We started as the United Steelworkers of America, born out of the Steel Workers Organizing Committee (SWOC). But over the years, we’ve grown into something much bigger. Today, we proudly represent workers across industries like manufacturing, health care, energy, and more. Most folks know us as USW or simply the Steelworkers, a nod to our proud roots. But our full name reflects just how far we’ve come: The United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Ser

In this installment of USW Artifacts, USW International Secretary-Treasurer Myles Sullivan shares a meaningful story not only in his own Steelworkers lineage, but one that’s also important to Canadian labor history and labor law. Listen as Myles tell the story of the Kirkland Lake, Ontario, where 4,000 miners, including his grandfather, went on strike for the right to organize with the Union of Mine Mill and Smelter Workers, who eventually became members of the United Steelworkers Union in 1967.

On this day in labor history, we honor the memory of Karen Silkwood, a whistleblower and health and safety advocate who died in a suspicious car accident. Karen, a chemical technician, fought to expose her employer for deliberately misleading workers and exposing them to harmful substances. The battle ended in Karen’s death – one that few people see as accidental. We recently covered her story on our Solidarity Works podcast. You can listen to it here: https://solidarityworks.libsyn.com/the-life