What do you do?
As part of my job, I get to tell you where to go. I’m a Traffic Clerk for Marine Atlantic, scanning ferry tickets and directing cars and trucks on and off the ferry.
There are about 320 members in our unit in Port aux Basques and Argentia, N.L., and another 95 members in Unit 716 on the Nova Scotia side.
I’m in my third term as Unit President and I also serve as Chief Steward for both units.
How did you get involved?
I have to credit now-retired Local Union President Steve Hadden for mentoring me.
Steve encouraged me to take health and safety facilitation courses, so I went to Montreal for training and then I did facilitator training through District 6. The people I’ve met through the union have become like family to me.
How would you encourage others?
I tell them about my journey. The most valuable part has been the relationships and friendships. Education is golden because no one can take it away from you.
In meetings or negotiations, I talk about how the strength of the union is in the people. We need to lift each other up.
Measuring and sampling operator ABI aluminum smelter Local 9700, District 5 Bécancour, Que.
Though she had been a local union activist throughout most of her working life, Emmanuelle Gadoury did not expect to pursue such a role when she was hired at the ABI aluminum smelter in Bécancour, Que., five years ago.
“I was coming to this massive smelter where I thought I would just go about my work, and that would be it,” recalls Emmanuelle, who is a measuring and sampling operator in the electrolytic reduction process at ABI. “But when the union spirit is in your blood, you get caught up in it pretty quickly!” she laughs.
Emmanuelle soon got involved in Local 9700, focusing on advocacy on women’s and 2SLGBTQIA+ issues, and serving as the union representative for her department. More recently she also became a member of the smelter’s Joint Health and Safety Committee and a member of the USW National Steel Pride Working Group, appointed by District 5.
Her USW activism has been as rewarding as it was inevitable, she says.
“Standing up for injustice and marginalized people will always be part of my values, whether in the union or in my everyday life. I have been given a lot of opportunity and that motivates me to do as much as I can.”
Emmanuelle strongly encourages other Steelworkers to embrace the opportunity and support that the union offers to make a difference in their workplaces and beyond.
“Getting involved is the best way to learn about what is happening, so take advantage of those educational opportunities. The doors are always open!”
This article appears in the Winter 2025 issue of USW@Work magazine.
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter
First published on globeandmail.com on October 22, 2026 By Marty Warren, Special to the Globe and Mail Marty Warren, the Canadian national director of the United Steelworkers union. As I write, more workers at Hamilton’s Stelco steel mill are being laid off. In all, the plant’s U.S. owner, Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., will cut up to 500 jobs. This, […]
Union representing laid-off workers makes no apology for helping enforce Canadian law TORONTO – The American CEO of the company that owns the Stelco steel mills laying off Canadian workers accused the United Steelworkers union (USW) of “colluding” with the federal government. “Damn right we’re colluding with Ottawa,” said USW national director Marty Warren. “Like […]
As Canada continues to face many challenges on the global scale, continued progress on issues affecting Indigenous workers and communities must remain a priority. In this context, the Steelworkers Humanity Fund (SHF) has been building partnerships with Indigenous nations across Canada, reflecting our union’s commitment to reconciliation. Through this work, the SHF connected with the […]