A nasty fight is shaping up for the position of District Six director in the upcoming Nov. 20 election of top executive officers in the United Steelworkers of America. One of the candidates, Peter Leibovitch, says he is fighting for more democracy and accountability in the union. He is challenging Wayne Fraser, part of a team of candidates slated to run for all of the top executive positions in the Steelworkers, including all district directorships and backed by the current international president, Leo Gerard. A Canadian and former head of District 6, which includes most of eastern Canada, he is also up for election.
Steelworkers take their elections seriously.
Patterson himself did not last past one term as district president. According to one insider who asked not to be named, his staff in Toronto was all hired by the Pittsburgh headquarters. They opposed him and undermined his efforts, says this source. One of the issues it will tackle is the apparent weak role of the national Canadian director in the international, in contrast to the stronger district director positions. The forced local mergers also helped spawn the candidacy of Peter Leibovitch, Vice President of the Steelworkers Local 8782 at Lake Erie Steel southwest of Hamilton.