Prices are on the rise and so is the need for strong Steelworker bargaining

The last couple of years have been hard and now life is getting more expensive.

As USW National Director Marty Warren recently said, “Coming out of these tough times, workers have been demanding more from their employers and calling for better from all levels of government. And, as we’ve always known, the best chance any worker has in securing better working conditions and fairer wages and benefits is to be a member of a union – especially a union as strong and diverse as the USW.”

The USW’s organizing has been attracting workers in industries ranging from manufacturing to coffee shops, who have taken the step to unionize. These new members are not only benefitting from the union’s solidarity, they’re also making the USW’s collective power even stronger.

As a union, Steelworkers use that strength at the bargaining table and beyond.
In British Columbia, Starbucks workers were the first to take advantage of the NDP government’s new card check law. Nationally, the union’s work helped the federal NDP secure clear commitments and timelines from the government on a number of key priorities, including dental care, pharmacare and the first federal anti-scab legislation.

There has also been movement on protection for workers’ pensions in the case of bankruptcy and better access to employment insurance. And the union secured big wins on the trade front that will protect Canadian jobs now and in the future.

The worst of the pandemic seems to be behind us, but the threat of inflation is still very real. So are corporate greed, excess profits and outsized CEO bonuses.

But what’s also real is the strength of the union and that together, Steelworkers can keep fighting and winning for members and all workers.

This article was featured in the Winter 2022 edition of USW@Work. Click here to download and read the full magazine.

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