The United Steelworkers announced on Wednesday the retirement of four top officials, including International President Leo W. Gerard, effective mid-July. The changes begin a period of major leadership transition for the Pittsburgh-based union ahead of the 2020 presidential election.
Mr. Gerard — high profile in the steel industry and recognizable for his sharp wit and Canadian lilt — will step down after more than 50 years with the largest manufacturing union in the country. The union has 850,000 members in North America.
Elected international president in 2001, Mr. Gerard “has largely decided to enjoy his well-earned retirement and looks forward to spending more time with his wife and family,” according to a union press release.
His statement also indicated the changes will help the union embrace a younger generation of workers.
“Our union is changing and becoming more diverse,” said Mr. Gerard, 72, of Cranberry. “We represent more different kinds of workers in more and more sectors, and our board is changing to reflect that growth.
“The USW is committed to bringing forward the next generation of labor leaders and to provide the tools, training and opportunity they will need to succeed.”
Secretary-Treasurer Stan Johnson and Vice Presidents Carol Landry and Jon Geenen are also departing the union and will be replaced, the press release said.
Mr. Gerard will be replaced by Tom Conway, an international vice president for the union since 2005 who also chairs contract negotiations with Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel and other companies.
Mr. Conway was vocal during last year’s contract negotiations with U.S. Steel, including his “90 percent” chance of a strike prediction that made headlines around the country. That contract was ultimately settled and ratified in November by members, who got 14% wage increases over four years at a time when the American steel industry is enjoying a rise in demand and production.
“While we will miss our colleagues, we recognize their desire to move into new phases of their lives,” Mr. Conway stated. “They have left behind a solid and stable union, and for that, we thank them.”
Mr. Gerard departs as the United Steelworkers face a difficult political climate ahead of the 2020 election season.
While union leadership has typically endorsed Democratic candidates, many rank-and-file members voted for Republican candidate Donald J. Trump in 2016 after he promised to “bring back” steel during a campaign stop in Pittsburgh.
In March 2018, President Trump imposed tariffs on foreign imports of steel, which helped boost prices and profits for American steel companies.
Mr. Gerard, who fought for years for measures to prevent the dumping of foreign steel in the United States, sometimes struggled with how to work with the president.
Mr. Trump “got elected by stealing our agenda,” Mr. Gerard lamented at a labor conference in Pittsburgh last year.
“But our members are not one-trick ponies,” he added, and they care about far more than just trade policy. “We have a lot more to fight.”
One challenge for Mr. Conway will involve managing workforce training and maintaining jobs at the Mon Valley Works, the last operating steel mill in Allegheny County.
Earlier this year, U.S. Steel announced a $1.2 billion investment to install new technology that is widely assumed to require less manpower and require a new set of skills.
At that announcement on May 2, Mr. Conway promised the union would closely monitor the number of jobs at the plant and whether vacant positions were being filled.
“There’s going to be a lot of training,” Mr. Conway said. “We’re not going to run from new technology here. We’re going to embrace it.”
Daniel Moore: dmoore@post-gazette.com, 412-263-2743 and Twitter @PGdanielmoore
First Published: May 29, 2019, 9:42 p.m.
