The jobs of thousands of USW members have been plunged into uncertainty due to U.S. tariffs, outsourcing and offshoring. In 2025, the Steelworkers Humanity Fund (SHF) has supported initiatives that help build union-to-union solidarity, which is critical to ensuring workers have a voice.
Over the years, the USW has supported the efforts of the Mexican independent labour movement to organize new unions, with the aim of reducing the enormous gap in wages and working conditions that have made relocating to Mexico so appealing for corporations, kept Mexican workers in poverty, and put pressure on labour standards in Canada.
As part of those efforts, the SHF organized worker exchanges to help build these connections, alongside funding projects to promote labour rights in Mexico. A key initiative that took place last year allowed unions from both countries to discuss the impacts of the U.S. tariffs, share information on governments and employers, and develop shared demands ahead of the review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).
In September 2025, leaders from two long-time SHF partners in Mexico – the Mineros union and the Frente Auténtico del Trabajo (Authentic Labour Front, or FAT), visited USW area councils and locals in southern Ontario and Quebec to meet with Steelworkers who share the same employers.
As a direct result of that visit, Local 9042, representing workers at the electrical and auto parts manufacturer Eaton in the Greater Toronto Area, sent a message of solidarity to their Mexican counterparts. Days after leading a tour of an ArcelorMittal facility, Local 7536 hosted an “international solidarity rally” featuring the Mexican trade unionists. Another highlight for the Mexican delegation was to participate in a forum with ArcelorMittal locals from across Quebec and visiting a plant in Montreal, hosted by Local 9399.
As economic unpredictability continues to reshape industries across the continent, SHF-led exchanges show that workers are stronger when they organize across borders. By building direct relationships, sharing strategies and standing together in the face of corporate pressure, unions in Canada and Mexico are strengthening a common fight for fair jobs, dignity and worker-led trade policies.
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