among both Black and Latino Americans. Later in the day, during an afternoon plenary focused on organizing both of these marginalized communities, USW organizer Leshonda Reeves noted the importance of listening to and uplifting Latino and Spanish-speaking workers.

“Most of the Latino workers don’t feel they are included or welcome in these facilities,” said Reeves, who helped organize workers at Kumho Tire in Georgia. “We have to fix that because they and Black workers are now the largest percentage of the workforce in the South.”

On the second day, during the morning plenary focused on the importance of solidifying global connections, Susan Matthews of IndustriALL Global Union highlighted the shared challenges faced by workers in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, including rising fascism.

“You in America are more resilient than you know,” said Matthews. “When you feel you want to give up, remember you have the unity of your union.”

Resilience and Reconciliation

A morning panel continued on the theme of resilience and reconciliation with a group of activists in both the United States and Canada speaking on how the union is aiding Indigenous members. Julia McKay, who works in a mine and also serves as USW District 3’s Indigenous Engagement Coordinator, said this work is particularly important in Canada, where the majority of mining occurs on Native land.

Chelsea Olar, who is a heavy equipment operator and proud member of Local 2251, also said this activism is meaningful because of the educational opportunities it provides.

“Whether it's a workshop or a caucus or a panel like this, it provides a safe space for Indigenous members to share their stories and helps non-Indigenous members understand what we experience,” said Olar. 

The conference’s third and final day of conversations and workshops began with a discussion on how marginalized communities’ struggles and destinies are interwoven. Pride at Work Executive Director Jerame Davis spoke on the need for all unions to be involved with LGBTQ+ workers’ rights as attacks on their livelihoods increase.

“As members of the labor movement, we have a responsibility not only to our fellow workers but to future generations,” said Davis. “We must be on the right side of history standing up for justice and equality for all.”

Jessica Rios Viner, member of Local 3657 and president of the Pittsburgh chapter of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA), reiterated this need for unwavering solidarity when she spoke about immigrants’ rights.

“When you invest in your immigrant workers, you invest in your union.”

After several days of learning and sharing, Bryan Combs, a member of Local 9443 in Kentucky, reflected on the connections he made between labor and social justice.

“I always wore two hats: one for civil rights and one for labor,” said Combs. “After this, I think I’m just going to put both of them together and go at it that way.”

Vice President Mapp concluded the week at the closing reception by encouraging the members to take what they learned back to their locals and communities.

“Talk to your friends and families and coworkers, hit the streets for worker-friendly candidates, and never, ever stay silent,” said Mapp.

Click here to view all photos from the conference.

Our nation is home to nearly 16 million veterans of the Armed Forces, and in Michigan, 562,000 residents are military veterans. Many have come home and entered the civilian workforce in a variety of occupations and industries. We’re extra proud of those who are USW members.

Steelworkers are working hard to ensure our veterans are taken care of when they return back to the workforce and their communities. In May, Michigan Steelworkers were in Lansing lobbying on H.B. 5736 to bring light to the importance of supporting our veterans. Last week, two of our members, Eric Phillips from Local 2-21 and Tyson Jackson from Local 2659, both veterans, gave powerful testimony to the House Labor Committee. This week, we are excited to report that their stories helped the bill to pass out of the committee.

H.B. 5736 would require a standardized workplace posting that includes basic information about benefits to which Veterans are entitled and a way to learn more about programs designed to help them, such as:

• Free advocacy and assistance through the: Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency and U.S. Department of
• Veterans Affairs (VA) Crisis Line
• Federal disability compensation and other VA benefits
• Educational opportunities
• Assistance with substance abuse and other forms of addiction
• Available tax exemptions and credits
• Armed Forces Designation on MI driver license or ID card
• Employment and re-employment rights
• Pro bono legal services
• Information for constituency groups like African-American and LGBTQ+ Veterans Groups

These programs help to ease the transition back into civilian life and ensure that families and communities are supported after giving selflessly for our country.

Help Us to Keep H.B. 5736 Moving!

The bill is now headed to the full House for a vote. Click HERE to send a prewritten email to your state representative urging them support H.B. 5736. You can also scan the QR code to take action.

We’re proud of our Veterans. Let’s keep that Steelworker energy going by pushing H.B. 5736 over the finish line. Please take action today!

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Click here to download this Action Call as a PDF.

The following article is part of the Stories of Pride profile series by the USW LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee.

Daisy Alvarez (she/her) has worked as an interpreter/sign support for Deaf and hard-of-hearing students across the Fontana Public School District since 2007. Throughout the years, what she has loved the most about her job is watching her students grow.

“Witnessing those ‘ah-ha’ moments they experience because I’m able to bridge the gap of communication for them is so rewarding,” said Alvarez.

Alarez is driven by her empathy for others; it’s why she has been getting more involved in her union, Local 8599, in southern California.

And although having a union contract protects Alvarez and her siblings in many ways, she also said it is still an anxious experience being a member of the LGBTQ+ community while working in an educational setting. Meanwhile, Alvarez said a lot of her straight friends don’t understand why she is worried about her future.

“There are a lot of districts in California that are going backwards and it’s very scary.”

Alvarez sees unions as being in a position to endorse and host trainings on sexual orientation and gender identity for teachers and other educational workers.

“Sometimes just acknowledging someone’s pronouns makes a huge difference to their wellbeing,” said Alvarez. “That’s what I believe schools need more of–community and safety.”

For this reason, Alvarez said she’s become an unofficial mentor for union siblings and co-workers who aren’t comfortable being open with their own identity but need someone to talk to.

“I’m gay, I'm Mexican, I'm a woman – I've had all these strikes against me, but to know I’m someone who’s become a shoulder to lean on makes me proud,” said Alvarez, who idolizes Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers Association.

She also does what she can to be a support system to students who are struggling with their mental health, which she said is becoming more common. As the mother of a daughter, this is particularly personal to Alvarez.

“I try to point them in the right direction and get them to counseling, because it can be particularly hard if they’re LGBTQ+ and their family isn’t supportive,” said Alvarez. “The suicide rates amongst young people are stunning."

This is why Alvarez believes it’s more important than ever for unions to be vocally supportive of queer and trans people. For her, it’s all about equity.

“Our only agenda is we want to be seen and heard and represented like everyone else,” said Alvarez.

Click here to download a glossary of LGBTQ+ terminology, model contract language, and more resources.

The following article is part of the Stories of Pride profile series by the USW LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee.

As Abagael West (they/them) wrapped up the academic year at the University of Pittsburgh this past May, the Teaching Assistant Professor began a new chapter that was a long-time coming: one as a USW member protected by a collective bargaining agreement.

At midnight on May 11, nearly 3,000 faculty members at Pitt, including West, ratified their first-ever union contract, nearly three years after voting to join the United Steelworkers.

When West first learned about the union campaign six years ago, they didn’t know much about labor, yet as they grew to know the organizers, the biology professor quickly found a like-minded community. 

“I knew they were doing something good and right,” said West, who is now a proud member of Local 1088.

They acknowledge that there are those who don’t understand why workers at a university need the protections of a union. West, who believes “the more unions, the better,” expects this is because many people still hold a view of academia that doesn’t exist anymore.

“Most higher education jobs nowadays are very contingent and fairly low-paid,” said West. “I went through more than a decade of schooling to be qualified to do my job, and when I tell people my salary, they’re surprised.”

Although the money is important – and West is getting a significant wage hike thanks to this agreement – they believe other wins in the contract are just as vital, including an academic freedom article.

“As an educator and a queer person who brings personal life experience to the classroom, being protected in this case is really important.”

West also said this issue is becoming more relevant by the day, as right-wing legislative attacks on education and the LGBTQ+ community increase. They view unions capable of, and responsible for, combating both.

“We’re seeing queer people and educators under attack in every state, and these laws they’re passing and proposing are absolutely outrageous,” said West. “The political influence that unions can have in this sense is going to be really important.”

West said part of this work includes unions investing in these issues and ensuring LGBTQ+ workers are protected like everyone else.

“Queer people are everywhere,” said West. “They might not be as loud in every sector, but they might be louder knowing they’re protected by a contract that’s enforced and their union has their backs.”

Click here to listen to a USW podcast episode featuring Pitt faculty activists.

In mid-May, Tammie Botelho, a retiree from Bic Corporation and proud member of USW Local 134L in Milford, Connecticut, joined dozens of SOAR members and hundreds of rank-and-file Steelworkers for the USW's annual Rapid Response Conference in Washington, D.C.

This three-day conference includes plenary sessions, workshops, and opportunities to build solidarity with USW local unions and SOAR chapters. On the final day, conferencegoers met face-to-face with federal lawmakers and their staff to discuss a range of issues, including health care, union rights, workplace issues, retirement security, and more.  

In meetings with two members of Congress and one Senator, Tammie expressed her concerns about a controversial proposal to fast-track cuts to Social Security and Medicare.  

"Our lawmakers need to hear from folks like me who have worked for decades and paid into programs like Social Security and Medicare so we could someday retire with the dignity we deserve," said Botelho.  

"But it's not just retirees' issues that concern me.  We need to fight against all efforts to undercut the protections Steelworkers are fighting for on the job, and Rapid Response offers all of us an opportunity to do exactly that."

However, like so many SOAR members, Tammie's activism extends beyond attending the union's annual Rapid Response Conference. 

As a new SOAR chapter President, Tammie is leading by example in her own community.  

"I wanted to start a SOAR chapter to stay involved in our union's work and help younger members and fellow retirees understand that what happens in Washington matters," she said.

During one of the plenary sessions, Cheryl Omlor, a former healthcare worker who now works as an Administrative Assistant in our USW's SOAR Office, participated in a panel discussion about unsafe staffing ratios in nursing homes. During the lobbying sessions on Capitol Hill, we told Congress they must protect elderly Americans by ensuring those residing in long-term care facilities have safe staffing levels to provide quality care and worker safety.

"It's such an honor to see firsthand the impact USW members and retirees can have when we work together," said Omlor.

Click here to view and download the latest SOAR Connection newsletter.

The following article is part of the Stories of Pride profile series by the USW LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee.

As a Trans person and a worker, Jamie Martinez (they/them) knows that the struggle for dignity and respect is never over. Recently the Local 1155L member engaged in one of the most important battles of their life when fighting for gender-affirming care.

When starting their transitioning journey, Martinez was focused primarily on top surgery. Their first call was to their insurance company, who told Martinez that their policy excluded gender-affirming procedures. 

“It is critical that gender-affirming care is accessible to folks like me,” said Martinez, who works at Bridgestone-Firestone in Tennessee. “It’s life-changing and, in many cases, life-saving. To be told there was a specific exclusion preventing me from getting the care I needed was absolutely devastating.”

Fortunately, this is not where the story ends.

After several weeks of reaching out to various USW siblings for advice, working with their local P&I rep, and reading through the union’s collective bargaining agreement and insurance policies, Martinez discovered that the company’s non-union employees did not have the same gender-affirming care exclusion as bargaining unit members.

Martinez then brought the company’s human resources department into the conversation, and after several more weeks of back and forth, together they were able to eliminate the exclusion in the union members’ insurance policy.  

Immediately, a weight lifted from Martinez’s shoulders.

“At multiple points during this whole ordeal, I didn’t believe it was possible,” said Martinez. “This change has greatly improved my mental health and overall well-being.”

Martinez also noted that this benefit will trickle down to future members and any dependents who need similar care. “This isn’t just about me,” they said. 

The support from other union siblings, even if it was simply a few words of encouragement, were also vital to this victory. Martinez said no member should engage in a fight like this on their own.

“While ‘no’ was the first answer I got, ‘yes’ was the only one I accepted,” said Martinez. “Familiarize yourself with your CBA and policies. Get involved with your local. Ask for help. And never, ever give up standing for what is right.”

Click here to view and download model contract language specific to LGBTQ+ protections.

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!

Click here to download the latest SOAR Connection newsletter.

(Pittsburgh) – The United Steelworkers (USW) President David McCall, along with the USW LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee, released the following statement in honor of Pride Month:

“A founding principle of our union states: to seek to eliminate all forms of discrimination to protect and extend our democratic institutions and civil rights and liberties; and to perpetuate and extend the cherished traditions of democracy and social and economic justice in the United States, Canada and the world community.

“Pride Month is a time for us to remember and honor this commitment while uplifting our LGBTQ+ siblings. As legislative attacks on their livelihoods reach record numbers, it is incumbent on everyone in the labor movement to do what we do best: organize to protect all workers on the job and in their communities.

“We encourage local union members to utilize their Civil and Human Rights committees as a means to engage in LGBTQ+ labor activism and education. Now is the time to share our resources and use our expertise to help a group of marginalized workers build power, as well as to listen to their needs.

“Everyone deserves dignity, fairness, and the right to move through the world without fear. It is our honor and duty as labor to help make that a reality.”

Visit usw.org/steelpride to access and download model contract language, a guide on talking about LGBTQ+ issues, and other resources.

The USW represents 850,000 active and retired workers employed in metals, mining, pulp and paper, rubber, chemicals, glass, auto supply and the energy-producing industries, along with a growing number of workers in health care, public sector, higher education, tech and service occupations.

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Now, in 2024, an influx of women at the plant is bringing a sense of revival to Local 9548’s Women of Steel (WOS) committee.

Figure 1: Janet Baic pictured on far right

“Out of the nearly 700 people in the union, I don’t even know how many women we have,” said Baic. “I’ve lost count, actually.”

Baic is using this opportunity to breathe new life into the local’s WOS committee and engage more of the women in union work.

“The focus for us right now is spreading the word to all of these new women,” Baic said. “I was also able to give each of them the USW guide on Raising the Bar on Women’s Health and Safety, which is super helpful.”

Baic said these types of resources are necessary for women who have jobs like hers—laborious,  dirty, and sometimes dangerous.

“There are some issues that only women see and experience, so having that support is vital.”

Baic also acknowledged the importance of creating a space in the movement specifically for women, making the WOS program a no-brainer for the activist and committee chair.

“It can be very healing for us to talk about what we’re going through or have gone through,” said Baic.

One highlight from Baic’s involvement with the WOS committee occurred last year on International Women’s Day, when she hosted a family-friendly movie night at a neighborhood theater.

“A lot of members brought their children, and a lot of folks started talking who had never talked before,” said Baic.

The committee also assists a local organization with Tampon Tuesday, a campaign that occurs each year in March. The members donate hundreds of dollars of menstrual hygiene products, which the organization provides to those in need.

Baic’s advice to women who feel alone or hesitant to get involved in the union is to simply reach out.

“If you don’t have a Women of Steel committee in your local, find another local that does and ask them for help,” said Baic. “We all need community.”

Click here to access the action guide on women’s health and safety.

Even as Baum worked at the university to obtain an expense-free degree in an unrelated field, her experience as a rank-and-file member left her determined to pave a career in the labor movement instead.

Today, Baum is an Occupational Health and Safety Representative for the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA), a union of 42,000 front-line nurses advocating for safe staffing, a voice on the job, and health care for all. The staff at NYSNA are members of USW Local 9544.

Now, Baum begins her next chapter in her storied 25-year occupational health and safety career as she joins the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC). As a member of the committee, Baum will advise the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on infection control practices in health care.

Baum will become the first HICPAC member representing frontline health care workers. HICPAC makes critical infection control decisions that can impact worker health and safety, making it especially crucial that frontline workers have a voice on the committee.

“What’s significant with this appointment is the recognition that frontline workers have something important to say about infection control," said Baum. "This is about getting a seat at the table for the people who do this work and know firsthand what’s best for health care workers and patients."

You can read more about HICPAC here.

The following article was originally published in the Spring 2024 issue of USW@Work.

When USW member Ed Price ran for a seat in the Louisiana State Senate in 2017, he faced long odds, facing a wealthy sugar cane farmer with the deep pockets and name recognition of a well-known political family.

Price, however, had the union difference on his side. As a member of Local 620 in Gonzales, La., Price had a coalition of fellow workers ready to knock on doors, make phone calls and speak to voters one-on-one about the issues. That grassroots campaign had a significant impact, and the Democrat won his seat with 63 percent of the vote.

“We didn’t have the largest budget, but it was door-to-door, walking, knocking, talking to people,” Price said. “We probably had anywhere from 25 to 35 people walking through the neighborhood every day, knocking on doors, talking to people. That made a huge difference.”

Longtime Leader

Price, who served for 26 years on his local school board before joining the legislature, credited his experience as a union negotiator with giving him the skills and knowledge to seek office. In neighboring Mississippi, that same union difference has helped Sherry Guyton Odneal hold public office for more than 20 years. Odneal was re-elected in November 2023 to her seat on the Lowndes County Election Commission.

Odneal serves as financial secretary of Local 351L at the BF Goodrich plant in Tuscaloosa, Ala., as the local Women of Steel committee chair and as a member of the West Alabama Labor Council. She also lends her efforts to the USW’s Rapid Response grassroots education and mobilization program.

Besides providing a better quality of life for workers, Odneal said, the USW’s contract language on political work allows her to devote time to her second career in public service.

“If I didn’t have the union, I wouldn’t be able to hold this position,” she said. “When I see something wrong, I don’t just want to complain. I want to do something about it.”

Odneal said she urges more of her USW colleagues to get involved in the political process for that reason, arguing that union members should put more people like them into office.

“We can make a big difference, getting out there, volunteering,” she said. “We want the people in office to be for working people.”

That can turn the tide on issues like health and safety, union organizing rights, wages, retirement security, health care, and other important policies, Odneal said.

“It’s not about the R or the D,” she said. “It’s about who is going to support working people.”

‘It Was Worth It’

Like Odneal, JoJo Burgess knows the value of one-on-one interactions with voters. He credits grassroots politics with his election win in November making him the first Black mayor of Washington, Pa., 30 miles southwest of Pittsburgh.

Burgess, a member of Local 1557 at U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works, faced long odds at the outset of his campaign. Ultimately, he defeated the incumbent mayor in the primary and won the general election by 39 votes.

“Nobody thought I could win,” Burgess said. “If I don’t knock on those doors, I don’t win that race.”

Burgess said he ran for mayor because he believed he could make the biggest impact on the local level, and he wanted to show others that they, too, had the power to change their communities.

“I wanted to let people know that they have a voice and have a say in what’s going on,” he said. “I’m not a politician, but that was a means of getting where I needed to be.”

Burgess said he was proud to be his city’s first Black mayor, but that wasn’t his goal. “I don’t want to be known as the first,” he said. “I want someone else to be known as the next.”

Positive Role Model

The chance to set an example for his younger siblings was part of what motivated Justin Willis of Local 7-507 to seek office.

As a commissioner for Bridgeview in Cook County, near Chicago, Justin said the education he gained as a USW member played a big role in his election.

“We need to step up as leaders every chance we get,” Willis said. “Our union has a responsibility to make our communities better.”

Inspiring others and bringing them into the movement is part of being an effective leader, Willis said, whether it is in politics or in the union.

“We all have a chance to grow and learn,” he said. “The power of the tongue is mighty.”

Willis, Odneal and Burgess are just a few of the dozens of current or former elected officials with USW connections across the United States. They include Local 9 member Kathy Wilder, who won a write-in campaign for her Maine school board, and U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, who helped his fellow faculty members at the University of Pittsburgh win USW representation in 2021 before winning a seat in Congress the following year.

Those victories prove that “labor is not on defense anymore,” Deluzio said.

‘A Chance to Move Someone’

It was the 1967 election of the first black mayor of Gary, Ind., Richard G. Hatcher, that inspired DeWitt Walton to get involved in politics.

Walton, who was born in Mississippi and grew up in Gary went to work for Inland Steel in 1976 and quickly became active in his local union and his community. He went on to serve for more than 25 years as a union organizer and USW staff member, and later served as the program director for the Pittsburgh chapter of the A. Philip Randolph Institute’s “Breaking The Chains of Poverty” workforce development program.

Walton, who witnessed violent racism in high school and college, and later saw the steel industry’s struggles of the 1980s and 1990s first-hand, said he learned early on that he needed to speak out for himself and for others. Since 2016, he has held a seat on the 15-member Allegheny County Council, the legislative body serving more than 1.2 million people in Western Pennsylvania.

“My entire life has been one where I’ve had to deal with adversity,” he said. “I knew if I wasn’t at the table and part of the process, I’d be on the menu.”

Walton said that it’s important that all USW members get involved in the electoral process, through knocking on doors, talking to voters at their work sites, making phone calls, writing letters and other avenues.

“You have a chance to move someone,” he said. “You can’t ask for a better interaction than that.”

The need for lawmakers who share workers’ values pushed DeJonaé Shaw, a licensed vocational nurse and member of Local 7600 in California, to run for election to the California State Assembly.

Shaw said she would fight for the USW’s core values of workers’ rights, good jobs and quality health care.

“We need lawmakers who understand what it’s like to be a renter or to struggle to pay the mortgage,” said Shaw. “We need lawmakers who know what it means to decide between food and the medication you need. That’s why I’ve decided to run for office and why we need other union members to do the same.”

‘Get Out There’

Shaw and Odneal agreed that voters should choose the candidates who will fight for the issues that are most important to them.

When it comes to issues like workers’ rights, workplace safety and other priorities, “it’s all about who holds office,” Odneal said. “It’s important for union members to get out there.”

Walton said he hoped more union workers would vote and also consider seeking political office to help him and others push a workers-first agenda.

“There’s no better organization to help you get there,” he said, “than the United Steelworkers.”

The unit represents nearly 250 workers at the Bedford Park site that manufactures food grade and pharmaceutical starches.

Bargaining over the four-year contract began in February. After several weeks of negotiations, the members voted down the first tentative agreement because it still included tiered wages that pitted workers against each other.

Local President Derrick Davis said the group made it clear from the start that keeping the tiers was not an option.

“That was the main thing the members wanted,” said Davis, who has served as president for more than 15 years. “This [tier system] is not working for the company, either. It’s hard to maintain quality workers when they’re working beside someone they know is making more than they are doing the same job.”

The amalgamated local also found solidarity with union siblings at the company’s Indianapolis site, where management had also tried to push members last year to eliminate their USW health insurance plan.

Both units remained rooted in each other’s strength and were able to fight off the cut. “Their support was critical,” said Davis.

District 7 Sub-District Director Anthony Alfano said it was the steadfastness of the membership that brought this contract over the finish line.

“We had a really invested team of workers who knew what was at stake and didn’t want to waive their right to bargain over health insurance,” Alfano said.

The agreement also secured significant lump sum bonuses and wage hikes, including up to more than 20 percent for some employees over the length of the contract, as well as increased vacation time for new hires.

From Pittsburgh to Los Angeles, activists stood side-by-side with immigrant organizations to declare that all workers deserve respect and dignity on the job, and that in the union, everyone is in.

Jessica Ríos Viner, member of USW Local 3657, serves as president of the Pittsburgh chapter of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA), a constituency group within the AFL-CIO.

Each year, she organizes the Pittsburgh May Day rally and march through the busy downtown area with help from the Thomas Merton Center, Casa San José, and the Pittsburgh chapter of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA).

“No matter the color of the hands covered in dirt of the people working next to you, you have way more in common with them than you have with your boss,” Viner told the crowd of nearly 400, which included a horn section, university and library workers, grad students, baristas, striking journalists, families, and children.

For Viner, who proudly hails from Puerto Rico, the saying “We’re stronger together” is about the kind of solidarity that extends even beyond the labor movement.

“We’re all one human family,” said Viner. “All across the world people have the same needs: job security, living wages, safe workplaces, healthcare, and respect. We have to have each other’s backs.”

Sabrina Liu, who works in the USW Strategic Campaigns department, leads the Pittsburgh chapter of APALA and helps organize the annual march. She noted that May Day is also the first day of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month.

“Our struggle is interconnected, and it takes all of us standing together to make our communities better,” said Liu, who migrated to the United States from Taiwan.

Xochitl Cobarruvias, chief of staff of Local 675 and active member of LCLAA in Los Angeles, also joined a diverse coalition in Hollywood to honor workers around the world on May 1.

“This day is a day of pride,” said Cobarruvias. “A day that we, as workers, immigrants and the community, should be proud of.”

The May Day holiday began to commemorate the fight for the eight-hour day in the 1880s as well as the lives of the campaign’s organizers who were executed in the wake of the 1886 Haymarket Affair.

Click here to learn more about LCLAA and how you can get involved.

The following article was originally published in the Spring 2024 issue of USW@Work.

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Before Courtney Melvin was a member of Local 1025 in 2016, she worked in sales at a Best Buy store. The low pay and scant benefits at the non-union job made it difficult for the single mother to provide a good life for herself and her family.

“It took three years just to obtain benefits,” said Melvin, who now works at the Corning optical fiber plant in Wilmington, N.C.

“At Corning,” she said, “I got benefits on day one.”

Those benefits improved the well-being of her family, while her USW contract delivered strong wages, health and safety protections, and other life-changing improvements that union membership provides. 

“In other industries, those were things that were non-negotiable,” said Melvin, who is part of the ongoing effort to encourage more workers to become USW members. “I definitely wanted to be a part of it so we could keep it going.”

Cutting-Edge Future

As Corning seeks to grow its business in the fiber optic and solar energy markets, the union hopes to follow suit, working to organize new members at those facilities, particularly in the notoriously non-union southern United States.

In Corning’s most recent annual report, CEO Wendell Weeks detailed recent declines in traditional sectors such as automobiles, televisions, smart phones and computers, while celebrating growth in the optical fiber and solar markets.

It’s that shift that drove the USW effort to organize at non-union Corning facilities focused on cutting-edge technology.

“If we want to have success as a union now and into the future, we have to go where workers are and build power with them, from the ground up,” said International Secretary-Treasurer John Shinn, who oversees bargaining for the USW’s Corning locals, including three in New York state, one in Virginia, one in North Carolina, one in Kentucky, and one in New Jersey.

Founded 173 years ago as a glass and ceramics company, Corning has consistently focused on research and development in an effort to diversify its product lines and grow its business. Over the years, the company spun off many consumer product lines into separate companies and, beginning in the 1970s, began focusing on specialty glass and materials used in industrial and scientific applications.

In 2007, for example, Corning developed and began manufacturing Gorilla Glass, an ultra-strong, ultra-thin glass used on iPhones, iPads and other touch-screen devices.

More recently, as smartphone and tablet sales declined and automotive production remained constrained, Corning shifted focus to the solar energy and fiber optic markets, particularly at non-union plants.

Meanwhile, the Biden Administration’s 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act included $65 billion to deliver high-speed internet to the 24 million U.S. households that lack it, a major boost for exactly the kind of fiber optic cable Corning makes in Wilmington and elsewhere.

In addition, industry statistics show that solar energy accounted for nearly half of all new electricity-generating capacity in the United States in the first three quarters of 2023. And U.S. solar capacity is expected to more than double over the next four years.

“These transitions provide us with an opportunity to grow our union, to ensure that the jobs that are created in these emerging industries are good, community-sustaining jobs that provide a long-term future for working families,” Shinn said.

Corning’s Shift

Still, as its business continues to grow, Corning has in recent years begun a noticeable shift. Despite a long and productive relationship with the USW at locations across the eastern United States, the company has begun to move production of some of its most in-demand products to non-union shops, while stepping up its anti-union rhetoric.

Corning has seven locations in North Carolina, with only one of those – Wilmington – represented by the USW. Local 1025 President Donneta Williams is approaching 30 years at the facility and knows first-hand what the USW could do for workers at Corning’s non-union sites.

“I knew it made a difference,” Williams said. “When I came in, my income tripled.”

Besides the obvious financial benefits, she said, the USW shines a spotlight on health and safety issues, one that does not exist at non-union facilities.

“You have to hold the company accountable, and you have to hold your facility accountable to keep workers safe,” Williams said. “It’s very important to be at the table, to have a voice, and to make a change.”

Organizing Drive

It’s that desire to have a voice that is leading other Corning workers, in North Carolina and elsewhere, to challenge the status quo and push to join the USW.

Union drives are under way at Corning facilities in Concord and Hickory which also produce optical fiber, as well as a site in Durham that opened in 2018, where workers manufacture glass for pharmaceutical packaging, as well as other locations.

In addition to her role as local president, Williams serves as a vice president with the state AFL-CIO, and has seen an uptick in interest in unions from workers across the economy.

“We are wide open with activity,” Williams said of organizing activity in her state.

While North Carolina and most other southern U.S. states have so-called “right to work” laws designed to cripple unions, Williams, who comes from a family where both parents were union members, said the key to winning in an anti-union environment is educating workers.

“In the South, a lot of people have a negative view of unions,” she said. “They don’t understand that it’s a privilege to have a union to guide you, to stand with you, to fight for you. We try to convey that to new people.”

Organizing the South

Williams credited her predecessor at Wilmington’s Local 1025, Wilhelmenia Hardy, with prioritizing the education of new members and inspiring her to take on a leadership role.

After more than 20 years at Corning, Hardy took her leadership experience there and used it to launch a second career as a USW organizer. Now she helps workers throughout the South to understand the power of a union and to advocate for themselves through collective action.

Among the campaigns Hardy helped to lead was the successful effort last spring by 1,500 workers at Blue Bird Bus Co. in Georgia to join the USW. The victory gained national attention for its overwhelming success in the anti-union South.

The vote at Blue Bird was the largest union organizing win at a manufacturing plant in the region in 15 years, and provided inspiration for other workers throughout the South who are hungry for the benefits of union membership.

Still, Hardy said, organizing in the South, or anywhere, can be a difficult task when companies and anti-union political leaders gang up to intimidate workers.

“They have to want it. You can’t force it on any worker. They have to want change,” Hardy said. “So many workers are afraid, afraid they might lose their jobs if they even speak the word ‘union.’”

As Williams and Hardy agreed, getting workers past that fear means making sure they know what their employers are allowed – or not allowed – to do.

“Educating workers on their legal rights is a must,” Hardy said.

Eyes on the Future

As Corning moves more production work to non-union sites, the urgency of organizing those facilities grows. In addition, Williams said, members must continue to organize internally to ensure that workers in Wilmington and elsewhere buy into the importance of their membership in the USW.

“It’s challenging, but it’s important,” Williams said. “We can do more together.”

Melvin spearheads her local’s internal organizing work with entry-level employees. To help members learn about their rights and benefits, she created a Google Classroom page where members can read their contract and other documents and answer questions about what they learned.

“There is power in numbers. In order to ensure that we keep what we have now, we want to make sure that our numbers remain high,” Melvin said.

While working hard at the local level to build solidarity, Williams also collaborates with Shinn and leaders at other Corning facilities with USW contracts. Though there is not a master agreement for all Corning locations, council members coordinate bargaining and mobilization as much as they can, and members have volunteered in union organizing efforts.

“The solidarity is there,” Williams said. “We are there for our brothers and sisters.”

Building strength and unity among existing members, and recruiting those rank-and-file workers to organize others, will help potential members see the benefits of the union and inspire them to join the movement, Hardy said.

“If we have all the facilities in North Carolina, and if we all came together, it would be a win-win for everybody,” she said. “For the company, and for the workers.”

The following article was originally published in the Spring 2024 issue of USW@Work.

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Tom Forker has worked at the Owens-Illinois glass factory in Zanesville, Ohio, for 48 years.

Over those nearly five decades, the 355 members of the four USW locals who work at the plant have become like family to him. And, in turn, six of his own family members, both children and grandchildren, have joined the work force at the plant.

The reason for Forker’s long-term dedication to his job is simple and succinct: “I care,” he says.

It’s a sentiment that members of the four USW locals share across all corners of the 750,000-square-foot O-I facility as they put in the hard work needed to turn out 365 million clear glass bottles each year.

‘Highest Quality’

“Customers pay for quality,” said Plant Manager Ben Valis. “Everybody knows that what we make here is the highest quality.”

The bottles that O-I workers make ultimately are sent out the door to be filled with some of the world’s most popular wines and spirits. Those products can be found on the shelves of grocery stores, wine and spirit shops, bars and restaurants, and ultimately, in the homes of millions of consumers.

The unique, high-quality products at O-I are part of the reason the Zanesville plant is looking forward to celebrating its 100th anniversary this August, and why the USW members there take such pride in the work they do.

“For the customer to get a good bottle on the shelf, quality involves everybody in the plant,” said storeroom leader Teresa Ziemer, who pointed out during a recent USW@Work visit to the plant that she was considering retirement after 45 years at the plant. 

“I feel very lucky,” Ziemer said, noting the strong wages and benefits that USW leaders negotiate for the work force. “I’ve always been proud to work here.”

Complex Process

For 5,000 years, the process of making glass has involved two basic elements: Sand and heat. Over the past 100 years, workers in Zanesville have perfected that craft with some help from modern technology.

Raw materials – silica sand, soda ash and limestone – arrive at the factory by rail and truck. Recycled glass is added to the mix, which is melted down in furnaces with temperatures topping 2,800 degrees Fahrenheit.

From computer screens in his control room perch, USW member Shawn Bonifield carefully monitors the process to ensure the correct temperature and consistency as molten glass is formed into bottles.

“I make the glass right here,” Bonifield said. “I keep a close eye on everything.”

Gobs of red-hot glass are fed into molds, where machines blow a precise amount of air into each piece to expand their interiors to specific sizes and shapes, some simple and others ornate.

From there, the bottles undergo a complex cooling process that ensures their durability. Once the bottles are cooled, members inspect and test them for quality, shape, color and other potential imperfections.

Trade Pressures

Owens-Illinois has been an innovator in the glass industry since 1903 when company founder Michael Owens unveiled the first bottle-making machine, which led to mass production of glass bottles, said Claude Beaudin, chair of the USW’s GMP Council.

Despite the continued shift toward automation, USW members are still involved in every aspect of the glassmaking process, from the start – known as the “hot end” – to the finish, called the “cold end.”

About 15 members of Local 121T make the glass molds, while about 45 members of Local 172M work to produce the hot glass. On the cold end, 250 members of Local 178M inspect the bottles and pack them for shipping. About 45 members of Local 105M work in maintenance across the facility to ensure the entire process keeps running smoothly.

Despite their dedication to making the best glass bottles in the world, USW glassmakers in Zanesville and elsewhere still face pressure from overseas trade.

Late last year, the U.S. Glass Producers Coalition, a group of bottle manufacturers and workers, filed petitions with the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission to curb unfairly traded imports from China, Mexico and Chile.

“As a union, the USW is committed to combating unfair trade practices in glass and other industries,” Beaudin said. “These practices are designed to distort the market and destroy good jobs. American workers are the best in the world, as long as they are able to compete on a level playing field.”

Economic Boost

In addition to making world-class bottles as they face down unfairly traded competition from abroad, USW members in Zanesville are united in their fight for fair wages and benefits at home, an effort that pays dividends for them and their families, as well as for the surrounding community, said District 1 Director Donnie Blatt.

“The success of Owens-Illinois and its dedicated union work force does more than just support a few hundred USW families in Zanesville,” Blatt said. “Thanks to the USW, this factory provides an economic ripple effect to the entire region of central Ohio. These workers should be proud of the products they make, and of their contribution to the economy of the Buckeye State.”

Safety a Priority

The intense heat and other potential hazards that exist at the factory make health and safety another top priority for USW members in Zanesville and across the industry.

Crew leader Bill Hollingshead said that the ability to stop work to prevent incidents is an important part of keeping members safe.

“We can shut things down if it doesn’t feel right,” he said. “It has to be an organized team effort.”

Hollingshead, who has worked for more than 35 years at O-I and done “every job in the plant,” considers himself something of a mentor to the younger union workers, making sure they have the tools and knowledge they need to carry on a century-long tradition, and to do so safely.

As a growing number of workers near retirement age and more younger workers join the work force, that becomes even more important, he said.

“I’m able to help them to coordinate their future, so to speak,” Hollingshead said of younger members of the work force. “The biggest part of my job is keeping everything running.”

‘It’s a Mindset’

Keeping the plant running smoothly, safely and efficiently takes the support of every worker on the plant floor, said Kyle Makin, who said it’s important to have co-workers who look out not only for the quality of the product but also for the well-being of their colleagues.

“An extra set of eyes is always best,” Makin said. “It takes a lot of patience. It’s not just a skill set. Some of it is a mindset.”

At its core, the mindset of the USW members in Zanesville is rooted in union solidarity, and in the belief that each person’s job is an essential part of the whole.

“We’re all part of a team,” Hollingshead said. “Everybody wants to work together and to do quality work.”

Continuing to turn out those top-of-the-line products is the key to the future for USW glassmakers, Hollingshead said.

“I want these guys to have the same things I had, and more,” he said. “We will if we continue to push quality out.”

The following article was originally published in the Spring 2024 issue of USW@Work.

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The USW led a coalition of five unions this March in filing a petition calling on the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to initiate an investigation of Chinese shipbuilding.

Over the past two decades, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has employed a number of predatory, non-market practices to massively expand its shipbuilding capacity and dominate global transportation and logistics networks. Those efforts decimated China’s competitors around the world, destroying thousands of good U.S. jobs in the process.

“The United States once had nearly 30 major shipyards; now we’re down to just a handful,” said USW International President David McCall. “That correlates with more than 70,000 lost shipbuilding jobs, not to mention all the secondary jobs the industry supports.”

Good USW Jobs

Many of those jobs are in industries where USW members work. One commercial ship can require approximately 13,000 tons of structural steel, 60,000 gallons of paint, 130 miles of electrical cable, as well as aluminum, glass and numerous other union-made products.

“If we do not act quickly, we will soon be dependent on China not only for the products their vessels bring into our ports but also for the ships themselves,” McCall said.

That dependence would have implications that go beyond the economic effects of lost jobs and shuttered facilities. Critical supply chains, as well as U.S. national security are at stake, McCall said.

“China has surpassed the United States and now operates the world’s largest navy,” he said. “Rebuilding our Merchant Marine is not only essential to increasing our nation’s sealift capability, it will help shore up the critical supply chains our military and commercial shipbuilding industries share, making us safer and more resilient.”

Potential Ripple Effects

Charles Spivey, president of Local 8888, observed the demise of the commercial shipbuilding industry firsthand. Spivey joined the Newport News, Va., shipyard in the late 1970s when it was still producing tankers for companies like El Paso Natural Gas Co. and U.S. Trust Co.

But that work ended when the U.S.T. Pacific, an ultra large crude carrier built for U.S. Trust, sailed out of the shipyard in 1979. Since then, except for a brief period in the 1990s when it produced commercial ships for overseas customers, the shipyard has focused exclusively on work for the U.S. military.

Today, about 12,000 Local 8888 members make aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines for the Navy. But Spivey said they would like to resume the commercial shipbuilding work and that they have the capacity for it.

James Crawford and his co-workers at Hunt Valve in Salem, Ohio, still make valves and actuators for commercial ships along with parts for military vessels, but they’ve seen demand for commercial ship components fall over the years.

Crawford, unit president for Local 3372-07, said the trade has the potential to create new, good-paying jobs while helping to boost the nation’s security.

“You can’t go somewhere to fight if you’re weak at home,” said Crawford part of the delegation of USW members who gathered at the U.S. Capitol in March to announce the filing of the case. “Nobody wants China to be taking our jobs. We need to be able to rely on American-made products.”

Revitalization of the shipbuilding industry would provide new opportunities for tens of thousands of USW members across numerous supply chains.

“It would help us tremendously,” said Steve Townsend, unit chair of USW Local 3261-01 at Rochester Metal Products in Rochester, Ind. “We can make just about anything having to do with iron castings. We’re very versatile,” said Townsend, citing hooks, brackets, water pumps and engine components as just a handful of the items he and other members of Local 3261-01 have the capacity to provide.

Chinese Dominance

Katherine Tai, who has served in the cabinet-level position of USTR since 2021, will review the petition and determine whether her office will launch an investigation of Chinese shipbuilding. She said she looked forward to that process, but that it was clear China has already harmed U.S. workers with its non-market policies, which include currency manipulation, dumping of low-priced goods, and unfair subsidization of Chinese industry.

“We have seen the PRC create dependencies and vulnerabilities in multiple sectors, like steel, aluminum, solar, batteries, and critical minerals,” Tai said.

As recently as the mid-1970s, U.S. shipbuilders employed more than 180,000 and launched 75 ships each year, according to the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM). Beginning with the Reagan administration, the government began to slash funding for shipbuilding, giving foreign competitors an edge and devastating the U.S. industry.

In 2023, McCall pointed out, China built more than 1,000 ships in 2023, while U.S. shipbuilders produced less than 10. Today, China controls about half of the world’s shipbuilding capacity, a level 232 times greater than that of the United States.

Union Coalition

Joining the USW in filing the petition were the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the Maritime Trades Department of the AFL-CIO. The unions filed the petition under Section 301of the Trade Act of 1974, which provides the USTR with the authority to respond to unreasonable or discriminatory trade practices that burden or restrict U.S. commerce.

U.S. lawmakers also took up the cause, with U.S. Sens. Tammy Baldwin and Bob Casey sending a letter to President Joe Biden in support of the petition. Casey called China a “predatory regime.”

“We have to crack down hard on this regime and hold this regime and particularly President Xi Jinping accountable for what his regime does,” he said.

International Vice President Roxanne Brown said the Biden administration has already demonstrated its commitment to strengthening American manufacturing, creating good jobs and stopping unfair trade, and that rebuilding U.S. shipbuilding capacity is the next logical step.

“Labor unions and the Biden administration have worked together to establish a worker-centered trade policy and ramp up domestic manufacturing capacity through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the CHIPS and Science Act,” said Brown. “Reviving our nation’s shipbuilding industry will enable us to expand those investments, ensure a steady supply of goods, and grow the middle class.”

Strong Support

The USW petition is asking the U.S. to force China to pay a fee each time a Chinese-built vessel enters a U.S. port. Those revenues would, in turn, be used to support American shipbuilders, creating jobs and revitalizing the industry.

American voters agree with the USW that shipbuilding must be a priority. A recent poll found 82 percent said they were concerned that the United States builds so few ships, and 74 percent supported government investments to rebuild the industry.

Scott Paul, president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, a non-profit partnership of unions and employers, said that allowing China to continue to dominate the shipbuilding industry would have “disastrous repercussions.”

“Strong measures in response to this petition are an essential first step to rebuilding America’s maritime independence, and it’s an urgent one,” Paul said. “The Biden administration must act now to level the playing field for our shipbuilders.”

This article was originally published in the Spring 2024 issue of USW@Work.

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A fervent spirit of the union swept through the streets of downtown Pittsburgh in early March as hundreds of fresh United Steelworkers activists convened at the second-ever international Next Generation conference.

The group spent four days working to amplify their engagement in the union and to share their passion for the labor movement with all who could hear.

The NextGen conference, held March 3 to 7, gave young and new union activists a chance to pump each other up and gain new skills as they served on panels, learned from USW staff and member trainers in workshops, rallied in the streets to show solidarity with other unionizing workers, and gave back to the community through various service projects.

The early-morning wake-up call on the conference’s first day didn’t deter the crowd of rowdy Steelworkers from shaking the room to life with the sounds of cheers, applause and hit music – provided by a live DJ – at the opening ceremony.

A handful of talented young USW members served as emcees to the program, including Noah Ledesma of Local 12-52, Ashley Seabrook of Local 8888, and Montrell Steib of Local 5702. The emcees brought energy to the stage each day of the conference, while still maintaining the spirit and purpose of all large USW gatherings – to learn, engage, and gather useful information to build solidarity with the rest of their union siblings.

District 10 Director Bernie Hall, who began his union leadership career as a founding member of the USW’s NextGen committee and served as the first NextGen coordinator of his district, kicked off the conference by welcoming the new members and inspiring them to take action.

“When NextGen took off, I was 30 years old and this union put their faith in me to go and speak – not just for this union, but for the entire labor movement,” said Hall, who is the first person elected to the USW International Executive Board to rise from the ranks of the NextGen arm of the union. 

“The labor movement isn’t a sprint – it’s a marathon,” said Hall. “Take your first steps now, and you’ll do things beyond your wildest imagination.”

Activism Through Art

International NextGen Conference Coordinator Trisha Garcia of Local 8599 delivered the conference’s keynote address, speaking on the power of ideas and the important role creativity can play in the labor movement. 

Garcia highlighted the work of Julian Hernandez of Local 183, a health care worker and NextGen member who designed and painted a colorful backdrop mural for the conference at Pittsburgh’s historic Carrie Furnace on a freezing, snowy day in February. 

“The idea was to use this concept of creating to tap into the vibrancy that is street art, to convey the newness and energy of NextGen,” said Garcia. 

Unexpectedly cold temperatures and winds created challenging conditions for Hernandez – who hails from Southern California – to use his paint cans and brushes, but Garcia and other USW staff helped Hernandez complete the project over the course of two days. 

The artwork utilizes colorful, street art-style techniques and features diverse caricatures of workers in a variety of USW industries.

“It’s truly been an honor being able to merge my art and activism for this conference. It’s a dream come true,” said Hernandez. “This piece feels like the heart and soul of what we’re going to do this week.”

NextGen conference-goers took photos in front of the backdrop over the course of the week.

Learning the Ropes

Throughout the week, USW staff and member trainers provided nearly 60 workshops for conference attendees to hone their activism skills. Workshops focused on history and labor education, labor law, bargaining and enforcing contracts, health and safety, organizing, legislative and political strategies, social justice activism, communications and more. 

Paige Cisco and Andria Tipton, both members of Local 689 who work at the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Piketon, Ohio, led a course in “Community Service Safety and Health,” which highlighted the potential health and safety hazards to consider when planning community service activities for members.

Many of the principles of the course seemed simple – wear rubber gloves when picking up trash, wash your hands well, don’t mix ammonia and bleach. But the room came to life with hands-on demonstrations that engaged members and drew upon Cisco and Tipton’s experience with handling potentially radioactive material at the Ohio nuclear site where they work.

In one activity, Cisco poured fake blood over each participant’s gloved hands to demonstrate how to safely remove rubber gloves and about the importance of properly fitting PPE. In another, participants drew images on a page with a Q-tip dipped in baking soda and water. Blackberries were then smudged across the page, and the acidity in the berries reacted with the baking soda to reveal the images. 

“Even if you can’t see something, it could still be a present hazard,” explained Cisco, who began working at the Portsmouth plant as a janitor just a few years ago and is now a process operator and full-time safety representative. 

In another unconventional workshop, members of the Pittsburgh Labor Choir taught people how to use union chants and music to manage attention, build morale and direct collective action. With drums, shakers and tambourines, members of the class took turns leading chants and learning the most effective ways to use music to pump up the picket line. 

Bridging the Gap

The NextGen conference provided an opportunity for longtime USW leaders and retirees, along with the newest generation of members, to build relationships and learn from each other.

Steelworkers Organization of Active Retirees (SOAR) President Bill Pienta began his USW career in 1966 as an electrician at a steel mill. Before taking on his leadership role in SOAR, he served as president of Local 2693 and later on the international executive board as director of District 4.

Pienta said that the NextGen conference provided connections between younger members and more seasoned activists, both of whom have much to learn from each other.

“As I get older, I learn how much I don’t know,” Pienta said. “We have to move forward, and we have to do it together.”

Conference-goers participated in a day of service on the final morning of the conference, branching out all over the city to volunteer at nearly a dozen sites that included churches, community centers, food banks and other non-profit organizations. 

While washing windows at the Kingsley Association, a community center in Pittsburgh’s East Liberty neighborhood, Precious Pittman, a member of Local 8888 who helps to build submarines at the Newport News, Va. shipbuilding facility, said she came to NextGen with nearly a dozen other members of her local.

“I’m excited to see how we’re bridging the gap between the older generation and the newer generation, and it’s only getting better with time,” said Pittman. 

Zack Mainhart, co-chair of the NextGen committee for Local 1557 at U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works, said he was glad to be able to build connections with some of the union’s most experienced leaders, who have demonstrated that, through solidarity, workers can overcome any obstacles in their path.

“For us to be able to understand our struggles,” he said, “we need to learn from them and how they navigated those situations.”

Lifetime of Activism

The final night of the conference honored AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Fred Redmond, who formerly served as the USW International Vice President, with the Lifetime of Activism Award to acknowledge his investment in and support of the NextGen group of activists. 

“There’s nobody better to receive this award than the godfather of NextGen, Fred Redmond,” said E.J. Jenkins, a NextGen activist from Local 1014 in Gary, Ind., who was honored with the Legend Award for his contributions to the labor movement that same night.

In his address to the ballroom full of young activists, Redmond highlighted their “electrifying” nature and the important role they have in organizing new workers. 

“Future generations of workers are depending on you to make sure that our union remains the fighting union that we are,” Redmond said.

International Vice President Roxanne Brown said she believes that fighting spirit will continue for generations to come.

“Seeing the enthusiasm in the eyes of our young activists, I know this union will be in good hands,” she said.

International President Dave McCall ended the conference with closing remarks to the room full of bright-eyed activists, who left energized and ready to take their newfound knowledge back to their workplaces.

“When you go home, share what you learned this week, talk to our members in the workplace about the power of our solidarity – to have a voice, to be able to succeed in protecting our members and their families,” said McCall.

“There is no greater power,” he said, “than what we can do together on behalf of our members and on behalf of their families.”

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Click below to listen to a USW Solidarity Works podcast episode about Next Gen.