New Website!, Pay for Knowledge Training Update, Sandy, Holiday Party and Local Union Meeting!

We want to share some very important (and some exciting!) updates with you all.  There’s a lot in this e-mail so please make sure to read all the way to the bottom.

New Web Site
Local 3657 is excided to announce that we have launched a brand new website!  The address is still www.USWLocal3657.org, but the site has been completely re-designed.  The new site includes a functioning calendar, updates sections for each of our committees, a section to download important documents like our contract and bylaws, and a new front-page.

The new platform also makes it dramatically easier for us to upload new content so you can all expect to see Local Union Meeting Minutes posted quicker and we will work with our committees to get committee meeting notes loaded up onto the website as well.

Most of the content from the old website has been migrated over to the new website, but there is still some of the older content (before 2011) from the old site that has not been loaded over yet.  Please be patient as we work to migrate everything over.

New Horizons Training Info Session

We have been working very hard to set up and finalize a training program with New Horizons to provide Microsoft Office training to 3657 members who are interested in participating in the Pay for Knowledge Program.  We are ready to roll out a program of trainings headquarters, and remotely accessible to 3657 members in the field starting in January.

New Horizons representatives, along with representatives from our Local and the International will offer two information sessions on the New Horizons Training Program on December 11th at 11am eastern and 1:30pm eastern.  You will receive an e-mail from the International shortly regarding being released to attend the information session.

The information session will be live streamed for USW members in the field and any members who are unable to participate in person at https://uswlocal3657.org/live-stream/.

At the information session we will provide scheduling details on training sessions in January, February, and March; details on the training curriculum and what to expect; and information on how to sign up for the classes.

Sandy Relief

Last week we send around an announcement about fundraising efforts to support USW members who have been impacted by Hurricane Sandy.  The response has been incredible—to date we have received over $1,500 in donations.  If you still want to make a tax deductible donation you can make checks out to the Steelworkers Charitable and Educational Organization and drop them off with our Fundraising and Recreation chair Barb Pugliese in the accounting department or mail checks to:

USW Local 3657

Five Gateway Center

Pittsburgh, PA 15222

At this month’s local union meeting the Executive Board will be recommending a motion to match any donations that are collected by our local to the disaster relief effort.  I ask you all to support that motion so we can maximize the impact of these contributions.

Holiday Party

Local 3657 will be holding our annual Headquarters Holiday Gathering on Wednesday, November 28th from 12-2 in the Lobby Conference Room.  The Fundraising and Recreation Committee has done an incredible job in planning this event and I strongly encourage you all to attend!

Local Union Meeting

As a reminder, our regularly scheduled local union meeting is on Thursday, November 29th at 12:30 Eastern.  If you have any items that you would like added to the agenda under new business please e-mail Patrick Young at pyoung@usw.org.  As always, if you can’t attend the meeting in person, please tune into the live stream on our website at www.USWLocal3657.org

We hope you all have safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday and we hope that everyone gets a chance to enjoy some much-deserved relaxation over the holiday weekend.

PAC Drive Update

Aside

Local 3657 recently held a PAC contribution drive based on a list of members not contributing already. Of those approached to join 43% are now contributing to PAC. This leaves only 9 members that are not contributing. I will continue to press those individuals annually, should they change their mind as we all know how important the political function of our union is. The forms have been turned in to accounting and contributions will begin coming out in December.

Support USW Members Impacted by Hurricane Sandy

Sisters and Brothers,

On October 24th, Hurricane Sandy made landfall on Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and Haiti killing at least 64 people and leaving tens of thousands homeless.  By October 26th the storm moved to Cuba killing at least 11 people and causing more than $2 billion in damage.  On October 29th Hurricane Sandy made landfall on the United States battering the US Coastline from Virginia to Massachusetts.  Over the following days the storm moved inland across New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, and much of New England.

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USW Local 3657 Announces the Launch of Fight Back Pittsburgh

USW Local 3657 is excited to announce the launch of Fight Back Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh-based chapter of the Steelworkers’ Associate Member Program.  Fight Back Pittsburgh is a community based union that stands up for working peoples’ rights in our communities, in our government, and most importantly at work.  You don’t need to work in a specific industry or workplace to join Fight Back Pittsburgh, you just need to believe that working class people deserve fair pay and benefits, access to healthcare, high quality social services, and a brighter future for our kids and grandkids.


To join Fight Back Pittsburgh fill out our quick online sign-up form.

How it works:

Fight Back Pittsburgh will be a democratic, grass roots, member led organization to help bring working class people together to work together to win change on issues that matter to us. In general, Fight Back Pittsburgh will work a lot like a local union.  We’ll meet monthly, we’ll elect our own leaders, and we’ll work together to figure out the best way to fight for the interests of working class people in Pittsburgh.

Through November and December of this year we’ll be working together to get the word out about this exciting program.  Then in January we’ll hold the inaugural assembly of Fight Back Pittsburgh.  At that time we’ll vote on a set of bylaws for our new organization and decide what major initiatives we want to work on in the coming weeks and months.

Decades ago the Steelworkers fought to win good, family sustaining jobs in Pittsburgh and to create social services to give us all a fair shot at success.  We created a decent standard of living for working class people in Pittsburgh once, and together we can do it again. 

Get Out The Vote This Weekend!

This Saturday and Sunday please come out and join our USW sisters and brothers to get out the vote for candidates that will stand for working people.  We’ll be walking door to door in the Pittsburgh area distributing door hangers and talking to voters about the issues that matter to them.

Join us at 5 Gateway Center on Saturday from 10-2 and Sunday from 10-3 to help us get out the vote.

There will be a whole lot of activity going around the building and several different efforts being dispached out of our offices.  We encourage you to join USW members for a Steelworkers block walk by coming up to the Hot Idle ‘War Room’ on the second floor to get your packet to make sure you’re part of the Steelworkers’ get out the vote effort!  If it’s more convenient you can also pick up your packets on Friday so you can get straight out to the doors on Saturday or Sunday morning.
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General Election Day and Pay for Knowledge

Election Day is Around the Corner

General Election Day is fast approaching and there is a lot of important work to be done to elect candidates that will work for working people.  For those of you here in Pittsburgh, I encourage you to think about participating in a phone bank or a block walk here in the building.  Those of you in the field can plug into our Union’s electoral activities wherever you are.

Below, find a schedule of phonebanking activities here in Pittsburgh between now and the election.  For more information contact USW Local 3657 Member Eric Russell aterussell@usw.org

Wednesday, October 31st 10:00am – 5:00pm Email erussell@usw.org to schedule 2nd Floor
5:00 – 8:00pm Hosted by AFLCIO in 1st Floor Lobby 1st Floor and 2nd Floor
Thursday, November 1st 10:00am – 5:00pm Email erussell@usw.orgto schedule 2nd Floor
5:00 – 8:00pm Hosted by USW Officer, TBA 2nd Floor
Friday, November 2nd 10:00am – 5:00pm Email erussell@usw.orgto schedule 2nd Floor
Saturday, November 3rd 9:00am – 1:00pm Canvassing, Hosted by AFLCIO in 1st Floor Lobby 1st Floor
Sunday, November 4th Off
Monday, November 5th 10:00am – 5:00pm Email erussell@usw.orgto schedule 2nd Floor
5:00 – 8:00pm Hosted by USW Officer, TBA 2nd Floor
Tuesday, November 6th 9:00am – ???? Email erussell@usw.orgto schedule 2nd Floor

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This Week! Local 3657 Phone Bank and Union Meeting!

On Tuesday, October 23, USW Local 3657 will be hosting a phone banking night for endorsed candidates for the November 6th General Election.  The phone banks will run out of the 2nd floor call center and will begin at 5pm and run until approximately 8pm (if you are available to start earlier feel free to come down to the 2nd floor as early as 4pm!).  You are all welcome to invite your families and friends to join us as well.   The local will be providing food so please RSVP to Lori Bookwood lbookwood@usw.org if you can attend!

Show your solidarity with Local 3657 and wear your black Local 3657 t-shirt to the phone bank!

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2012 Civil Rights Conference Report

Dear President Young:

I must first say thank you to the Executive Board and the membership for allowing me to represent our local at the 16th International Civil & Human Rights Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio entitled the Power of the Ballot.

The conference was outstanding.  I thoroughly enjoyed it, Fred Redmond and Amanda Green-Hawkins did a wonderful job.  We were blessed to be honored and given presentations from several people including our wonderful President Leo Gerard, Dave McCall, Director, District 1, Douglas Sizemore, Mark Mallory, Mayor of Cincinnati, Stan Johnson, International Secretary-Treasurer, Ike Gittlen, Mike Scarver, Director, PAC, Hillary Chiz, Marsha Zakowski, Ann Flener, The Honorable Marcia Fudge, US Representative, 11th District just to name a few of the presenters.  They all were great!

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