CONTACT: Fred Redmond, fredmond@usw.org
United Steelworkers (USW) International President Thomas M. Conway released the following statement regarding the mass shootings that took place this past weekend:
“We are all brokenhearted at the acts of senseless violence that have taken the lives of at least 31 people in Dayton and El Paso. This includes a daughter and a niece of two separate USW members in Ohio. We send our condolences to all the loved ones left mourning, and we grieve with them.
“Unions and moral people everywhere must work to combat the surge of hate and divisiveness plaguing our nation. Politicians and public figures must also better acknowledge that their words have power and that we can only heal when we come together to stand as one.
“Beyond that work, though, America needs to come to terms with the destructive killing power and nature of the weapons available to nearly anyone with the resources to purchase them. These weapons are turned against both law enforcement and innocent civilians far too often, and that should be intolerable to us as citizens.
“The Trump administration has the means to make real change by implementing stronger, common-sense regulations, which the vast majority of Americans support. It also has a duty to denounce hatred and bigotry instead of giving them a platform.
“Americans are calling on their elected leaders to finally stand up and do something. They need to listen.”
The USW represents 850,000 workers in North America employed in many industries that include metals, rubber, chemicals, paper, oil refining, and the service and public sectors.