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,
This article appears in the Summer 2023 issue of USW@Work magazine.
USW@Work magazine Summer 2023 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter
As this year draws to a close, I am drawing inspiration from the many members I have spoken to over this past year about their efforts in the union – bargaining committee members working to negotiate top notch agreements and resolve workplace issues, health and safety activists pushing for safer working conditions on the job […]
Statement from Scott Lunny, Western Canada Director, United Steelworkers union (USW), on the passing of former B.C. MLA Dan Coulter: It is with great sadness that the United Steelworkers mourns the death of former Member of the Legislative Assembly, Minister of State for Infrastructure and Transit, and Parliamentary Secretary for Accessibility in British Columbia. Dan […]
We need bold policies to reduce inequality and provide better living and working conditions for all Canadians, including good union jobs.