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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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.
Get the Official USW Local 5000 Mobile App for Android and iPhone!
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!
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.
Support Enbridge Straits Line 5 Replacement Segment Project
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.
USW National News
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Rapid Response Feedback Report: A Budget for Billionaires, Not Working Families
Click here to download this Feedback Report as a printable PDF. Congress has now passed a budget bill that working families cannot afford. The legislation adds $3.3 trillion to the national debt while... —
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Rapid Response Action Call: Senate Budget Plan Favors the Wealthy, Hurts Working Families
Click here to download this Action Call as a printable PDF. Today, July 1, 2025, the U.S. Senate passed a devastating budget bill that places a heavy burden on working people and their communities. He... —
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Defending Our Defenders: Union Veterans Demand Action in D.C.
More than 40 Veterans of Steel activists traveled to Washington, D.C., on June 5th and 6th to lobby and rally on behalf of military veterans and to pressure Congress to protect those who protected the... —
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Ahlstrom Paper Workers Join USW
In his 20 years of work as a union roofer, Hamlet Hernandez learned the difference that a union makes, not only through improved wages and benefits, but also in scheduling, health and safety, and othe... —
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Rapid Response Turns 30
In 1995, workers saw a shifting political landscape in Washington, D.C. The North American Free Trade Agreement had taken effect a year earlier, and the 1994 elections saw an anti-worker majority take... —
