Steelworkers Charitable and Educational Organization (SCEO) is a left-of-center affiliate organization of the United Steelworkers (USW), a labor union and member of the AFL-CIO in the United States with a partnership with the labor union Unite in the United Kingdom. ¹ The organization advocates for and leans left on its stance on a number of issues including expansionist immigration policy,

History

The SCEO was originally founded to provide financial support to United Steelworkers members and their families in the case of natural disasters or other events which would require large monetary disbursements. The organization has since shifted its focus to cover a wide array of social issues. Most notably, the organization has worked recently with workers centers and other organizations across the country to advocate for expansionist immigration policies. The organization has also pledged to advocate for racial issues and eliminate prejudice in the workplace among USW members and families. ²

NIEHS Grants

SCEO receives millions of dollars in annual grants from the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), a federal government agency focused on funding organizations that provide workplace education. The grant page specifies that the funding provided is used for workplace training for USW members covering topics such as work environment safety, and training specifically for African-American members and immigrant workers. ³

People

Leo W. Gerard was the president of SCEO until 2019, when he handed leadership to Thomas M. Conway. Gerard is a former steelworker from Canada who served as USW president. Gerard also advocated for left-of-center environmental issues, co-founding the BlueGreen Alliance, an organization which advocates for environmental and labor-related issues. ⁴ Gerard also served as a member of the executive council for the AFL-CIO. ⁵

Thomas M. Conway is the international president for SCEO. Conway joined the Air Force at a young age and attended trade school upon his discharge. Conway worked his way through numerous labor union jobs and spent many years negotiating contracts for USW before taking over as president of the organization in 2019. ⁶

Frederick D. Redmond is a vice president for SCEO. Redmond joined the USW in 1973 when he was working at a steel mill. He served as president for his local union for three terms before moving to Chicago to work as an international staff member for the union. He also serves on a number of boards-of-directors for African-American and labor union-related organizations such as the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, an organization focused on creating race-specific opportunities for black trade union members, and Working America, the affiliate organization of the AFL-CIO for non-unionized workers.

Funding

SCEO has received millions of dollars in grants from federal agencies. Most notably, the organization regularly receives large “Susan Harwood” grants from OSHA, the federal agency regulating job-site training. The Susan Harwood grant program has given millions of dollars in support of organizations advocating for increased workplace training programs. The organization has also received millions of dollars in grants from the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services. ⁷

The organization made a grant of $35,000 in 2018, and $60,000 in 2017 to the Peggy Browning Fund, a left-of-center organization that pushes pro-labor union rhetoric to law students. ⁸

1. “SCEO.” National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Accessed October 7, 2020. https://www.niehs.nih.gov/careers/hazmat/awardees/steelworkers/index.cfm
2. “Guidestar Profile: Steelworkers Charitable & Educational Organization.” Guidestar. Accessed October 7, 2020. https://www.guidestar.org/profile/83-040097.
3. “The Steelworkers Charitable and Educational Organization: Project page.” NIEHS. Accessed October 12, 2020. https://www.niehs.nih.gov/careers/hazmat/awardees/steelworkers/index.cfm.
4. “Presidents Emeriti.” USW. Accessed October 7, 2020. https://www.usw.org/union/leaders/president-emeriti.
5. “On the retirement of Leo W. Gerard.” AFL-CIO. Accessed October 7 2020. https://aflcio.org/about/leadership/statements/retirement-leo-w-gerard.
6. Thomas M. Conway: International President.” USW. Accessed October 11, 2020. https://www.usw.org/union/leaders/international-executive-board/thomas-m-conway.
7. “Funding Since Inception: SCEO.” GovTribe. Accessed October 11, 2020. https://govtribe.com/vendors/steelworkers-charitable-education-4thx8#related-federal-grant-awards-table.
8. 2018 IRS Form 990 Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax: SCEO. Schedule I: Part II: Grants made.