Report from the Field: USW International Union Members Take on Capitol Hill

by Tula Connell, Jun 27, 2006

This in from Phil Hughes in Philadelphia, who reports on a USW International Union action in Washington, D.C., where USW members rallied on Capitol Hill and met with their members of Congress.

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On Wednesday, June 21, 2006, more than 800 United Steelworkers (USW) took over Washington D.C. Steelworkers President Leo Gerard presented Sen. Edward Kennedy and Rep. John Conyers with the Sen. Paul Wellstone Award as Steelworkers members rallied for workers’ rights, fair trade and universal health care.

I am proud of our accomplishments and of our USW president and our outstanding executive board. The Rapid Response Network that our union created is a symbol of the passion and pride of the labor movement and a true example of the power of a united labor movement. Our voices were heard all over Washington as we lobbied against future “free” trade agreements, against sweatshops in foreign countries, specifically for S. 3485 and H.R. 5635.

We lobbied for the Employee Free Choice Act and for H.R. 676, the United States National Health Care Act. Introduced by Rep. Conyers, H.R. 676 is the most important piece of social legislation since the civil rights movement. This bill will ensure health care is granted to all Americans. It is a single-payer universal health care system, which will reduce unnecessary spending and secure the future of 46 million uninsured and the additional 46 million underinsured Americans.

The rights we lobbied for are the inalienable rights that are guaranteed to every American in the Declaration of Independence. The Right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.

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