The following article is part of the Women of Steel "Sister Stories" series.

Veronica Bragassa will soon be celebrating her 28th year as a member of USW Local 560L at Arrowhead Products in Los Alamitos, Calif.

As a resistance seam welder specialist, her job is physical and demanding. It’s an environment where many women may not feel comfortable, as it is a male-dominated field, but Bragassa said that because of her collective bargaining agreement, her rights and dignity as a woman at work are protected.

“Seniority and having a willingness to learn and a good work ethic will get a woman any job here that a man can have,” she said.

Bragassa currently serves as a steward and as co-chair for the local’s Women of Steel (WOS) committee. She is also a WOS facilitator, leading workshops and trainings on issues impacting women on the job, including health and safety concerns.

She said she has discovered so much about herself and others by participating in Women of Steel, including the importance of networking and being open to learning new things.

“Knowledge is power,” Bragassa said, “and like iron sharpens iron, to be amongst strong women is encouraging and helps me to be more confident in stepping forward.”

The Women of Steel program, she said, is an incredible opportunity for women to simply connect and find hope.

“Knowing you’re not alone is huge,” said Bragassa. “It’s amazing to know that support is just a phone call away.”

If Bragassa could tell her younger self one thing, it would simply be to enjoy the moment.

“There was something to enjoy at every stage of life,” she said. “What’s important is to keep a positive perspective and a good attitude.”

In preparation for the Nov. 5 election, USW@Work asked members from across the United States to share their thoughts on those and other important issues.

To learn more about the issues and find more information about the election, visit uswvoices.org.

SAM MENDEZ

Local 338
Kaiser Aluminum
Spokane, Wash.

LABOR RIGHTS, FAIR TRADE

“I want to make sure people understand what’s at stake. The rights of union members are on the ballot. Our wages and our pensions are on the ballot.

“Kamala Harris doesn’t just talk the talk, she walks the walk. She pounds the pavement with union workers who are on the picket line. That shows what she stands for – she stands for us. If she is willing to make that effort to support us, then I’m willing to make the same effort to support her.”

THE FACTS: Kamala Harris walked a picket line with striking autoworkers in 2019 and canceled an appearance in 2023 to avoid crossing a picket line. She has taken on price-gouging corporations, and she has spoken out and voted against unfair trade that harms workers. Harris has been vocal in her support for the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act.

ANDY JERGENS

Local 5282
Olin Chlor Alkali Products
Henderson, Nev.

AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE

“Harris and Biden have done so much for working people. The Inflation Reduction Act is a perfect example of how they have fought for everyday Americans. That legislation capped the cost of insulin for diabetic patients on Medicare, which hits very close to home for me. My wife is diabetic, and insulin is not cheap. That is life-changing for a lot of people.”

THE FACTS: In 2022, Kamala Harris cast the deciding vote for the Inflation Reduction Act, providing financial relief for millions of Americans, including those on Medicare, by expanding benefits, lowering costs, and strengthening the program for future generations. Specifically, the law capped the cost of insulin at $35 for a month’s supply.

BOB  TRIBBLE

Local 1014
U.S. Steel
Gary, Ind.

INFRASTRUCTURE

“The most important thing is educating members on the issues and making sure that they get out to vote. The infrastructure bill alone has made a huge difference in our plant. We make structural steel, and that has kept us busy. It has meant that we are hiring, not pulling back, and it has meant steady employment for Local 1014 members.”

THE FACTS: The Biden-Harris Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provided $1.2 trillion to upgrade U.S. roads, bridges, railways, water pipes, electrical systems, broadband networks and other crucial needs, supporting good jobs for USW members and other workers through strong Buy American provisions. The law is estimated to support more than 700,000 new jobs per year over 10 years.

EARKIEL EATON

Local 593
Aurubis Copper Foundry
Buffalo, N.Y.

SAFER WORKPLACES

“Kamala Harris has already helped us build the middle class with legislation like the CHIPS and Science Act, which has supported a number of USW employers, like those of us in the copper industry. She will work to strengthen the National Labor Relations Board and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to make our workplaces safer. All workers deserve to come home safely at the end of the day.”

THE FACTS: Through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), the Biden-Harris administration has fought for numerous safety and health standards, including rules limiting exposure to silica dust and extreme heat, and expanding workers’ rights during workplace inspections.

DAVE SMITH

Local 2660
Keetac Iron Ore Mine
Hibbing, Minn.

CREATING GOOD JOBS

“I like to support candidates that support our union’s core values – things like good jobs, workers’ rights, secure retirements, safe workplaces, health care, fair trade. I will oppose people who want to take those things away from us.

“Those of us in labor, we want clean water and clean air, too, because we live in these communities. We have to have both – good jobs and a clean environment. It’s a challenge, but we have to meet it, because our future is at stake.”

THE FACTS: Kamala Harris cast the deciding vote for the Inflation Reduction Act.  The law’s clean energy and climate provisions have created more than 170,000 clean energy jobs already, and companies have announced more than $110 billion in clean energy manufacturing investments in the past year alone, including at many USW workplaces.

NICOLE ROTTMAN

Local 889
Penreco, Calumet Karns City Refining
East Brady, Pa.

UNION ORGANIZING 

“Kamala Harris comes from the working class. She has been a big part of one of the most pro-labor administrations of our lifetimes. She stands up for workers’ rights, she fights for affordable health care, strong retirements. She is bringing a new energy to the campaign and has breathed new life into the labor movement.”

THE FACTS: Kamala Harris led the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment, focusing on removing barriers for workers across the United States who want to form unions, and creating more good-paying union jobs. In the first half of 2024 alone, union election petitions increased 35 percent.

CLINT BLAKE

Local 13434
Clean Harbors Environmental
El Dorado, Ark.

PRO-WORKER LAWS

“Look at the pro-worker legislation that has been passed, and the choice could not be more clear. Kamala Harris helped pass the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the American Rescue Plan, the CHIPS and Science Act. That’s enough to make it clear to those of us in labor that she’s with us.”

THE FACTS: The Biden-Harris CHIPS and Science Act allocated $280 billion to boost semiconductor production, chip manufacturing, research and education. It strengthened supply chains and bolstered U.S. manufacturing. The administration also created a national manufacturing policy and supported legislation to raise wages, make child care affordable, and expand the child tax credit.

DEBORAH RICHARDSON

Local 7600
Kaiser Permanente
Fontana, Calif.

HEALTH CARE WORKERS

“As a health care worker, it’s important to me that Kamala Harris has fought hard to make sure that Americans can get the health care they need at an affordable cost. It can be a real struggle for a lot of people, whether it’s for physical health care or mental health care, and it’s important to have a strong leader who stands up for people.”

THE FACTS: As a U.S. Senator, Kamala Harris sponsored legislation to make it easier for Medicare beneficiaries to receive mental health services and to help mental health professionals repay their student loans. She also led efforts to curb racism in health care settings and to improve maternal health.

NOLAN TOME

Local 10-326
Smurfit Westrock
York, Pa.

SECURE RETIREMENTS

“My dad’s pension would have been insolvent by 2031, if not for the Butch Lewis Act. He plans to retire soon, and he would not have been able to think about that if not for that legislation. Without that pension, he would not have much retirement savings at all.”

THE FACTS: Kamala Harris cast the critical tie-breaking vote for the American Rescue Plan of 2021, which included the Butch Lewis Act, saving the pensions of more than a million workers, including 120,000 active and retired USW members.

JIMMY BEACH

Local 1693
Hussey Copper
Louisville, Ky.

A FAIR ECONOMY

“Kamala Harris understands that when we stand together as union members, we can fight for fair wages and safe working conditions. Her support for legislation that strengthens unions gives me hope that our voices will be heard and that we can negotiate for better benefits and protections.

“Kamala Harris understands our struggles and is willing to fight for us. I believe that under her leadership we can create a more just and equitable economy where working families are valued and have a real shot at success.”

THE FACTS: The Biden-Harris administration established a national minimum staffing requirement for Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing homes. In the U.S. Senate, Kamala Harris fought for legislation to raise wages, cut costs for families and address workplace violence. As California’s attorney general, she cracked down on corporate greed and defended vulnerable workers against wage theft.

“It was amazing,” said Cavanaugh, who works as a USW staff representative in Calgary, Canada. “Our hosts were phenomenal. Everyone within Unite was good to us.”

During the weeklong event, Cavanaugh attended an Organizing in the Workplace workshop series, which allowed her to see how much workers in the United States have in common with workers around the world. She said it is vital for the union to be involved in global partnerships like this in order for everyone’s experiences to improve.

“It’s great to share our struggles and our wins; we feed off of each other,” Cavanaugh said. “I was able to get information from there that I could take back with me. It’s about getting a different perspective.”

Cavanaugh also said the workshop helped open up each attendee and instill a newfound sense of confidence.

“By the end of the week, everyone had a light on their faces,” Cavanaugh said. “The whole week really provided motivation and knowledge of what we all need to do moving forward.”

Cavanaugh, who believes getting involved in Women of Steel always felt like a natural fit, got her start in the labor movement as a screener at an airport and a member of Local 1-417. She also served as steward and vice president.

She understands that not every woman is naturally assertive and willing to enter leadership positions. However, she believes every woman has what it takes; they just need to take the first step.

“So many women decide we’re not going to do things. We wait to be invited,” she said. “We don’t need to wait anymore. Just do it.”

Click here to watch a video of highlights from Women’s Week.

Anita Bevins is part of five generations of family who have worked at the Portsmouth nuclear site in southern Ohio.

For nearly 35 years, Bevins has worked at the site operating cranes and has trained hundreds of workers on crane operation. She works alongside two of her children, two grandchildren and two sons-in-law who are also employed at the plant.

As she looks forward to retirement, Bevins credits the facility with helping to protect U.S. national security, to ensure energy independence, and to build a strong, secure future for herself, her loved ones and her community.

“It has helped me raise my children,” said Bevins, one of about 900 members of Local 689 who are part of six units spread across the sprawling 3,777-acre site in Piketon, about 70 miles south of Columbus.

Local 689 is one of seven local unions that are part of the USW’s Atomic Energy Workers Council (AEWC), which represents a total of about 3,000 members.

Barry Sexton is one of the longest-tenured USW members at the Portsmouth site. After a stint in the U.S. Army, he joined a work-study program and now has been at the site for more than 45 years.

“Talk about luck,” he said.

Herman Potter, president of Local 689, himself a second-generation atomic worker, noted that the site is among the largest employers in the region and, thanks to the USW-negotiated wages and benefits, also one of the best places to work.

Focus on the Future

That is unlikely to change any time soon, especially now that the site is home to a project that represents the future of U.S. nuclear energy.

A year ago, Centrus Energy, one of a half-dozen contractors that employs USW members at the federally owned Portsmouth site, launched the first new U.S.-owned and operated uranium enrichment production in 70 years.

Inside one of the two identical, massive buildings designed to house the project are a series of tall white cylindrical towers, each containing centrifuges that produce the enriched uranium that will power the next generation of nuclear reactors. Today, there are 16 towers, but hundreds more are expected to fill the space over the next two years.

“We are looking years down the road to make sure we remain here,” said Potter. “We are going to need more people, and we’re going to need to train them.”

Because that training and the necessary security clearances take roughly 18 months to complete, and the company expects to hire as many as 500 people by 2027, Potter said, the search for new workers is already getting underway, and the union is exploring the possibility of establishing a regional training center at the local hall.

Potter credits the local union’s strength in part to its relationship with political leaders, including U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown and former Sen. Rob Portman, who invited Potter to be a guest at the State of the Union address in 2016. The Ohio legislators, he said, helped ensure the site would have a strong future.

The expansion in Portsmouth comes with increases in federal funding and the strong support of the Biden-Harris administration, which has earmarked $2.7 billion in funding to establish a reliable domestic supply of fuel for the nuclear power industry, part of the White House’s stated goal of achieving energy independence and generating 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2035.

In July, USW Atomic Energy Workers Council President Jim Key, who also serves as an appointee to the U.S. Department of Labor Advisory Board on Toxic Substances and Worker’s Health, witnessed President Joe Biden sign into law theAccelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy (A.D.V.A.N.C.E.) Act.

The bipartisan bill sets forth provisions to incentivize the development and deployment of domestically produced advanced nuclear fuel technologies and to clean up hazardous land. Key expects the new law will help bring scores of valuable new union jobs to the atomic sector, including the Portsmouth site.

USW District 1 Director Donnie Blatt, who oversees the union’s work throughout Ohio, said the proud USW members at Portsmouth are eager to grow their local as more jobs come to the area.

"Portsmouth has been vital to our nation’s atomic energy, and our USW members are key to its future,” said Blatt. “With the new uranium enrichment project, we're not just creating jobs – we're ensuring energy independence and economic growth for our community. Our members' dedication and skill will continue to drive this critical work forward."

For America, By Americans

The promise of a strong future for the atomic industry is good news for USW members and others in the region, who rely on the ripple effect of the good jobs at Portsmouth to fuel the local economy.

“It’s promising,” said Delbert Reisinger, who has worked at the site for 16 years. “It feels good to know we’re using American technology to make a product for Americans.”

Reisinger said he’s noticed an uptick in small business activity and other economic growth in the area since the new uranium enrichment work began, and that he expects the growth to continue as the site expands.

“We’re ready,” he said. “We’ve proven it time and time again.”

Aaron Howard, a chemical operator at the site and daytime union steward, said that the future of the plant will be critical for sustaining the community long-term.

Piketon’s population hovers at around just 2,000, and while many who work at the plant commute in from surrounding towns, it is by far the largest employer in the area.

“We’re talking about a large economic influx of thousands of jobs,” said Howard. “It means a lot for the people here.”

Matt Snider, manager of the new centrifuge plant, said he was thankful for the company’s strong working relationship with the USW.

“Centrus is proud to be leading the effort to restore American leadership in uranium enrichment, and grateful for the USW members in our Piketon plant who are making it happen,” Snider said.

Health and Safety Essential

The new uranium enrichment project at Portsmouth is, in a way, a throwback to the past for a work site that for 45 years was home to a gaseous diffusion plant that enriched uranium – first for use in the nation’s nuclear weapons program and, later, for commercial nuclear reactors. Those operations ended in 2001, and for the past three decades, USW members have performed complex decontamination and decommissioning work there.

Fluor-BWXT, the contractor that oversees the decommissioning, custodial, plant protection and other work at the site, is the largest employer of USW members in Portsmouth, with about 650 on its payroll. 

Greg Wilkett, site manager for the company, said the most important aspect of his work with the union is ensuring that everyone goes home safe at the end of their shift.

“You don’t get that unless you have a great partnership,” Wilkett said. “We have a common interest.”

Sam Carver said wages and benefits are a small part of what USW membership provides to the workers in Portsmouth. Having a strong voice on the job, particularly on issues of health and safety, is essential, he said.

“It’s about knowing that they have your back,” Carver said. “We know that when we bring something up, they’re not going to take it lightly.”

Phil Budnik, a unit president and safety representative, said the membership works closely with management at the site on a number of issues, including safety and ensuring adequate funding from the federal government.

“We are good at protecting our work force,” said Budnik, who served in a management role at a previous job. “It has given me perspective.”

USW members in Portsmouth also have found opportunities to change direction in their careers. Paige Cisco, a second-generation atomic worker, began working at the Portsmouth site during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic as a janitor, and for the past three years has worked in process operations. 

Cisco quickly became a leader within her local, stepping up to become unit president, a full-time safety representative, a sergeant-at-arms and a worker-trainer who now travels around the country providing Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) trainings for fellow USW members.

Cisco’s mother, who also worked as a process operator at the site, now works with the Worker Health Protection Program through New York’s Queens College, which partners with the USW, the Department of Energy and other agencies to offer free health evaluations to atomic workers for conditions related to radiation, asbestos, beryllium, noise, solvents, and other potential exposures.

Cisco attended the USW’s Health, Safety and Environment conference held in August, where she and other USW members in the nuclear sector had the chance to discuss their health and safety concerns in a special session for atomic workers. 

“I care about our health and safety at Portsmouth because it’s personal for me,” said Cisco, whose father suffered from three different cancers while employed at the site in Piketon. “The people I work with aren’t just my coworkers – they are my family.”

Trent Smith has worked at the Portsmouth site for 31 years doing a variety of jobs. For Smith, the strong connection he feels with co-workers and the members of his community make it a special place to work and live.

“There’s a brotherhood. There’s no denying that,” he said of his USW siblings. “They are the community in my eyes.”

Legacy of Innovation

As the Portsmouth site evolves, it stays grounded in its rich legacy while embracing a promising future. 

“The new uranium enrichment project marks a pivotal step forward, ensuring that Portsmouth remains at the forefront of America’s nuclear energy future,” said International Vice President Roxanne Brown, who oversees bargaining in the USW’s atomic sector. “This enduring partnership between USW members, industry, and community honors our history while building a brighter future for the nation.”

(Pittsburgh) – Union leaders representing thousands of workers at Dow, DuPont, Corteva, IFF, and Trinseo locations from the United States and around the globe met last week in Pittsburgh to discuss common issues, devise strategies and pledge their unity.

“As workers continue to experience challenges, both locally and globally, union members around the world and in the U.S. will be working together to ensure our best interests are represented,” said Kent Holsing, chairperson of the Dow DuPont North American Labor Council and president of USW Local 12075 in Midland, Mich.

“The chemical industry is critically important and its workers are a vital part of that,” Holsing added. “Faced with economic uncertainty, the push for sustainability, digitalization and consumer confidence, we know all too well that corporations don’t stop making decisions and acting in the best interest of their shareholders.”

“We must protect workers, not only those in our unions but also non-union employees who don’t have that voice.”

The union leaders, over a three-day period, shared collective bargaining data, identified mutual obstacles and determined potential solutions to concerns like short staffing, excessive overtime and increased workplace fatigue, lack of proper training, and workplace and community safety.

The council also discussed Dow’s flawed decision and the ramifications to abruptly close the Puerto General San Martin, Argentina location, the future of company-union relations, and the financial strength of each company.

The labor leaders strengthened their unions’ international connections, and their interactions boosted mutual respect and understanding across the six companies’ unionized worksites in the U.S. and globally.

Representatives from these unions participated in the annual meeting: The United Steelworkers (USW); the International Union of Operating Engineers; Texas City Metal Trades; the International Chemical Workers Union Council/United Food & Commercial Workers; National Conference of Firemen & Oilers; the Ampthill Rayon Workers Incorporated (ARWI); the Dow Chemical European Employee Forum; the Dow Chemical-Stade Works Council (Germany); UNITE the Union (United Kingdom); the Global Union Federation IndustriALL (Geneva, Switzerland); the Union of Workers and Employees Petrochemicals States-SOEPU (Argentina) and the Petroleum Chemical and Rubber Industry Workers’ Union of Turkey-Lastik-İş (Turkey).

The USW represents 850,000 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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Union contracts can be a powerful tool in addressing mental health among members and their families, and USW bargaining committees must push for progress on that issue just as they would any other health care language.

That was the central message of a daylong educational program for rank-and-file USW leaders this summer at the union’s education center at Linden Hall in Pennsylvania.

Health and Safety

For Mayson Fulk of Local 2699-09 in London, Ontario, efforts to improve workers’ mental health are a natural part of the work that USW local leaders do on behalf of all of their members.

“We are a health and safety union,” Fulk said, “and that includes our mental health and safety.”

Aside from simply providing affordable and accessible mental health care, unions can fight for language on numerous topics that can address members’ mental health needs, including limiting excessive overtime, providing adequate vacation time and paid sick leave, and ensuring safer workplaces free from danger.

Dangers in the workplace, Fulk noted, can include both physical hazards and psychological hazards such as bullying and harassment. The threat of both can lead to mental health challenges, but bargaining for affordable health care coverage that takes mental health needs into account is the first step to addressing the issue, Fulk said.

“We can tell our members and our employees all we want that mental health matters, but if we aren’t bargaining for access to mental health care that our members can afford, it does no good,” said Fulk, who serves as unit chair as well as local president, co-chair of the District 6 Human Rights Committee, District 6 Trans Liaison and as a member of the international’s 2SLGBTQIA+ Advisory Committee.

Common Problem

During the Linden Hall program, which was packed with several dozen USW members from across North America, facilitator Waleed Sami, a professor of psychology at the City College of New York, asked participants to raise their hands if they had dealt with a mental health-related issue in their workplace. Every member’s hand went up.

“Many of the elements that contribute to better mental health are things that a union can improve,” said Sami, who wrote his 115-page doctoral dissertation on the relationship between union membership and mental health.

“Income inequality and poverty exert a profound health and mental health cost on the citizens of the United States,” Sami wrote. But the strong wages and benefits that union membership provides can help to combat those factors, not just for workers but entire communities.

Besides good pay, unions, in general, provide workers with increased job security, greater work-life balance, more opportunity for advancement, more flexible scheduling and safer environments than non-union workplaces. All of those factors can be improved through contract bargaining, Sami said.

Voice on the Job

In addition, unions provide workers with an avenue to address concerns about their working conditions in a way that non-union workers don’t have, which also can lead to improved mental health, said Tom Woodgate of Local 2-585 in Mount Pleasant, Mich.

“The contract gives our members a concrete way of managing their lives, working conditions, wages, benefits. Negotiating a contract can be stressful, but not having any contract is more stressful,” Woodgate said. “Having the union gives us the strength to stand up.”

In addition to providing a voice for workers, union contracts offer a degree of certainty about the future, Woodgate said, which gives workers feelings of comfort and safety.

“There are rules, and the mechanisms of the contract give people stability, and a clear process on how things work,” he said. “This gives people a sense of agency in their workplace, that even in small ways, or not-so-small ways, they can make informed decisions about their lives and livelihoods.”

Paid Time Off

Specific contract provisions also can contribute to the mental well-being of workers, said Sederick Wilson, vice president of Local 9558 at Howmet Aerospace in Hampton, Va.

One of those provisions is adequate bereavement leave so that workers have time to process their grief after the loss of a close loved one, Wilson said.

“You really don’t know the impact until you go through it,” he said.

Another helpful provision is paid family leave that allows workers flexibility when they are sick or caring for a sick or terminally ill family member.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought into stark relief the need for such policies across all workplaces. Still, union contracts are the best way to ensure those benefits, Woodgate said.

Employee Assistance

Providing workers who are dealing with post-traumatic stress, depression or substance abuse, or who are facing violent domestic situations or other threats, with the support, time off and flexibility they need to change their lives can be among the most important provisions in a union contract, Woodgate said.

Many USW locals bargain contract language for employee-assistance programs (EAPs) that offer benefits such as counseling, legal aid, education and training opportunities, child care, financial assistance, housing placement and other help to workers struggling with a host of issues that can negatively affect their mental health.

“These types of issues can require a lot of patience and guidance,” Wilson said.

In recent years, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has recognized issues of mental health and stress as workplace hazards and begun to provide resources and tools for workers and managers to address those problems. For more information, members can visit osha.gov.

Raising the Bar

The idea of addressing issues of domestic violence and other forms of abuse through the union’s collective bargaining process led to the creation of the recently updated “Action Guide for Raising the Bar on Women’s Health and Safety,” a handbook to give union leaders tools, including model contract language, to better address members’ needs through bargaining and union activism.

In addition to violence and abuse, the guide provides members with help in addressing other issues, including harassment, gender identity, ergonomics, work-life balance, restrooms and change rooms, uniforms, personal protective equipment, and reproductive health. Members can find the guide at: usw.to/raisingthebar.

“The job of any union is to recognize the needs of workers and their families and do everything we can to help them meet those needs,” International President David McCall said. “Ensuring the health, safety and security of workers and families is something we should be fighting for every day, in our workplaces and in our communities.”

Besides the benefits that their contract language or an EAP may offer, Sami said, unions provide workers with other, less tangible benefits that positively affect mental health, including feelings of friendship and community that may be less prevalent in non-union workplaces.

Sense of Belonging

Holding union-led events such as picnics, holiday parties, charity drives and other social gatherings, Sami said, can give members a feeling of purpose and a sense of belonging that they may not get elsewhere.

“Being a part of our union can give you something to get involved in, a chance to help others around you and in your community, a network of folks across North America that genuinely care about your well-being,” Fulk said.

All of those factors can contribute positively not only to workers’ mental health, but that of their families, Woodgate said.

“Just having a union,” he said, “gives you hope that things will improve.”

Members of the USW 3M Council, who met in Niagara Falls, N.Y., on Oct. 8-9, continued strategizing around 3M’s announcement last January that it would freeze U.S. pension plans for nonunion employees at the end of 2028.

USW Collective Bargaining, Research and Benefits Director Chad Apaliski expects 3M will try to make changes to members’ pensions, shifting to a 401K structure instead. “Luckily, we have time,” Apaliski told the council, urging them to start planning ways to organize as a united front against the potential push. “This pension issue is unique in that it involves every one of our shops in one way or another.”

USW International Secretary-Treasurer John Shinn, who oversees bargaining in the chemical sector, urged the locals within the council to utilize USW resources to educate, communicate and build solidarity amongst their membership around the pension issue.

“We need to walk out of here understanding that we need to be united, and we need to engage our members,” said Shinn. “There is never a better time to utilize our strategies and resources at HQ in Pittsburgh to be proactive.”

Health and Safety Issues Key

Secretary-Treasurer Shinn began the conversation on health and safety by presenting statistics from the USW’s Health, Safety and Environment Department, noting that seven fatalities and 82 injuries have occurred to USW members in the chemical sector over the last 10 years. Of the injuries reported to the USW, more than half were due to exposure to toxic chemicals.

Shinn said some sites in the chemical sector lack any substantial health and safety language.

“Management says they want to talk about safety, but when it comes down to spending money, they won’t do it,” said Jay Zyduck, a council representative from USW Local 2-0666 in Wausau, Wisc.

Members of the council cited accidents like fires, loss of fingers and chemical splashes that could have been prevented with better health and safety training and stricter safety practices.

“The company is always going to blame the worker when an accident happens, and we need to hold them accountable,” said Heath Ver Bockel, USW staff in District 7 who services the 3M workers in Wausau.

Representatives from the various 3M locals shared ways their unions have improved practices around chemical safety at their sites. Each local union represented in the council had regular health and safety meetings that met quarterly or even monthly. A major point of discussion was how members at the sites have advocated for “stop work authority” so workers are empowered to stop work when conditions are unsafe.

“Your industry is dangerous,” said Shinn. “Stop work authority is important to not only us, but to the community.”

Shinn to Step Down

Shinn informed the council he’d be stepping down as secretary-treasurer at the end of this year, but will continue to work into next year as a special assistant to the president until he wraps up ongoing projects – including chairing the chemical sector – and helps train the next generation of the union’s leadership.

“I’m impressed with the council and what we’ve been able to accomplish,” said Shinn. “I take a lot of pride in the work we’ve been doing.”

The 3M Council plans to meet again under new leadership in Spring 2025. Stay tuned for announcements regarding a date and location.

For Danielle Aunkst, a Registered Nurse at Pediatric Specialty Care Medical Day at Danville, the decision to organize was motivated by a desire to continue to show up at her best for the population of vulnerable children in her care. 

Aunkst and her colleagues work as RNs, LPNs, childcare workers, and more at a pediatric care center in Danville, Pa. The children in their care have chronic lung disease, genetic disorders, seizure disorders, feeding intolerance, and other medical conditions.

After months of organizing and a grueling campaign with an employer that forced workers into two separate union elections, Aunkst and her colleagues unanimously voted to join the USW in August. 

The tight-knit group of 23 was motivated by their desire to build a better future for the center's health care workers, children, and families. 

“This is what it comes down to: if we can’t have our own health and safety concerns taken care of, how can we take care of these kids?” asked Aunkst. “We’re trying to care for medically fragile children, and we don’t have paid sick days or affordable health insurance.”

Aunkst and her colleagues are most excited that unionizing grants them the voice on the job they’ve desperately needed. They also look forward to bargaining over paid time off policies, affordable health insurance, and various employer-sponsored benefits as they prepare to negotiate their first union contract. 

“We’re a very close-knit facility, and the employer couldn’t break us down,” said Aunkst. “We care about these kids. They are our main focus, and they can’t take that away from us.”

As president of Local 1327, Jennifer Beard represents the production workers at Domtar’s paper facility in Ashdown, Ark.

This August, she got her first opportunity to join her USW siblings from across the industry at the union’s paper bargaining policy conference, where they set a new agenda for their industry and prepared to meet those goals with a schedule packed with training sessions and discussions on the future of their craft.

“We have to continue to produce quality products in a sustainable way,” Beard said. “And we must continue to be innovative by finding ways to produce products or ways to use our products that will set us up for a positive future.”

Those items were on the agenda for Beard and her colleagues at the four-day conference, which included 500 members from across North America. The union’s 10th paper bargaining conference, with the theme “The Power of Paper: We Matter,” brought together a diverse group of workers from one of the union’s largest sectors.

For Beard, the conference offered a chance to network with union leaders from across the USW who, despite working in other states or for other companies, shared many of the same issues on the shop floor.

“The conference is a way for us to share commonalities and learn from one another,” she said.

Aside from kitchen table issues like wages, benefits and retirement security, the conference included presentations and panel discussions on legislative issues, the sector’s efforts on “Raising the Bar for Women’s Health and Safety,” the importance of adding domestic violence leave language to union contracts, and updates from the union’s global allies in the paper industry.

In his role as USW international vice president, Luis Mendoza oversees bargaining for about 80,000 members across 550 paper locals and 30 bargaining councils. Fighting for safer and healthier workplaces for each of those members is the most essential aspect of union leadership, he said.

“There’s nothing more important than making sure workers get home safely at the end of their day,” Mendoza said. “Fighting for safer workplaces is our most important mission as union leaders.”

In addition to Mendoza, the conference included remarks from International President David McCall, International Vice Presidents Emil Ramirez, Kevin Mapp and Roxanne Brown, and Directors Larry Burchfield of District 13, Donnie Blatt of District 1, Cathy Drummond of District 11 and Daniel Flippo of District 9.

Randall Child, president of 9-738 at the International Paper mill in Riegelwood, N.C., was attending his fourth paper conference as a union leader.

Child, who represents about 380 members at his mill, said it was important for all members to support the union’s national paper bargaining policy and its 10-point safety action plan for making and converting paper.

That plan updated the safety priorities for the sector, such as green-on-green training and mental health awareness, and added more focus items, including developing a program for safe work conversations based on critical hazards and underlying factors.

“All of those things are critical to making the paper industry safer,” said Child. “This has historically been a very dangerous industry to work in.”

Also critical, Child said, is making sure local leaders employ the USW’s “Raising the Bar” document, an action guide with sample contract language aimed at helping workers experiencing intimate partner abuse, as well as other issues including harassment, gender identity, ergonomics, work-life balance, restrooms and change rooms, uniforms, personal protective equipment and reproductive health.

Beard agreed that focusing on those issues would improve the environment for all paper workers.

“Working in a male-dominated industry, awareness around women’s health and safety is something we all could use,” said Beard.

Having a safety and health program in every shop, with buy-in from both rank-and-file members and plant managers, is critical, Child said. That doesn’t happen without USW leaders who advocate on behalf of their members.

“That’s the only way you’re going to be safer is to get the workers engaged and bring it down to the workers’ level,” he said. “It doesn’t happen overnight, but things like the conference, where you get to hear from the entire membership, are essential.”

Participants also took part in multiple workshops on relevant topics including health and safety, mental health in the workplace, organizing, collective bargaining, Women of Steel, and the USW’s legislative efforts.

The union’s legislative work on the federal, state and local levels can be a key factor in building a strong, sustainable future for the industry, Beard said.

“We must be active and pressure our legislators to work with us,” she said, “to advocate and produce reasonable solutions when making policy and regular decisions concerning the paper industry.”

In one of the key pieces of business at the conference, delegates voted to adopt the 2024-2026 Paper Bargaining Policy as recommended by the elected policy committee. The new policy amends the previous document that members put in place at their 2021 conference, including updates on retirement security language, successorship language and benefit administration, and improvements in vacation at all levels of seniority.

“I hope that all of the conference attendees go back to their locals energized to take what they have learned in the plenary sessions and workshops,” Mendoza said. “I hope that through networking and discussions with other local leaders, they can continue the work they do for their members fighting for the economic security, safety and benefits for all workers in the paper sector.”

Before Christopher Burks and his 325 co-workers at Kumho Tire in Macon, Ga., ratified their first contract in August 2023, they had little recourse to address their concerns about health and safety on the job.

Now, after a six-year fight against long odds to join the USW, the members of Local 9008 are working under their first union contract, with health and safety language covering training, a workplace safety committee, incident investigations and other important provisions to prevent recurrence.

“It was such a long battle. It was a hard fight,” Burks said. “In our first contract, we didn’t get everything we wanted, but we are better than we were before we started, and we are going to continue to grow.”

Not long after that first contract took effect at Kumho, in April 2024, 57-year-old worker Steven Brookins was killed in a tragic workplace incident. If not for the USW contract there, members might not have been able to fully participate in the investigation and aftermath of that incident.

Founding Principle

It is that work – fighting for workers’ safety and health – that is the bedrock principle of union membership, International President David McCall said in August in his address to almost 1,700 members and guests at the USW Health, Safety and Environment Conference in Pittsburgh.

“Health and safety is the foundation of the labor movement,” McCall said, emphasizing the importance of steadfast solidarity when it comes to safety. “No matter what the issues are, it’s about workers. It takes every one of us to make things better.”

McCall spoke on the conference’s opening day, just after hosting meetings with acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Julie Su, along with Burks and other new USW members from Kumho Tire and Blue Bird bus company in Fort Valley, Ga.

Su congratulated the workers on their victories and made the case that having a union to fight for worker protections is the most basic aspect of a good job.

“No job should be a death sentence,” Su said. “Every worker should know that they’re going to come home healthy and safe at the end of their work shift.”

Protecting Workers

Organizing more workers into the union, as USW members have done at Kumho, Blue Bird, the University of Pittsburgh and elsewhere in recent years, is the best way to protect workers, she said.

“It happened because you organized, and it happened because you acted in solidarity,” Su said of the recent surge in union activism. “It also happened because leadership matters. Together, we are ushering in a new era of a pro-worker, pro-union America.”

Ted Campiso, Rapid Response and safety representative for Local 13-447 in Westwego, La., said that making sure workers are safer on the job is not just a union issue – it also is a political one.

“We have to have the right legislation,” Campiso said. “Elections have consequences, and bad things can happen very quickly.”

In his address, McCall noted a number of the positive consequences of the Biden-Harris administration’s election in 2020, including new rules limiting worker exposure to silica dust, ensuring safe staffing in nursing facilities, and expanding the rights of workers to participate in incident investigations.

Workers across the country made all of those gains thanks to the activism of USW members, McCall said.

“We’ve weathered a lot of rough times, but we now have leaders who listen to what our issues are and are sincere about helping us with those problems,” he said. “It’s good to have so many friends who have our backs.”

Heat Standard

Another victory for worker safety could be on the way in the form of a standard protecting workers from the effects of extreme heat, said James Frederick, a former USW health and safety representative now serving as deputy assistant secretary of labor for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Frederick spoke to members at the conference about the progress his agency has made since January 2021.

The heat standard, which the Biden administration proposed this summer and which is currently in the review process, would cover 36 million workers in both indoor and outdoor workplaces, he said.

Joining Frederick in addressing the conference was Steve Owens, chair of the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) along with other health and safety regulators.

Refinery Tragedy

Owens and Frederick led a discussion of the importance of thorough incident investigations, focusing on the tragic loss of two USW members and brothers, Ben and Max Morrissey of Local 1-346, in September 2022 at the BP-Husky oil refinery in Oregon, Ohio.

The CSB investigation of that tragedy found a series of failures on the part of refinery management and led the agency to issue seven recommendations to refinery operators, and others, to prevent future tragedies by addressing the safety gaps that led to the fire.

“Nearly everything that could go wrong did go wrong during this incident,” Owens said. “The tragic loss of life resulting from this fire underscores the importance of putting in place the tools that employees need to perform tasks safely.”

Making sure workers have those tools requires support from the USW, employers, and securing those commitments is one of the most important jobs of a union-management health and safety committee, said USW Health, Safety and Environment Director Steve Sallman.

“We are here to do everything we can to prevent this from happening again,” he said.

Training and Education

For USW members, the work of preventing such fatal and life-altering incidents on the job takes on many forms, including investigating, training workers, inspecting work sites, identifying and eliminating potential hazards, and communicating with members and management about issues of concern.

To help members do that work, the weeklong conference provided 303 workshops covering topics such as incident investigation, fatigue, active shooter, whistleblower protections, ergonomics, workplace stress, chemical safety, fall protection, industrial hygiene, cancer in the workplace, reducing toxic exposures, safe patient handling for health care workers, and the first-ever industry/sector breakout meetings.

Elaine Stewart, a personal support worker at Cogir and member of Local 8300, said the conference gave her a chance to learn how her fellow health care workers are addressing their on-the-job issues.

“I leave knowing other people are going through the same issues of short staffing and workplace violence that we are,” she said. “I know that we can help each other and work together to solve these issues.”

Help for Members

Campiso said the health, safety and environment conference is one of the most important events for USW members to attend, because it arms local union leaders with the tools and the knowledge they need to make their workplaces safer.

“Our union has so many resources, and members need to know about them,” he said.

Those resources include assistance with incident investigations, training and education through the USW’s grant-funded Tony Mazzocchi Center, and help in the aftermath of tragic events through the union’s Emergency Response Team (ERT).

The ERT provides members and families with immediate aid, counseling, help in investigating root causes of accidents, as well as assistance with legal, financial and other needs.

ERT Director Duronda Pope, formerly a member of Local 8031 in Denver, said that even though the work of ERT coordinators can be extremely difficult and stressful, it also can be the most rewarding work union members do. The ERT currently has 62 team members across the United States and Canada.

“We advocate for people during the worst time in their lives,” Pope said. “Looking after each other is key, because we are our brother’s and sister’s keeper.”

The conference’s second day began with a solemn reminder of why that work is so critical. The conference hall fell silent as video screens displayed the traditional memorial scroll with the names of workers who had their lives taken from them at USW-represented workplaces since the union’s last health, safety and environment conference in April 2023.

That memorial, McCall said, is the most important part of the event.

“It really is a stark reminder that our work is never done,” McCall said. “We don’t know how many lives we’ve saved. There’s no way to measure it, but it’s work that can never stop, and we can never quit.”

Retention challenges at the forefront

Derek Gaston, Deputy Technical Area Director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation program, addressed the council about the workforce needed to achieve the Biden administration’s goal of tripling nuclear energy output by 2028.

Gaston estimated that nearly 375,000 new workers will be required—approximately four times the current workforce. “We need your help to reach these goals,” Gaston said. “The future of nuclear energy relies on a strong, well-trained workforce.”

Council members voiced concerns about the recruitment and training necessary to meet these ambitious goals. Matt Chavez, President of USW Local 12-652 at the Idaho National Lab, pointed out that issues related to wages, pensions, and stringent clearance requirements are hindering recruitment efforts, particularly among younger workers.

“These guys are seeing the writing on the wall – employees will be jumping ship,” Chavez noted, highlighting higher wages available in nearby Boise. “We’ll face serious challenges if we don’t address this.” 

Safety and maintenance concerns

Jeff Avery, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Office of Environmental Management, listened as representatives from various atomic sites raised alarms about health and safety due to inadequate maintenance of facilities and equipment. At the Idaho National Lab, council members reported a number of pressing health and safety concerns regarding equipment and infrastructure.

Representatives from the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant also highlighted the urgent need for upgrades to critical infrastructure at the New Mexico site. Avery acknowledged a “broad awareness” within the EM office that WIPP requires funding from the DOE for these projects.

Training and workforce development successes

Despite these challenges, USW-led training programs for nuclear workers are proving successful. The USW Tony Mazzocchi Center (USWTMC) has surpassed its workforce development target, achieving 123 percent of its goal for the number of nuclear workers trained through TMC programs.

The Portsmouth, Ohio site continues to improve its training efforts and recently secured a $2 million grant to provide skills training and certification programs for 700 workers.

Looking ahead

USW International Vice President Roxanne Brown, who leads both the USW’s legislative work and the union’s atomic sector, underscored the significance of the upcoming 2024 presidential election for the nuclear industry. “This sector is unique; who occupies the White House and leads Congress truly matters,” Brown stated.

The USW has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz for the presidential ticket, expressing confidence that Harris will continue to champion essential policies for the sector, such as climate action and workforce development. The council intends to meet with the incoming administration next year to outline their priorities.

“We want to ensure that we clearly communicate our expectations for this sector and its implications for the economy,” Brown emphasized.

As the council prepares for the next administration, the focus will be on securing firm commitments for the future of atomic workers. The AEWC plans to reconvene in April 2025 at the USW’s Constitutional Convention to consolidate the priorities they want to deliver to the next administration.

“This is fundamentally about ensuring a future for our jobs at these sites,” Brown said. “We have a unique opportunity to outline what that future should look like. We know how to do this work; we just need to be clear and specific about our requests.” 

While we can’t possibly list every victory, I’m hopeful that this review will embolden and motivate us for the important work that lies ahead. 

Federal legislative and policy victories:

• Union Pensions Rescued:  120,000 active and retired USW members were among the 1.3 million union members whose pensions were rescued by the Biden/Harris American Rescue Plan.
• Lower Prescription Drug Costs were achieved through the historic Inflation Reduction Act, which empowered Medicare to negotiate costs with drug manufacturers.  As a result, Medicare recipients now enjoy a $35 monthly cap for their insulin and, beginning in 2025, a $2,000 cap on out-of-pocket prescription costs, saving an estimated 19 million Medicare beneficiaries $400 per year on average. 
• Renewed, Pro-worker direction at the National Labor Relations Board has helped spur a massive surge in union elections.  President Biden took swift action to fire the former NLRB general counsel who turned the Board against workers, chipping away at our bargaining ability and generally weakening unions.  Then, on numerous occasions, Vice President Kamala Harris cast the tie-breaking vote to confirm labor-friendly members to the Board, creating an opportunity to restore and increase Board funding and to reverse Trump-era rules that restricted union activities in American worksites.
• Historic investments in American manufacturing, thanks to another tie-breaking vote from Vice President Harris, helped pass the Biden/Harris Inflation Reduction Act.  This law is sparking private investment in new manufacturing and has provided existing facilities with the resources to upgrade technology to remain competitive.
• Hard-fought improvements in workplace health and safety include a new ban on the import and use of asbestos in worksites and a long-awaited rule to limit workers’ exposure to silica dust.  Additionally, the Biden/Harris Department of Labor has moved to create a new federal standard to protect workers from heat-related illnesses and death. 

State-level legislative and policy victories: 

• Michigan’s newly-elected, pro-union governor and legislature – the state’s first in nearly 40 years – acted to restore workers’ collective bargaining rights by repealing the state’s so-called right-to-work law and putting an end to the unfair pension tax.
• Minnesota’s pro-worker, pro-retiree legislature and governor, Tim Walz (now our endorsed Vice Presidential Nominee), passed a state budget (HF3028/SF3035) that was hailed as the “most significant worker protection bill in state history.”
• In Ohio, voters defeated Issue 1, which would have raised the threshold for voters to amend the constitution to a supermajority of 60 percent and enacted stricter requirements for getting amendments on the ballot.

I hope this much-abbreviated list of accomplishments fills you with confidence and resolve as we gear up for another year of fighting to strengthen union power, enhance workplace safety and health, and protect every American’s right to a secure retirement.

While much attention has been focused on the presidential campaign, we must remember that state and federal lawmakers also make the decisions that impact our access to health care, our ability to afford prescribed medications, the availability of various health care services in our communities, and so much more.

Strengthening retirement security has long been a top priority of Steelworkers, as evidenced by our 2020, 2022 and 2024 Your Union, Your Voice (YUYV) survey results.  We must remain vigilant in growing union power as we celebrate these policy victories and keep the momentum going.   

-Julie Stein
SOAR Director

“Our local’s Women of Steel Chair invited me, and at first, I was a little on edge because I’m pretty shy,” Benge said. “But then I got to learn from other sisters and hear about their experiences, and it really inspired me.”

Benge’s favorite part of the conference – the District’s first of its kind – was learning about the history of labor and all the sacrifices workers made to grow and strengthen the movement. She’s now ready to help build her local’s Women of Steel committee, which already is well on their way with organizing luncheon fundraisers for workers in need.

“It’s changed the whole factory completely,” said Benge. “It’s building solidarity.”

Benge is also grateful to have a union job because of the camaraderie that has given her a newfound confidence.

“I feel like I have a backbone now,” she said. “I know my union will have my back.”

One thing Benge is looking forward to is getting more women at the 200-member facility involved and even potentially running for local union office. In the meantime, when Benge isn’t at the factory or fundraising with her USW siblings, she loves to work on her Mustang and compete in drag racing competitions.

Her advice to other women who want to get involved in their union but feel too nervous to start?

“If you get the chance, you should definitely take the risk and step up,” Benge said. “If you don’t, nothing will change.”

Dozens of health care workers from districts across the union sharpened their skills and shared their stories last week at the 2024 Health, Safety and Environment Conference in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Dietary workers, paramedics, pharmaceutical workers, CNAs, LPNs, and others participated in a full day of customized health care programming on Wednesday. 

In a first-of-its-kind offering, health care workers discussed how new technologies impact workers and patients alike in a session titled Technology in Health Care: Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Sensors, and More. Members shared their experiences with robots that deliver food to patients, electronic welcome screens and kiosks, and automated call-backs for patients. 

While AI and new technologies will continue to impact USW workplaces, the union provides avenues to address issues and respond proactively at the bargaining table and beyond. 

“We’ve been down this road before as Steelworkers,” said Tamara Lefcowitz, course facilitator and coordinator for the Health Care Workers Council. “We’ve been dealing with new technologies and automation for 80 years. The biggest weapon that we have is a seat at the table.”

Health care members of all stripes also benefited from workshops like Ergonomics in Health Care: Safe Patient Handling and Office Equipment, which reviewed ergonomic hazards unique to patient care and office work. 

Lisa Baum, an Occupational Health and Safety Representative for the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) and a member of USW Local 9544, and Micki Siegel de Hernandez, the Communication Workers of America’s (CWA) National Deputy Director for Occupational Safety and Health facilitated the course. 

The workshop also featured a hands-on presentation of safe patient handling equipment and a practice computer workstation. Equipment specialists were available to answer specific questions.

Wednesday’s programming concluded with Mental Health for Health Care Workers, a panel discussion examining the taxing nature of caregiving and how the union can help. The panel had several important takeaways for Elaine Stewart, a personal support worker from Local 8300 in Toronto.

“Mental health impacts all of us in some way,” said Elaine. “As a union steward and member of my local’s health and safety committee, I feel like I will be better able to serve my coworkers if someone calls me needing help or support.” 

The health care track at this year’s conference was made possible by the USW Health Care Workers Council, the USW Health, Safety, and Environment Department, the Tony Mazzocchi Center, the Education and Membership Development Department, and the union’s Legislative and Policy Department. 

Here's what is included:

• Free advocacy and assistance through the Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs 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 IN 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

Our veterans often return to civilian life after serving our nation without guidance on how to receive the benefits their service entitles them. This legislation brings us one step closer to making sure their sacrifice is properly honored.

We are so happy to share our bill passed the Senate and Assembly unanimously (http://usw.to/511) and has been signed into law in Indiana! (http://usw.to/512) This was done through the hard work of our Veterans of Steel siblings and USW members who support them through our lobbying efforts. We will continue to push for the same legislation in every state across the country. These efforts help to ease the transition back into civilian life and ensure that families and communities are supported after giving selflessly for our country.

USW members know firsthand that U.S. workers can compete with anyone when the playing field is level. However, in a global economy, we have to fight to ensure that workers are protected from unfair trade practices. 

When Heather Roberts travels outside of her small hometown of Charleroi, Pa., and tells people where she is from, more often than not, they recognize that it also is home to Pyrex, the iconic heat- and shatter-resistant glassware that has been a staple in American kitchens for generations.

Roberts is president of Local 53G, which includes more than 260 workers who produce the glass storage and mixing bowls, measuring cups and baking dishes for which the Pyrex brand has been known for more than a century.

“We take a lot of pride in what we do,” Roberts said of herself and her co-workers, which over the years have included her husband, mother, father-in-law, sister and numerous other relatives and neighbors.

Members of Local 53G make the well-known glassware while, about 150 miles to the east, in Greencastle, Pa., members of Local 1024 process and manage online orders and distribution of the products.

Roberts has worked at the factory for 17 years, and in 2015, she joined her co-workers and the town (population 4,200) in celebrating the brand’s 100th birthday. In honor of the centennial, Charleroi renamed itself Pyrex, Pa., for 100 days and held a large-scale celebration with a giant measuring cup as the centerpiece.

When she and her fellow Women of Steel engage in their regular community outreach efforts, Roberts said, they often encounter residents who identify closely with the Pyrex brand, even if they never worked at the factory.

When the company holds occasional public sales in town, lines stretch out the door, Roberts said.

“People come from everywhere,” she said.

For More Information: Visit corelle.com/pages/pyrex.

#USWMade is a feature focusing on products made by USW members that consumers can purchase in stores or online. Follow the #USWMade hashtag on social media and check out the #USWMade playlist on YouTube to learn about other products made by USW members. If your local makes a product that you would like to feature in USW@Work, send an email to: editor@usw.org.

Cisco first began working at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Ohio six years ago in order to be closer to her family. Both her parents worked at the plant, and her father was facing cancer for the second time.

One thing she knew she wanted to do with her time in the union, especially since the nuclear field can be a dangerous one, was become a health and safety representative.

“I don’t want anyone getting sick again like my dad,” she said. “I don’t want anyone else to struggle the way my family has struggled.”

Cisco said that many outsiders, and even some atomic workers, believe the only risk of the job is radiation. Chemical exposure is also a concern as workers at the plant tear down old facilities and enrich uranium.

“I care about everyone out there, and this new generation coming in has no historical knowledge about the industry and its dangers,” said Cisco.

The full-time health and safety representative educates her fellow members every chance she gets, as well as serving as a worker-trainer through the USW Tony Mazzocchi Center. Her team is currently implementing hazard mapping to train everyone across the massive atomic site.

Cisco believes this education is vital as the local’s membership continues to grow.

“We’re organizing constantly,” she said. “People want to join the union and work here.”

Cisco was first motivated to get more involved in the union, particularly the USW Women of Steel Leadership Development Course, from the encouragement of two women in her local.

“Watching those two and how they handle things made me want to get involved,” she said. “I want to keep the gate open so more women step up when the older generation leaves. I want to be a mentor the way others were mentors for me.”

What Cisco loves most about the leadership program is its focus on comradery and self-care.

“What we learn goes beyond the union,” she said. “It’s really about building us up as people and making us the best version of ourselves.”

Chuck Perko is a fourth-generation steelworker who still wears his grandfather’s USW dues-payer’s pin. The president of Local 3267, he works at a mill in Pueblo, Colo., that has existed for more than 150 years.

The mill has employed thousands over those decades, providing an economic boom for the entire region. While Perko and his 1,000 USW colleagues in two local unions at EVRAZ Pueblo are rightly proud of that history, the future of their workplace is just as compelling as its past.

Construction for a state-of-the-art $900 million long rail mill is ongoing, and the facility is scheduled to begin operations early next year. The mill will have the capacity to produce quarter-mile-long sections of rail that can be used in high-speed train projects.

“We will be one of two mills in the country that can produce it,” Perko said. “We definitely stand to benefit from the rail business.”

Infrastructure Law

That business got a significant boost from the Biden administration’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which included $66 billion in new funding for passenger and freight rail over 10 years.

That, coupled with hundreds of billions more earmarked for roads, bridges, waterlines, and other projects, means USW members in Pueblo can look forward to a future of good-paying, community supporting jobs, the kind that the mill has provided for generations.

“What this mill does for Pueblo is just amazing,” said Ashton King, who works at the factory with both of his parents. “It’s great being a part of that history, and still being able to make these rails today.”

Steelworkers’ Pride

While the new rail mill represents the future for members of Local 3267 (clerical and technical) and Local 2102 (production and maintenance), other parts of the mill – where members recycle and manufacture reinforcing bar, known as rebar, steel rod, and seamless pipe – also stand to benefit from the infrastructure law.

“It feels good to be a part of something that I know is going to make a difference,” said Theo Garcia, a Local 2102 member and utility man whose family has worked at the mill for three generations.

Like Garcia, Rodney Himelrick has worked at the mill for about seven years. And, like his union siblings, he takes tremendous pride in the products they produce at EVRAZ Pueblo.

“We’re making a good, strong product that is going to last a long time,” Himelrick said. “It’s going to help America for a long time.”

Focus on Sustainability

In addition to supplying essential components for the nation’s growing infrastructure needs, EVRAZ Pueblo is one of the world’s most sustainable steel mills. The mill boasts the largest on-site solar field for a U.S. mill, with 750,000 panels providing 95 percent of the plant’s electricity needs.

As one of the largest vertically integrated steelmakers in North America, EVRAZ also operates 17 recycling facilities throughout the continent, supplying scrap metal for their electric arc furnaces.

The new rail mill – which EVRAZ Pueblo’s senior director of operations Dmitry Belov calls the steel mill of the future – will bring with it the promise of hundreds of jobs and a prosperous future for the company, its workers and the community.

Core USW Values

That was exactly the idea when, in 2021, USW members mounted a campaign for, and President Joe Biden delivered, a massive $1.2 trillion infrastructure package. The plan was to provide much-needed upgrades to the nation’s roads, bridges, airports, shipping and rail systems, communications, water and utility networks, and other vital programs, while putting more Americans to work in good-paying union jobs that support families and build strong communities.

Moody’s Analytics predicts that, by 2025, the new law will create nearly 900,000 jobs, many of them in industries where USW members work. The law also includes strong Buy American provisions to ensure U.S. workers reap the benefits of their tax dollars, an important step as China continues to undercut the North American steel market with cheap, subsidized and often illegally traded products.

The infrastructure program – promised but never delivered by his predecessor –  was one of several key legislative wins Biden achieved that match up perfectly with the USW’s core values. Those values are reflected in members like Jeff Varner, who has worked at EVRAZ Pueblo off and on since 2013.

Varner, now in his second stint at the mill, looks forward to a secure retirement thanks to his service at the plant and his membership in the USW.

“I knew that this was an opportunity to support my family,” said Varner, who spends his shifts operating and monitoring activity in the furnace. “How many people in the world get to do what I do every day?”

The opportunity to work at a historic and cutting-edge steel mill, while earning strong USW-negotiated wages and benefits, makes jobs at the Pueblo site among the best in Colorado, said Local 2102 President Eric Ludwig.

Mary VanGorder, who has worked at the mill for nearly three years, said that between pay and benefits, she received a “life-changing” $32,000-a-year raise from her previous job when she arrived at the mill.

“There aren’t many places in Pueblo that can offer what this place has to offer,” said seven-year member Daniel Duran.

Besides the solid financial benefits, their USW membership gives workers in Pueblo a voice in efforts to improve health and safety at the plant, a priority that they share with mill management.

USW member Rich Darris, who serves on the labor-management safety and health committee, described the group’s efforts as a “symbiotic relationship.”

“We work hand-in-hand with the company,” he said. “With the union behind you, there is more of a safety net.”

Continuing that collaboration as the future of steel unfolds in the Rocky Mountains, and at similar facilities across the union, means a solid foundation for U.S. manufacturing for years to come, said District 12 Director Gaylan Prescott, whose region includes thousands of members in Colorado and 10 other Western states.

“Thanks to the infrastructure law and other federal efforts, we are growing our manufacturing capacity, strengthening our supply chains,” Prescott said, “and USW members are leading the way.”

That resurgence is as evident in Pueblo – known as the “steel city” of the West – as it is anywhere in the country.

“It is ingrained in this town,” Darris said. “It’s a matter of pride.”

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