USW@Work: Spring 2026

Brown Takes Office as Union’s 10th International President

Roxanne Brown vowed to harness the power of solidarity to build a better future for workers as she took the oath of office in March to become the USW’s 10th international president.

“We can build the future we’re all fighting for, one that reflects our values,” Brown declared to a room packed with more than 1,000 USW members, family and friends. “It’s more important than ever that we move forward together.”

Shaping that future, Brown said, depends on organizing more workers, bargaining stronger contracts, energizing members through education and engagement, and using that collective power to fight for the union’s values in the halls of government.

“This is the work of the union,” Brown announced as she closed a rousing keynote address. “But together, united, the Steelworkers can take on any fight, any challenge, any foe.”

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Women of Steel Forge a New Era of Education and Activism

Nearly 800 Women of Steel descended upon Toronto, Canada, to harness their global solidarity, hone their leadership skills, and usher in a “new era” of education at the 2026 USW International Women’s Conference.

The conference spanned March 29 – April 2, uniting the sisters and activists as they celebrated the organization’s new direction under the leadership of the USW’s trailblazing International President Roxanne Brown. 

In her keynote address to the packed ballroom of the Sheraton Centre Hotel, Brown underscored the significance of this women’s conference as the first major USW event to follow the historic March 1, 2026, installation of officers, where the USW installed her as its first woman international president.

It was a moment that was years in the making.

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Co-Ops Create Worker-Driven Ownership and Leadership Structure

Mat Forth and his co-workers at the Keystone Development Center, a technical assistance provider for co-ops, had a goal – to create a democratically structured workplace where they collaborated equally in governance and decision-making and prioritized the common good.

“We really wanted to practice what we preached and live our values,” Forth said.

That pursuit ultimately led them to the USW, which helped them connect the union with their co-op development work.  Cooperatives, or co-ops, are member-owned or worker-owned, and KDC works to support all types of co-ops.

Read more on page 12.

Workers Transform Maine Union Hall into Center of Labor Community

In 1987, Linda Deane was a paper worker on strike alongside 1,200 union siblings at International Paper’s flagship mill in Jay, Maine.

The workers, members of the United Paperworkers International Union (UPIU), launched the strike after the company refused to back down from its demands for wage cuts, increased health care costs, and the elimination of paid holidays, among other drastic concessions.

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Four-Year Contract Raises Wages, Standards Across Industry

USW leaders in the oil industry reached agreement in February on a new contract that will cover more than 30,000 workers in the oil and petrochemical industry.

The national pattern agreement sets wages and benefits and other terms for members of more than 200 USW bargaining units that are part of the National Oil Bargaining Program (NOBP). The program includes workers in oil refining, production, pipelines, maintenance, storage, petrochemical and renewable facilities that, together, represent about two-thirds of U.S. refining capacity.

“USW members power our economy, and they deserve to be treated with the respect that goes with that,” said International President Roxanne Brown, who led the USW bargaining team alongside NOBP Chair Mike Smith. “These negotiations were about ensuring fair wages, safer workplaces, quality health care and dignified retirements.”

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