Young Steelworkers activists from Canada and the U.S. recently participated in the Global Union Youth Exchange in Mexico City, where they built leadership skills and shared experiences with counterparts from Mexico, Chile, Colombia and Turkey.
The youth exchange program attracted young members from all USW Canadian Districts and Districts 4 and 12 in the U.S., as well as activists from the Los Mineros union and the Authentic Labour Front (FAT) of Mexico, metal workers’ unions from Chile and Colombia, and the call centre workers’ union of Turkey, Cagri-Is.
The intensive, week-long exchange program, co-hosted by the Steelworkers Humanity Fund and Los Mineros, featured a mix of discussions and interactive workshops on organizing, worker mobilization, collective bargaining, leadership skills and strengthening unions through greater member involvement and gender equity.
Participants also delivered presentations on their unique experiences as union activists and workers. Drawing on these experiences enabled comparisons of how economic globalization and variations in legal systems and political contexts affect workers around the world. Participants also visited factories in the Mexico City area, where workers are members of Los Mineros, to learn about health and safety issues in their workplaces.
“We built strong solidarity and learned from one another, realizing that the challenges we face in Canada are the same as those faced in Mexico, Chile, Colombia, the U.S. and Turkey,” said exchange participant Sharif Ali, a USW Local 3950 member from District 6.
Learning about realities faced by workers and unions in other countries also enabled participants to reflect further on their own experiences. Workers from the Global South face more difficult living and working conditions and greater challenges to organizing. Yet, Canadian members also learned of examples where labour rights abroad are stronger.
“Having the opportunity to meet with union leaders in other countries really shed light on how Canada’s labour laws fall short on the global stage,” said Jori Lacey, a member of USW Local 207 in District 3.
“Workers in Canada are often legislated out of our right to strike, which eliminates one of our biggest sources of leverage and strength. I’m more passionate than ever about the importance of political activism to ensure that our rights as workers are not only maintained but improved,” Lacey said.
“Many of us work for companies that operate across borders, and it’s imperative that as labour activists, we also unite across borders to uplift the working class worldwide,” she added.
Exchange participants appreciated the opportunity to think seriously about the big challenges facing the labour movement and how they could work to strengthen their unions when they returned home.
“Meeting passionate and committed young people from all over the world made me understand one essential thing: opening up to others gives us the means to grow and change our own environment,” said Sébastien Gravel-Bourgeois, a member of Steelworkers Local 2015 in District 5.
“I came here hoping to make friends, but I never imagined I would find a family. These precious connections show that the world needs more exchanges like this. It’s time to strengthen international solidarity and build a more united future together,” Gravel-Bourgeois said.
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