We're Made for This: USW Members Serving in Local Politics
Release Date: 10/25/2023
Riffs and Rights: Kim Kelly's Journey from Heavy Metal to Labor Activism
Solidarity Works
Kim Kelly began her writing career in the heavy metal world – she even adopted a moniker known as Grim Kim – but it wasn’t long before her family’s labor roots caught hold. She joined a union when writing for Vice, a digital publishing platform, and soon her stories took a turn toward more fervent working-class issues. Now, Kim is an author and public speaker with two books on the shelves focused on American labor history and a passion for speaking truth to power. In this episode of Solidarity Works, we’ll learn about the journalist’s unique career path, what inspires her...
info_outline
USW and Los Mineros Unite in Mexico
Solidarity Works
On Friday, April 25, thousands of labor activists, including USW members, marched and chanted through the streets of Lázaro Cárdenas, Mexico, as part of an annual event commemorating the murders of two Los Mineros union members who were killed while on strike in 2006. In today’s episode, we recount the mine explosion and consequential strike that led Los Mineros President Napoleon Gomez to live in exile for nearly a decade in Canada. We’re also chatting with members who attended this year’s trip to Mexico, as well as a USW activist who participated in a recent global youth exchange...
info_outline
Emma Tenayuca and the Pecan Shellers' Strike
Solidarity Works
From the 1800s to yesterday afternoon, women and girls across the United States have led historic organizing campaigns, and today we’re honoring one of these powerful yet lesser known activists whose story deserves to be told. Emma Tenayuca was only 18 when she began organizing workers for the first time in San Antonio, Texas, in the 1930s, but even then she understood what a good wage could mean to the thousands of Mexican women keeping the city’s pecan shelling thriving while they themselves lived in slums. Her story shows that anyone, no matter your age or gender, can lead a mass...
info_outline
The Power of Generational Change: Words of Wisdom from SOAR Activist Nellie Caraballo
Solidarity Works
This episode kicks off the first in a series we hope to continue featuring SOAR (Steelworkers Organization of Active Retirees) activists offering us their words of wisdom as the labor movement enters a time of great change and upheaval. Today we speak with Nellie Caraballo, a former USW staff rep and public sector worker who is now a proud SOAR member, about the early challenges she endured on the job that ended with her stepping up in her local union and in her community. She also reflects on what she learned about people during her organizing days, the hope she sees in the next...
info_outline
We Shall Not Be Moved: Labor Musician & Activist Jonny Miller Jr.
Solidarity Works
California musician and activist Jonny Miller Jr. is continuing his ancestors’ legacy by making his mark on the labor movement. He sings on picket lines, writes songs about the working class, and teaches the next generation about the importance of labor history. In the latest episode of Solidarity Works, we talk with Jonny about his career, his love of labor, and the traditional connection between art and activism. Learn more and buy Jonny's labor album, IE Songs, at .
info_outline
Mining Matters: A Conversation with USW Vice President Emil Ramirez
Solidarity Works
From salt and copper to soda ash and iron ore, members of the USW mine the many crucial resources needed to keep the U.S, Canada, and the world moving. It’s an industry that goes back 150 years, and it’s an industry that has seen exponential change over the past several decades. In the latest episode of Solidarity Works, we’re speaking with USW Vice President of Administration Emil Ramirez about all things mining. He talks about what the historic sector looks like in District 11, which he calls home, as well as what the future of the industry as a whole looks like as technology continues...
info_outline
The Life, Death, and Legacy of Karen Silkwood
Solidarity Works
Most people who are familiar with Karen Silkwood likely learned of the chemical technician through the 1983 film Silkwood starring Meryl Streep and Cher. But the movie is no mere Hollywood drama; it is based on the true story of a young woman and union member who fought to expose her employer for deliberately misleading workers and exposing them to harmful chemicals. This battle ended in Karen Silkwood’s death on November 13, 1974, a death that few people see as accidental. Today we’re recounting the legacy of Karen Silkwood as we approach the 50th anniversary of the fatal car crash...
info_outline
Fighting for Fair Trade: Why It Matters and How We Do It
Solidarity Works
Last month, members of the United Steelworkers union from across the U.S. traveled to the nation’s capital in Washington, D.C., to talk to their elected officials about the importance of reauthorizing Trade Adjustment Assistance. This program, which expired in 2022, provides training and educational opportunities for workers who lost their jobs due to foreign countries like China circumventing trade rules. In today’s episode, we’re talking with David Van Pevenage, who was part of the D.C. coalition and who worked at a WestRock paper mill in Washington state until it was shuttered due to...
info_outline
Workers of the World: Labor and Global Solidarity
Solidarity Works
The USW partners with labor organizations around the world to connect workers with common employers and help them build power. In the latest episode of Solidarity Works, we talk with Local 12075 President Kent Holsing and USW retiree Mike Zielinski about some of these partnerships, including a years-long alliance with rubber workers in Liberia, and why this solidarity is vital for union members everywhere. Music in this episode was brought to you by IntraHealth International and Kevin MacLeod.
info_outline
Bills, Bills, Bills: USW Members Take Legislative Action
Solidarity Works
the podium at the state house in Lansing, Michigan, to give powerful testimony about his experience as a veteran. He and other activists were there to voice their support for Bill 5736, which would require employers to display a poster that outlines resources available for veterans and their families. This is just one of many pieces of legislation USW members are fighting to pass for workers and their families across the United States, and they’re doing it through the union’s Rapid Response program. Check out the latest episode of Solidarity Works to hear from Eric and other...
info_outlineCheck out the latest episode of Solidarity Works to hear from two USW members who have stepped up to run for office in their communities. You’ll hear about what inspired them to make these moves and why union members are uniquely equipped to serve in local government to be a voice for workers and families.