SPOTLIGHT ON PUBLIC WORKERS 4 NEW WESTROCK CONTRACT 10 HOUSE PASSES PRO ACT 19 NEXT GEN FIRED UP 28

 
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SPOTLIGHT ON PUBLIC WORKERS 4 NEW WESTROCK CONTRACT 10 HOUSE PASSES PRO ACT 19 NEXT GEN FIRED UP 28
SPOTLIGHT ON PUBLIC WORKERS        4

NEW WESTROCK CONTRACT         10

HOUSE PASSES PRO ACT     19

NEXT GEN FIRED UP   28
SPOTLIGHT ON PUBLIC WORKERS 4 NEW WESTROCK CONTRACT 10 HOUSE PASSES PRO ACT 19 NEXT GEN FIRED UP 28
“AS WE LOOK ACROSS THE UNION, WE SEE WE ARE IN A TRANSITION. YOU SHOULD BE AMBITIOUS. YOU
                                               SHOULD WORK AT LEARNING SKILLS AND MASTERING THOSE TOOLS BECAUSE THIS UNION IS PREPARING TO
                                               TURN IT OVER, AND WE INTEND TO TURN IT OVER TO YOU.”
                                               INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT THOMAS M. CONWAY AT NEXT GENERATION CONFERENCE, NOV. 18, 2019.

                                               CURRENT
INTERNATIONAL EXECUTIVE BOARD

THOMAS M. CONWAY
International President
JOHN SHINN
Int’l. Secretary-Treasurer
DAVID R. McCALL
Int’l. Vice President
(Administration)
FRED REDMOND
Int’l. Vice President
(Human affairs)
KEN NEUMANN
Nat’l. Dir. for Canada
LEEANN FOSTER
Int’l. Vice President
                                               PAPER CONTRACT                                   GREEN BUSES, GOOD JOBS                           RAPID RESPONSE
ROXANNE BROWN
                                               Workers ratify a new contract at                 Proterra, a manufacturer of                      More than 700 activists who
Vice President at Large
                                               packaging giant WestRock that                    battery-powered buses and charging               participate in the USW’s Rapid
                                               establishes wages, benefits and                  stations, has recognized the USW                 Response program lobbied Congress
DIRECTORS                                      working conditions for 9,400 USW                 as the bargaining agent for skilled              for legislation to protect unions and
DONNIE BLATT                                   members.                                         assembly workers in California.                  preserve endangered pension funds.
District 1                                     10                                               12                                               20
MICHAEL BOLTON
District 2
STEPHEN HUNT                                   FEATURES
District 3
                                               SPEAKING OUT                                     TRADE WATCH                                      NEWS BRIEFS
DEL VITALE                                     USW members, retirees and their                  The USW and the AFL-CIO endorsed                 Local 8888 reaches 10,000
District 4                                     families are invited to “speak out.”             a reworked replacement for the di-               members. ATI bargaining is underway.
ALAIN CROTEAU                                  Letters should be short and to the               sastrous North American Free Trade               Back to work at Lucky Friday mine.
District 5                                     point. We reserve the right to edit              Agreement that includes stronger                 USW sues to save Chemical Disaster
MARTY WARREN                                   for length.                                      protections for workers.                         Rule. Mendoza named paper sector
District 6                                     3                                                24                                               chair. Persad Center workers vote
                                                                                                                                                 union. USW launches podcast.
MIKE MILLSAP
District 7
                                                                                                                                                 33
ERNEST R. “BILLY” THOMPSON
District 8
                                               COVER
                                               Roberson Castor, Local 9158                      COMMUNICATIONS STAFF
DANIEL FLIPPO                                                                                   JIM McKAY       JESS KAMM BROOMELL               AARON HUDSON AND GREG COLE
                                               Photo by Steve Dietz.
District 9                                                                                      Editor          Director of Communications       Graphic Designers
                                               4
                                                                                                CHELSEY ENGEL, LYNNE HANCOCK, R.J. HUFNAGEL,
BOBBY “MAC” MCAULIFFE
                                                                                                TONY MONTANA, CHEYENNE SCHOEN, JOE SMYDO
District 10
EMIL RAMIREZ                                   USW@Work (ISSN 1931-6658) is published four times a year by the United Steelworkers                         EMAIL: editor@usw.org
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GAYLAN PRESCOTT                                                                                                                                            Pittsburgh, PA 15222
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                                                                                                                                                           Volume 15/1
RUBEN GARZA                                    Copyright 2020 by United Steelworkers, AFL-CIO•CLC. All rights reserved. No part of this                    Winter 2020
District 13                                    publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the United Steelworkers.

2       U S W @ Wo r k • W i n t e r 2 0 2 0
SPOTLIGHT ON PUBLIC WORKERS 4 NEW WESTROCK CONTRACT 10 HOUSE PASSES PRO ACT 19 NEXT GEN FIRED UP 28
SPEAKING OUT
Your Union, Your Voice                                             Union Strong
    I attended the USW’s “Your Union, Your Voice” town hall            I was glad to read the latest edition of the USW magazine.
meeting this January in Midland, Mich., and I really enjoyed it.   It seems to me that the strength of unions is increasing and
    I was able to learn more about what the USW’s core issues      the movement is spreading.
are and how that affects which candidates the union endorses,          Keep up the good work.
and how the USW influences politics, policies and bills.
                                                                   Sam Alessi
    I am glad that hearing our voices and what matters to us
                                                                   Jamestown, N.Y.
is important enough to the USW that the union created this
forum for us to take notes and send them to the International
headquarters.                                                      Educating Next Generation
    I also appreciate how many different people the USW rep-           The Next Gen conference (held in Pittsburgh last Novem-
resents. I work in an auto industry-related field. The woman       ber) was so many things: powerful, touching and extremely
who was next to me works in health care. Other people there        educational. To say I left the conference feeling hungry for
were from foundries or from Dow. There were both active            more is an understatement.
members and retirees.                                                  The idea that our union puts such great effort toward
    For members who have a chance to attend one of the up-          educating its membership is amazing! Providing over 900
coming town hall meetings, I highly recommend that you go.         Steelworkers with the knowledge needed to build a better
The union’s facilitators did an amazing job. They taught, they     union environment will result in lasting impact. I’m proud
listened, they kept us on track, speaking on the issues.           that our union is educating the next generation of leaders,
    I feel like I am a more informed voter now.                    while at the same time addressing today’s issues that will
Echo Carson, Local 690L                                            affect us all tomorrow.
Auburn Hills, Mich.                                                Eric Gaskins, Local 1014
                                                                   Gary, Ind.
Fighting Workplace Violence
    As a nurse and member of Local 7600 in Fontana, Calif.,        A Great Event
it was an experience of a lifetime to travel to Washington,           The first International Next Gen conference was a great
D.C., and watch the U.S. House of Representatives vote on          event. Meeting members from all over North America and
and pass the Workplace Violence Prevention Act.                    sharing stories with them was very inspiring. Some of our
    Being able to witness firsthand how our democracy works        members are doing amazing things at their locals and I was
was a blessing. Seeing the fruits of our labor come to fruition    glad to learn from them. Our group came back energized and
while watching the vote from the gallery was an experience I       ready to get to work at our local.
will never forget.
    Each year, some 2 million Americans report having been         Rick Pietrick, Local 979
a victim of workplace violence. The vote was a win for all of      Cleveland, Ohio
us who selflessly work in the health care industry and serve as
caretakers across this nation. To every legislator who listened    The Union’s Future
to our stories and who took the time to vote in solidarity with        As the Next Gen coordinator for District 1, I could not be
us, thank you.                                                     more proud of how the first International conference turned
    Although we came through with a victory, it was disheart-      out! Next Gen is the future of our union. It is our job as cur-
ening to witness opposition to our bill from a few legislators     rent leaders to mentor and prepare the younger generation to
whose reservations didn’t pertain to the bill itself, but were     fight for workers’ rights, good contracts, sustainability of our
more a matter of party partisanship.                               great union and the labor movement. These young activists
    I look forward to the day when bipartisan support on bills     showed promise, dedication and determination during this
will be the new normal, as it should be. How powerful we           historic week!
will become when we all rise together.
                                                                   Tiffany McKee, Local 200L
DeJonae Shaw, Local 7600                                           Delphos, Ohio
Fontana, Calif.

                                                                            EMAIL: editor@usw.org   USW active, retired members and their
                                                                            MAIL: USW@Work          families are invited to “speak out.” Letters
                                                                            60 Blvd of the Allies   should be short and to the point. We
                                                                            Pittsburgh, PA 15222    reserve the right to edit for length.

                                                                                                                      •
SPOTLIGHT ON PUBLIC WORKERS 4 NEW WESTROCK CONTRACT 10 HOUSE PASSES PRO ACT 19 NEXT GEN FIRED UP 28
PUTTING

                              FIRST
                              USW Public                           Castor, a Local 9158 member
                                                                   and construction project man-
                              Workers                              ager. “You’re working not just
                                                                   for yourself. You’re working
                              Thrive Despite                       for everyone.”
                              Challenges                               For the USW’s public
                                                                   workers in Boston and around

                              W
                                          hen Joe Plagenza         the country, that community-
                                          travels the streets of   first spirit permeates their
                                          Boston, the reception    workplaces and their union
                              he gets resembles a family hol-      halls. Nearly two years after
                              iday or a high school reunion.       the Supreme Court gave public
                              Seemingly on every block in the      employees the right to reap the
                              city of 700,000, a resident has a    benefits of union representation
                              smile and a kind word for him.       without paying dues, USW
                                   For the Local 9158 treasur-     public employee locals are
                              er and 30-year city employee,        strong and growing thanks to
                              it’s just another day at the         a renewed focus on organiz-
                              office. That’s because, for him,     ing, both inside and outside of
                              the office is synonymous with        USW workplaces.
                              his hometown.                            In June 2018, the right-wing
                                   Plagenza has spent most of      court majority overturned de-
                              his career responding to res-        cades of precedent by ruling, in
                              idents’ concerns on behalf of        the case of Janus vs. AFSCME,
                              the Boston parks department.         that public workers no longer
                              He also is one of the more than      had to pay dues or even smaller
                              25,000 public workers across         “fair share” fees to cover the
                              North America who are mem-           cost of bargaining, arbitration
                              bers of the USW.                     and other union business.
                                   “As public employees, you           “The Janus ruling was an
                              carry a great burden on your         attack on working people, but
Greg Mosman, Local 9158
Photos by Steve Dietz         shoulders,” said Roberson            it also was a call to action,”

                          •
SPOTLIGHT ON PUBLIC WORKERS 4 NEW WESTROCK CONTRACT 10 HOUSE PASSES PRO ACT 19 NEXT GEN FIRED UP 28
The Steelworkers do                                      Stefanie Seskin,
                                                              Local 9158
a great job of keeping
checks and
balances.
Michelle Alcaraz, LOCAL 8599

                                                   Anthony Hennessy Sr.,
                                                            Local 9158

Roberson Castor, Local 9158

Steven McHugh,                 David Hinton,
Local 9158                     Local 9158

                                               •
SPOTLIGHT ON PUBLIC WORKERS 4 NEW WESTROCK CONTRACT 10 HOUSE PASSES PRO ACT 19 NEXT GEN FIRED UP 28
said International Vice President Fred
Redmond, who oversees bargaining for
the union’s public workers.
    “That’s why we must keep fighting
every day to organize new workplaces
and demand that our elected officials
make it easier for people in both the
private and the public sectors to join
unions.”
Changing the game
    The Janus case was part of a decades-
long, systematic effort by corporate
America to starve unions financially
and, thus, subjugate and silence workers.
However, for USW members, so far the
ruling has had the opposite effect.
    “We recognized that Janus was going
to change the game,” said Jim Williams,
president of Local 8599, which represents
school employees in Fontana, Calif.
“That’s why we focused
on organizing from day
one. We don’t have our
heads in the sand.”
    Williams decided
to put his strongest
organizer in charge of
welcoming new workers
and encouraging them
to get involved in the
union. That approach
has paid big dividends,
with only eight of the
local’s 1,900 members
choosing not to pay dues.
    “I take it person-
ally,” he said. “I am per-
sonally offended when
somebody opts out.”
    That devotion to
building strength and
solidarity is an attitude shared by the USW’s public workers, from Boston and Pitts-
burgh to California and New Mexico. And the approach has been a success, not just
for Steelworkers but for the families and communities they serve.
    “I take a lot of pride in the work that we do,” said Boston arborist and Local 9158
member Greg Mosman, who helps to care for the city’s 38,000 trees across 2,800
acres. “We make Boston a more beautiful city.”
    Mosman’s USW brother and colleague Anthony Hennessy is the city’s super-
intendent of horticulture. He oversees roughly 40,000 plants and flowers each year
in more than 100 locations. He said the work that he and his fellow city employees
perform helps to give residents and visitors a more positive outlook on life.
    “Urban beautification is important work,” he said. “People love their city.”
Maintaining quality of life
    The work that other public employees do, whether they drive school buses, serve
in law enforcement, prepare food, maintain roads or perform other vital tasks, is also
critical to the quality of life for residents.
    “Public employees always show up. Whenever something happens, we are there,”
said Steven McHugh, deputy superintendent for Boston’s emergency medical service

                  •
SPOTLIGHT ON PUBLIC WORKERS 4 NEW WESTROCK CONTRACT 10 HOUSE PASSES PRO ACT 19 NEXT GEN FIRED UP 28
Jerry De La Torre,
      Local 9424
                                                                 and a USW member. “Emergen-
                                                                 cies happen anytime, anywhere –
                                                                 nights, holidays, weekends.”
                                                                     That 24/7 need for services
                                                                 means that life can be difficult and
                                                                 unpredictable for public workers.
                                                                     “You learn to work around it,”
                                                                 McHugh said. “Sometimes, Christ-
                                                                 mas has to be on the 23rd or the 27th.”
                                                                     The misconception that public
                                                                 workers have overly comfort-
                                                                 able schedules or are a drain on
                                                                 taxpayers is a deliberate distortion
                                                                 created by the same anti-union
                                   Santiago Goytia, Local 9424
                                                                 forces who supported the Janus
                                                                 case and who have been fighting
                                                                 against workers for decades,
                                                                 Williams said.
                                                                     Although unionized public
                                                                 workers have better retirement
                                                                 plans and more on-the-job
                                                                 protections than their non-union
                                                                 counterparts, they often make
                                                                 sacrifices in other areas to secure
                                                                 those benefits, said Joe Smith,
                                                                 president of Boston’s USW Local
                                                                 9158, known as SENA (Salaried
                                                                 Employees of North America).
                                                                     “Nobody is getting rich doing
                                                                 this kind of work,” said Williams.
                                                                 “It has to be a labor of love,
                                                                 doesn’t it?”

                     The Janus ruling was AN
                     attack on working people,
                     BUT IT WAS ALSO A CALL TO ACTION.
                     International Vice President Fred Redmond

                                                                  U S W @ Wo r k • W i n t e r 2 0 2 0   7
SPOTLIGHT ON PUBLIC WORKERS 4 NEW WESTROCK CONTRACT 10 HOUSE PASSES PRO ACT 19 NEXT GEN FIRED UP 28
Good contracts critical
    Still, with union membership comes
a degree of certainty. Public workers’
contracts ensure that they receive good
pay, quality benefits, fair scheduling, a
secure retirement and respect on the job.
    These are benefits, won through
years of labor activism, that some non-
union workers simply take for granted,
said Local 9424 President Filiberto
Aguirre, who works as a water and sew-
er line locator in the city of Las Cruces
in southern New Mexico.
    But union workers have an added
benefit. “I don’t have to worry about re-
percussions for using my voice and doing
what is right,” Aguirre explained.
    Ensuring that bosses treat work-
ers fairly is one of the most important
aspects of union membership, said
Michelle Alcaraz, a Local 8599 member
who works in tech support for Southern
California’s Fontana Unified School
District.
    That guarantee helps to ensure that
women and men are treated equally in
a profession that is often dominated by
men, she said.
    “The Steelworkers do a great job of
keeping checks and balances,” Alcaraz
said.
    In the wake of the Janus ruling, that
promise of justice and fairness can be
one of the strongest selling points union
leaders can use when organizing new
members, Williams said. Another, he
said, is the strength that comes from
being Steelworkers.                             “There are financial pressures in so
    “We’re strong locally and national-     many communities, and they want to
ly,” said Williams, whose local rep-        blame somebody,” he said. “The first
resents employees of the Fontana school     things they look at are the pensions, the
district who are not classroom teachers     health care.”
or administrators. The local includes           Public workers can fight back
library aides, technical support and food   against negative stereotypes by giving
service workers, custodians and security    back to their communities and by being
officers. “We are part of a strong manu-    good stewards of the public trust, Wil-
facturing union.”                           liams said.
    “Sometimes people ask me what               “All we have to do is continue to do
products we make,” he said. “And we         a good job,” he said.
do make something – we make people.             Maintaining public trust is part of
They’re on a long, 13-year conveyor         the job for USW member David Hinton,
belt, and when they leave our factory,      who manages a community center in
they’re wearing that cap, if we do our      inner-city Boston. His facility runs on a
jobs right. We are all educators.”          combination of support from city funds,
Fighting stereotypes                        grants, private donations and nonprofit
    Williams said he understands the        organizations.
anti-public-worker trope is repeated so         “It’s a good partnership, and it gives
often by corporate and anti-union media     the community a sense of ownership,”
that many have come to accept it as         Hinton said.
fact. But he knows it is not.
                  •
SPOTLIGHT ON PUBLIC WORKERS 4 NEW WESTROCK CONTRACT 10 HOUSE PASSES PRO ACT 19 NEXT GEN FIRED UP 28
Value of public work                         a senior custodian in Fontana, said he             For Aguirre, making a difference,
    Making sure that the public, and by      knows that schoolchildren and other staff      not just for the 400-plus members of
extension elected officials, understand      members appreciate his efforts to main-        Local 9424, but for the 100,000 res-
and buy into the value of their work is an   tain a healthy environment for them.           idents of his city, is what keeps him
essential part of being a public employee,       During a recent shift cleaning up af-      coming back each day.
said Boston’s Stephanie Seskin, a SENA       ter a lunch period, a student approached           If he makes a mistake on the job,
Local 9158 member who plans and cre-         him and placed a sticker on his shirt          it could result in water getting cut off
ates bicycle paths throughout the city.      thanking him for his hard work.                from homes, businesses, schools or
    Her work cuts down on traffic,               “Little things like that make it worth     hospitals.
reduces the need for road repairs, helps     coming in every day,” Romo said.                   “Even something like fire safety
combat pollution and climate change,             For the USW’s public workers,              could be affected,” Aguirre said. “It
makes travel safer and provides a fitness    knowing that the people and communi-           gives me pride to know that because of
opportunity for residents, she said.         ties they serve appreciate and support         us, the water is going to keep running,
    “Working for the public is a heavy       their work can be the difference between       our parks are going to be clean, our fa-
weight,” Seskin said. “But all of these      staying in a job for decades and finding       cilities are going to keep running. We’re
things contribute to the public good.”       employment elsewhere. That, in turn,           keeping Las Cruces beautiful and safe.”
    Local 8599 member Richard Romo,          keeps the USW’s public sector strong.

                                                      We do make something -
                                                      we ,make people.
                                                      They re on a long, 13-year conveyor belt,
                                                      and when they leave our factory, they,re
                                                      wearing that [graduation] cap.
                                                      Local 8599 PRESIDENT JIM WILLIAMS

Michelle Alcaraz, Local 8599

                                                                Dawn Dooley, Local 8599      Jose Medina, Local 8599           Rosemarie Tibbels, Local 8599

                                                                Judy Nordlund, Local 8599

                                                                                                      U S W @ Wo r k • W i n t e r 2 0 2 0        9
SPOTLIGHT ON PUBLIC WORKERS 4 NEW WESTROCK CONTRACT 10 HOUSE PASSES PRO ACT 19 NEXT GEN FIRED UP 28
U
                                    SW members voted overwhelm-         improvements to the retirement plans
                                    ingly to ratify a new four-year     and sick and accident benefits took
                                    master agreement with packag-       effect on Jan. 1.
                           ing giant WestRock that sets standards           WestRock is the second-largest
                           for wages, benefits and working condi-       packaging company in the United States
                           tions for more than 9,400 members of         and one of the world’s largest paper
                           71 local unions.                             and packaging companies, operating in
                               The new contract, approved last          more than 30 countries and generating
                           December, contains wage increases            annual revenue of nearly $20 billion.
                           totaling about 10 percent over the term          In September 2018, the USW,
                           of the agreement, along with other sig-      through IndustriALL and the UNI
                           nificant improvements, particularly in       Global Union, worked with other labor
                           health and safety. The agreement main-       organizations around the world to create
                           tains the existing high-quality, afford-     the Global WestRock Trade Union Alli-
                           able health care plan with no changes        ance to combat the effects of increasing
                           and makes improvements to the pension        globalization and consolidation. Inter-
                           and 401(k) plans.                            national Vice President Leeann Foster,
                               “Thousands of USW members                who oversees bargaining in the union’s
                           across the country stood together to         paper sector, serves as a co-chair of that
                           demand a fair contract with WestRock,”       council of unions.
                           International President Thomas M.
                           Conway said. “With the strength and          No concessions accepted
                           solidarity of the membership behind              Initially, the company approached
                           them, our local leaders joined together      the 160-member USW bargaining team
                           at one bargaining table and won a fair       with demands for concessions, includ-
                           agreement. This victory is a credit to the   ing cuts to health care and a two-tier
                           entire membership.”                          wage system, but the membership stood
                               The contract covers workers at 62        strong throughout the negotiations.
                           WestRock facilities across 26 U.S.               “The USW’s bargaining committee,
                           states. While wage increases at each         consisting of local union leaders from
                           facility won’t go into effect until each     every location and international leaders,
                           local ratifies its individual agreement,     entered these negotiations knowing that
                                                                        we were facing a number of challeng-
                                                                        es,” said Foster. “These challenges
                                                                        included the company’s proposals, but
                                                                        also overcapacity in the paperboard
                                                                        market, a shaky economic outlook,
                                                                        especially in manufacturing, and related
                                                                        falling box demand. All of these factors
                                                                        combined to create uncertainty.”
                                                                            Workers responded to the challenges
                                                                        head-on by standing together. They held
Photo by Steve Dietz

                       •
M
a series of solidarity action days at                  embers of USW
WestRock locations, which bolstered                    Locals 608 and
the bargaining committee’s positions.                  712 ratified a new
In addition, the union’s global alliance    agreement with Clearwater
helped to deliver a strong message of       Paper in Lewiston, Idaho,
unity to the company, making it clear       on Jan. 8 after negotiations
that USW members would not take             stalled over health care cov-
steps backward.                             erage and other contract
    “Through the strength and soli-         items.
darity of the members in a year-long            “It was a long and
campaign involving all locations, we        tedious 2 ½ years, but it was
achieved a package with no conces-          only by sticking together
sions, no givebacks, only gains,” Foster    that we got the agreement
said. “In short, we achieved security       we got today,” Local 712
for our members.”                           President Mark Rhodes said
    In addition to ensuring financial       after the votes were counted.
gains for members, the agreement                The two USW locals and
guarantees regular safety courses and       Local 73 of the Internation-
meetings at USW-represented facil-          al Brotherhood of Electrical
ities, establishes an annual company        Workers together represent
safety conference and commits the two       more than 870 workers at
parties to creating a labor-manage-         the Lewiston facility. Their
ment study on the effects of excessive      new contracts run through
overtime.                                   August 2025.
    The contract, which runs through            The union members
2023, covers workers at WestRock pa-        turned down the company’s
per mills and converting and merchan-       last, best and final offer last
dising display facilities in Alabama,       summer by an overwhelm-
Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colo-        ing margin.
rado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa,         Rhodes gave credit to
Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mis-        the local’s Communications
souri, New Jersey, New York, North          Action Team for maintain-
Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South         ing solidarity.
Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee,              “We had a great action
Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington        team. We distributed car
and Wisconsin.                              window flyers saying, 'Fair
    “This contract sets a standard for      Contract Now,' and our
the industry,” Foster said. “It positions   membership did not hold
the company to succeed and invest in        back voicing their unhap-
our facilities while making sure that       piness to their supervisors.”
workers, families and communities
continue to share in that success.”

                                                   •
Proterra photo

                                         Winning
Combination
N e w U S W M e m b e r s B u i l d B at t e r y- P o w e r e d B u s e s

G
          ood, family-sustaining union       management that respects employees,”       manager with Tesla, the electric car
          jobs can be green. The USW’s       Conway said. “This is a winning com-       company, voluntarily recognized the
          newest members include more        bination not only for this company and     USW as the bargaining agent on Nov.
than 60 production workers who build         these workers, but for our country as a    12, 2019, after an overwhelming ma-
zero-emission, battery-powered electric      whole as we look at the kind of jobs we    jority of its California factory workers
buses in California for Proterra, an         want to have in the future.”               signed authorization cards.
emerging U.S. vehicle and energy stor-           Headquartered in Burlingame,               Proterra is also working with a
age company.                                 Calif., Proterra manufactures bat-         nonprofit organization, Jobs to Move
     International President Thomas          tery-powered transit buses up to 40 feet   America (JMA), toward a community
M. Conway congratulated the new              in length, as well as electric charging    benefits agreement that could commit
members of Local 675 after Proterra          stations that are located in maintenance   the company to hire and train workers
recognized the union last November at        facilities and at bus route terminals.     from disadvantaged backgrounds.
its factory in the city of Industry, some        The USW hopes Proterra will                “This is what happens when a
30 miles east of Los Angeles. Local          grow manufacturing in California. The      company remains neutral and allows
675 is a large amalgamated local that        company currently employs some 126         the employees to choose. The employ-
represents thousands of oil refinery         workers in LA County, including the        ees choose union wholeheartedly,”
workers.                                     factory and the Burlingame headquar-       organizing Director Maria Somma said.
     “In Proterra, we have a dedicated,      ters. Proterra also has an assembly        “Within 24 hours, a majority of work-
highly skilled, productive work force,       operation in Greenville, S.C., to serve    ers signed cards in support of forming
an American company committed to             the East Coast.                            their union.”
manufacturing in the United States and           CEO Ryan Popple, a former finance          Commuter buses are expected to be

12    U S W @ Wo r k • W i n t e r 2 0 2 0
the fastest growing segment of electric,                                     “Over the last two to three years,
heavy-duty vehicles as public transit                                   transit agencies across the country
authorities around the world move away                                  have committed to purchasing more
from diesel-fueled fleets to cleaner                                    battery-powered electric buses,” said
alternatives.                                                           Hector Huezo, senior workforce equity
    It is imperative that emerging clean                                coordinator for JMA in Los Angeles.
technologies foster good jobs and                                            “This is an opportunity to move to
healthier communities, Conway said.                                     cleaner technologies that are better for
That means materials and components                                     our environment. It’s also an opportuni-
must be made in the United States and                                   ty to ensure early on in a relatively new
those workers who produce them should                                   industry that workers building electric
earn fair wages and good benefits.                                      buses can have quality employment,
    “U.S. manufacturing and man-                                        good working conditions and a voice on
ufacturing workers are vital to the                                     the job,” he said.
innovation and economic future of this                                       The local’s chief of staff, Xochitl
country,” Conway said. “It’s important                                  Cobarruvias, said the union can help
that we capitalize on the technological                                 promote the company while it seeks
advancements and strengths of Ameri-                                    new bus orders from public transit agen-
can companies to seize the tremendous                                   cies. “All of us, the workers, the union
momentum happening in the domestic                                      and the community, can work together.
electric vehicle sector and promote                                     Everybody wins,” she said.
American leadership in this next trans-       " This is a winning            Employees were invited in late Oc-
portation revolution.”                                                  tober to meet representatives of Local
    The USW is partners with JMA, a           combination not           675, known for representing oil refinery
national nonprofit organization with          only for this com-        workers. The local convinced Proterra
offices in Chicago, New York, Bir-                                      employees that they understood the is-
mingham, Ala., and Los Angeles. JMA
                                              pany and these            sues related to climate change and were
builds community coalitions and lobbies       workers, but for          committed to helping existing members
for public transit agencies to create local   our country as a          survive an eventual transition to a more
jobs when spending money on buses,                                      carbon-neutral economy.
trains and other manufactured equip-          whole as we look               “This is not about one or the other,”
ment.                                         at the kind of jobs       said staff rep Moises Hernandez, who
    “This is a first-of-a-kind in achiev-     we want to have           worked on the campaign. “We need
ing collective bargaining rights for us                                 workers in both sectors. They will all
because we did it with the support of         in the future. "          have wages, benefits and a voice at their
a coalition of different organizations                                  jobs.”
aligned with Jobs to Move America,”           INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT        Two weeks later, the Proterra work-
Somma said. “It’s a real recognition that        Thomas M. Conway       ers chose the USW through card check.
collective bargaining is a benefit to the                                    “This is my first time being in a
communities where our members live.”                                    union, and I’m actually excited about
    The partnership first approached                                    it,” Blanchard Pinto, a supervisor on
Proterra a few years ago when it an-                                    the assembly line, told the Los Angeles
nounced it was considering a factory                                    Times. “It was a no-brainer for me that
location in California, which offers tax                                it was something we could use for job
credits and other help to companies that                                stability.”
establish permanent facilities and hire                                      Popple, the CEO, said the coopera-
locally.                                                                tion with the USW is an unprecedented
    The factory was funded in part by a                                 opportunity to solve some of the great-
$3 million grant from the California En-                                est challenges of the day while creating
ergy Commission, which spends $100                                      and preserving quality American manu-
million a year to spur green innovation                                 facturing jobs.
in a transportation system responsible                                       “Proterra and the United Steelwork-
for much of the state’s greenhouse gas                                  ers share a common vision to support
emissions.                                                              American workers while building a
    In 2017, the LA Metro committed                                     healthier and more resilient future for
to full bus electrification by 2030 and is                              all, and we look forward to a strong
actively seeking funding to buy bat-                                    partnership,” Popple said.
tery-powered buses and make system
changes to accommodate them.

                                                                                           •
John Kanosky
                                                                                                                   Photos by Steve Dietz

S
      hades, globes and other light          “Hand Made Glass by Skilled Craftsmen.”   a distinction that USW members take
      fixtures sold throughout America         Only a few companies can make that      pride in and labor to maintain.
      are hand-crafted by USW mem-           claim. Davis-Lynch is one of the last        “It’s a dying art, but it’s hard,” said
bers at a West Virginia factory that’s       hand-blown glass factories in America,    Mark Morris, a glass blower for 19 years,
surviving stiff competition from foreign                                               noting the job requires strong lungs and
imports.                                                                               the stamina to wield blowpipes holding
   At Davis-Lynch Glass Co. in Star City,                                              as much as 30 pounds of glass.
a small town of 2,500 residents near                                                      Bob Lynch, co-owner of Davis-Lynch,
Morgantown, about 45 members of                                                        said the top-quality craftsmanship keeps
Local 1-09 keep two dying arts alive:                                                  customers—including home stores, dis-
They hand-blow glass pieces and                                                        tributors and contractors—coming back.
hand-decorate them.                                                                       “You look at some of the homes being
   The finished products—including globes                                              built, and you’ll see some of our glass
for commercial lighting fixtures, elegant                                              and fixtures,” he said, adding he’s proud
tops for torchieres and ornately painted                                               of the company’s strong relationship
shades for table lamps—are shipped out in                                              with the USW.
boxes with a red stamp that says:
14    U S W @ Wo r k • W i n t e r 2 0 2 0
Turning sand to glass
                The glassmaking begins in a room lighted
             by fires fueled with natural gas in open-faced
             tanks. Each afternoon, workers add sand and
             chemicals to the tanks. The raw materials meld
             together, producing a fresh batch of molten glass
             to use the next day.
                Several workers operate as a team or shop.
             The gatherer works molten glass onto the end of
             a blowpipe, then blows and shapes it into a small
             ball. “You breathe life into the glass, really,”
             explained Mike Radwell, a gatherer who’s
             worked at Davis-Lynch for about two years.
                Next, a ball boy takes the pipe and blows into
             it, enlarging the glass orb. A blocker takes the
             pipe back to the tank, adds more molten glass
             onto the existing ball to make it bigger, and
             smooths and rounds it.
                Maneuvering in close quarters with hot glass,
             the workers must anticipate each other’s
             movements to avoid injury and keep
             production moving.
                Finally, the blower, standing on a raised plat-
             form, takes over. Beneath him, steam rises from a
             hot mold that’s just been hosed down to remove
             impurities from the last use. It’s one of hundreds
             of molds in the factory, some used exclusively to
             produce special items for select clients.
                Depending on the size and shape of the
             product being made, the blower further enlarges
             the glass ball or swings the pipe to elongate the
             glass. Then he puts the glass into the mold. He
             blows until the glass fills out the mold while
             simultaneously turning the pipe to prevent the
             mold from leaving marks.
                When done, his co-workers open the mold
             and remove a perfectly formed shade, globe or
             other product that is then annealed, or tough-
             ened, while slowly running through a lehr oven,
             or long kiln, to other parts of the plant.
                After that, the products may be decorated or
             trimmed so that they fit onto a lamp or another
             fixture. Then they’re packed and shipped.

             Founded in 1943
                Davis-Lynch has been producing glass this
             way since the company’s founding in 1943
             by Mert Davis and R. Emmett Lynch, both
             of whom worked at other glassmakers before
             striking out on their own. Today, the company
             is run by Lynch’s sons, Bob and John. Bob’s
             sons, Rob and Scott, also work there.

Scott Fike

                                        •
At its peak, in the 1970s, the compa-
ny employed about 330, including 60
to 70 decorators. It had as many as 16
shops running during a single shift. It
operated its own fleet of trucks.
   Back then, the company did a lot of
business with New York lamp manu-
facturers, who, in turn, sold to major
department store chains. But consoli-
dation in the retail industry and over-
seas competition – first from Mexico,
now China and Europe – eroded that
market for Davis-Lynch’s goods.
   “When you can import lamps at
cheap prices, it hurts,” Lynch said.
   Now, only a couple of shops oper-
ate at a time. Davis-Lynch survives
by forging new niches. For example,
it sells fixtures for office buildings
looking to do away with fluorescent
lights. It markets to buyers—includ-         Cody Benninghoff

ing Schoolhouse and Rejuvenation,
a branch of Williams-Sonoma Inc.—
that specialize in custom and high-
end home goods.
   Rejuvenation buys opal and crystal
shades from Davis-Lynch and uses
them in fixtures it manufactures
in Portland, Ore. On its webpage,
Rejuvenation promotes the “gentle,
graceful curves, the flawless struc-
ture, artisanal hand-painted touches,
and the undeniable character” of
Davis-Lynch’s work.

Each piece unique
  Davis-Lynch is revamping its own
website to better showcase USW             company’s efforts to find new cus-          them for decals.
members’ workmanship—the com-              tomers for those lost to foreign trade.       Rowe wears no apron, uses noth-
pany’s chief selling point in an age of    But she worries about the long-term         ing to steady her hand and proudly
mass-produced goods.                       prospects for the special skills she        declares: “I don’t slop paint.”
  “We’d like for people to get more        and her co-workers have.                      She’s looked at imported lighting
interested in what we do,” said deco-        “It’s just going to be lost,” she said.   fixtures in stores and wondered why
rator Kathleen Rowe. No two pieces           Rowe contributes to the exceptional       anyone would buy them. Some of
of hand-blown glass are exactly the        appearance of Davis-Lynch products.         them, she said, look like they’ve been
same, she said, and the uniqueness         She hand-paints lines, floral patterns      decorated with house paint instead of
makes them special.                        and other designs on shades and oth-        the special kind she uses.
  Rowe, who’s worked at Da-                er products after they cool. They’re          Davis-Lynch is part of a rich glass-
vis-Lynch for 25 years, praised the        so lovely that some people mistake          making tradition in West Virginia,

                   •
Donnie Cost

                                        Leanna Brown    Shane Stephens

                                        Rodney Jaggie   Annette Justus

and some of its products are featured
in the Museum of American Glass in
Weston, W.Va.
  Over the years, workers said,
they’ve recognized the company’s
products on television shows and in
hotels, restaurants and Disney parks.
There’s no mistaking them, said Mike
King, a blocker for 13 years. “Just
seeing them, you can tell.”

                                                        Kathleen Rowe

                                                                         •
BATTLING                                           OVER
                                                    THE                BALLOT BOX
Union Activists Attend Political Boot Camp to Honor Memory
                 of Dr. Martin Luther King JR.

E
        lection Day 2020, when Amer-          the basic tenet of democracy. To reverse    it’s something we need to fight back on.”
        icans will head to the polls          this, workers and activists must reclaim
        to make their voices heard, is        their collective power, Trumka said.        Running for office
around the corner. Yet the freedom to             “We’re not going to shy away from           Marcia Cannon, a biochemistry lab-
vote remains under attack 55 years after      this fight because we’re the ones who       oratory technician for Merck Pharma-
passage of the Voting Rights Act.             make America great,” Trumka said.           ceuticals in Pennsylvania and a member
    That’s why nearly 400 union activists                                                 of Local 10-00086, was inspired by a
from across the United States hustled         Grassroots action                           workshop on the importance of women
through a weekend of political bootcamp           AFL-CIO Vice President Tefere           running for office at all levels.
at the annual AFL-CIO Martin Luther           Gebre also touched on the need for              “It was really empowering,” said
King Jr. Civil and Human Rights Con-          grassroots action in the fight for eco-     Cannon, who has been considering
ference in Washington, D.C.                   nomic and racial justice.                   running for a position on her local’s ex-
    “Dr. King’s fight, our fight, was for         “Real change happens on the             ecutive board. After hearing the work-
goals both big and basic,” AFL-CIO            ground,” said Gebre, who came to the        shop facilitator’s call to move beyond
President Richard Trumka said in his          United States as a refugee from Ethiopia    merely talking to walking, Cannon said,
opening speech on Jan.17. “It was also        in the 1980s.                               “I think I just may take her advice.”
about the insidious and inane injustices          The activists turned from talking           Everything union activists do must
that protected the powerful.”                 about making change to creating it by       be done in solidarity and for the cause
    Members from multiple unions,             volunteering with several organiza-         of the common good, Cannon said.
including a large delegation of Steel-        tions in the D.C. area on the second            “It’s about humanity and about us
workers, gathered at the nation’s capital     day of the conference. USW members,         all working together,” she said. “When
for three days of reflection and action in    including Sarah Werth of Local 12775        we work together in our community, we
honor of the slain civil and labor rights     in northern Indiana, spent the morning      make a difference to our country.”
hero. Dynamic panels and workshops            delivering groceries to home-bound              The weekend’s closing reception
at the event focused on protecting and        residents, while others painted walls at    echoed Cannon’s sentiment as Inter-
strengthening voters’ and workers’ rights,    a local veterans’ center and helped serve   national Vice President Fred Redmond
to which Dr. King devoted his life.           breakfast at a nursing home.                reminded attendees to take what they
    The first day of the conference               Werth, an equipment operator at gas     learned at the conference and use it to
included conversations about attacks          and electric company NIPSCO, came to        bolster the labor movement back home.
on the ballot box, as legislatures across     the conference with the hope of learn-          “You must leave here committed to
the country pass laws that weaken the         ing how to better protect her members       do the work of changing our country,”
ability of citizens to vote.                  from discrimination. As vice president      said Redmond, who is co-chair of the
    Gerrymandering, draconian voter           of her county’s AFL-CIO labor council,      AFL-CIO Civil and Human Rights
purges as seen in states like Wisconsin       she found a workshop on union ballot        Committee. “This is our opportunity to
and Georgia, squashing access to voting       initiatives valuable.                       build a better future for our children and
on college campuses and restrictive ID            “It’s hard to get labor issues on the   our grandchildren, and the stakes are
laws are all systematically undermining       ballot here in Indiana,” said Werth. “We    too high for us not to do the work.”
                                              have right-to-work now in our state and
18     U S W @ Wo r k • W i n t e r 2 0 2 0
HOUSE PASSES PRO ACT
Employers Violate Federal Law in 41.5% of All Union Election Campaigns

T
         he USW called on the U.S. Senate employers violate the law.                                                     avoidance industry got its start after the
         to quickly pass a comprehensive                             “For too long, we’ve seen workers’                  National Labor Relations Act (NLRA)
         labor reform bill, the Protecting                    wages stagnating and benefits being cut                    was enacted in 1935. Before then, em-
the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, after it while productivity, corporate profits and                                      ployers had the legal liberty to spy upon,
was approved by a bipartisan vote of the CEO pay keep increasing,” said Eduardo                                          question, punish, blacklist and fire union
U.S. House of Representatives.                                Placencio, a USW member who attended                       members.
     “Workers have the right to join to-                      the House vote and whose local (937) is                        Attempts to thwart organizing are
gether to improve their lives on the job,                     engaged in an unfair labor practice strike                 widespread. The report estimated that
and the PRO Act                                                                                                                                 three-quarters of all
will make sure that                                                                                                                             employers engaged
fundamental right                                                                                                                               in union elections
is protected,” Inter-                                                                                                                           with 50 or more
national President                                                                                                                              voters hired union
Thomas M. Con-                                                                                                                                  avoidance consul-
way said after the                                                                                                                              tants.
Feb. 6 House vote.                                                                                                                                   “The main goal
“Too often, com-                                                                                                                                of union avoidance
panies bully and                                                                                                                                consulting firms is
intimidate workers                                                                                                                              to prevent a union
to keep unions out                                                                                                                              election from tak-
and face little to no                                                                                                                           ing place—and if
punishment, even                                                                                                                                that fails, to ensure
in cases when they                                                                                                                              that workers vote
break the law.”                                                                                                                                 against the union,”
     The 224-to-194          Photo by Steve Dietz                                                                                               the report said.
House vote was an            From left to right: Johnny Archuleta, Richard Perez, Director of Rapid
                             Response Amber Miller, Michael Sanchez, John Saavedra and Eduardo Placencio
                                                                                                                                                    Using infor-
important elec-                                                                                                                                 mation gathered
tion-year gain for                                                                                                                              through Freedom
labor even though the measure, opposed against ASARCO, the mining company.                                               of Information Act requests and from
by corporations and anti-union lawmak-                        “The PRO Act will reverse those trends                     government reports, EPI found that em-
ers, faces an uphill fight in the Senate                      and help rebuild the American middle                       ployers in 2016 and 2017 were charged
and a promised presidential veto.                             class.”                                                    with violating federal law in 41.5 percent
     It’s an opportunity, a litmus test, to                                                                              of all union campaigns conducted under
see who stands with workers.                                  Employers break the law                                    National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)
     “So many politicians in Washington,                             Employers routinely engage in a                     oversight.
including President Trump and members                         wide      range of tactics – both legal and                    Employers were charged with ille-
of the Senate, got elected by promising                       illegal     – without fear of reprisal to frus-            gally coercing, threatening or retaliating
to stand up for workers. Now, we will                         trate    workers’       rights to form unions and          against workers for supporting a union in
find out if that’s all just talk,” Conway                     collectively        bargain,       according to a study    nearly a third (29.2 percent) of cases.
said.                                                         supporting         the   PRO      Act   by the Eco-            They were accused of illegally
     “The Senate should pass the PRO                          nomic       Policy     Institute      (EPI), a nonprofit   disciplining workers for union support at
Act, and the president should sign it.                        think     tank.                                            about the same rate.
It’s time to take some of the power out                              Employers’ bad behavior includes                         That type of activity should stop.
of the hands of corporate America and                         making        illegal threats, engaging in                 “Under the PRO Act, companies will
Wall Street and give it back to working                       surveillance,         harassing workers and                face real consequences for their behav-
Americans.”                                                   spending        $340      million annually on legal        ior, and workers will be able to choose
     The PRO Act would make it easier                         “union       avoidance”          consultants to stave      for themselves – without interference
for workers to certify unions, restrict                       off    representation          elections.                  – whether they want to join a union,”
some of the most damaging tactics                                    Employer interference is not new.                   Conway said.
employers use to oppose organizing,                           Union       busting dates to the Industri-
and impose meaningful penalties when                          al   Revolution,         and the modern union

                                                                                                                                U S W @ Wo r k • W i n t e r 2 0 2 0   19
U
         SW members took the fight for      unite us,” International Vice President      Conway said, urging the members in
         workers’ rights to the halls of    Roxanne Brown said in her opening            attendance to take what they learned
         the U.S. Capitol and the streets   remarks to members of the Rapid              in Washington back to their locals and
of Washington, D.C., during the union’s     Response program, the USW’s nonpar-          expand the union’s base of activism.
three-day Rapid Response and Legisla-       tisan, grassroots effort to educate and          “That’s how we build strength, and
tive Policy Conference.                     mobilize members on issues important         that’s how we build unity,” he said.
    The climax of the annual event,         to working families.
held last October, came on the final day        In the two days before the legislative   Undercutting workers’ rights
when more than 700 activists, divided       meetings, union members engaged in               The conference occurred against the
into small groups, visited the offices      dozens of training sessions and panel        backdrop of a series of National Labor
of hundreds of members of Congress          discussions designed to prepare them         Relations Board and Labor Department
to push for legislation to ensure safer     for sometimes difficult conversations        decisions undercutting workers’ rights.
workplaces, protect union organizing        with elected officials.                      But Conway warned: “This union’s
rights, preserve endangered pension             International President Thomas           not going to go away. We’re going to
funds, and secure stronger protections in   M. Conway said the strength of the           continue to confront them on the issues
the new United States-Mexico-Canada         25-year-old Rapid Response program is        affecting us in the workplace.”
Agreement (USMCA).                          the main reason why the USW “punches             Brown noted that advocacy, espe-
    The conference included detailed        way above its weight” in influencing         cially related to pensions and work-
presentations addressing each of those      legislators on Capitol Hill and in state-    place safety, is enshrined in the USW’s
four legislative priorities.                houses around the country.                   founding principles. And retired
    “All of these principles are the            “The labor movement is the only          Secretary-Treasurer Stan Johnson, who
ties that bind us and the values that       voice that stands up for workers,”           was involved in the Rapid Response

                   •
program from its earliest days and who            That nonpartisan, issue-based             Organize (PRO) Act, a bill that would
oversaw its growth in his role as an         approach is one of the hallmarks of            strengthen workers’ rights to organize
International officer, explained that the    the program and one of the keys to its         and penalize employers who illegally
program is needed to counter corporate       success.                                       obstruct those efforts. The House passed
America’s army of lobbyists.                      On Oct. 29, USW members held a            the bill on Feb. 6.
    “Corporate America is always at the      rally outside the U.S. Department of               District 10 Rapid Response Coordi-
table,” Johnson said. “This makes sure       Labor calling for support for HR 1309,         nator George Piasecki said the PRO Act
our voices are heard, too.”                  the Workplace Violence Prevention for          gets to the heart of everything that the
    Amber Miller, who became director        Health Care and Social Service Work-           union is about.
of the Rapid Response program in 2019,       ers Act. About a dozen lawmakers and               “Every right we have in the work-
said that workers must demand that law-      several USW members spoke in support           place is connected to a piece of legisla-
makers listen to them, or their priorities   of the legislation, which would require        tion,” he said.
will be pushed aside.                        health care employers to implement                 In lobbying for the PRO Act, the
    District 1 Director Donnie Blatt, a      violence-prevention plans to protect           Workplace Violence Prevention Act and
Rapid Response activist since its found-     their workers.                                 the Butch Lewis Act, Jackson Suter, a
ing, said the program works because it            Stephanie Adams, a nursing assistant      maintenance technician at U.S. Steel’s
is a member-driven initiative.               and member of Local 9230 in Minneso-           Edgar Thomson Works in Braddock,
    “You are the reason this program         ta, said that violence is a more common        Pa., found a friendly ear in U.S. Rep.
is a success,” Blatt told the delegates,     occurrence in the health care field than       Mike Doyle, whose father was a mem-
who were urged to help recruit the next      most people realize.                           ber of Suter’s union, Local 1219.
generation of activists from among the            “Sometimes it feels like manage-              Doyle thanked the USW members
USW’s younger members.                       ment doesn’t care about violence in our        for their support and said any new trade
                                             workplace but, thankfully, we have a           agreements must include strong protec-
Achievements made                            union that does care,” Adams said.             tions for workers and communities.
    Blatt, Secretary-Treasurer John               The next day, Steelworkers marched
Shinn and other speakers offered a           to Capitol Hill armed with more than           Changing minds
series of examples of the program’s          80,000 postcards signed by USW mem-                 Suter said that while Doyle supports
national- and state-level achievements       bers demanding that Congress pass the          all of the USW’s priorities, Braddock
over the years, from lobbying for trade      law.                                           residents may be more difficult to con-
enforcement actions in the mid-1990s              Vernon Beck, president of Local           vince. Attending the Rapid Response
to save a Dayton, Ohio, citric acid plant    12775, asked an aide to Rep. Larry             conference gave him the information
to calling for an extension of unem-         Bucshon of Indiana to get the congress-        and the confidence he needs “to change
ployment benefits to hasten the end of a     man — a cardiothoracic surgeon before          some minds,” he said.
lockout at National Grid in Massachu-        coming to Congress — to sign on as a                Changing minds one at a time is ex-
setts in 2018.                               co-sponsor.                                    actly what the Rapid Response program
    “We fight for every job,” said Inter-         “It’s not a major ask. It’s not a heavy   was designed to do, said retired Secre-
national Vice President David McCall.        lift,” Beck told the aide in a hallway out-    tary-Treasurer Johnson.
“That’s why this work is so important.”      side the congressman’s office as about              “One-on-one conversations are at
    Through Rapid Response, the USW          15 other USW members looked on.                the core of this program,” Johnson said.
was instrumental in gathering 300,000                                                       “Rapid Response has fundamentally
signatures to force a referendum on a        Health care violence                           changed who we are as a union.”
so-called “right-to-work” bill passed by         U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney of Con-                  In addition to Johnson, retired Inter-
Missouri’s legislature in 2017. In 2018,     necticut, lead sponsor of the workplace        national President Leo W. Gerard also
67.5 percent of voters voted against the     violence prevention bill, said the level       made an appearance, closing out the
law, rolling it back.                        of violence in health care was “horri-         conference by presenting the union’s in-
    “We won big,” Bob Ryan, District         fying” and that the rate of increase in        augural Leo W. Gerard Visionary Award
11 Rapid Response coordinator, told the      recent years was particularly alarming.        to Local 13-1 President Lee Medley.
delegates.                                       In recognition of his efforts on                Following an introduction by U.S.
    David Beard, a member of Local           behalf of workers, the USW presented           Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi,
752L at Cooper Tire in Arkansas, said        Courtney with a 2019 USW Paul Well-            Gerard praised Medley for his leader-
the work that members do in Washing-         stone Award, an annual tribute named in        ship and urged the attendees to continue
ton is only a small part of the equation     honor of the late Minnesota senator and        to build the union through relentless
when it comes to the need for activism       champion of labor who died in a plane          organizing.
in the labor movement.                       crash in 2002.                                      “The labor movement didn’t get
    “This isn’t about who is living in           The union also presented a 2019            born; the labor movement got built,”
the White House,” Beard said. “This is       Wellstone Award to U.S. Rep. Bobby             Gerard said. “This is a great union, and
about who is living in our house, and in     Scott of Virginia, who in 2019 in-             it’s because we built it.”
our plants.”                                 troduced the Protecting the Right to

                                                                                                               •
USW MEMBERS

RALLY

                                                           District 11 Director Emil Ramirez (Center)
                                                           carries a banner with Assistant Director
International Vice President                               Cathy Drummond and members including
Roxanne Brown                                              Deanna Hughes.

                               •   Photos by Steve Dietz
H
          undreds of USW members rallied outside the U.S.          Kicked in the face
          Department of Labor to demand protections for health         Health care workers are groped by patients with dementia
          care workers who are often kicked, punched, groped       and assaulted by patients with mental health problems, brain
and threatened on the job.                                         injuries and drug addictions. Yet many employers look the
    The protestors, which included health care workers wear-       other way when health care workers are injured or claim that
ing hospital scrubs, urged passage of the Workplace Violence       the risk of violence comes with the job.
Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act              “They don’t do anything,” said Joel Maya, an EKG tech-
(H.R. 1309/S. 851).                                                nician and member of Local 7600 in Fontana, Calif. Maya
    The bill would compel the U.S. Labor Department to issue       expressed frustration with employers’ lack of concern for
a workplace violence prevention standard requiring health          worker safety.
care and social service employers to implement violence pre-           One patient threatened to kill Maya. Another threw a tray
vention plans tailored to each workplace. Possible safeguards      at him. A third patient, unhappy with a co-payment he had to
range from enclosed reception areas at doctor’s offices to         make, threw his checkbook and wallet at him.
panic buttons enabling workers to summon help when they’re             Tuan Vu, a behavioral health technician and member of
in danger.                                                         the Essentia Red Book unit of Local 9460 in Duluth, Minn.,
    The legislation passed the House in November after the         said one of his co-workers was kicked in the face while staff
union’s rally on Oct. 28. By the time USW@Work went to             members tried to calm an out-of-control patient. Another
press, the bill had not been brought to a vote in the Senate.      co-worker was injured during a fight involving three youths.
    “We put up with a lot at work. We shouldn’t get punched             “I’ve been bitten, scratched, hit, several times this year,”
in the face,” International President Thomas M. Conway             Vu said, noting many of his patients have problems with
said before the rally, which was held in conjunction with the      impulse control.
USW’s Rapid Response Legislative and Policy Conference in              Some health care workers said they manage too many
Washington, D.C.                                                   patients alone and hope the workplace violence bill forces
    Passage of the violence prevention bill is one of the          employers to maintain adequate staffing levels.
USW’s priorities.                                                      Marketa Anderson, president of Local 9349 in Chisholm,
    Police blocked off streets as USW members marched from         Minn., sometimes works alone with 10 patients at a center for
the conference hotel to the Labor Department a mile away.          people with developmental disabilities. Over 19 years on the
The chanting was so loud that officials of the Occupational        job, she’s been hit, kicked, head-butted, slammed against a
Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) mentioned it when          wall and had a chair thrown at her.
a delegation of members went inside to meet with them about            “If somebody goes off, you hope you can get to the phone
the bill.                                                          and call 911 because there’s nobody there to help you,” she said.
    “We heard you coming,” one official said.
    International Vice President at Large Roxanne Brown
opened the rally by demanding action on workplace violence,

                                                                        TAKE ACTION!
a problem that’s only gotten worse in the last few years.
Violence reports increase
    From 2008 to 2017, workplace violence in the health care
and social service industries increased 69 percent. Health care         CONTACT YOUR SENATORS AND ASK THEM TO
and social workers are five times more likely to suffer work-           SUPPORT THESE EFFORTS TO PROTECT WORKERS:
place violence than workers in other fields.
    Other speakers at the rally included U.S. Sens. Sherrod             Butch Lewis Act (S. 2254)
Brown of Ohio and Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and Reps.                      The U.S. House passed this bill in July to protect endan-
Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, Marcy Kaptur of Ohio, Joe                  gered pensions and ensure workers get the secure retirement
Morelle of New York, and Conor Lamb and Susan Wild of                   they earned. Urge your senators to support the bill.
Pennsylvania.
    Brown noted that the Labor Department building is named             Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act (S. 1306)
for pioneer labor activist Frances Perkins, who redoubled her              Urge your senators to support the PRO Act, which would
                                                                        remove barriers to union organizing and establish stronger
fight for workplace safety after 146 workers, most of them
                                                                        penalties for companies that illegally block those efforts.
young women, died in the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory
fire in New York City.
                                                                        The Workplace Violence Prevention for Health
    The senator said it sickens him to know that corporate
                                                                        Care and Social Service Workers Act (S.851)
attorneys climb the steps of that building and go inside to                Urge your senators to support the workplace violence
oppose worker safety regulations.                                       prevention bill, which would require health care and social
    Instead of improving workplace safety, Wild said, the               service employers to implement violence-prevention plans.
Trump administration has rolled back worker protections and
left OSHA inspection positions vacant.                                      Contact your U.S. senators by visiting Senate.gov and
    “It’s signaled to workers across the country that (corpora-         clicking “Find Your Senators.” Or call the U.S. Capitol
tions) won’t be held accountable if they fail to maintain a safe        switchboard at (202) 224-3121.
workplace,” Wild said.

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