Billy St-Pierre’s great sense of humor and dedication to workers' rights make him a standout in District 5 in Quebec, Canada. During the 2012 Rio Tinto lockout in Alma, St-Pierre was incredibly active on social media; he created a character known as “Super Métallo” (Super Steelworker), donning a cape and mask and publishing videos online featuring the superhero’s adventures. His one-man crusade to keep workers' spirits up during picketing and the dark times of the lockout is one reason why Billy St-Pierre is the District 5 Jefferson Award winner.
St-Pierre's light-hearted approach to campaigning brought some much needed fun to a conflict that proved to be very difficult for Canadian Steelworkers. He learned from his time as a Canadian Army reservist that during hard times it is important not to neglect efforts to conserve positive morale. That mentality for keeping spirits positive is how Super Métallo was born.
“He changed in a chemical toilette instead of Superman’s traditional phone booth,” St-Pierre said. “It’s a character that’s stuck to me, minus the smell of the chemical toilette.”
Not only does St-Pierre go above and beyond to help his own fellow union members, but he also does everything he can to fight for all workers.
A large group of automobile dealership mechanics in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint region, who were members of an independent union, endured a three-year long lockout. During this hard time, a radio program host announced on air that he would not be covering the conflict or the workers’ perspective. To St-Pierre, it was unjust that the radio host refused to cover a union story or report foul play on the part of the company, and he filed a complaint with the Quebec Press Council in January 2015, citing a violation of ethical standards and a lack of journalistic objectivity.
This Jefferson Award winner's enduring commitment to workers’ rights across the spectrum shows how one person or idea can make a huge impact. We are all brothers and sisters, and Billy St-Pierre has made that his anthem by finding ways to care for his fellow worker like family whenever they need it.
“Thanks to the solidarity that we’ve created with different unions and thanks to the Steelworkers who are never afraid to roll up their sleeves to defend the working class, our strength is growing,” St-Pierre said. “We must continue to denounce injustice and get involved. Together, everything is possible!”