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Dear Sisters and Brothers,

Our 2010 Steelworker National Policy Conference is quickly approaching. The conference will be held in Toronto, Ontario from April 27-29, 2010.

National Policy Conferences are a unique opportunity for our Union to review accomplishments and set priorities for the years ahead. In 2007, we left the Policy Conference determined to put Workers First. The agenda and priorities we set at the last Policy Conference focused our energies for the next three years and resulted in the many achievements we are proud to report. Among them:

• Despite the challenges of a depressed economy, we negotiated good contracts for our members and their families, including a groundbreaking agreement in the transportation industry, new retiree health benefits, pension protection, and pay increases, resisting employers’ demands for concessions.
• We demonstrated that we can take on global employers and multi-nationals by continuing to build strong global alliances and connections of solidarity around the world.
• In the legislative arena, we got the Federal government to pass the Wage Earner Protection Plan to guarantee unpaid wages and vacation pay in cases of lay-offs due to bankruptcies; campaigned for laws requiring federal and provincial governments to spend economic surplus budgets on Canadian-made products and services, and lobbied to improve the CPP and QPP to guarantee a good standard of living for retirees and their families.
• We formed a Blue-Green Alliance in Canada to help build a successful and sustainable economy which fosters good green jobs in Canada.
• We organized 5,000 new members a year in Canada (3,000 in Quebec), helping underpaid workers raise their standard of living and protecting union jobs from low-wage competition.
• We improved the union’s education programs and developed the skills of thousands of members in bargaining, arbitration, health & safety, leadership, equality for women, human rights and international solidarity.

In 2010, we want to build on those successes—and that’s why we are calling the upcoming Policy Conference “Building for Tomorrow’s Jobs”. But just how do we build for tomorrow’s jobs? And, what are tomorrow’s jobs? In today’s economic, social and political climate, how can we best direct our efforts?

This Policy Conference is your opportunity to present, discuss and debate priorities on, for example, green jobs and the environment, the impact of globalization and the economy, organizing the unorganized or building global partnerships.

In 2010, Day 2 of our Policy Conference takes place on April 28, the Day of Mourning. The health and safety of our members is a cardinal concern of our union. No organization in North America can claim a longer or more public commitment than ours. To recognize those who have lost their lives due to work and our commitment to all our workers and their families, this coming National Policy Conference will contain a major commemoration on the Day of Mourning April 28 and launch the Steelworkers’ New Worker Health and Safety Awareness program. In the Steelworkers, health and safety is a matter of leadership.

I strongly urge every local union to send delegates to this important event in the life of our Union. And I would also ask you to do two things to make our conference a success:

• First, I would ask you to register early. The better sense we have of the delegate registration, the better we can plan a conference that promotes dialogue and discussion. Please see the enclosed agenda highlights.
• Second, I would urge each and every local union to consider what should be in a “Building for Tomorrow’s Jobs” agenda and send us your resolutions. In this package, you will find guidelines for writing and submitting resolutions.

I look forward to seeing you at the 2010 Steelworker National Policy Conference, and am confident that with your energy, ideas and wholehearted participation, we will leave the conference energized and committed to a common agenda to take on the challenges ahead.

Register online

Registration Form

Special Needs and Child Care Form

In solidarity,


Ken Neumann
National Director for Canada

cc. Steve Hunt, Director, District 3
Daniel Roy, Director, District 5
Wayne Fraser, Director, District 6
Canadian Staff Representatives
Canadian Support Staff