The unfettered rise of richmultinational corporations thatpit workers against workersaround the world has left theUSW with no choice but to becomeincreasingly active in the global labormovement.“We do that because it’s right. Workersshould not be pitted one againstanother, and a rising global economyshould lift all boats,’’ InternationalPresident Leo W. Gerard told the 2011Convention.“It’s right to help each other asworkers, but we do it in a rather selfservingway. We do it so we can better10 USW@Work • Fall 2011defend our members.”Delegates to the 2011 Conventionunanimously passed a resolution callingfor the USW to continue the work ofbuilding a global solidarity movementthat can stand up around the world foreconomic and social justice and a sustainableenvironment.“The reason this is important isbecause there’s really no labor disputethat the <strong>Steelworkers</strong> are involved inthese days that doesn’t deal with multinationalcompanies,” said InternationalAffairs Director Ben Davis. “And ifwe’re going to deal with multinationalcompanies, we have to have a relationshipwith the unions that represent thoseworkers in other countries, if they haveunions.”Delegates speak outBefore the vote, <strong>Steelworkers</strong> fromacross North America took to the microphoneson the Convention floor to tellhow international solidarity aided theirlocal unions and fellow workers.“We saw firsthand how tough itis to fight a multinational,’’ said Rick
Bertrand, president of Local 6500 inSudbury, Canada, which struck theBrazilian mining giant, Vale, for over ayear. “Without international solidarity, itwould have been a lot tougher.”Vale’s attack on some 3,800 USWmembers in Sudbury, Port Colborneand Voisey’s Bay, Canada, led the USWto redouble its efforts to build a globalnetwork of workers and communitiesto expose Vale’s disregard for humanrights and to organize resistance on aglobal basis. Campaigns against GrupoMexico have also led to strengthenedcooperation among mining unions.Larry Burchfield Jr., vice presidentof Local 13-1 in Texas City, Texas, saidglobal solidarity has meant help fromUnite, the largest union in the <strong>United</strong>Kingdom and Ireland, in confrontinghis employer, BP, the multinational oilcompany based in Great Britain.“With Unite brothersand sisters, wefoughtthem on their own turf at stockholdermeetings when they wanted to takeaway retiree benefits for new hires,”Burchfield said.in order for usto be effective inthe struggles thatwe have here inour countries, the<strong>United</strong> States andCanada, we need tomake sure that wehave an expandedgroup of allies thatwe can deal with tohelp us with thesestruggles.“”Improving safetyTom Hargrove, president of Local1010 at the ArcelorMittal mill inEast Chicago, Ind., said internationalsolidarity – the collaboration of unionsand union federations – has led to saferconditions worldwide.“As a member of the ArcelorMittalglobal safety committee, I had the honorand privilege of visiting and trying tomake a safer workplace around theworld,” he said.Specifically, the resolution callsfor the USW to continue to establishmutually-beneficial alliances with tradeunion partners in all sectors who sharethe USW’s willingness to build workers’power through organizing, bargainingand political action.“In order for us to be effective inthe struggles that we have here in ourcountries, the <strong>United</strong> States and Canada,we need to make sure that we have anexpanded group of allies that we candeal with to help us with these struggles,’’said International Vice PresidentFred Redmond.The USW, for example, has supportedthe organization of global tradeunion networks that enables workersto share information about workingconditions and lay the groundwork forcoordinated bargaining with multinationalcompanies, in addition to helpingmembers at Gerdau, ArcelorMittal,Vale and other companies.Building labor federationsThose efforts include work withthe International MetalworkersFederation (IMF), the InternationalFederation of Chemical, Energy, Mineand General Workers’ Unions (ICEM),and the Building and Wood Workers’International (BWI).At the same time, the USW willcontinue to build the new globalunion, Workers Uniting, launchedthree years ago with UK-based Unitethe Union, as a further challenge tomultinational corporations.“The only way that we can evenbegin to challenge the injustices ofglobalization is through the buildingof a global union, a global union thatis both active and builds solidarityamong workers,’’ said InternationalVice President at Large Carol Landry.USW@Work • Fall 2011 11
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