USW Leader Delivers Message of Solidarity to Brazilian Workers

Contacts: Benjamin Davis, 412-562-2501, bdavis@usw.org

(SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL) – The United Steelworkers (USW) and Brazil’s Unified Workers’ Central (CUT) share a common goal and will continue to work together to stand up against greedy corporations and right-wing political leaders who are trying to take away their rights.

USW International Vice President Fred Redmond delivered that message of solidarity to 2,322 delegates attending the CUT Congress this week in São Paulo. CUT is Brazil’s largest labor federation with more than 3.5 million members.

“Steelworkers are standing up and fighting back against the global economic crisis and the right-wing political assault by the billionaires who are trying to hijack our democratic process,” Redmond told the CUT delegates. 

“They are trying to roll back the gains of the civil rights movement that African-Americans fought and died for – even attempting to take away citizens’ right to vote – and creating a climate of terror for immigrant families.”

Redmond underlined the USW’s efforts to build solidarity with CUT members with common employers including ArcelorMittal, BASF, and Gerdau. He also thanked CUT members for their support of USW campaigns against Vale and Rio Tinto.

The USW represents about 850,000 working men and women in the United States and Canada in a wide variety of industries, ranging from glass making to mining, paper, steel, tire and rubber and other manufacturing environments, to the public sector, service and health care industries.

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