Solidarity Works

Kim Kelly began her writing career in the heavy metal world – she even adopted a moniker known as Grim Kim – but it wasn't long before her family's labor roots caught hold. She joined a union when writing for Vice, a digital publishing platform, and soon her stories took a turn toward more fervent working-class issues. Now, Kim is an author and public speaker with two books on the shelves focused on American labor history and a passion for speaking truth to power. In this episode of Solidarity Works, we'll learn about the journalist's unique career path, what inspires her dedication to justice, and why all Americans should be concerned about recent attempts to ban books and limit the free press. Learn more about Kim by visiting https://about.me/kimkelly. Music from this episode is by Ketsa.

On Friday, April 25, thousands of labor activists, including USW members, marched and chanted through the streets of Lázaro Cárdenas, Mexico, as part of an annual event commemorating the murders of two Los Mineros union members who were killed while on strike in 2006. In today's episode, we recount the mine explosion and consequential strike that led Los Mineros President Napoleon Gomez to live in exile for nearly a decade in Canada. We're also chatting with members who attended this year's trip to Mexico, as well as a USW activist who participated in a recent global youth exchange program co-hosted by the Steelworkers and Los Mineros. This episode features music by several artists, including Ketsa, Lobo Loco, and Greg Kirkelie.

From the 1800s to yesterday afternoon, women and girls across the United States have led historic organizing campaigns, and today we're honoring one of these powerful yet lesser known activists whose story deserves to be told. Emma Tenayuca was only 18 when she began organizing workers for the first time in San Antonio, Texas, in the 1930s, but even then she understood what a good wage could mean to the thousands of Mexican women keeping the city's pecan shelling thriving while they themselves lived in slums. Her story shows that anyone, no matter your age or gender, can lead a mass movement for economic justice and gain the trust of workers when sticking to your principles and keeping their fight at the center of your heart. Music from this episode by: Mr Smith IMLC Blue Dot Sessions Greg Kerkelie    

This episode kicks off the first in a series we hope to continue featuring SOAR (Steelworkers Organization of Active Retirees) activists offering us their words of wisdom as the labor movement enters a time of great change and upheaval. Today we speak with Nellie Caraballo, a former USW staff rep and public sector worker who is now a proud SOAR member, about the early challenges she endured on the job that ended with her stepping up in her local union and in her community.  She also reflects on what she learned about people during her organizing days, the hope she sees in the next generation, and her advice to them about the importance of fighting for positive social and economic change. To learn more about SOAR, make sure to check out usw.org/soar.

California musician and activist Jonny Miller Jr. is continuing his ancestors' legacy by making his mark on the labor movement. He sings on picket lines, writes songs about the working class, and teaches the next generation about the importance of labor history. In the latest episode of Solidarity Works, we talk with Jonny about his career, his love of labor, and the traditional connection between art and activism. Learn more and buy Jonny's labor album, IE Songs, at https://jonnymillerjr.com/.   

From salt and copper to soda ash and iron ore, members of the USW mine the many crucial resources needed to keep the U.S, Canada, and the world moving. It's an industry that goes back 150 years, and it's an industry that has seen exponential change over the past several decades. In the latest episode of Solidarity Works, we're speaking with USW Vice President of Administration Emil Ramirez about all things mining. He talks about what the historic sector looks like in District 11, which he calls home, as well as what the future of the industry as a whole looks like as technology continues to expand.

Most people who are familiar with Karen Silkwood likely learned of the chemical technician through the 1983 film Silkwood starring Meryl Streep and Cher. But the movie is no mere Hollywood drama; it is based on the true story of a young woman and union member who fought to expose her employer for deliberately misleading workers and exposing them to harmful chemicals.  This battle ended in Karen Silkwood's death on November 13, 1974, a death that few people see as accidental. Today we're recounting the legacy of Karen Silkwood as we approach the 50th anniversary of the fatal car crash that took her life. We're also talking with Jim Key, former head of the USW Atomic Workers Council and who, like Karen, became a whistleblower in the nuclear industry and who feared for his safety as he fought to protect himself and his co-workers.  

Last month, members of the United Steelworkers union from across the U.S. traveled to the nation's capital in Washington, D.C., to talk to their elected officials about the importance of reauthorizing Trade Adjustment Assistance. This program, which expired in 2022, provides training and educational opportunities for workers who lost their jobs due to foreign countries like China circumventing trade rules. In today's episode, we're talking with David Van Pevenage, who was part of the D.C. coalition and who worked at a WestRock paper mill in Washington state until it was shuttered due to unfair trade. We'll also hear from USW Legislative Director Roy Houseman, who was fortunate enough to benefit from TAA years ago, about why this program is so vital to American workers and their communities. Music in this episode by BlueDot Sessions.

The USW partners with labor organizations around the world to connect workers with common employers and help them build power. In the latest episode of Solidarity Works, we talk with Local 12075 President Kent Holsing and USW retiree Mike Zielinski about some of these partnerships, including a years-long alliance with rubber workers in Liberia, and why this solidarity is vital for union members everywhere. Music in this episode was brought to you by IntraHealth International and Kevin MacLeod.

the podium at the state house in Lansing, Michigan, to give powerful testimony about his experience as a veteran.  He and other activists were there to voice their support for Bill 5736, which would require employers to display a poster that outlines resources available for veterans and their families.  This is just one of many pieces of legislation USW members are fighting to pass for workers and their families across the United States, and they're doing it through the union's Rapid Response program. Check out the latest episode of Solidarity Works to hear from Eric and other USW activists about what inspires them to take legislative action and why you should, too! Learn more at usw.to/rapidresponse.

In 1975, the United States was a leader in global shipbuilding. The industry employed 180,000 workers who built more than 70 commercial ships in American shipyards. In the early 1980s, that changed as federal spending on domestic manufacturing was slashed and foreign competitors like China employed predatory practices to dominate the industry. Of course, the USW isn't letting this go without a fight. In this episode, we talk to USW Sub-District 1 Director Jamie Walker about the union's campaign to restore domestic shipbuiding. Learn more at www.full-steam-ahead.org.   

More than 80 years ago, U.S. Labor Secretary Frances Perkins identified silica dust as a deadly hazard. Finally, this past April 16, MSHA, through the Department of Labor, issued a final rule reducing silica dust exposure to better protect America's miners. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, known as OSHA, also clarified a rule in another major victory for workers this month to ensure workers are able to choose their own representative to join OSHA agents during workplace inspections. Today, we're talking with two USW health and safety experts about both of these new rules' impacts and how the union has been fighting nonstop to keep workers safe, and will continue to do so in the future. Music in this episode is by Ketsa.  

The USW's Next Gen program saw its humble yet historic beginnings in a resolution at the International union's Constitutional Convention in 2011. It endorsed the training and development of younger Steelworker activists to take on increasingly greater roles in their local unions, their governments and their communities. Since then, young and newer members of the USW across the United States and Canada have answered the call to become activists, and we're talking with three of them for our latest episode.  They'll share how they became involved in their local unions, what they believe is currently driving young workers to organize, and why they believe the labor movement's future is bright because of the next generation's diversity.  

When late International President Tom Conway took the helm of the USW in July 2019, he made a promise that his administration would work to reduce or eliminate tiered wage and benefit systems in union contracts. Many USW locals have heeded late President Conway's call and made great strides in eliminating these tiered systems in recent years. Today we're talking with USW Vice president Luis Mendoza about how members in the paper sector have done just that, including workers at WestRock, America's second-largest packaging company. We're also talking with Chris Frydenger, who works at a brass foundry in Illinois, about how his local was able to beat back a two-tier system implemented in 2016.

When Croatian painter and immigrant Maxo Vanka first visited Pittsburgh in 1935, he fell in love with the steel town and developed a friendship with Father Albert Zagar of the St. Nicholas Croatian Church in Millvale.  Zagar longed for color on his church's plain walls, but he didn't want the usual imagery found in most religious houses. He knew Vanka was the perfect artist for the job. Vanka then painted 25 individual murals that cover every inch of the church, and today, artists and activists, including members of the USW, are working to preserve the historic art to its original glory.  Today we're talking with two of these members who are dedicating their time and expertise to saving these murals and what they mean for Pittsburgh and the labor movement as a whole. Learn more at www.vankamurals.org.  Music from today's episode includes Dancing at the Marketplace by Lobo Loco and 13 Hora Din Clejani Cigansko by The Underscore Orkestra. Episode photo of Angelica Marks by Matt Dayak (DAYAK CREATIVE LLC).  

Members of the USW across the U.S. and Canada make the highest quality products in their industries, from Bulleit Bourbon distilled in Kentucky and All-Clad cookware handcrafted in Pennsylvania to clothing spun in Portland, Maine, at American Roots and Custom Foam pillows fabricated and molded in Ontario, Canada. Today we're speaking with several USW members about the products they and their union siblings make and why these products are the ideal gifts for the labor supporter in your life.  

Check out the latest episode of Solidarity Works to hear from two USW members who have stepped up to run for office in their communities. You'll hear about what inspired them to make these moves and why union members are uniquely equipped to serve in local government to be a voice for workers and families.

Members of the United Steelworkers union are known for being masters of production. On top of creation, we also help repair damage done in the past to ensure our communities can thrive in the future. We do this by cleaning up toxic nuclear sites to protect local residents and wildlife, and we conduct vital tests for various nuclear sector needs. In the latest episode of Solidarity Works, we talk with Jim Key, who heads the USW Atomic Workers Council, about what the sector looks like today and what's to come. We'll also hear about the different sites we represent and the role our members play in cleaning up America's toxic legacy.  

This May, members at electric bus manufacturer Blue Bird in Georgia voted to join the USW. Then, in August, members at Kumho Tire, also in middle Georgia, ratified their first contract after a years-long battle to have their voices heard. Check out the latest USW podcast episode to learn how these historic campaigns happened and why they matter not just for the South but for the entire country.

This week, nearly 200 USW members who work in the vast and diverse health care sector are gathering in Pittsburgh for their first Health Care Workers Council Conference since 2018. A lot has changed in the industry over these past five years, not only due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but also because of automation, short staffing, and skyrocketing rates of workplace violence. Health and safety has quickly become one of the top priorities for the sector's workers, and USW members especially aren't waiting for employers to protect them. They're taking matters into their own hands. In our latest episode, we hear from two members and conference attendees, Kim and Casey, who are using the collective strength of the union to make positive changes in their workplaces in order to keep themselves and their co-workers safe and supported on the job.   

For this episode of Solidarity Works, we're talking with two USW members who are currently serving as Indigenous Engagement Coordinators for the union's District 3 and 6 in Canada. Listen to learn about how they've been reconnecting to their Indigenous roots and how local unions can make a difference in making sure their Indigenous members not only survive but thrive within their communities and workplaces.

When Sean Gardener, a Buddhist chaplain in Canada, first walked into the prison where he would be providing spiritual care to people behind bars, he expected to feel nervous or fearful. Instead, he felt at home.  Listen to our latest episode of Solidarity Works to hear from Sean, along with a public defender in Pennsylvania, talk about working in the criminal justice field and share their experiences as USW members.  

At the start of this year, the USW announced a new initiative with our Rapid Response and Veterans of Steel activist groups to push for legislation that helps our military veterans, especially in the workplace. For the latest episode of Solidarity Works, we talk with several USW members about their experience serving in the military and why legislation is needed to uplift veterans as they navigate re-entering civilian life. Learn more at usw.org/vetsofsteel

From the XFL and USFL to Rugby Canada, professional athletes are organizing with the USW to gain a stronger voice on the job and protect their health and safety. Listen to the latest episode of Solidarity Works to learn about how sports unions change the game and bring teamwork to a whole new level.

In the latest episode of Solidarity Works, we talk with USW Vice President of Human Affairs Kevin Mapp and Pride at Work Co-President Brittani Murray about uniting workers across race, class, and gender to build a labor coalition that lasts. Music in this episode is by Ketsa.

As workplace innovation and technology evolve more rapidly than ever before, the labor movement is stepping up to ensure workers' voices are represented in this Fourth Industrial Revolution.  In the latest episode of Solidarity Works, we talk with the director of the AFL-CIO Tech Institute, as well as two USW members in health care and manufacturing, about how employers can center humanity in the future of technology, how to manage tech as it impacts new industries, and how it can be used to make workers' jobs safer and easier. (Music in this episide is from the Independent Music Licensing Collective and Ketsa.)

Listen to the latest episode of USW's Solidarity Works podcast to learn about some of history's forgotten labor heroes, as well as a new Pride at Work partnership that aims to increase union membership among LGBTQ+ workers! Find it at usw.to/podcast or wherever you access your favorite podcasts. To download a host of LGBTQ+ resources from the USW, visit www.usw.org/steelpride.

This month, we're talking with USW Vice President at Large Roxanne Brown about what's at stake for workers this November during midterm elections. We're also joined by Local 1557 member and activist JoJo Burgess about his experience getting out the vote in Pennsylvania. Learn more at www.uswvoices.org. 

Finding equipment that fits properly is a common issue for women in certain industries, as is having access to adequate restrooms and changing facilities. This is one of the many reasons why the USW has released a new action guide in the United States called Raising the Bar on Women's Health and Safety. Listen to the latest episode of Solidarity Works to hear from several Women of Steel about their experiences advocating for their safety and health on the job, and how your local can use this action guide to make your workplace safer for all!

Bay City Public School bus drivers in Michigan are back at the wheel this school year, and they're fired up and ready to go after beating back privatization efforts this past May. Listen to the latest episode of Solidarity Works to hear about their impressive fight and their continued campaign to keep their jobs intact and their students safe.

For the latest episode of Solidarity Works, we talk with two activists from the Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice about the life and legacy of the late labor and civil rights' leader, who has often remained in the shadows of history. We also chat about their work with the LGBTQ+ community and how everyone can play a role in building a more inclusive, loving movement for all. Music from this episode is by Ketsa. (https://ketsa.uk)

Young workers are voting to unionize at lightning speed at Starbucks locations across the US and Canada. Listen to our latest episode to hear from one of these new labor activists, Sarah Broad, talk about her journey as a barista and organizing one of the largest corporations in the world. To learn how to organize with the USW, visit usw.org/join. 

Allan McDougall, the first director of the USW Emergency Response Team, learned firsthand the importance of healing and the need for long-lasting support from unions more than thirty years ago while working in a mine in Canada. After witnessing multiple co-workers' deaths and suffering in silence with alcoholism, Allan took control of his life and health, and brought that experience to the groundbreaking USW program.  Listen to the latest episode of Solidarity Works to learn more about how the Emergency Response Team was created, how it serves members in their most vulnerable moments, and how you can get involved. (Music from this episode is by Ketsa.)

For the latest episode of Solidarity Works, two USW activists and leaders -- Teresa and Mayson -- share their stories of surviving intimate partner abuse and how unions can help break the cycle of domestic violence. Learn more from the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence at ncadv.org. 

In honor of Black History Month, the latest episode of Solidarity Works highlights three USW activists who are building upon the work and legacies of civil rights and community leaders like Dr. King, Bayard Rustin, and Rosa Parks. Listen at usw.to/podcast or wherever you access your favorite podcasts!

In August 2019, 300 workers across 19 branches of the historic Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh voted enthusiastically to join the United Steelworkers union, and earlier this month, they officially became members as they ratified their first agreement!  For the latest episode of Solidarity Works, we talk to two library workers about their monumental organizing campaign and about their roles as pillars of the community.

In the early morning hours of Saturday, November 13, United Steelworkers Local 7600 reached a tentative agreement with health care giant Kaiser Permanente, preventing an impending strike. More than 40,000 health care workers across the West Coast would have, if necessary, walked off the job that following Monday in their fight for safe staffing and wage justice in the Inland Empire. Today, we're sitting down to talk with Local 7600 President Micheal Barnett and Vice President Norberto Gomez about this monumental fight that brought thousands of health care workers together to win this contract and what the local's plans are for the future.

Last week, more than 3,000 faculty members at the university of Pittsburgh voted to become members of the United Steelworkers union after a robust organizing campaign that began in 2014. Today, we're talking with two faculty members and activists who have been with the campaign from the start about what it took to secure this historic election and what comes next in the fight for a first fair contract.   Learn more at www.pittfaculty.org. 

The wheels may have ground to a halt, but the fight never ends! Listen to the latest episode of Solidarity Works to learn about the USW's We Supply America infrastructure campaign and the six-state bus tour that allowed us to highlight all the amazing work our members do that can help rebuild our country. Visit www.uswvoices.org to learn more.

This week, hundreds of USW members in the paper and pulp industry are convening for the biennial paper bargaining conference to have their voices heard and to set their local unions' priorities for the future.   With more than 90,000 members and more than 500 contracts, the union's paper sector is massive and has lived multiple lives throughout the decades as it merged and evolved to overcome a slew of challenges. For the latest episode of Solidarity Works, we talk to USW Vice President Leeann Foster about safety and sustainability in the industry that has learned to make the most of whatever cards it's been dealt.

Anne Balay published her first book, Steel Closets, featuring the stories of forty gay, lesbian, and trans steelworkers, in 2014. Four years later, after a personal career setback, she persevered and published her second book, Semi Queer, focusing on the world of gay, trans, and black truck drivers.  For the latest episode of Solidarity Works, and in honor of Pride Month, we talk to Balay about the adrenaline of survival, overcoming other people's prejudices as well as our own, and the richly textured lives of some of America's most marginalized yet resilient workers. Visit usw.org/steelpride to learn more.

To close out Asian American and Pacific Islander Month, USW Solidarity Works speaks with three activists with the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) who are on the ground fighting for their diverse communities every day. Learn about combatting anti-Asian racism, immigration and documentation hurdles in America, and how to get involved with APALA by visiting usw.to/podcast. To learn more about APALA, visit www.apalanet.org. 

The United States is the wealthiest country in the world, yet we rank 13th when it comes to the overall quality of our infrastructure. The American Jobs Plan aims to change that.  For the latest episode of Solidarity Works, we talk with USW President Tom Conway as well as with a local union member at Dow Chemical in Michigan about the importance of investing in infrastructure and in our communities.

International Workers’ Day, also known as May Day or Labour Day in most countries, is a celebration of the working class. Its roots are found in the fight for the eight-hour day, which began in Chicago and culminated in the infamous Haymarket Affair on May 4, 1886.  For the latest episode of Solidarity Works, we are going back in time to explore this explosive watershed moment for the American labor movement.

President Joe Biden signed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan into law on Thursday, March 11, a historic piece of legislation that aims to jolt the economy back to life. For the latest episode of Solidarity Works, we talk to two members of the union as well as USW Legislative Director Roy Houseman about what this bill means for workers, their families, and their communities. (usw.to/podcast)

One year ago, much of the United States entered various stages of lockdown due to the coronavirus. Since then, a lot has changed for most workers, but today, women remain the most economically impacted by the upheaval. Healthcare concerns, both physical and mental, are on the rise as well for many women and their families, as the pandemic moves into its second year and as vaccines are just now becoming more widely available. For the latest episode of Solidarity Works, we talk to two Women of Steel -- a health care worker in Georgia and a refinery control room operator in Ohio -- about how life at home and on the job has changed over the past year, and what legislative leaders can do to ease the burden so many are bearing across the nation.

In the early 19th century, long before the mass movements for labor and civil rights would grip the nation, a group of determined women and girls working in the textile mills in Lowell, Massachusetts, mobilized to create the first union of working women in American history. Take a trip back in time for the latest episode of Solidarity Works, where you will revisit this legendary moment that proved to the country and the world that ordinary people can do extraordinary things, and that even just a little organizing can go a long way. Listen at usw.to/podcast or wherever you access your podcasts.

On August 28, 1963, nearly a quarter of a million people gathered in the nation’s capital for the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Martin Luther King Jr.’s rousing “I Have a Dream” speech is the most cited moment from that monumental event, but another man, the very mastermind behind the march itself, opened the record-breaking day with a beautiful, succinct speech in his resounding baritone voice. His name was A. Philip Randolph, and for the latest episode of Solidarity Works, we dive into his life and legacy by talking with the president of the A. Philip Randolph Institute, Clayola Brown, who is also the new head of the AFL-CIO Civil, Human, and Women’s Rights Department.

There’s a lot that looks familiar in President Joe Biden’s Cabinet, but there is also a newness potent throughout, from installing the nation’s first openly gay Secretary to establishing the brand-new Office for Energy Jobs within the Department of Energy. Listen to the first Solidarity Works podcast episode of 2021 to learn more about the history of the U.S. Cabinet, what roles some of the Secretaries play, and what the USW is hoping to see come out of the new administration’s core group of presidential advisors.

Check out the latest episode of Solidarity Works for a conversation with Guillermo Perez about labor law and the Supreme Court, the history and impact of the Lochner Era, and what labor needs to do to fight back against legislative attacks on workers’ rights. 

Tune into the latest USW podcast episode to hear from National College Players Association Founder and Director Ramogi Huma on the intersection of labor and sports activism, the power of collective action, and the challenges facing college athletes during this unprecedented moment of the coronavirus pandemic. www.ncpanow.org