United Steelworkers Canada News Feed

  • Health Care Member Audra Nixon Combines Compassion and Knowledge to Serve Others
    Audra Nixon’s desire to care for the elderly began on her paper route when she was around seven years old. Turning off the flat, rural county road into Maxville Manor and walking into the long-term care facility to drop off the day’s newspaper, young Audra felt like she was home. “I walked into that place and just knew that’s where I wanted to be,” Audra said. She has now been working as a Personal Support Worker (PSW) at the manor for 33 years. To her, the best part of this work is the hands-on care with seniors and the intimate bonds that come with it. “You learn so much,” Audra said. “The wisdom that comes from an elderly person is astounding. It’s all really heart-warming.” Along with her full-time work as a caregiver, Audra also serves at unit chair of Local 9211 in Maxville, Ontario, and as an executor for the local. When she took over the position as a fairly green leader, she knew her goal was to learn as much as possible about unions and government in order to better support her members. “I wanted to get more folks involved and make it so they’re not just paying dues,” she said. “It opened everything up a lot more.” Audra also serves as president of the District 6 Health Care Workers Council, and is a member of the USW International Health Care Workers Council. Through these platforms, she and her fellow activists in Ontario have been able to start a vital conversation around the need to support and uplift the PSW industry. Six years ago, Audra and others started to see a big change in health care changes, particularly with wage cuts and freezes. This is when she became involved with the district council and started working to create a safe space for fellow PSWs to come together and talk about the challenges they faced. Now, amidst a pandemic that has severely impacted long-term care facilities, that open communication and advocacy is needed more than ever. Less than two months ago, on May 15, members of Local 9211 protested outside the manor against cuts to care hours that leave vulnerable residents at even greater risk. “There’s a lot of frustration,” Audra said. “We’re lucky to have enough PPE and our facility isn’t one that has had an outbreak, but we’re already short-staffed because a lot of people don’t want to come to work during this pandemic.” Even before the pandemic hit Canada, PSWs had been sounding the alarm on their many vulnerabilities for several years. Then, as the virus took hold, conditions in facilities got so bad that the military had to be deployed to five hard-hit centers to help provide medical care. A May 14 report based on the observations of Canadian Armed Forces personnel also detailed insufficient staff training and inadequate protocols to stop the spread of the virus, poor sanitation, resident neglect, worker burnout, and more. Today, nursing homes account for 81 percent of Covid-19 deaths in the country. “We’ve been saying we’re in crisis for years,” Audra said. “It wasn’t until residents started passing away that anyone paid attention.” Audra and a USW staff representative also met with members of their parliamentary government just last month to talk about the many issues facing the industry. Among the demands they made at the meeting were better wages, safer resident-to-worker ratios, and improved inspections of facilities. “We know what’s needed,” she said. “The government just needs to help us implement it.” Audra said that being in a union is what allows her and others to use their collective voice to advocate for themselves and others. “It’s about power and fairness. The more people we have backing us, the stronger our voice gets,” Audra said. “The USW has been very good standing up for these issues and fighting back.” When she isn’t caring for her residents and standing up for her fellow workers, Audra enjoys spending time with her family and her dog. “My peace has always been my husband and my home,” she said. — Jul 13
  • Steelworkers Humanity Fund Special COVID-19 Update: July 2020
    As the world reels from the impacts of COVID-19, workers and communities are affected differently in their local contexts. Over the course of the summer, the Steelworkers Humanity Fund (SHF) Updates will report on the experiences of our partner organizations in Asia, Latin America and Africa, as they respond to this evolving crisis.   This July edition focusses on the Authentic Labour Front (FAT, in Spanish), in Mexico. Downlaod Now — Jul 10
  • Director Warren: Take Action on the Racist Attack in East Toronto
    Below is text of the open letter USW Ontario Director Marty Warren has written to Toronto Mayor John Tory, Toronto Ward 19 City Councillor Brad Bradford and the Toronto Police Services Board in response to a racist attack that happened to Mark Austin, a member of the United Steelworkers Local 1998, and his partner Candace Zinkweg. Download the PDF Dear Mayor John Tory, Councillor Brad Bradford and the Toronto Police Services Board,  I am writing to express my concern about the experience of racism and violence experienced by a member of United Steelworkers Local 1998, Mark Austin. Mark is a Black man, a trade unionist, a father, a community member of Beaches-East York and works at the University of Toronto. On the morning of June 25, he and his partner Candace Zinkweg were brutally assaulted by two white men, while walking their dog at Dentonia Park, near Victoria Park Avenue and Danforth Avenue. Mark was violently assaulted and repeatedly subjected to racist abuse. Candace had her cell phone stolen, was knocked to the ground and then kicked in the head by the two men. She lost consciousness, suffered a serious concussion and was transported by ambulance to the hospital when EMS finally arrived. Despite an early call to 911, the police and EMS were both slow to arrive on the scene. When the police did arrive, none of the four officers sought out a statement from the victim and failed to interview any witnesses at the park, despite a number of families who saw the sequence of events unfold. When questioned about why they had not laid charges on the assailants, the police responded that it was a “he said, she said” scenario. This in effect, criminalizes Mark and Candace for their own assaults and the racism that Mark endured. Candace was diagnosed with a concussion at the hospital and is still experiencing serious side effects from the blows to the head. During the attack, the one man repeatedly made death threats against Mark, saying he would shoot him the next time he saw him. Mark has reported this to the police, with still no action being taken. The assailants live in the same building as Mark and Candace, and they have continued their threats with impunity because the police have taken no action. I am writing on behalf of the United Steelworkers union, where Mark proudly serves as the Recording Secretary of Local 1998 at the University of Toronto, to call for immediate action to:
    1. Investigate this case and press charges against the assailants.
    2. Recognize the racial profiling that happened in this incident wherein Mark was assumed equally guilty as the attacker.
    3. Develop, with input from community, a robust and public plan for addressing racism within the Toronto Police Service and the prevalence of racism around the city. Efforts to date have fallen far short.
    At a time where there is increased scrutiny on police forces across North America and on systemic racism within government and society at large, it is urgently necessary that the Toronto Police Services Board take every measure possible to address the on-going racist treatment of Torontonians, particularly Black residents. I am also calling on Toronto City Council to lead the way for the country in tackling racism within the city. We know this is not an isolated incident and we need leadership from government now. Inaction is emboldening racism and racist violence and doing nothing is tantamount to complicity. Mark Austin and Candace Zinkweg have the full support of our union, which represents some 850,000 workers across North America. I would like to set up a meeting for the United Steelworkers union with the City of Toronto and the representatives of the TPS Board to hear from you on how this situation will not only be addressed now, but prevented in the future. Sincerely, Marty Warren Ontario Director - United Steelworkers CC: Rima Berns-McGown, MPP Beaches-East York; Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, MP Beaches-East York     — Jul 3
  • USW Social Media Comment Policy: Let's talk, respectfully
    Let's talk, respectfully Our union was founded in 1942 with a sacred principle that still guides us today: all are welcome. The more voices, the better! The more of us that stick together, the stronger we are. With that being said, we wanted to remind everyone of our official USW comment policy for our Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube pages. We encourage open discussion about issues important to our members, their families and all of the world’s working people. We respectfully ask everyone to honour the following guidelines when commenting. Comments that do not follow the guidelines will be removed. Repeated failure to follow the guidelines could result in followers being banned from our pages. We're all family - so even if we disagree - let's do it with love and open minds! USW Social Media Comment Policy
    • No foul, discriminatory, defamatory, libelous or threatening language.
    • No invasion of privacy; no racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable language.
    • Do not post material in violation of trademark or copyright laws or other laws.
    • Comments should be relevant to the post. If you have unrelated questions or comments, please send a private message to our pages or contact us at [email protected]. 
    • No attacks that identify individuals, companies, unions or other organizations.
    • No spam, flaming, flooding, advertisements or solicitations.
     — Jun 30
  • Amazonian communities at risk: documenting the harsh reality of the Kukama People of Peru in the context of COVID-19
    In May, the Steelworkers Humanity Fund has contributed close to $38,000 to five organizations to address the emergency needs of workers and communities to help overcome some of the most-pressing challenges of the COVID-19 around the world. In Peru, the SHF partnered with Asociación Quisca to provide resources to community radio station Radio Ucamara. Funds were used to broadcast public health information on COVID-19 in the Peruvian Amazon, and to set up a network of correspondents in a dozen isolated communities. By sending in reports, photos and videos on their cellphones, those frontline reporters were able to document the dire situation of the Indigenous peoples throughout the crisis. The result is a very impactful short film directed by Leonardo Tello, Kukama filmmaker and Director of Radio Ucamara, called “Two Demons.” Exposing and denouncing the harsh realities of communities that have historically suffered from state abandonment, the film received widespread coverage in Peru. Today, Peru is in second place in Latin America for the number of new COVID cases, and the Amazon region is still in a state of emergency. Asociación Quisca is currently working with Radio Ucamara on another film, documenting the government’s failure to respect intercultural health. — Jun 25