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Support the Jones Act!

The Jones Act ensures a strong and vibrant maritime industry, which helps ensure the United States maintains its expertise in shipbuilding and waterborne transportation. Without American maritime, the U.S. would be dependent on foreign-owned and flagged vessels for the transport of waterborne commerce in and around the country.

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USW Local 5000

Based out of Cleveland, Ohio, United Steelworkers Local 5000 (often just called Local 5') represents over three hundred members who are the unlicensed crew aboard nineteen Great Lakes freighters, employed by Central Marine Logistics, The Interlake Steamship Company, and Key Lakes Inc. (Great Lakes Fleet). We have one land-based unit with twenty members who service the steel industry employed by Sisco. 

Rapid Response News

Rapid Response, our union’s nonpartisan grassroots activist program, provides an opportunity for every USW member to weigh in on legislation concerning labor and work-related issues. By joining together, we encourage government actions that will positively impact our families, contracts and communities. Learn more!

Rapid Response News

Union Plus Benefits

Did you know your USW membership entitles you to discounts on wireless, car rentals, movie tickets, car insurance and more? Visit the Union Plus website to view current discounts and programs.

Union Plus Benefits

Support Enbridge Straits Line 5 Replacement Segment Project

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A project critical to protecting the environment and the longterm viability of Enbridge Line 5, a crude oil pipeline that supplies refineries throughout the midwest, is in jeopardy.

The Enbridge Straits Line 5 Replacement Segment Project would allow for the current pipeline that runs through the Straits of Mackinac to be rerouted through a tunnel in the bedrock beneath the Straits, protecting the waterway and the Great Lakes.

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What is a Union?

A union is a group of people working together to advance their interests in the workplace through collective action and collective bargaining.

Bargaining Basis

Bargaining Basics

Information on what it means to collectively bargain and how your involvement can help win fair contracts.

The Difference

The Union Difference

Unions allow us to speak with one voice to address the things most important to us on the job and build power for working people.

Know Your Rights

Know Your Rights

Most private sector employees have the right to organize under the National Labor Relations Act.

USW National News

  • ‘A Broken System’: Struggles of Tire, Glass Workers Highlight Need for Major Reform

    USW members have fought for decades to ensure a level playing field in the global marketplace, but they continue to face an uphill battle in the fight for justice from the nation’s broken trade enforc... —

  • Workers Under Attack

    Trump-Musk Onslaught Aims to Cripple Labor Rights, Safety, Oversight Soon after taking office in January, the Trump administration launched a campaign to cripple workers’ rights, dismantle safety agen... —

  • Angels of Steel

    Nursing Home Workers Fight for Fair Treatment, Quality Care Even before she joined the USW, nursing home worker Desirae Beatty knew the power of a union. She had been unjustly discharged by her employ... —

  • Robbing Workers, Rewarding Billionaires

    Click here for a printable PDF of this article. On May 22, 2025, a harmful budget passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 215 to 214. The measure gives huge tax breaks to billionaires an... —

  • Rapid Response: Empower Hour

    EMPOWER HOUR! Exposing the Attacks on Worker Health and Safety. Join us on Thursday, May 29, 2025, for an Empower Hour to learn more about these careless decisions and their impact on the wo... —

Get Involved!

As USW members, advocacy is at the heart of everything we do. We push for pro-worker policies, and we give back to our communities. We keep each other safe, and we lift up each other’s voices. So whether you’re a seasoned veteran or an emerging activist, there’s a place for you to get more involved.

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