Source: Blog – Alliance for American Manufacturing

The late Tom Conway, pictured left, with President Joe Biden. Photo courtesy United Steelworkers

At a memorial service held at United Steelworkers headquarters on Tuesday, Conway was remembered as a fighter for American workers, a fierce union negotiator, and a family man.

When United Steelworkers (USW) International Vice President at Large Roxanne Brown memorialized Tom Conway at his memorial service on Tuesday, she shared three big lessons she learned from the late USW International President.

The first lesson is that family comes first. Conway always had immense pride in his three sons and his six grandchildren, Brown recalled, and that was something he imparted to others. The second lesson: Do not to be afraid to be uncomfortable. Brown noted that Conway “was not a fan” of Washington politics, but that is something that came with the job of being USW president — so he played politics anyway, and with tremendous success.

The third lesson? To “not fuck it up.”

The “it,” Brown pointed out, could really be anything. And as it turns out, Conway offered that lesson to a whole lot of people — something USW District 7 Director Mike Millsap Sr. echoed during his own remarks.

“Tom said ‘don’t fuck this up’ so many times to me I thought that was my name,” Millsap joked.

Conway, who died on Sept. 25 at the age of 71, was remembered on Tuesday at his memorial service at USW headquarters in Pittsburgh as someone who fought for decades for American workers, both at the bargaining table and for policy that makes workers an actual priority.

Guests at the event included Conway’s family and dozens of USW leaders and members. U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and several Biden administration officials were also in attendance, alongside allies from across the labor movement and Alliance for American Manufacturing President Scott Paul.

President Joe Biden didn’t attend the service but wrote in a letter to Conway’s family, which was read aloud by Brown, that “Tom became one of the most effective and respected labor leaders in America. Millions of workers, including many who never knew his name, benefited.”

That was also a point made by AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, who said that there are “millions of people whose lives are better because of Tom Conway.” Shuler noted how multifaceted Conway was as a person, known for being “a fearless and unmatched negotiator” while also a policy pro who was able to go into the weeds with arcane details, often outsmarting the D.C. policy wonks. Conway could appear to embody the old school stereotype of a labor leader, but he also was incredibly innovative and often ahead of his time, working to recruit young people into the movement, addressing the climate crisis, and organizing new industries.

“When he spoke, people listened,” Shuler said. “Because what he had to say was important — and it was usually a solution.”

Fred Redmond, the current secretary-treasurer at the AFL-CIO, recalled first meeting Conway about 30 years ago at a training session on collective bargaining. Conway had no presentation, no slideshow, and no handouts to offer his students. He simply talked, and “between the many F-bombs, he discussed in a language that everyone in that class could understand, the art of negotiations and how to get the deal.”

After that, the group knew they could always turn to Conway for help in their own work, whether it was bargaining or something else. Redmond often called him late at night, he recalled. And even when they had disagreements, Conway always listened with respect, and never dwelled on anything negative.

“Tom promoted optimism, and he never felt that any situation was untenable,” Redmond said.

While all the speakers had praise for Conway’s achievements as a steelworker, they all seemed to come back to their memories as his friend. New USW International President Dave McCall — who shares an exact birthday with Conway and was close friends with him for 45 years — told several stories about Conway’s partner Carol, and his three sons, Justin, Tom, and Phil.

One time when Justin was still a little boy, McCall recalled, Conway needed to attend an arbitration with Bethlehem Steel, but he couldn’t find anyone to watch Justin. So, Conway brought him along.

The company representative objected, and Conway simply announced that “this young man is an apprentice staff representative.” The arbitrator allowed him to stay.

“We talked all the time about how proud we were of our kids, the challenges they faced, the successes they had, and how they were the most notable legacy either one of us would ever have,” McCall said. “He often spoke about how they made his life complete, and about how adding to that was Carol.”

Justin Conway also spoke during the service, recalling that he and his brothers grew up going to union meetings and consider the United Steelworkers part of their extended family. Whenever he saw McCall or other USW members, Justin noted that he’d hear things like “stories from Boy Scout summer camp told back to me.”

It was, however, hard at times for the boys to understand why their dad spent so much time away from home, and why he made sacrifices for his service with the union, Justin Conway recalled.

Tom Conway did his best to explain to them his job, along with “real world” lessons about civic participation and the nature of power. “Dad worked hard because he loved working people with all his heart and soul,” Justin Conway said.

Conway’s love for USW members extended to his burial. Members of USW Local 6787 — Conway’s own local — made his urn out of steel pulled off the line at the same mill where Conway got his start. Pete Trinidad, the current president of USW Local 6787, noted in his remarks that the request came from Conway directly, and that he personally approved its design. “That’s how involved he was up until the end,” Trinidad said.

Conway was incredibly smart, McCall said, noting that he worked as a aircraft mechanic during his four years in the Air Force. But he also was quite adept at using “a torch and a sledgehammer,” and those dual abilities offer a great metaphor for Conway’s legacy as labor leader.

It’s the type of thing the labor movement needs now. “We need the muscle and the mind,” Shuler said.

And the speakers all pledged to keep Conway’s legacy alive through their work. “We will continue to fight in his memory for workers everywhere,” Trinidad said.

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