For the latest episode of Solidarity Works, we talk with two activists from the Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice about the life and legacy of the late labor and civil rights’ leader, who has often remained in the shadows of history. We also chat about their work with the LGBTQ+ community and how everyone can play a role in building a more inclusive, loving movement for all. Music from this episode is by Ketsa. (https://ketsa.uk)

Young workers are voting to unionize at lightning speed at Starbucks locations across the US and Canada. Listen to our latest episode to hear from one of these new labor activists, Sarah Broad, talk about her journey as a barista and organizing one of the largest corporations in the world. To learn how to organize with the USW, visit usw.org/join. 

Allan McDougall, the first director of the USW Emergency Response Team, learned firsthand the importance of healing and the need for long-lasting support from unions more than thirty years ago while working in a mine in Canada. After witnessing multiple co-workers’ deaths and suffering in silence with alcoholism, Allan took control of his life and health, and brought that experience to the groundbreaking USW program.  Listen to the latest episode of Solidarity Works to learn more about how...

For the latest episode of Solidarity Works, two USW activists and leaders -- Teresa and Mayson -- share their stories of surviving intimate partner abuse and how unions can help break the cycle of domestic violence. Learn more from the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence at ncadv.org. 

In honor of Black History Month, the latest episode of Solidarity Works highlights three USW activists who are building upon the work and legacies of civil rights and community leaders like Dr. King, Bayard Rustin, and Rosa Parks. Listen at usw.to/podcast or wherever you access your favorite podcasts!

In August 2019, 300 workers across 19 branches of the historic Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh voted enthusiastically to join the United Steelworkers union, and earlier this month, they officially became members as they ratified their first agreement!  For the latest episode of Solidarity Works, we talk to two library workers about their monumental organizing campaign and about their roles as pillars of the community.

Today, we're sitting down to talk with Local 7600 President Micheal Barnett and Vice President Norberto Gomez about their members' monumental fight at Kaiser Permanente that brought thousands of health care workers together to win their latest contract, how they prevented a strike, and what the local’s plans are for the future.

Last week, more than 3,000 faculty members at the university of Pittsburgh voted to become members of the United Steelworkers union after a robust organizing campaign that began in 2014. Today, we're talking with two faculty members and activists who have been with the campaign from the start about what it took to secure this historic election and what comes next in the fight for a first fair contract.   Learn more at www.pittfaculty.org. 

The wheels may have ground to a halt, but the fight never ends! Listen to the latest episode of Solidarity Works to learn about the USW’s We Supply America infrastructure campaign and the six-state bus tour that allowed us to highlight all the amazing work our members do that can help rebuild our country. Visit www.uswvoices.org to learn more.

This week, hundreds of USW members in the paper and forestry industry are convening for the biennial paper bargaining conference to have their voices heard and to set their local unions’ priorities for the future.   With more than 90,000 members and more than 500 contracts, the union’s paper sector is massive and has lived multiple lives throughout the decades as it merged and evolved to overcome a slew of challenges. For the latest episode of Solidarity Works, we talk to USW Vice President...

Anne Balay published her first book, Steel Closets, featuring the stories of forty gay, lesbian, and trans steelworkers, in 2014. Four years later, after a personal career setback, she persevered and published her second book, Semi Queer, focusing on the world of gay, trans, and black truck drivers.  For the latest episode of Solidarity Works, and in honor of Pride Month, we talk to Balay about the adrenaline of survival, overcoming other people’s prejudices as well as our own, and the...

To close out Asian American and Pacific Islander Month, USW Solidarity Works speaks with three activists with the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) who are on the ground fighting for their diverse communities every day. Learn about combatting anti-Asian racism, immigration and documentation hurdles in America, and how to get involved with APALA by visiting usw.to/podcast. To learn more about APALA, visit www.apalanet.org. 

The United States is the wealthiest country in the world, yet we rank 13th when it comes to the overall quality of our infrastructure. The American Jobs Plan aims to change that.  For the latest episode of Solidarity Works, we talk with USW President Tom Conway as well as with a local union member at Dow Chemical in Michigan about the importance of investing in infrastructure and in our communities.

International Workers’ Day, also known as May Day or Labour Day in most countries, is a celebration of the working class. Its roots are found in the fight for the eight-hour day, which began in Chicago and culminated in the infamous Haymarket Affair on May 4, 1886.  For the latest episode of Solidarity Works, we are going back in time to explore this explosive watershed moment for the American labor movement.

President Joe Biden signed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan into law on Thursday, March 11, a historic piece of legislation that aims to jolt the economy back to life. For the latest episode of Solidarity Works, we talk to two members of the union as well as USW Legislative Director Roy Houseman about what this bill means for workers, their families, and their communities. (usw.to/podcast)

One year ago, much of the United States entered various stages of lockdown due to the coronavirus. Since then, a lot has changed for most workers, but today, women remain the most economically impacted by the upheaval. Healthcare concerns, both physical and mental, are on the rise as well for many women and their families, as the pandemic moves into its second year and as vaccines are just now becoming more widely available. For the latest episode of Solidarity Works, we talk to two Women of...

In the early 19th century, long before the mass movements for labor and civil rights would grip the nation, a group of determined women and girls working in the textile mills in Lowell, Massachusetts, mobilized to create the first union of working women in American history. Take a trip back in time for the latest episode of Solidarity Works, where you will revisit this legendary moment that proved to the country and the world that ordinary people can do extraordinary things, and that even...

On August 28, 1963, nearly a quarter of a million people gathered in the nation’s capital for the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Martin Luther King Jr.’s rousing “I Have a Dream” speech is the most cited moment from that monumental event, but another man, the very mastermind behind the march itself, opened the record-breaking day with a beautiful, succinct speech in his resounding baritone voice. His name was A. Philip Randolph, and for the latest episode of Solidarity...

There’s a lot that looks familiar in President Joe Biden’s Cabinet, but there is also a newness potent throughout, from installing the nation’s first openly gay Secretary to establishing the brand-new Office for Energy Jobs within the Department of Energy. Listen to the first Solidarity Works podcast episode of 2021 to learn more about the history of the U.S. Cabinet, what roles some of the Secretaries play, and what the USW is hoping to see come out of the new administration’s core group of...

Check out the latest episode of Solidarity Works for a conversation with Guillermo Perez about labor law and the Supreme Court, the history and impact of the Lochner Era, and what labor needs to do to fight back against legislative attacks on workers’ rights. 

Tune into the latest USW podcast episode to hear from National College Players Association Founder and Director Ramogi Huma on the intersection of labor and sports activism, the power of collective action, and the challenges facing college athletes during this unprecedented moment of the coronavirus pandemic. www.ncpanow.org 

From providing hundreds of thousands of family-supporting union jobs, to connecting people to lifelines including medication and paychecks, the United States Postal Service continues serving the American public 245 years after its founding. Learn about the agency’s history, its current challenges, and how to help keep it funded and strong for the future in the latest Solidarity Works podcast episode.

For the latest episode of Solidarity Works, hear from Coalition of Labor Union Women President Elise Bryant, USW Women of Steel Director Ann Flener-Gittlen, and Local 9460 President Deanna Hughes about what it means to step up as a woman in leadership, how to overcome the fears that can hold women back, and what women need to do in this crucial election year to move forward together.

In January 1965, after two full years of fighting for Black Americans’ right to vote throughout the South, the Dallas County Voters League and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee had felt they had hit a wall with white indifference and inaction. And so, they called upon Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to join their campaign in Selma, Alabama. Today, in 2020, the fight for the vote continues. Listen to the latest Solidarity Works episode to hear from USW Vice President Roxanne Brown, as...

Listen to the latest USW Solidarity Works podcast episode to hear from Union Veterans Council Executive Director Will Attig on the top issues veterans are currently facing, how labor and veterans can work together to create change, and why more and more service members are stepping out into the streets. You’ll also hear from USW International President Tom Conway about the union’s Veterans of Steel program.