PBF honors the life of Tom Conway

Friday, September 29th, 2023

The Peggy Browning Fund and its Board of Directors mourns the passing of Tom Conway, International President of the United Steelworkers.

Friday, September 29th, 2023

The Peggy Browning Fund and its Board of Directors mourns the passing of Tom Conway,  International President of the United Steelworkers. Tom’s life offered guidance to each of us and embodied the mission of the Peggy Browning Fund, which educates and inspires the next generation of  advocates for workplace justice. 

Tom Conway was elected as the Steelworkers’ eighth International President in 2019. A tough  and innovative negotiator, Tom led bargaining in the steel, aluminum, oil, rubber, and other major industries, negotiating contracts that supported generations of workers and their families and the  communities where they lived. As International President, Tom launched initiatives that redoubled  the USW’s efforts to organize workers throughout the United States and Canada. The USW won  major organizing victories in manufacturing, mining, higher education, health care, and the cultural  sector during his presidency, and the seeds planted by these initiatives will continue to grow the labor  movement and lift workers across North America.

Tom’s three years as International President capped a lifetime of union service. He began as an activist in USW Local 6787 in 1978 when he went to work at the Burns Harbor Works of Bethlehem Steel in northwest Indiana where he later became a member of the safety and contracting-out committees. He joined the USW’s staff in 1987 and was elected as USW International Vice President for Administration in 2005. Fittingly, PBF honored Tom at an awards dinner in Chicago in November 2019. That night, as he did throughout his union career when speaking to Steelworkers and others, Tom reminded the attendees that the problems of today could be overcome, and a better future could be built, through the timeless and inspiring union principles of solidarity, hard work, and ingenuity. PBF also honored that night David McCall, who likewise began his union career at USW Local 6787 and who has become the Steelworkers’ International President.

Tom’s goodwill and sense of humor will be missed by all who knew him. Whether he was greeting a union member visiting the Steelworkers’ headquarters or meeting the President of the United States, 
Tom treated everyone with the same kindness and grace.

PBF offers its deepest condolences to Tom’s family and loved ones. PBF also holds the USW and its members and staff in our thoughts.

Rachel Del Rossi            Richard J. Brean
Executive Director           Chair, Board of Directors