Tom Conway was appointed International Vice President (Administration) effective March 1, 2005, and was elected to a full term in office later that year.

Tom Conway became an activist in Local 6787 of the Steelworkers union soon after he hired in at the Burns Harbor Works of Bethlehem Steel in 1978. While working as a millwright in the coke plant, he served as a griever for plant-wide maintenance and was a member of the safety and contracting-out committees. He was appointed as a USW staff representative in 1987 and assigned to Indiana's former District 31 office.

He has spent much of his USW career focusing on the steel industry in the U.S. and has been involved in most of the major collective bargaining efforts within that industry.

Conway was instrumental in the start up of the Institute for Career Development (ICD) program in 1989, working with the participating steel companies of the basic steel industry. He currently serves on its Governing Board. ICD is a company-paid program negotiated by the USW for members to enhance their personal development with educational programs developed by steelworkers for steelworkers.

Conway was appointed Secretary of the Basic Steel Industry Conference (BSIC) in 1995. His additional responsibilities include field mobilization for the USW's Stand Up for Steel campaigns and related trade and legislative efforts at the federal and state levels.