
A successful comeback for District 6’s Spring School
Steelworkers member to member education is specialized training that help members gain skills and confidence to carry out the work of the union.
Most workplaces and safety equipment have been designed for men.
A panel of women at the 2023 USW National Policy Conference shared how they have been taking action on women’s health and safety, bringing to life a resolution from the last policy conference, what has become the Raising the Bar campaign.
Donna Wingrove, Local 8782 in District 6, works in a steel mill where less than 6% of the workforce are women.
Armed with the campaign action guide, speaking notes and a checklist, Wingrove organized a meeting to talk about the issues women face at work – dealing with cancer, domestic violence and harassment and safety equipment that doesn’t fit.
Lena Green, USW Local 5220 at Alta Steel in District 3, was contacted by the local vice-president about the campaign. Only the week before, she had suffered burns when a piece of slag flew down her shirt and got caught in her sports bra, which melted into her chest.
Along with the VP, she went to the employer to get flame-resistant (FR) bras for all the women at the plant and had to fight to get the employer to agree that each woman could order their own to fit.
For Caroline Lemay, Local 9700 in District 5, the solution can sometimes be simple. She brought safety gloves to the employer health and safety representative, showing him that the women had to cut the ends off the fingertips. He was flabbergasted. The next week, the women got gloves in the right sizes.
Later on in conference proceedings, the USW National Women’s Committee convened a panel called “Women of Steel – We’re not here to take notes,” reflecting the fact that still too often, men make the decisions and women take notes.
Sharing their own experiences of challenges, the women called on men to be good allies. To listen. To hear and believe women and be better advocates for equality and fairness.
Share on Facebook Share on TwitterSteelworkers member to member education is specialized training that help members gain skills and confidence to carry out the work of the union.
Public and private sector unions have come together because we know the tremendous challenges facing the next mayor and we share the belief that Olivia Chow is the candidate with the vision to build a Toronto for everyone.
Prosecution “will not bring back the deceased workers” but offers hope of determining what happened and preventing future tragedies, union says.