More than 600 Steelworkers from as far east as New England to the west coast of California gathered in Washington D.C. this week to get educated, empowered and engaged in legislative battles that affect the working class of America.
To kick off the conference, Secretary-Treasurer Stan Johnson welcomed USW International President Leo W. Gerard and Vice President Tom Conway, who both shared some of their favorite memories of Rapid Response from the early days of the program.
Watch the conference video here!
The focus shifted quickly to a battle that has been part of our fight since day one of Rapid Response – Fast Track and bad trade deals like NAFTA that have gutted our industries and how our union has been fight back against both.
USW members shared their personal stories about how they’ve been impacted by trade. Leaders of our union explained how we’ve been filing cases and testifying in front of the trade commission on behalf of our members every time illegal trade hurts our workplaces. And the USW’s legislative staff gave an update on our current fight against Fast Track legislation and the Trans-pacific Partnership.
Guest speakers included the AFL-CIO’s Secretary Treasurer Liz Shuler and 2015 Wellstone Award recipient Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. Senator Sanders got the crowd fired up to charge the hill on lobby day reminding us that, “workers must fight back the bad trade bills that are corporate sponsored."
Whether this was their first time at the conference or their fifteenth, there were speakers, panels and workshops that gave attendees the knowledge and skills to lobby their lawmakers about the issues that affect workers, create Rapid Response committees at their local, the basics for taking photos and video for social media, the tools to organize and much more.
Click here to see photos from day one of the conference
On Lobby Day, conference attendees shared our message to “Stop Fast Track!” loud and clear across our nation’s capital as we rallied against the shady trade legislation trying to be pushed through Congress.
More than 1200 Steelworkers, members of other labor unions, progressives and environmentalists heard from a long list of labor leaders and lawmakers who stand with American workers, including Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown who admitted, “I’ve never seen a trade deal that’s more secret than this one,” as he reaffirmed his commitment to say no to Fast Track and any trade deal that doesn’t protect our country’s workers.
Other highlights from the rally include a rousing speech from AFGE President J. David Cox who says, “It’s not just no to Fast Track. It’s HELL NO to Fast Track!” And Senator Al Franken who shared a heartbreaking story from a Steelworker he met on the Iron Range in Minnesota who will lose his job because of the effects of ineffective trade legislation.
Steelworkers spent the remainder of the day meeting with their Senators and Representatives telling them how Fast Track and free trade deals have impacted their jobs, their families and their communities.
Jim Perry from Local Union 101 in Philadelphia, PA, and Edward Long from Local Union 12698 in Marcus Hook, PA, have both felt pressure from trade. “We used to have nine units and now we’re down to two,” Long explained as he asked Representative Robert Brady to oppose Fast Track legislation.
Kurt Angerman and Chuck Nippolt from Local Union 7263, joined a group of about 20 other Steelworkers from Minnesota in Representative Betty McCollum’s office to share with her how when the mining industry slows down because of illegally dumped imports, their location suffers because the mines buy the grinding balls and rebar that his local makes. Nippolt, President of Local Union 7263, asked, “Why do our members and our families have to suffer? We never get back to where we were before layoffs – the damage is done.”
After a long day on the hill, the conference wrapped up with a look down memory lane at the last 20 years of the Rapid Response program – sharing stories about how members got involved in the program; and important memories from their time as a Rapid Response Activist.
Click here to see photos from day two of the conference
In addition to all the action of the conference, Steelworkers also participated in the Good Jobs Green Jobs conference on Monday. They heard from speakers like Vice President Joe Biden and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren; attended workshops that focused on working with the progressive and environmental movements to have safe jobs and a clean environment; and heard from panelists about infrastructure investment and state level approaches to a clean power plans.
Photos taken by Steve Dietz, Union Pix