Education
Worker education means real power!
USW District 3 provides our members with courses that deliver solid skills, help them gain confidence and build a sense of belonging while protecting our members' rights. We train members in health and safety, anti-harassment, collective bargaining, workers' compensation, leadership and more. Thousands of Steelworkers are trained annually through our Back-to-the-Locals Education Program.
- Steelworker Summer Internships Paid Internships are open to young adults, 17 years of age or older who are children of members of the United Steelworkers and actively enrolled in school.
- D3 Summer School - June 9 - 14, 2013 Once again we are holding our annual week-long District 3 Summer School the week of June 9 - 14, 2013 at the Trickle Creek Lodge & Kimberley, BC.
- District 3 Summer School Record Number of New Students Attend District 3 Summer School
- District 3 Conference Video Highlight Members’ Activities of Last Four Years BURNABY, BC – Over 275 delegates attending the United Steelworkers District 3 Conference held in Saskatoon in early November saw an opening video which highlighted many of the struggles and victories that union members have had during the past four years. Hit hard by a global recession that started in 2008 and is still with us today, District 3 members have fought back with hard bargaining, mobilizing, political action and lobbying and formation through education. Entitled “Solidarity Works,” the video, which runs about 13 minutes, utilizes images of hundreds of district members in diverse workplaces – from forestry and mining to manufacturing and transportation and health care and service industries.
- District Hosts Summer Intern Program: Students Exposed to Trade Union Issues BURNABY, BC – As three daughters of union members wrap up their three-week Steelworkers’ Summer intern program at the District 3 office, they are all thankful for the opportunity to be exposed to trade union issues through the United Steelworkers. The program is designed to give participants an understanding and appreciation of the positive impacts the union has had on their parents’ working lives and offer some education on how to organize and mobilize for progressive change in society.
- District 3 Summer School a Success: Over Half Students Attended for First Time KIMBERLEY, BC – Despite the global recession which has hit District 3’s resource and manufacturing sector membership hard, there were over 90 students in attendance at this year’s summer school held between June 7-12, at the Trickle Creek Lodge here. Twenty-eight local unions, mainly from the prairie provinces, sent members to the annual school. USW District 3 Director Stephen Hunt says the union is encouraged that some many local unions participated during “extremely hard economic times.” Hunt notes that 56 of the 90 students were first-time participants in the Summer School.
- The Meltdown Chronicles - An Analytic Series on the Deterioration of Our Global Economic System The Meltdown Chronicles is an is series of publications analyzing the deterioration of our Global Economic System and its impacts on workers. Written by USW Canadian National Office researcher Kim Pollock, the series kicked off in November 2008 as the global economic crisis grew worse and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper assured Canadians that our economic fundamentals wer "fine."
- International Convention Wraps Up: Jack Layton Speaks, Leo Gerard Urges Members to Mobilize LAS VEGAS, NEV – Today the United Steelworkers International President Leo Gerard said that it’s important to take the resolutions and the policies of the international convention back to workplaces and communities. “This is about the future,” he said. “We need to be able to feel that the world is changing in the next year. We cannot afford to fail. Your kids, community and planet are calling on you.”
- District 3 Woman of Steel Sworn in as International Vice President, Global Union formed, Obama and Napoleon Gomez Address Delegates LAS VEGAS, NEV – Today the United Steelworkers International Convention was highlighted by the swearing in of the first-ever woman to the union’s International Executive Board, the formation of the world’s first global union and keynote speeches by Senator Barack Obama and Napoleon Gomez.
- USW International Convention Day 2 Marked by Resolution Debates and Constitutional Changes to Strenghten Strike and Defense Fund and Add a Woman of Steel as Vice President LAS VEGAS, NEV – On Tuesday the United Steelworkers International Convention kicked off with the countries' two national anthems and an ovation for Canada Day, July 1. Following an early morning rally on Las Vegas Boulevard supporting cab and limousine drivers working for Yellow, Checker and Star cabs in the city (USW Local 711A and IPTE Local 4873), the convention unanimously passed a resolution calling for work training, retraining and career development. The resolution called for Steelworkers in Canada to build on it track record of supporting effective sectoral councils, bring unions, governments and community colleges together.
- Secondary School Scholarship Winners 2007 Dominc Gee, LU 1595 Jeff Profili, LU 480 Jessica Keegan, LU 2004 Colleen Twamley, LU 7619 Logan McNair, LU 1-425
- First-time delegates praise summer school experience KIMBERLEY, BC – Five first-time delegates at this year’s District 3 summer school found their exposure to Steelworker educational courses interesting and informative. Sister Amandeep Sandhu of USW Local 2952, who works as an office employee at the Burnaby, BC-based Canadian Office and Professional Employees Local 378, was enrolled in the Leadership Training Class – a class of 20.
- District 3 Forms Working Group to Promote Amalgamated Unions BURNABY, BC – In practically every population centre throughout Western Canada you will find a United Steelworkers operation. Along the Trans-Canada from Victoria to Edmonton to Regina to Winnipeg and from north to south USW operations dot the map.Get out on major routes like the Yellowhead and the Crownest and you’ll find the same thing. Ditto for many of other routes in the district. The 2004 merger of western Canadian IWA Canada locals into District 3 saw many more dots, and some 30,000 members added to the USW map.
- District 3’s Senior Leadership Development Studies (LDS) Participants Consider Program a Major Boost to Growth and Knowledge SASKATOON, SK/SPARWOOD, BC – For the first three years, Brothers Kelly Reynolds and Chris Nand were enrolled in the same courses at one of the United Steelworkers’ most advanced educational programs. Last month, one completed his final year in the Leadership Development Studies (LDS) program while the other hopes to finish where he left off at some time in the future. Today both are presidents of major USW local unions in resource sectors.
- District 3 had over 140 participants at Annual Summer School KIMBERLEY, BC – District 3’s four-decade long tradition keeps on getting more popular. This year the district’s Summer School, held here at the Marriott Trickle Creek Residence Inn, witnessed 122 students among over 140 participants. The students came from 32 local unions across Western Canada.
- District 3 Trains Thirteen New Course Instructors BURNABY, BC – Over the next several months many of District 3’s newly-trained instructors will be testing out their wings as trade union education classes take place across the District. In mid-October thirteen Steelworkers from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and BC were given five days of instructor training in Winnipeg. Their instructors were District 3 Education Coordinator Darren Patrick and Sue Milling, the Steelworkers’ national department head for Education, Equality and Political Action.
- District 3 David Ellis Scholarship 2007
- Secondary Scholarship Winners Further Their Studies (posted on 9 January 2007) BURNABY, BC – Six daughters and sons of Steelworkers in Western Canada are just starting their second terms as post-secondary students. No doubt they worked very hard during their first terms and needed a holiday break to visit family members, some far away from where they are now studying.
- District 3 Summer School a Success with over 140 in Attendance KIMBERLEY, BC – This year’s District 3 Summer School was a smash hit with over 140 participants at the weeklong event, which wrapped up on Friday. Local union members from BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba enrolled in six classes, held at the Marriott Trickle Creek Inn here. In addition to the classes, instructed by homegrown USW instructors, special guests included BC NDP leader Carol James and visitors from the National Confederation of Forest Workers of Chile. District 3 Director Stephen Hunt appeared at the school and visited each class in session. Brother Hunt made a brief presentation to each class, highlighting current events in the district. He also encouraged all participants to become politically active in supporting the New Democratic Party in their provinces and on the federal scene.
- Southeastern BC Local Continues Tradition of Educating Membership CRANBROOK, BC – Earlier this month the USW's Local 1-405, with headquarters here, held its annual Job Steward School for members from all over the local union. Forty local activists and instructors took part on June 2 and 3. The school was held at the College of the Rockies campus, which has state-of-the-art classroom facilities.
- Steelworkers form Aboriginal Working Group in Western Canada (posted on 5 January 2007) WINNIPEG, MB – If we are to build our union then we need to know what we are all about, District 3 Director Steve Hunt told a group of delegates to the union’s Western Canada conference in Winnipeg, which was held in early October of last year. He said that includes the union needing to know more about diversity and issues that aboriginal workers face in Canada.
- District 3's Education Program Trains 1,300 in First Half of 2006 - Department Gears Up for Fall (posted 15 August 2006) BURNABY, BC – As the summer months wind down and many Steelworkers enjoy the last of their family vacations, District 3's Education Department is in a period of reflection. It's been a time to review this year's programs, analyze feedback from participants, review course materials and plan for the coming fall months.
- A Whole Lotta Education's Been Going On There seems to be no end to the demand for educational services in District 3 Western Canada. Since the merger with IWA Canada in September, 2004, the demand for educating the membership has shot up to unprecedented levels. In 2005 there were a grand total of 151 classes held across our vast district, involving 3,293 participants. All told, that’s a saturation level of over 5 per cent of the district membership!
- Steps to Building Steelworker Power: List of Steelworker Courses for District 3
- District 3 David Ellis Scholarship Winners
- Steelworker Summer 2012 Student Intern Program Steelworker Summer is an educational and training internship in which participants develop skills useful for union growth by experiencing firsthand the kinds of struggles workers face while trying to win a voice at work and in the community.