In April, District 3 staff members Ed Kent and Mike Duhra travelled to Lázaro Cárdenas, Mexico, to attend the Los Mineros Annual Memorial March, an event held each year to honour the martyrs of the 2006 strike and to advance the cause of workers’ rights across borders. In 2006, Los Mineros union members launched a […]
In the spirit of solidarity and collective action, the Sudbury community recently united to tackle the pervasive issues of period poverty through the Period Promise campaign. The campaign originally started as “Tampon Tuesday,” a partnership between United Way Centraide North East Ontario and the Sudbury and District Labour Council aimed at providing menstrual products to […]
Young Steelworkers activists from Canada and the U.S. recently participated in the Global Union Youth Exchange in Mexico City, where they built leadership skills and shared experiences with counterparts from Mexico, Chile, Colombia and Turkey. The youth exchange program attracted young members from all USW Canadian Districts and Districts 4 and 12 in the U.S., […]
March is a moment to celebrate International Women’s Day and women’s work in their union communities. This month, we’re proud to highlight Amanda Slack, a passionate union activist, USW District 6 Women of Steel Committee member and Vice-Chair of Sub-Local 1-500 at USW. She currently works at Hartmann Canada. Amanda started her union journey as […]
Over many years, on multiple occasions, The USW has demonstrated the vital role that a strong, progressive, international union can play in helping to resolve ill-advised cross-border trade and political disputes.
On March 7, 2025 this letter was sent to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau by the Canadian Labour Congress, the Canadian Association of Professional Employees, the United Steelworkers, the Public Service Alliance of Canada, the Canadian Union of Public Employees, and the National Union of Public and General Employees. This follows a previous letter sent in […]
As we commemorate International Women’s Day, we must acknowledge that for many Indigenous communities, this day is about celebrating achievements and recognizing the ongoing struggle for justice, safety and dignity. The crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Two-Spirit and Gender-Diverse people (MMIWG2S+) extends beyond national borders – it is a global human rights […]
The United Steelworkers union (USW) is stepping up its fight against U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs on Canadian exports, calling them a reckless economic attack that threatens workers, their families and the communities that depend on the jobs under attack by the U.S. president. “These tariffs are a direct assault on Canadian workers and […]
A message from USW District 6 Director Kevon Stewart on the Ontario 2025 election
Labour activism has long been a vehicle for change, and Black workers have played a critical role in shaping the movement. Ephrin Jenkins (E.J.), a leader in the United Steelworkers union’s (USW) District 7 and founder of the Black Labour Week Project, has dedicated his career to ensuring that activism remains relevant and inclusive, especially […]
The USW District 6 Human Rights Committee organized the Black History Month Workshop and Gala, a unifying event that brought together Black labour leaders, activists and allies for two powerful days of seminars focused on education, empowerment and action. While the Gala was an evening of celebration, the heart of the event lay in the […]
As the new USW District 6 Director, I am honoured to share our significant achievements over the past year. Our collective efforts have strengthened our organizing initiatives and led to notable bargaining successes that advance workers’ rights across Ontario and the Atlantic provinces. A highlight of our bargaining victories was at IMT Defence in Ingersoll, […]
In a report published this summer, United Nations’ Special Rapporteur Tomoya Obokata denounced Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), likening it to modern-day slavery. He also called for better access to permanent residency (which leads to citizenship) for migrant workers. These migrant workers are increasingly numerous among our members in USW locals, factories, hotels and […]
That was the theme of the recent District 3 Conference. Over 300 USW members, activists, staff and guests came together in Winnipeg from Oct. 28-31. It was a great success — melding speeches, panels, workshops, social functions, caucuses, committee meetings and even some labour history and trivia! Better Work for Everybody is a demand and […]
Hundreds of USW delegates gathered in Gatineau,Que., in October for the USW National health safety, environment and human rights conference, known as Justice 2024. The conference started with a moving blessing by Claudette Commanda, an Algonquin Elder, Indigenous rights activist and University of Ottawa Chancellor. “Without justice, will there be healing, will there be equity? […]
Steelworkers in Forestry Brandon NicholsonBFP Technician, WeyerhaeuserUSW Local 1-184, Prince Albert, Sask. For Brandon, forestry isn’t just a career – it’s a family legacy. His great-great-grandfather’s work in local mills set the stage for generations of his family in the forestry industry. Growing up, Brandon saw forestry as one of the few stable, rewarding career […]
At the time of writing, the House of Commons has been paralyzed by the tactics of Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and his party’s tactics to force an early election. This period is also marked by greater instability. While the Liberal-NDP deal is now a thing of the past, despite the political turbulence, the last few […]
Recent elections in British Columbia and Saskatchewan saw the NDP hold onto power in B.C. and dramatically add to its seat count in Saskatchewan. Steelworkers participated in both elections through our Steelworkers Vote political action program. In B.C., where Premier David Eby and the BC NDP won re-election, the USW held Steelworkers Vote election schools […]