Frequently Asked Questions

You should start by contacting your local union office for help. If you don’t know your local information, or still need information, please contact your district office. You can find your district office here.

A local union, often called local, is the branch of our union located close to where you live and/or work. Locals are typically designated by numbers, for example, USW Local 1234. They are made up of members like you and leadership you elect from your within your ranks. You belong to your local, which is within your district. The USW is made up of 13 districts in the United States and Canada. We have a Canadian National Office in Toronto and the International headquarters in Pittsburgh. We all work together to do the best we can for our members and your families. If you do not know your local union, call your district office and they can help you find it.

Please call the USW Pension and Benefits Department at 412-562-1673 during regular working hours and our staff should be able to help you find the information you need.

Please call the USW Pension and Benefits Department at 412-562-1673 during regular working hours and our staff should be able to help you find the information you need.

The USW works with Penn State University to archive many of our historical documents, photos, and other materials that might be helpful in your research. Our contact at the university is Barry Kernfeld. He can be reached at 814-863-2505 or at bdk4@psu.edu. If you still need to contact us regarding your needs, please do so here.

Please contact the USW Local Union Services Department at 412-562-2373.

There are a few ways you can become a USW member. First, you can form a union at your workplace, a process called organizing. If you would like more information, please contact our Organizing Department (link: /join/prospective-members) at 1-877-511-8792, or by filling out this online form and someone will get in touch with you at your convenience.

The second way you can become a USW member is to get hired at facility where the workers are already represented by the USW. The USW is not a hiring hall or apprenticeship program so we cannot directly help you find employment. However, if you call the district office closest to you may be able to get information about employment opportunities at USW facilities.

You also can join our Associate Member Program online for free. This program is open to anyone who wants to be a part of the USW but does not have the ability for USW representation at your workplace.

The USW does not keep employment histories for individuals. You can verify work history is through the Social Security Administration. The agency charges a fee of between $35 and $80, based on how many years of information one is requesting.

Although our union is proud to offer our dues-paying members wonderful training and education opportunities, the USW is not a hiring hall or apprenticeship program so we cannot directly help you find employment. However, if you call the district office closest to you may be able to get information about employment opportunities at USW facilities.  If you are interested in an internship with the USW, please contact us here.

We are proud to fight for our retirees and to have our retirees remain active in our union. Please join the Steelworker Organization of Active Retirees, SOAR, online here or call 412-562-2578 for more information about SOAR.

To remove or change information regarding  our mailing list for our magazine USW@Work or other materials, please contact USW Local Union Services at 412-562-2373.

To remove your telephone number from our call list, please contact Eric Russell at 412-562-2475.

If you are a member and need your USW union card, please contact Local Union Services (link:
at 412-562-2373.

You can get new member kits and other information from the district office closet to you.  Click here to find your district.

The best place to start is your local union, but if you cannot contact your local or do not know your local, please call the district office closest to your workplace. You can find your district office here.

Yes, we can help you with setting up a free local union Web site. Click here for more information. We also suggest you get involved with the United Steelworkers Press Association, or USPA, our group dedicated to local union communications.

We know a layoff or shutdown can be a traumatic, stressful time for you and your family. There are many ways we try to help, including fighting as hard as we can to save jobs. Visit our page for laid off members for more information on resources that are available.

Visit our Civil and Human Rights Department page for more information about the complaint process.