Across District 6, our activists have been hard at work on behalf of our diverse membership, across all sectors.
In our workplaces, local unions are taking the opportunity to mobilize their membership during bargaining.
Workers understand that currently the wind is in our sails for good contracts.
Our local unions and bargaining committees are taking the time to engage their membership, mobilize and leverage worker unity and solidarity in cases where the employer attempts concessions. And these actions have resulted in good contracts for Steelworkers, across the many sectors we represent – congratulations!
Our committees – Women of Steel, NextGen, Political Action, Health and Safety and Human Rights – are working together to engage new members and provide training to those wanting to get involved. This grassroots work is expanding our network of activists and building solidarity and power within our union.
Our committees are often where union activism is lit up. It is where current and future leaders of our union have come from and will be made. Our committees are also where lifelong friendships and bonds of solidarity are formed. In the coming months, we are looking forward to starting up our Veterans of Steel Committee, as mandated in our union’s constitution.
In organizing, we are maximizing our opportunities in this new wave of pro-unionization efforts. The pandemic exposed the many flaws in workplaces across Canada – unsafe workplaces, lower wages, the absence of benefits and pensions. Workers are leading the charge in changing their workplaces for the better by forming their own unions. We are right there with them to do so.
We are looking at our traditional sectors – mining, manufacturing and forestry, for example. But there is also ample opportunity for expansion in health care, hospitality, education and sustainable/green jobs. In the coming years, as operations expand and open up to accommodate the electric vehicle sector, we will be ready to support workers in these sectors, too!
No matter where you work in our district, always know that we’ve got your back!
In solidarity,
Myles Sullivan
USW District 6 Director
This article appears in the Summer 2023 issue of USW@Work magazine.
USW@Work magazine Summer 2023
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