June is National Indigenous History Month. United Steelworkers (USW) members and leadership across Turtle Island take this month as an opportunity to learn about First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples and celebrate their resilience, diversity of cultures, experiences, teachings and traditions. We are dedicated to our own journeys towards reconciliation and reaffirm our commitment to reconciliation through action, accountability and justice.
As union members, we recognize that workers’ rights and Indigenous rights are interconnected. The fight for fairness, dignity, and justice must include reconciliation with Indigenous communities. Recently, Indigenous members of the Steelworkers lobbied federal politicians to push for greater action from the government on longstanding issues of reconciliation. We want to take this opportunity to reiterate the union’s support for those calls to actions by the USW’s Indigenous members, which include;
This month, and every month, we recognize all Indigenous members of the USW, many of whom are leaders, activists, educators, stewards, within our union, and all of whom contribute to the make-up of the fabric of our union. Indigenous Steelworkers have impelled us to be better allies and wiser activists.
While we take this month as one of learning, listening and reflecting on the true history of Turtle Island, reconciliation is a long-term commitment. Steelworkers can lead the way through education and action within our local unions, bargaining language on Indigenous rights, and building respectful relationships with Indigenous communities. We can also continue our strong advocacy and allyship by working with our Indigenous members and friends to push governments for meaningful change and policy, at all levels.
Throughout the month, we will be featuring various Indigenous Steelworkers on their activism and work they do in our union, via our social media accounts. Members can also visit usw.ca/equity-for-indigenous-people for various resources or ideas to get started on reconciliation and advancing Indigenous rights in your local unions.
BURNABY, B.C. – The United Steelworkers union (USW) welcomes the BC NDP’s commitments to support forestry workers and communities through new investments to keep mills operating, protect jobs and strengthen B.C.’s forestry sector. The union says the plan is a positive step toward addressing the challenges facing the industry. The BC NDP’s proposed $120-million Forestry […]
Alberta’s future is on the ballot and Steelworkers have a choice to make. We need solutions, not scapegoats. Leadership, not chaos. Our focus should be on strengthening health care, making life more affordable, protecting good jobs and building a better future for working families. That’s why the United Steelworkers union is encouraging members across Alberta […]
Local elections and their advance voting are underway across B.C. and for Steelworkers, the people who get elected in our communities matters, deeply. In the resource communities where thousands of our members live and work, municipal governments make decisions that affect our jobs, families and communities. Strong local leaders can be our champions for forestry, mining […]