For us Steelworkers, international solidarity runs deep in our veins. It is the lifeblood of our union and where we turn to on the darkest of days. Currently, we are facing tremendous challenges on both sides of the border.
Here in Canada, our jobs are facing a great deal of uncertainty and the cost of living has continued to rise, with little affordable housing available in the backdrop of a contracting economy. Members and people across Canada more generally are worried and reasonably so.
In the U.S., hundreds of thousands of jobs are being cut from the public sector, rights are being rolled back with each passing day, immigration raids are terrorizing communities and life is growing more expensive, worsened by an ongoing trade war.
That is why our union has taken on this tariff fight with such gusto. It is in these moments that being part of a union, including being a part of an international union, is so important. With a union, we have a voice at work, at the bargaining table and in this current tariff struggle.
As the National Director, I have worked alongside USW International President Dave McCall and all members of the International Executive Board, including district directors from across Canada and the United States, to advocate for members in Canada and the U.S. on the issue of the reckless tariffs levied against Canada by U.S. President Donald Trump.
The Trump tariffs are putting our jobs at risk here, and while our American counterparts are being sold a bill of goods about the tariffs benefitting them and their jobs, the opposite is proving to be true.
Our economies are intimately intertwined and at the time of writing, Trump has just doubled the tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum to 50%, harshly targeting Canadian workers.
As we have since the first threat of tariffs, we are pushing the federal government to support Canadian workers and jobs through aggressive procurement policies, targeting unfair trade, finally fixing the huge gaps in Employment Insurance and applying targeted countermeasures and counter tariffs that will put an end to this needless fight
I was heartened by the solidarity expressed by Steelworkers on both sides of the border at our recent International Convention in Las Vegas. These times are challenging to be sure, but we are better off together and working as one union on both sides of the border.
Solidarity, always.
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