United Steelworkers [Archive]

Proukunin

2nd June 2011, 03:15

Does anyone have any experience or know about this organization? The job I may be taking recently has USW as their union. I hear they are one of the largest in America.

Communist

2nd June 2011, 03:53

Moved to Workers Struggles.

Proukunin

2nd June 2011, 03:56

For some reason I didn't think this was supposed to go in their lol.

Ocean Seal

4th June 2011, 15:48

For what its worth I know that they are somewhat active especially for an American union and much like the UAW I think that they go on strike at least a decent amount of times. I don't really know all that much about them.

Proukunin

6th June 2011, 04:29

They were in Madison, WI and the current President put barracks up to stop people from going to the WTO during the Seattle protests. I read some history on them. They lead an 18 month strike recently.

genstrike

6th June 2011, 05:06

It's one of the largest industrial unions in North America.

So, pretty much everything that entails

wunderbar

6th June 2011, 08:28

It's one of the largest industrial trade unions in North America.

Fixed.

Coyote

6th June 2011, 08:37

There's one of the most active trade unions in the country. I rode with their Pittsburgh chapter to the One Nation event last October, they're a great group of people.

graymouser

6th June 2011, 11:47

The USWA, as one of the products of the CIO organizing drive of the '30s and very early '40s, is actually an industrial union. Like the UAW and other original CIO unions, it organizes all workers in a shop, rather than just the trades.

From what I've gathered they haven't been in the best of shape since a lot of steel jobs have left the US. They're still an AFL-CIO union and still have some problems with bureaucracy etc, but the USWA is a far cry from SEIU or UFCW in terms of raw deal-with-the-bosses kind of shit. I would think it's a fairly good union to become a militant in and fight for a left-wing, class-struggle point of view.

Red Rebel

8th June 2011, 06:24

Arguably one of the best unions that stayed with the AFL-CIO. I've had a great time working with their Rapid Response back in college. Not sure if Dan Kovalik is still with them, but he is great guy worth getting to know.