New Member Guide

You are the union! A union is an organization through which you and your coworkers can come together to make improvements in your workplace. Millions of union members from all backgrounds join together in unions to negotiate for higher wages, better benefits, and improved working conditions.

Steelworkers are the backbone of our economy, and our work is everywhere.

We slurry and smelt aluminum. We make glass and mine metals. We produce paper, provide high-quality health care, and educate the next generation. We manufacture tires, cement, and steel. In banks, universities, oil refineries, utility companies, chemical plants, and beyond, USW members provide the goods and services that strengthen our communities.

The USW is organized into 12 districts across the U.S. and Canada. Each district collaborates with local unions and the International to assist members in addressing various needs, including bargaining support, educational opportunities, and contract enforcement.

We are stronger together than we are alone. Unions allow us to speak with one voice to address the things most important to us on the job and build power for working people. The difference is clear.

• Union Members Earn Higher Wages
  On average, a worker covered by a union contract earns up to 20 percent more than peers with a similar background in a non-unionized workplace.
• Union Members Work in Safer Workplaces
  Unions advocate for health and safety practices that help prevent death, illness, and injury to workers.
• Union Members Receive Better Benefits
  96 percent of workers covered by a union contract have employer-sponsored health benefits, compared to 69 percent of non-union workers. Union members are also more likely than non-union members to have retirement benefits.