USW Directors
Leo Gerard
International President
The son of a union miner, Leo Gerard started working at Inco’s
nickel smelter in Sudbury, Ontario at age 18. He became USW International
President in March 2001 after having worked as a local union officer, staff
representative, district director, Canadian National Director and International
Secretary-Treasurer.
Throughout his career, he has utilized strategic bargaining to secure tens of
thousands of jobs throughout North America, strengthened workers’ bargaining
leverage by forging strategic alliances with unions across the globe, and
advanced the USW’s historic leadership in coalitions committed to protecting the
health, safety, and environment of workers, their families and their
communities.Under Leo’s leadership in initiating mergers with other unions, the
USW has become the largest industrial union in North America and the dominant
union in steel, paper and forestry products, aluminum, tire and rubber, mining,
glass, chemicals, petroleum and other basic resource industries, in addition to
a growing service sector membership.Along with strategic alliances with other
trade unions around the world, he has been instrumental in creating with Unite,
the largest union in the UK, Workers Uniting, the first global labor union.
Leo is a member of the AFL-CIO’s Executive Committee, as well as serving on its
Executive Council. He was named chair of the AFL-CIO’s Public Policy Committee
in March 2005. He is also the chair of the Rubber Sector of the ICEM and serves
on the iron and steel industry sector council of the IMF.
Leo married his high school sweetheart, Susan, and they have two children,
Kari-Ann and Meaghan, and two grandchildren, Elyssa and Liam.
Stan Johnson
International Secretary-Treasurer
Stan Johnson joined the union in 1975 as a production worker at Armstrong Tire
Corp. in Madison, Tennessee, following in his father’s footsteps.
Stan served as a local union president before joining the union staff. His wide
experience included a stretch as organizing director. In District 9, he was
sub-district director, assistant to the director and director. The union
executive board named him international secretary-treasurer this year. Stan and
his wife, Janie, have two daughters, Jenny and Stephanie, and a grandson,
Austin.
In the current economic crisis, he called on all his experience. He sees a
changed union coming out of the recession.
“The biggest challenge is the constant battling. The impact of free trade and
the constant loss of jobs have been huge challenges. It’s made us smarter. It’s
made us leaner. And frankly I think it’s made us meaner. ” In addition to his
responsibilities as secretary-treasurer, Stan directs the union’s Rapid Response
program and chairs the USW’s Rubber/Plastic Industry Conference. Working with
unions across the globe, he’s chair of the Rubber Sector of the International
Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers’ Unions.Stan has headed
bargaining teams in almost every sector. He is the chair of the International
Paper Council and cochair
of the union’s bargaining councils at MeadWestvaco, the packaging company that
operates in 30 countries, and at Georgia Pacific, one of the world’s biggest
forest products companies with 300 manufacturing facilities in North America,
South America and Europe.
One of his proudest achievements is the union’s victory in the
struggle last year at the Georgia-Pacific mill in Brewton, Alabama. There was no
union successorship clause in the union contract when GP bought the mill. “All
these people were terminated and told to reapply for their jobs. We got them all
rehired. And we were put a solid contract in place.” The workers’ determination
was a signal to the paper industry that the union never caves in.
Stan has set down tough goals as he looks forward. “Two issues are critical for
all of us – combating globalization by creating industrial jobs in the United
States and Canada, and getting a national health care program.” Stan sees
opportunities for Steelworkers in new industries turning out products that save
energy and protect the environment. “We’re going to see a green economy. New
energy is going to be extremely important. If the Steelworkers are going to stay
at the forefront of the environment, we’re going to have to stay on the cutting
edge of technology.”
Tom Conway
International V.P. (Administration)
Tom Conway knows the recession hit Steelworkers hard, but the way members
continue to battle inspires him.
“While the downturn is certainly difficult, it brings out the best in the union.
In times like this the union doesn’t become defensive but is out there in every
fight trying to preserve the standard of living for our members – and improve
it.”
He got active in Local 6787 soon after starting as a millwright at Bethlehem
Steel in Burns Harbor, Indiana. He served as a griever for plant-wide
maintenance and was on the safety and contracting-out committees before joining
the union staff.
Tom has worked with bargaining teams as secretary of the union’s Basic Steel
Industry Conference since the 1990’s. He also had a major role at bargaining
tables for the tire and aluminum industries. Tom chairs the USW bargaining
committees at U.S. Steel, AK Steel, Allegheny Ludlum and Goodyear Tire & Rubber.
The international executive board appointed Tom to the post of international
vice president (administration) in 2005. He won a full term later that year.Tom
is on the board of the Institute for Career Development, which re-trains
Steelworkers through a company-paid program he helped start.
He was in charge of mobilizing members for the USW Stand Up for Steel campaign,
winning the 2002 tariffs that saved many American steel companies and stopped
jobs from going overseas.
He also helped build the Alliance for American Manufacturing, the non-partisan
partnership between the union and some of the country’s biggest manufacturers
working on issues such as trade, energy security, health care and retirement
security.
For Tom, political action protects the union’s bargaining gains and shows
Americans that manufacturing still matters.
“There are new, exciting opportunities coming up in new sectors of manufacturing
– renewable energy, solar, wind, and other sorts of cutting-edge work. At the
same time, we have to continue to rebuild our traditional manufacturing core.”
Because every new member makes the Steelworkers tougher, Tom is also charting
plans to expand the union.
“I’d like to grow the union. I’d like to get a law passed to make it easier to
become part of the union. I’d like to see the Steelworkers lead that. When
people understand the value of the union, we’ll see growth.”
Fred Redmond
International V.P. (Human Affairs)
At Reynolds Metals in McCook, Illinois, Fred joined Local 3911. He volunteered
as a steward and worked as a member and chair of the grievance committee. After
a term as local vice-president, members elected Fred to three terms as local
president.
He joined the union’s servicing staff in 1994 in District 7. He later went to
work in the union’s international headquarters in Pittsburgh where he created
training programs for the education and membership development department.
In 2002, Fred returned to District 7 as the assistant district director,
coordinating successful political action efforts and upgraded membership
education. Elected by acclamation in 2005, Fred Redmond took office as the USW’s
International Vice President (Human Affairs) on March 1, 2006.
Fred is the chair of the union’s Health Care, Pharmaceuticals and Public
Employees Councils. He was in the center of the dispute that led to one of his
proudest moments in the Steelworkers. Nearly 600 members defeated a six-week
lockout at Medco Health Solutions, the vast mail-order pharmacy based in Las
Vegas. Members won their best contract ever, including insurance benefits that
Fred recalls, “Medco vowed they would never have.”
“We’ve raised wages and benefits and have definitely improved our relationship
with the company. Plus, we’ve organized new members at Medco facilities.”
Under Fred’s leadership as chair of the USW Container Industry Conference, the
union improved life in retirement for thousands of can industry pensioners.
“When I first became vice president, 70% of the retirees in the can industry
either had no health care or the companies were trying to take it away. We
worked really hard to get every retiree in the industry some form health care –
a big accomplishment.”
Fred says the union’s way of battling through the recession is the groundwork
for recovery and more jobs.
“We’ve been fighting back. We’ve been leading the fight for legislation to
restore jobs to the middle class. We’ve been fighting irresponsible trade
policies. We’re the only union winning trade cases to stop imports. All that
translates into jobs.”
Since non-union conditions anywhere threaten unions everywhere, Fred is working
to improve pay and working conditions in developing countries. Recently he
pulled together Steelworker help for rubber workers in Africa at Firestone
plantations in Liberia.
“Over the years, we helped them form an independent union. They achieved a
collective agreement, which was a major accomplishment in Liberia. I’m really
happy with that effort.”
Carol Landry
International V.P. at Large
Carol Landry creates excitement about the union one member at a time. “The work
I’ve been able to do with women – to be a mentor to more sisters – and see more
women earn leadership positions in the union has been really important.”
Her own life in the union sets an example. She joined the Steelworkers in 1987
in British Columbia and held virtually every elected office in Local 7619 at
Highland Valley Copper, Canada’s largest copper mine.
On the local bargaining committee in 1989, she helped lead a 107-day strike to
open more opportunities for women and resist company demands for wage cuts. A
decade later, as the local’s president, she led a bargaining committee that
stopped company demands for concessions.
“The bottom fell out of copper prices, and the company threatened to shut us
down. But we held the membership together. The mine stayed open, and we didn’t
lose any jobs and actually bargained better pensions.”
Before the USW executive board named her the union’s first vice president at
large, Carol worked as a staff representative helping nearly 100 bargaining
committees in negotiations. As assistant to the director of District 3, she also
was the district’s education coordinator. She helped revamp the way Steelworkers
develop local union leaders across Canada.
Her experience bargaining in economic downturns convinces her that Steelworkers
need to keep innovating to improve job security and rebuild the union as North
America comes out of the deep recession.
“We’re doing everything we can during this crisis to come up with innovative
ways to help members who are on lay-offs and losing their jobs. In Canada and
the United States, we need better trade legislation. We need to focus on green
jobs — the jobs of the future – working with our members to ensure they get the
training they’re going to need for those new jobs.”
Carol encourages worldwide union cooperation. She is an executive member of the
International Metalworkers Federation and a member of the IMF Women’s Committee.
She believes Workers Uniting – the USW’s link with the 2-million-member UK-based
Unite – is the strategy for the future.
“These big corporations we deal with are all global. If we’re going to fight
them we have to be able to take on those companies anywhere they go in the
world.”
In her next term Carol’s focus is strengthening the union through organizing.
“Working with youth and groups that tend to be disadvantaged has always been
near and dear to my heart. I’d like to find more ways to reach out to them and
organize a lot more young workers and women into our union.”
Ken Neumann
National Director for Canada
At the centre of all the union’s activity in Canada, Ken
Neumann has accomplished a lot he’s proud of since becoming national director in
2004.
One success was guiding the Steelworkers’ merger with the 40,000-member
Industrial Wood, and Allied Workers of Canada to form the largest union in
manufacturing and industry in the country.Another achievement was signing
“blue-green” alliances of blue-collar workers and environmental action groups.
“One of the great things the Steelworkers have is a policy on the environment.
Look global warming. We have an obligation to our children and grandkids to
leave this society in the shape we found it in — or better. A safe environment
and more jobs go hand in hand. You can’t have one without the other.”
In a new term as national director, Ken intends to focus on rebuilding
manufacturing in the growing green industries that make solar energy equipment
and wind power systems.“The Steelworkers will be at the forefront in wind power
and solar energy. Every wind turbine has in excess of 200 tons of steel. We have
the skills. We have the materials. There is absolutely no reason wind turbines
can’t be built and create jobs in Canada.”
Ken stepped into union life as a teenager when he was a member of Local 5890 at
Ipsco Ltd. in Regina. Later he was in Local 6166 at Inco in Thompson, Manitoba,
and president of Local 4728 in Regina. He became a staff representative in 1977
and assisted local bargaining teams in Saskatchewan and B.C.Ken was elected
three times as director of western Canada’s District 3. He is vice president of
the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers’
Unions and a general vice-president of the Canadian Labour Congress. As labour
co-chair of the Canadian Steel Trades and Employment Congress, he helps direct
CSTEC’s training programs, which have helped 20,000 laid-off workers find new
jobs.
Ken is president of the Humanity Fund, which 100,000 Steelworkers support
through check-offs to finance health, education and housing projects in
developing countries.His voter turnout innovations have helped elect more NDP
candidates. Ken sees political action as a union responsibility, giving working
people and working families a voice in democracy and government policies.
Ken’s experience made him well prepared for his role as the union’s national
voice in Canada’s worst recession in memory. The dramatic downturn in the
economy is his toughest challenge.“The challenge we face is that greed has set
in. Even though they are profitable and don’t need concessions, some
multi-national corporations we deal with are coming to the bargaining table
demanding to take back the hard-won gains of workers.” Coming out of the
recession, Ken’s focus is the new national organizing strategy — targeting
sectors and industries with Steelworker members — to increase the share of the
employees the union represents.
“There are thousands of potential members in workplaces that truly need a union.
There’s a lot of unorganized mining. There’s a lot of unorganized manufacturing.
The more members, the easier it is to raise the standard of living for
everyone.”
Steve Hunt
Director of District 3
Since his first union office – as Local 8637’s health and safety committee chair
at the Afton Mine in British Columbia – Steve Hunt has worked for better lives,
safer jobs and better communities for Steelworkers. Joining the union staff in
1984, he worked as the district’s safety coordinator and supervised member
education programs. Since his election as district director, Steve helped merge
the Industrial Wood and Allied Workers of Canada with the Steelworkers. The
merger expanded District 3’s membership to more than 55,000.
In his first term as director, Steve spearheaded the Steelworker Vote Campaign
to engage more members in provincial and federal elections. He knows political
action can bring results and that unions can’t win everything their members
deserve in bargaining alone.“We took a strong role as the union in supporting
the NDP, and the results have really been good for us. And I expect the results
to get better.”
He counts the union’s progress on workplace safety among his proudest
accomplishments as District 3 director.“The union’s fatality summit brought the
issue of workers dying on the job, especially in the forest industry, to the
front page of the newspapers.” Steve is recognized internationally for his work
in health and safety. Miners in Peru learned strategies from Steve to prevent
silicosis. In Chile he worked with miners to develop the first safety and health
standards at Canadian-owned mines. Steve was an expert witness at the inquiry
after Nova Scotia’s Westray Mine explosion that killed 26 workers. The inquiry
concluded that managers are personally responsible for worker safety and should
face criminal prosecution for ignoring conditions that result in fatalities.
Daniel Roy
Director of District 5
Daniel joined the union working as a welder at the Industrie Raymond shipyard in
Sept-Iles where he was born in 1959.
Members elected him president of the Industrie Raymond unit and then president
of Local 7065, which represented nearly 1,000 Steelworkers at several Sept-Iles
employers. On the union staff he worked with locals on the North Shore, the
lower St. Lawrence, the Gaspé Peninsula and the Magdalen Islands and became the
union’s area coordinator for the region in 1999. He also coordinated
negotiations for locals in the iron industry. He was appointed St-Jean area
coordinator in 2004.
In 2006 he was appointed assistant to the district director, Michel Arsenault.
The following year, when Michel was elected president of the Québec Federation
of Labour, the international union executive board named Daniel director of
District 5. New approaches to traditional problems define Daniel’s leadership.
He saved 3,200 security workers’ jobs at Québec airports by getting the
Solidarity Fund to invest in the security agency, called Kolossal. Earlier,
after Kolossal had lost its contract with the Montréal Airport, management sued
the union for $10 million in damages. Daniel’s new approach saved the jobs, and
the company dropped its court case.
Saving jobs and organizing will continue to be Daniel’s highest priorities. In
his next term as director Daniel aims to organize 25,000 more security sector
employees. Because low-paid, non-union competition undercuts the union’s
bargaining strength, bringing more members into the Steelworkers saves
jobs.“During times like these it is important to have a strong union because the
companies are going after our rights, our pensions and our wages. Our members
need a strong union to maintain and increase our pensions and
wages, for now and for the future.”