A New Era

Brown Takes Office as Union’s 10^th 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 10^th 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.”

Historic Day

Elected last fall, Brown became the first woman and first person of color to lead the USW when she was sworn in on March 1, the first day of Women’s History Month.

Brown succeeded David McCall, a fourth-generation Steelworker who joined the union at the age of 18 and quickly rose through the ranks to serve on the USW executive board for nearly three decades.

“Dave carries the legacy of this great union in his bones,” said Brown, herself a USW member for 27 years who pledged to carry on that legacy on behalf of the union’s more than 800,000 members across North America.

“I was raised by giants – giants in my blood family and giants in my labor family,” Brown told the crowd that included her husband, mother, daughter and numerous other relatives. “It’s been quite a journey, and an incredible one because so many people in this room have been on it too.”

Lifelong Journey

Brown’s journey to become the leader of the nation’s largest manufacturing union began in Kingston, Jamaica, where she was born and lived until the age of 2. She grew up in White Plains, N.Y., where her mother and aunt worked union-represented jobs that helped the family break into the middle class.

That experience inspired Brown’s lifelong commitment to fighting for other working people. As a leader in the union’s legislative and policy department in Washington, D.C., for two decades, she consistently put the needs of USW members and their families at the center of the nation’s conversations about health care, jobs, manufacturing, retirement security, fair trade and workplace health, safety and environment.

Brown acknowledged that many of those core values are under attack by greedy multinational employers and the anti-union politicians who do their bidding. Unwavering solidarity among all workers, she said, is the best remedy to combat those threats.

“We have a lot of challenges ahead, and a lot of work to do,” Brown said. “But standing in the trenches, shoulder to shoulder with the members of this union, is my favorite place to be.”

USW Leadership

Joining Brown in those fights will be the other members of the USW executive board, who were also sworn in March 1 for four-year terms.

Amber Miller, who led the union’s Rapid Response grassroots education and legislative program since 2019, was sworn in for her first term as international vice president at large, succeeding Brown, who likewise had served in that role since 2019.

Miller took the oath of office alongside International Secretary-Treasurer Myles Sullivan, National Director for Canada Marty Warren and International Vice Presidents Emil Ramirez, Kevin Mapp and Luis Mendoza.

Twelve district directors also began new terms, including Donnie Blatt of District 1, Scott Lunny of District 3, David Wasiura of District 4, Nicolas Lapierre of District 5, Kevon Stewart of District 6, Michael Millsap of District 7, Larry Ray of District 8, Daniel Flippo of District 9, Bernie Hall of District 10, Cathy Drummond of District 11, Gaylan Prescott of District 12, and Larry Burchfield of District 13.

‘She is the Future’

Numerous other labor leaders and allies were on hand to witness the USW’s historic installation of officers, including AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler and Secretary-Treasurer Fred Redmond, who served as a USW international vice president for 16 years before joining the leadership of the 15-million-member labor federation.

Shuler expressed “pure joy” at the thought of Brown taking the reins of the Steelworkers union.

“The second that I met Roxanne Brown, I knew it. I said, ‘She is the future,’” Shuler said. “I can’t wait to keep working alongside you.”

In his remarks, Redmond recalled a time in the labor movement’s history when systemic racism and sexism prevented women and people of color from serving as officers. Leaders like A. Philip Randolph and other brave union workers challenged that discrimination, helping to pave the way for Redmond, Brown and others, he said.

“Each election is historic,” Redmond said. “But this is a different kind of history.”

Cecil Roberts, president emeritus of the United Mine Workers of America, said that, as important and historic as the installation of Brown is for the labor movement, the coming days and weeks will be even more significant as workers build on their momentum.

“This is not just Roxanne’s day – this is everybody’s day,” Roberts declared in a fiery address that brought many in the crowd to their feet. “It is everybody’s obligation to make sure she is successful.”

Next Generation

The union’s next generation of leaders brings a “renewed energy” to the labor movement at a time when workers need to build power in the fight for economic justice, McCall said as he passed to Brown the gavel that Philip Murray, the USW’s first international president, used to preside over the union’s first convention.

The current slate of USW officers, McCall said, is “the most dedicated, united and supportive” of his career.

Brown said she looked forward to working with USW members across North America to focus that energy on challenges that lie ahead for working families.

“This is a privilege that we do not take lightly or for granted,” she said. “We have a lot of work ahead, but I will always, always bet on us.”