Solidarity Works – Details, episodes & analysis

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.

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 USW activists about what inspires them to take legislative action and why you should, too!

Learn more at usw.to/rapidresponse.

This May, members at electric bus manufacturer Blue Bird in Georgia voted to join the USW. Then, in August, members at Kumho Tire, also in middle Georgia, ratified their first contract after a years-long battle to have their voices heard. Check out the latest USW podcast episode to learn how these historic campaigns happened and why they matter not just for the South but for the entire country.

This week, nearly 200 USW members who work in the vast and diverse health care sector are gathering in Pittsburgh for their first Health Care Workers Council Conference since 2018. A lot has changed in the industry over these past five years, not only due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but also because of automation, short staffing, and skyrocketing rates of workplace violence.

Health and safety has quickly become one of the top priorities for the sector's workers, and USW members especially aren't waiting for employers to protect them. They're taking matters into their own hands.

In our latest episode, we hear from two members and conference attendees, Kim and Casey, who are using the collective strength of the union to make positive changes in their workplaces in order to keep themselves and their co-workers safe and supported on the job. 

For this episode of Solidarity Works, we're talking with two USW members who are currently serving as Indigenous Engagement Coordinators for the union's District 3 and 6 in Canada. Listen to learn about how they've been reconnecting to their Indigenous roots and how local unions can make a difference in making sure their Indigenous members not only survive but thrive within their communities and workplaces.

When Sean Gardener, a Buddhist chaplain in Canada, first walked into the prison where he would be providing spiritual care to people behind bars, he expected to feel nervous or fearful. Instead, he felt at home. 

Listen to our latest episode of Solidarity Works to hear from Sean, along with a public defender in Pennsylvania, talk about working in the criminal justice field and share their experiences as USW members.

At the start of this year, the USW announced a new initiative with our Rapid Response and Veterans of Steel activist groups to push for legislation that helps our military veterans, especially in the workplace.

For the latest episode of Solidarity Works, we talk with several USW members about their experience serving in the military and why legislation is needed to uplift veterans as they navigate re-entering civilian life.

Learn more at usw.org/vetsofsteel

From the XFL and USFL to Rugby Canada, professional athletes are organizing with the USW to gain a stronger voice on the job and protect their health and safety. Listen to the latest episode of Solidarity Works to learn about how sports unions change the game and bring teamwork to a whole new level.

In the latest episode of Solidarity Works, we talk with USW Vice President of Human Affairs Kevin Mapp and Pride at Work Co-President Brittani Murray about uniting workers across race, class, and gender to build a labor coalition that lasts.

Music in this episode is by Ketsa.

As workplace innovation and technology evolve more rapidly than ever before, the labor movement is stepping up to ensure workers' voices are represented in this Fourth Industrial Revolution. 

In the latest episode of Solidarity Works, we talk with the director of the AFL-CIO Tech Institute, as well as two USW members in health care and manufacturing, about how employers can center humanity in the future of technology, how to manage tech as it impacts new industries, and how it can be used to make workers' jobs safer and easier.

(Music in this episide is from the Independent Music Licensing Collective and Ketsa.)