USW

Community groups react to news that DuPont’s Teflon chemicals likely contaminate area residential wells. Eight of nine DuPont monitoring wells exceeded New Jersey’s “alert level.”

June 9, 2008 -- Deepwater, NJ—A coalition of environmental and labor groups are calling for the testing of private drinking water wells in four towns near DuPont’s Chambers Works facility in Deepwater, N.J. They are concerned about the possible presence of the dangerous Teflon chemical, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and other perfluorinated compounds (PFCs).    » read more »

May 23, 2008 -- Birmingham, Ala. -- Members of United Steelworkers (USW) Local 888 and Local 941 ratified a four-year labor agreement by a margin of three-to-one yesterday at the Georgia-Pacific (GP) paper mill in Brewton, Ala., that provides wage and benefit increases, improves retiree health care and pensions in addition to restoring all seniority rights that existed on Sept. 27, 2007, under the plant’s previous owner.    » read more »

DNC Superdelegate, INDN's List Founder and USW (United Steelworkers) Associate Member Kalyn Free Endorses Senator Barack Obama for U.S. President

May 05, 2008 -- Chicago, IL -- Kalyn Free, an at-large member of the Democratic National Committee, today announced that she supports Illinois Senator Barack Obama for the party's presidential nomination.

Part of the crowd at a recent Barack Obama rally in Indianapolis: Photo by Barack Obama campaign (CC)    » read more »

31 year member of the United Steelworkers, DNC Member John Patrick Backs Obama

May 01, 2008 -- Chicago, IL -- Today, a Texas superdelegate backed Barack Obama, citing his record of standing up for working families and opposing trade deals that fail to protect American workers.

Senator Barack Obama: Photo by Barack Obama campaign

The endorsement by Texas DNC Member John Patrick, who is also a 31 year member of the United Steelworkers (USW) as well as a Vice President of the Texas AFL/CIO, brings the total number of superdelegates to endorse Barack Obama to 249. Senator Obama is 283 delegates away from securing the Democratic nomination.    » read more »

Senators Obama and Clinton Offer Thoughtful Responses; McCain Refused Fails to Respond

Pittsburgh – In an open letter to United Steelworker (USW) members posted last week on the union’s website (www.usw.org), International President Leo W. Gerard encouraged members to make their choice for president based on thoughtful responses from Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama to a letter on crucial trade issues sent to them, as well as Senator John McCain.

Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton: Photos by SEIU International (Clinton) and Barack Obama campaign (Obama) (CC)    » read more »

Union Thwarts Attempt to Short-Change Workers

April 15, 2008 -- (Pittsburgh) – The United Steelworkers said today that Continental Tire North America, (CTNA) has agreed to make $158 million in payments to a retiree health insurance fund. The settlement is in response to a lawsuit filed by the USW and a class of retirees when CTNA implemented a $3,000 cap on its payments for retiree health coverage, a change which forced many retirees to pay $1000 or more monthly for coverage.

Leo Gerard: Photo by Allison Acosta (CC)    » read more »

April 8, 2007 -- USW-represented workers at Harley-Davidson Inc. factories in Wisconsin have overwhelmingly approved new contracts that raise wages, protect medical benefits and make temporary two-tier wages for skilled craftsmen.

The agreements were ratified by overwhelming margins in April by members of USW Local 2-209, which represents about 1,700 Harley employees in Milwaukee, and USW Local 460 in Tomahawk, Wis., which represents about 360 employees.

Harley-Davidson logo in chrome: Photo by Grant Matthews (CC)    » read more »

Cites ongoing ‘Impunity Slayings’ of unionists by forces with ties to government

April 7, 2008 -- Pittsburgh – Leo W. Gerard, President of the United Steelworkers (USW) today called on Congress to reject the proposed Colombia Free Trade Agreement transmitted by President Bush today for a vote.

“It’s an affront to working people and human rights advocates that George W. Bush is trying to do what no other American President has done in the past 30 years – shove a proposed free trade agreement on Congress over the wishes of the congressional leadership. No one wants a deal with a corrupt regime that continues to rule over the most dangerous country in the world in which to be a trade unionist.    » read more »

April 7, 2008 -- Pittsburgh, Pa. — United Steelworkers (USW) local unions attending an International Paper (IP) converter meeting in Cincinnati on April 2 unanimously voted to take back to the membership for ratification the proposed converters national agreement negotiated between the USW and IP, covering key economic and security issues.

“The unanimous support of the tentative accord with IP and USW converting facilities says a lot about the amount of progress that we continue to make in bargaining in the paper industry, and underscores the importance of local union activism and unity,” said USW International Vice President Jon Geenen who is responsible for national paper bargaining.    » read more »

Steelworkers and Sierra Club will educate members, promote global warming solutions and push for investment in green economy

March 31, 2008 -- PITTSBURGH - The Blue Green Alliance (BGA), a strategic partnership of the United Steelworkers and the Sierra Club, today joined the Alliance for Climate Protection, the nonprofit organization founded by Vice President Al Gore, as part of its rapidly expanding coalition of organizations taking steps to solve the climate crisis.    » read more »

Pittsburgh - Four of America’s largest unions have announced a political, electoral and legislative alliance pledged to “renew core American values: dignity, decency and fair treatment in the workplace.”

The Communication Workers of America, the United Auto Workers and the United Steelworkers, and the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, which together represent well over 2 million workers, will develop common strategies and share resources to help elect candidates who support working families, and to advocate on public policy issues.    » read more »

March 13, 2008 -- PITTSBURGH, -- The United Steelworkers (USW) today called on its environmental allies to join the union in rallying support for domestic job growth through sweeping federal investments in renewable job growth and asked for their support in urging Congress to close a loophole in carbon "cap-and-trade" legislation that is currently under consideration because in its current form it fails to require any significant improvements in the carbon emissions created by countries such as China, Brazil and India.    » read more »

Condemns McCain's Lobbying; Calls on Congress to Defund

March 4, 2008 -- PITTSBURGH - The United Steelworkers (USW) today denounced the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) for awarding a contract for the construction of Air Force refueling tankers to the European firm, Airbus, and called for its defunding. The contract is worth up to $100 billion, with its value rising to $408 billion over its lifetime. The USW also decried Sen. John McCain for his role in lobbying the DOD on behalf of the French corporation.    » read more »

Labor-Management Partnership Seeks Commitment to Combat Unfair Trade

February 28, 2008 -- PITTSBURGH - The United Steelworkers (USW) today heralded an advertising campaign in Ohio sponsored by the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM) that asks presidential hopefuls if they will take steps to curb manufacturing job losses in the state caused by unfair trade.    » read more »

February 6, 2008 -- Washington, D.C. -- The United Steelworkers (USW) welcomed today’s preliminary decision to impose antidumping duties on new pneumatic off-the-road (OTR) tire imports from China announced by the U.S. Commerce Department.    » read more »