Myles Sullivan

Director District 6

Myles Sullivan is the newly elected Director of United Steelworkers (USW) District 6, representing more than 74,000 USW members and 50,000 retirees across Ontario and Atlantic Canada. He previously served as Assistant to District 6 Director Marty Warren, a position he held since September 2019.

Sullivan has been a labour, political and social justice activist and, above all, a proud Steelworker, for more than a quarter-century. Born and raised in the northern Ontario gold mining community of Kirkland Lake, he joined the USW in 1995 after he was hired by mining company Falconbridge Ltd. (now Glencore) in Sudbury. He soon became active in the union, taking on roles including health and safety rep and steward before being elected chair of his 350-member bargaining unit within USW Local 2020.

Sullivan was hired as a USW Staff Representative based in Sudbury in 2007. Early in his tenure, he was the servicing staff representative for Local 6500, as members weathered their 361-day strike against Vale, working with some 3,500 families standing in solidarity against the mining giant. His direct involvement in the historic, year-long strike was a defining experience in his life and career.

“The strike highlighted the tremendous solidarity and fighting spirit of our members, who fought like hell to resist the destructive, anti-union agenda of a massive, multinational corporation. And it crystalized the necessity for the USW to continue our efforts to build community, labour and political alliances, at home and around the world,” Sullivan says. He carried many of the lessons from the strike with him as he went on to bargain major collective agreements, particularly with multinational corporations.

In 2013, Sullivan was appointed USW Area Co-ordinator for northeastern Ontario and served six years in the position before relocating to Toronto as Assistant to the District 6 Director.

An ardent proponent of member engagement and education, Sullivan credits many of his successes fighting for workers’ rights to the Steelworkers’ unmatched member-to-member education and training programs.

Throughout his career, Sullivan also has demonstrated a passion for working-class political activism. His commitment to social democratic principles includes serving nine years as a vice-president of the Ontario NDP.

Sullivan officially assumed the role of USW District 6 Director on March 1, 2022.