Steelworkers In The News
Unions like to present themselves as similar to a nonprofit organization, working for the benefit of those they supposedly represent. One of the best ways to evaluate the trustworthiness of a nonprofit is to look at the percentage of total spending that goes directly into their stated programs, versus what they spend on running the organization.
Charity watchdogs like the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance and the Charity Review Council say this percentage should be no lower than 64%.
The average spending on programs of the top 100 charities in the country, according to the Forbes Top Charities list for 2024, was 88% – far above the minimum.
The image above is a list of how some well-known nonprofits stack up to this measure.
Did the USW even come close?
Hardly! According to their own financial statement, the USW posted total income of almost $600 Million in 2023, yet spent only 18% on Representational Activities, including strike payments. The rest was spent on salaries, benefits and perks, office space and equipment, politics, taxes, and other overhead expenses. Almost the exact opposite of organizations whose stated purpose is to help people.
The amount of money they take from your paycheck has steadily risen. Where will it go next?
In 2014 the Steelworkers collected $284,839,467 in dues and fees from 589,907 members.
In 2023 they collected $311,906,255 from 539,661
That’s $27,066,788 more dollars from 50,246 fewer members.
The amount of money they have to take from your paycheck has steadily risen. Where will it go next?
An old adage reminds us to “choose our friends wisely.”
The table at the right provides some indication of the “company you keep” with the USW. Another indication is how many Unfair Labor Practice charges have been filed against them. Although the USW has gotten better since the mid-90’s when they averaged about 205 ULP’s per year, in the last 10 years they’ve still averaged 137 ULP’s each year.
They have also had 12 strikes over the last five years. Over the last 10 years, the average strike lasted over 3 and a half months. That’s quite a while to be without a paycheck. During that same 10 years, 13 strikes lasted over 100 days, and 4 strikes lasted over 200 days.
Take a look at this 2024 letter from the House of Representatives to USW International President, David McCall.
Click on each link to read the story.
Right To Work laws provide an employee the right to choose not to pay dues to a union.