Resolution No. 18: The Fight to Keep Basic Labor Rights

WHEREAS, the ability of workers in the United States and Canada to bargain contracts that improve wages, hours and working conditions is not just a founding principle for the United Steelworkers but a mission that has improved the lives of millions of workers, reduced workplace deaths by 60 percent, improved air quality for our families and communities, and ensured over 30 million Americans can count on their pension; and

WHEREAS, the right to form a union has been enshrined in statute since 1872 in Canada and since 1935 in the United States with the passage of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) with a goal that unionization should be straightforward. Senator Wagner highlighted in February of 1935 that: “It merely provides that employees, if they desire to do so, shall be free to organize for their mutual protection or benefit”; and

WHEREAS, nearly 70 percent of Americans and more than two-thirds of Canadians approve of labor unions; and

WHEREAS, union workers earn more than non-union workers, have better benefits, enjoy safer workplaces, and are more likely in the United States to have employer-provided health insurance, access to sick days, and retirement benefits; and

WHEREAS, today U.S. employers spend over $400 million per year on “union-avoidance” consultants, who specialize in using captive audience meetings along with a host of other tactics designed to intimidate and instill fear in workers for the purpose of union-busting; and

WHEREAS, the rights of workers to join a union in the United States have been hindered by decades of underinvestment in federal labor agencies like the NLRB; and

WHEREAS, in a historic victory led by the USW in Canada and the broader Canadian labor movement, federal anti-scab legislation cleared a final legislative hurdle in June 2024 and will be mandated beginning in June 2025; and

WHEREAS, efforts by anti-union politicians and corporations are attempting to undermine the very legal framework that U.S. labor law was founded under, including claims in multiple court cases like Space Exploration Technologies Corp. v. NLRB et al. that the National Labor Relations Board is unconstitutional; and

WHEREAS, the U.S. federal government allows employers to claim union busting costs as a general business tax deduction, effectively subsidizing union busting; and

WHEREAS, the NLRB joined seven U.S. states by ruling in November of 2024 that captive audience meetings, where employers force workers to attend anti-union propaganda or face discipline, are a violation of a worker’s right to form a union; and

WHEREAS, anti-worker voices in both Canada and the United States continue to press for national right-to-work (for less) laws, further restrictions on union rights, and seek to erase the ability to collectively bargain;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that:

1. The USW will advocate at every level, from the workplace, local, state, provincial and national governments to raise standards for our members and potential members by supporting the expansion and defense of workers’ rights.
2. The USW will promote the advantages of unions and advocate that governments make it easier for workers to form and join unions so more workers can access the power of collective action.
3. The USW will not rest until Congress passes and the President signs a comprehensive update to labor law, such as the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act that ensures workers have a fair shot at forming a union and getting a first contract.
4. The USW will engage in elections to defeat candidates and elected officials who seek to weaken or undermine workers’ rights.
5. The USW will use every policy tool in our nations’ governments to reduce opposition to forming a union and getting a collective bargaining agreement. This includes passing single-step certification laws in every federal and provincial jurisdiction in Canada, eliminating anti-union riders in annual appropriations bills, ensuring federal direct and indirect spending are conditioned with union neutrality clauses, and that companies cannot use the tax code to write off union busting on their taxes.