It’s time we did better in Ontario. Voting for better means voting for the Ontario NDP in the June 2022 election. It means voting out the failed government of Doug Ford and the Ontario Progressive Conservatives (PCs). Steelworkers are involved in politics because laws and policies have a big impact on our workplaces and our […]
On March 1, international and district officers of the United Steelworkers were sworn into office in a ceremony at the USW headquarters in Pittsburgh, PA. Here in Canada, it is the biggest leadership change in nearly two decades, signalling a renewed path and pledging to build on the union’s legacy. New National Director for Canada, […]
There were no chairs on the picket line, hence no sitting, for the duration of a two-month strike by Women of Steel at the Au jardin de Pierrot child-care centre in Rouyn-Noranda, Que. “We decided we were going fight this battle standing up, with a smile on our faces. We told ourselves, ‘We’re going to […]
Quebec Steelworkers are mobilizing to resist the harmful effects of regressive health and safety legislation passed by the right-wing Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government. Last year, USW-led mobilization efforts resulted in massive opposition to the CAQ’s legislation from the labour movement, opposition political parties and groups defending therights of non-union workers. The government rammed through […]
A formal complaint filed by the USW on behalf of thousands of Canadian workers has led to an investigation by the Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA) into alleged dumping and subsidizing of mattresses produced in China. The investigation represents a landmark in Canada, as the first union-led trade complaint in the country. Canada’s trading partners, […]
In the early morning hours of May 9, 1992, a huge explosion ripped through the Westray coal mine in Pictou County, Nova Scotia. In a matter of seconds, the lives of 26 miners were extinguished. It marked one of the worst workplace disasters in Canada in generations. The mine, which was being organized by the […]
Message from National Director Marty Warren Dear Sisters, Brothers and Friends, I am proud to put out the call for registrations for the third National Gathering for Indigenous Steelworkers, October 5-6, 2022 at the historic Machine Shop building in Sault Ste Marie, Ontario. This gathering will be a place for Indigenous Steelworkers to share their […]
USW Local Unions who contribute to the Family & Community Education Fund are encouraged to apply to the Fund with a proposal to hire one or more students in the summer of 2022. Because pandemic conditions still prevent a Steelworker Summer program based in USW’s Canadian National Office or in the District 6 office, we’re […]
Dear Steelworkers, It is my great pleasure to advise members and retirees of many USW locals across District 6 that their children and grandchildren can apply for a great summer job program this year. Steelworker Summer 2022 is a unique program offering young people a wonderful opportunity to gain employment and personal-development experience, while working […]
Image: Ken Neumann is the 2022 recipient of the Sefton-Williams Award, bestowed to Canadian activists and leaders who have made significant contributions to the fields of labour relations and human rights. It was during his term as USW National Director that Neumann also made his mark internationally, through a commitment to building global labour solidarity […]
In May each year, Steelworkers join with communities celebrating Asian Heritage Month. In Canada, Asian people include those from the following countries: East Asia: China, Hong Kong, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea and Taiwan. South Asia: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Central Asia: Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. […]
As we approach the Day of Mourning this year, no one could have imagined that we would find ourselves still in the midst of the global pandemic that first came to our attention in early 2020. While great progress has been made in tackling COVID-19, such as widespread vaccination programs, we remain vigilant in making […]
TORONTO – The United Steelworkers union (USW) is celebrating an important victory for workers that was included in the federal budget, tabled last week. For years, as part of the fight to defend Canadian jobs, USW has led the way in calling for important changes to trade laws in Canada. With the federal budget – […]
Each year in early April, we “celebrate” Equal Pay Day. But it’s not much of a celebration. That’s because Equal Pay Day marks how many extra days into 2022 it takes the average Canadian woman to earn as much as the average man earned in the twelve months of 2021. In other words, the average […]
TORONTO – Two weeks after the NDP struck a deal to deliver for people, and two years after the pandemic began, the United Steelworkers union (USW) is calling on the federal government to use Thursday’s budget to show they are listening to workers and committed to securing a stronger economy that will create jobs and support […]
Between 1943 and 1979, tens of thousands of Canadian workers, primarily in mining but also in other industrial workplaces, were compelled to endure toxic aluminum dust inhalation “therapy.” There was no informed consent. Workers were forced – as a condition of employment – to inhale a finely ground aluminum dust known as McIntyre Powder. The […]
TORONTO – A cross-Canada awareness campaign is under way to find elderly former miners and their surviving family members who could be entitled to potentially life-changing compensation for industrial disease. The campaign stems from a ground-breaking decision by the Ontario government to finally recognize Parkinson’s disease as a compensable occupational illness linked to the use […]
TORONTO – The United Steelworkers union (USW) fully supports two private member’s bills introduced in the House of Commons today by NDP MPs Heather Macpherson and Peter Julian. “These two ground-breaking bills are a progressive response to a recurring pattern of violations of workers’ rights and human rights linked to Canadian companies in their global […]