Rapid Response Program Delivers Wins for Workers

Members Prepare for 2026 Rapid Response Conference, Lobby Day in Washington, D.C.

Five years ago, as the world was slowly beginning to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States was in dire need of a comprehensive federal program to upgrade its crumbling infrastructure. Leaders in Washington had promised one for several years but failed to deliver.

That’s when USW members – led by the union’s legion of Rapid Response activists – spoke up in huge numbers and demanded that Congress pass the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Thousands of Steelworkers’ phone calls, e-mails, letters and postcards were punctuated by the USW’s 2,300-mile “We Supply America” caravan.

That activism paid off in November 2021 when President Joe Biden signed the $1.2 trillion legislation, providing upgrades to the nation’s roads, bridges, public transit, water, internet, and energy systems, while creating tens of thousands of jobs at USW workplaces and elsewhere.

While the current administration has since tried to claw back some of that funding, the law still stands as one of the most important pieces of legislation for workers in recent history.

“It was a pretty big deal for us,” said Chuck Perko, president of Local 3267 at the Rocky Mountain Steel mill in Pueblo, Colo., where the infrastructure bill fueled demand for the type of high-speed rail products USW members produce at the Pueblo mill.

In addition to fighting for those infrastructure investments, members in recent years have helped to save the pensions of more than a million American workers, including 100,000 Steelworkers. They’ve helped to enact legislation in at least 15 states to support military veterans, and they fought for the Inflation Reduction Act and the Chips and Science Act, which provided investments in research, development, and manufacturing while reducing the cost of health care and other necessities for American families.

Activists also fought for paid leave during the pandemic, pushed back against attacks on workers’ rights at the state and federal levels, and lobbied to protect vital public services. Last year, members helped to pass the Protect America’s Workforce Act to restore collective bargaining rights to federal employees, and they fought to restore safety and health agencies threatened by the administration’s deep budget cuts.

“The union’s Rapid Response activists consistently deliver victories for working people,” said International Vice President Amber Miller, who has overseen the program since 2019. “This team makes sure union members’ voices are heard loud and clear in Washington and across the country.”

Established in 1995, Rapid Response is a nonpartisan, grassroots network of activists in every corner of the United States who lobby local, state and national lawmakers to support pro-worker initiatives that align with USW members’ core values.

This summer, the group will gather for the 2026 Rapid Response Legislative and Policy Conference from July 12 to July 15 in Washington, D.C. The event provides members with a chance to learn from each other about issues of importance to workers, and to visit Capitol Hill to speak directly with their elected officials about those issues.

Perko, who has attended all but one of the union’s legislative conferences over the past 12 years, said the annual lobby day visit to the U.S. Capitol is consistently one of the most important and productive gatherings of USW members.

“Our legislators want to talk with us,” he said. “We’ve been in these fights for 30 or 40 years. People listen to us because we do our research, and our conversations are all very fact-based.”

This year, those conversations will take on a sense of urgency as members confront attacks on health and safety, retirement security and bargaining rights, while taking on greedy corporations that are driving up costs.

As Rapid Response activists geared up for the upcoming conference, they were taking part in the union’s “Balancing the Scales for Workers” petition drive, delivering letters to lawmakers laying out the USW’s priorities. Members can find more information on that and other Rapid Response initiatives by visiting usw.to/rapid.

“The decisions elected officials are making in Washington, in our statehouses, and in our communities have never mattered more,” said International President Roxanne Brown. “USW members’ voices must be louder, more organized, and more united than ever before.”

Making those voices heard is what members like Perko and his fellow activists do best. Perko, who oversees the Rapid Response program in his home state of Colorado, said direct contact with lawmakers, whether it’s in person, by phone, mail or email, is the best way for working people to hold their leaders accountable.

“Steelworkers are a presence, and we get things done,” Perko said. “And when we come together, we speak with a much larger voice.”

Save the Date: Rapid Response Conference

The USW Rapid Response Legislative and Policy Conference will be held from July 12 to July 15 in Washington, D.C. Visit the conference page for more information.

Members also can get mobile alerts about the upcoming Rapid Response Legislative and Policy Conference by texting USWRR2026 to 69866.