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The United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International (USW) Health, Safety and Environment Department has a staff of 11. Mike Wright is the department head. Jim Frederick is assistant in Pittsburgh and Dave Ortlieb in Nashville. The department includes Safety and Health Specialists John Alexander, Don Faulkner, Kim Nibarger,Steve Sallman and Sharon Thompson as a the Department Resource Tech.  Tonya Barnard, Elaine McClaren and Doug Ward are administrative assistants. 

 Each district director assigns at least one staff representative as a safety and health coordinator to work with the International Health, Safety and Environment department, to handle district issues, and to organize health and safety training, among other responsibilities. Each District Director has also named at least two local union activists as a health and safety advisor. The advisor provides resources for their district and the international union and acts as an extension of the health, safety and environment department staff. 

 In Canada, the USW Canadian National Health, Safety and Environment Office coordinates issues from a national perspective, and the coordinators work with both the national and international offices. Andy King is the department leader. Sylvia Boyce, Al Hedd and Nancy Hutchison are Safety and Health Specialists. Cecille Sioulis serves as administrative assistant. 

 Our training activities are housed under the Tony Mazzocchi Center for Health, Safety & Environmental Education. 

The following USW Safety, Health and Environmental activists coordinate and direct the TMC programs: Lorie Lynn Anderson, Steve Cable, David Cassady,  Linda Cook, Glenn Erwin, Mike Gill, Laura Harle, Sylvia Kieding, Mary Krutz, Nancy Lessin, Tom McQuiston, Gary Morris, Jim Novak, John Scardella, Doug Stephens, Tim Wehby and Ronnie Westmoreland.

Joe Anderson, Les Leopold and Paul Renner coordinate and direct worker development of programs and curriculum through the Labor Institute.

 Doctors David Parkinson and Steve Markowitz provide consultation as occupational physicians to the union’s overall health, safety and environment activities.

 The Health, Safety and Environment Department has six major functions:

• assisting local unions with health, safety and environmental problems;
• assisting with and/or conducting education and training programs for local union committee officers and staff representatives;
• assisting local unions in electing party status or friend-of-the-court status in cases relevant to the safety and health of our membership;
• working by petitions and comments for better regulations and standards;
• helping to negotiate better health and safety language in Steelworkers contracts; and
• coordinating the Union’s health, safety and environment efforts with the AFL-CIO, CLC, other unions, and worldwide labor bodies such as the International Metalworkers Federation and the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers’ Unions.

An important function of this department is the direct service to the USW membership through its work with local union leaders and international field staff. Typically, this begins with a request for information or assistance from a local union, through its staff representative and/or safety and health coordinator, to the district director, who, in turn, contacts the International Health, Safety and Environment Department. Working together, the local union officers and health, safety and environment committee; staff representative; the Canadian National Health, Safety and Environment Office; and the International Health, Safety and Environment Department attempt to identify the precise nature of the problem and the best way to solve it.

 We are also committed to providing the highest quality of education and training available through union-based programs that promote the empowerment of workers to act collectively to achieve these aims.  The USW and its partner, the Labor Institute, founded The Tony Mazzocchi Center for Safety, Health and Environment Education (TMC). We forged a program with enormous potential and a proud and powerful history.  Each partner, the former PACE and USWA, and the Labor Institute brought its unique experience and assets.  Combined, Mazzocchi Center partners have one of the most accomplished health, safety and environment training programs in the history of the North American labor movement focused on identifying and eliminating hazards.