United Steelworkers’ longest-serving president, Leo W. Gerard, dies

Former international president of the United Steelworkers (USW), Leo W. Gerard, died on Sunday.

Gerard, who retired in July 2019, was the longest-serving president in the USW’s history, leading the union for over 18 years.

“Leo Gerard spent his entire life fighting for workers across the world, and his impact on the USW, and the global labor movement, has been immeasurable,” said USW International President David McCall.

Gerard’s career with the USW spanned more than 50 years, beginning at the age of 18 at a nickel smelter in Sudbury, Ontario.

He oversaw the USW’s 2005 merger with the Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers International Union (PACE), making the USW the largest industrial union in North America.

Gerard was instrumental in founding the Blue-Green Alliance, a powerful labor-environmental partnership, in 2006.

He championed international cooperation among labor organizations, building relationships with unions in Mexico, Europe, South America, and elsewhere.

His leadership helped to establish the IndustriALL Global Union, which represents 50 million workers in 140 countries in the mining, energy, and manufacturing sectors.

“Leo was a visionary leader, determined and fearless in taking on corporations and lawmakers alike,” said USW Canadian National Director Marty Warren. “He spent his career building power for workers so that everyone could have safer jobs, better pay, retirement security and respect on the job. As a proud Canadian, he never wavered from his values, and his life’s work will live on for generations.”

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