Our friends at Campaign for America's Future posted a video on their blog called "Buy, Buy American Pie" by The Capital Steps, a political satire musical group. It's a humorous - yet sadly true - portrayal of trade and the negative impact it has had on our nation. Check it our below and check out our Manufacturing a Better Future for America tool kit to find out how you can help turn our country around.

United Steelworkers International President Leo W. Gerard today commented on the tentative deal between the U.S. and Canada on bilateral trade relations. 

"Canada and the U.S. have a strong economic and trade relationship. The agreement that's been announced will reportedly enhance the reciprocal nature of that relationship," Gerard said. "The goal of the Steelworkers in government procurement has always been to strengthen our manufacturing base in order to generate the most jobs for our members.

Click here for the entire statement.

The National Rapid Response Conference will be held during the first week of May at the Hilton Washington in Washington, D.C.  A Good Jobs, Green Jobs Conference will occur simultaneously with our Conference, beginning on Tuesday, May 4 at 8:30 a.m. Rapid Response Conference attendees are encouraged to join USW International President Leo Gerard to kick off the Good Jobs, Green Jobs Conference and participate in a series of USW-specific sessions throughout the day on Tuesday.  The Rapid Response Conference will then begin at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, May 5 and will end at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 6 ... more

United Steelworkers International President Leo W. Gerard today lauded President Obama's State of the Union address for its focus on creating and protecting jobs.

“We agree that getting people back to work should be our nation’s top priority. With unemployment in double digits, there is no time to waste," Gerard said. "But not just any job will do. We need quality jobs that give our families a real shot at a better life, that support our communities and that serve as the solid foundation for a healthy economy."

Gerard called for a long-term strategy to create jobs and revitalize domestic manufacturing.

"It’s urgent that we keep Main Street in mind as we move forward.  Our members are losing patience with talk; they desperately want action now," he said.

The USW president also called for green jobs that are good jobs, fair and real health care reform that does not tax benefits and caution when dealing with trade. 

"We urge the president and Congress to not let bad trade deals undermine the creation of good jobs. We’ve heard the vow before that trade deals would be good for us. Unfortunately, we’ve felt the pain of those broken promises first-hand. When these agreements are not enforced, it not only costs us millions of good jobs, it’s counterproductive to our commitment to a cleaner environment and human rights worldwide.  And it’s deadly for trade unionists in places like Colombia and South Korea."

Click here for the entire statement.

Leaders of the largest trade unions in the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Caribbean and Canada are protesting the decision of a large hotel chain to host a conference where the leader of the far right British National Party (BNP) Nick Griffin is scheduled to speak.

In a letter sent this week to the Westin Hotel, Workers Uniting expresses deep anger about the decision to allow an individual whose views are so offensive to so many to address a white supremacist conference on its premises.

The Westin Hotel chain has over 160 hotels and resorts worldwide. Workers Uniting, the world’s first global union representing more than three million working people is a partnership between Unite from the United Kingdom and the United Steelworkers (USW) from the United States, Caribbean and Canada.

Unite General Secretaries Derek Simpson and Tony Woodley and USW International President Leo Gerard say in the letter:  “Workers Uniting is appalled that the Westin would allow an individual whose views are so offensive and abhorrent to many to hold a public address on its premises.

“You should be aware that (in the UK) a court order was made against the BNP on the grounds that their membership requirements discriminated on grounds of, among other things, race. In 1996, Griffin received a nine-month prison sentence (suspended for two years) after being found guilty of distributing material likely to incite racial hatred. As well as this, Griffin is reported to have referred to the Holocaust as the 'Holohoax'.”

Simpson, Woodley and Gerard are urging the hotel management to reconsider their decision in order to avoid serious reputational damage to their business. For the full text of the letter, click here.

Griffin is due to be the keynote speaker at the “American Renaissance” conference February 19 -21 at The Westin Washington Dulles Airport, 2520 Wasser Terrace, Herndon, Va. 20171.

In the aftermath of the terrible earthquake in Haiti, we've had several USW members and locals ask how they can help. You can make a tax-deductible donation to the Steelworkers Charitable and Educational Organization, the same fund that has collected money for the victims of U.S. hurricanes like Katrina and Gustav.

Please send checks made out to Steelworkers Charitable and Educational Organization to:

United Steelworkers
c/o Vice President Fred Redmond
Human Affairs
Five Gateway Center
Pittsburgh, PA 15222

Please designate on your check that you'd like your donation to go towards Haiti relief efforts.

The United Steelworkers Charitable and Education Organization is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization and contributions are tax deductible. Please note that contributions to the Chariitable and Education Organization for Haiti made BEFORE March 1, 2010, are eligible as tax deductable donations (for an individual who itemizes their deductions) in either 2009 or 2010 at the donors' discretion. 

Steelworkers wishing to donate to the Humanity Fund in Canada can designate donations to Haitian relief efforts on checks sent to:

Steelworkers Humanity Fund
234 Eglinton Avenue East Suite 800
Toronto, Ontario
M4P 1K7

Please note that U.S. donations to the Humanity Fund are accepted but are not tax deductible.

The USW responded immediately to the tragedy by donating $20,000 from its Humanity Fund the day after the quake and pledging continued solidarity. Click here to read the statement.

Also, Union Plus announced today that it is matching donations dollar-for-dollar for Haiti earthquake relief with a $100,000 commitment. Please visit http://www.UnionPlus.org/Haiti for more information about Union Plus' automatic doubling of contributions made to the AFL-CIO's Solidarity Center’s Earthquake Relief for Haitian Workers Fund. That means $10 becomes $20, $25 becomes $50, and $100 becomes $200.

Also, the TransAfrica Forum, a longtime ally of the union movement, also suggested donations to two organizations already providing aid on the ground: Partners in Health (http://www.pih.org/inforesources/news/Haiti_Earthquake.html) and Doctors Without Borders (http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/).

USW International President Leo W. Gerard says the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling allowing unlimited corporate spending in campaigns is very troubling.

In an interview with the FOX News Network last night, Gerard said the decision opens the doors for a flood of big business money in politics. Click here for more from the FOX.

"The four largest Wall Street banks, if they expended one-tenth of 1 percent of their resources in a political campaign, that would eclipse every single penny of union revenue for every union in the country," Gerard said.

Gerard said the decision has concerned a lot of people and reiterates the need for public financing of campaigns in the United States.

“We need to move to public financing of elections. Otherwise, people will get cynical about their votes and will believe participation doesn’t matter," he said. "The vote of the make-up girl in the Fox studio, the teacher, the librarian or steelworker should matter as much as the banker. If people believe the voice of money speaks louder than their vote, they won’t participate in elections. We have to fix this.”  

USW International President Leo W. Gerard appeared on Fox Business Network to talk about why a so-called "Cadillac" tax to pay for health insurance reform is not only bad policy, but bad politics. Check out what he had to say then pick up the phone and call 1-866-203-4960, ask to be connected to your Congress members and tell them to stand strong against the excise tax. Click here for more info on this national day of action.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka had this to say about Tuesday's election in Massachusetts:

What happened Tuesday in Massachusetts was a wake-up call to all of us.

It was a working class revolt—a signal that in this economic crisis, the American people demand jobs, health care and an economy that works for them now—not political business as usual.

It was a loud and clear message that our elected leaders—and our labor movement—must do more for working people, do it fast and do it smarter.

An AFL-CIO poll taken Tuesday night shows without doubt:

Voters are fed up that elected leaders have done too little to help working families.

They said Democrats have NOT overreached on jobs, the economy and health care—they have underreached.

Voters have seen too much help for Wall Street and not nearly enough help for Main Street.

Unless Democrats demonstrate that fixing the economy is their overriding priority, and begin to create more jobs for working Americans NOW, we’re going to see more results this November like the Massachusetts election.

For the union movement and activists, the message was also clear: It’s not time to leave it to any political party to take care of us once we put them in office. It’s time to organize and mobilize as never before to make every elected or aspiring leader PROVE he or she will create the jobs we need in an economy we need with the health care we need.
 
I am not discouraged by Tuesday’s election results. Actually, I’m energized and I want you to be, too. Working America is demanding major change NOW—not timid, go-slow, partial solutions.

I know we are the people who can mobilize a massive army to force elected leaders to deliver.

Let’s do it—starting NOW.

The United Steelworkers today joined forces with the Learning Disabilities Association, the Cancer Institute, and the Pennsylvania Nurses Association to call for reforms of the federal Toxic Substances Control Act needed to ensure the health and safety of America's workers and families.

USW's director of Health, Safety and the Environment Mike Wright, was among those who spoke at a press conference at the Steelworker's international headquarters. The group said being proactive about testing  chemicals and for chemical exposure would not only save lives, but money.

Michael Wright, United Steelworkers department head for Health, Safety and Environment

A new report, "The Health Case for Reforming Toxic Substances Control Act," shows that if there was a new health-based legislative framework to reduce chronic diseases caused by chemical exposure by 0.1 percent, it would reduce health care costs by $5 billion a year. And that's a very conservative estimate.

Dr. Maryann Donovan, associate director of research services for the University of Pittsburgh's Cancer Institute and director of the Center for Environmental Oncology

"It's not a matter of whether we test toxic chemicals. It's a matter of how we test them. Right now we test them in the bodies of our children, our consumers, our workers, ourselves. It's time to start testing chemicals in the lab, and to take action before anyone is harmed," Wright said.

The 34-year-old law has led to required testing of only 200 of the 80,000 chemicals used in the United States. Only five chemicals have been regulated. 

Maureen Swanson, national coordinator of the Healthy Children Project and the Pittsburgh-based Learning Disabilities Association of America

"In the last 30 years, a growing body of scientific evidence has shown that levels of chemicals once thought to be safe can actually cause great harm," said Maureen Swanson, national coordinator of the Learning Disabilities Association of America's Healthy Children Project.

Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., and Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., are expected to introduce new legislation meant to bring the toxics law into the 21st Century. Stay tuned to www.usw.org for the latest.