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Past USW President Leo Gerard passes away at 78

Written by Ethan Bernard

September 22, 2025

Former United Steelworkers (USW) union International President Leo W. Gerard died at the age of 78 on Sunday, Sept. 21.

Gerard led USW as international president for more than 18 years before retiring in July 2019. He was the longest-tenured president in USW history.

His career spanned more than 50 years, beginning at a nickel smelter in his hometown of Sudbury, Ontario.

“Leo Gerard spent his entire life fighting for workers across the world, and his impact on the USW, and the global labor movement, has been immeasurable,” current USW International President David McCall said in a statement on Monday.

“He inspired countless other workers to carry on the fight for justice and fairness,” McCall added. “He will be missed, but we intend to honor his legacy by continuing that work.”

Before becoming president in 2001, Gerard served as a USW staff representative, district director, national director of Canada, and secretary-treasurer.

He oversaw the 2005 USW merger with the Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers International Union (PACE). This made the USW the largest industrial union in North America.

Ethan Bernard

Ethan Bernard is managing editor for Steel Market Update. He previously worked for American Metal Market as a copy editor in the New York office for two years, starting in 2008. Later, he copy edited AMM’s monthly magazine on a freelance basis from 2015 until 2017. With experience in financial copywriting and textbook publishing, he holds a BA in Comparative Literature from UC Berkeley, and an MFA. in Creative Writing from New York University. He can be reached at ethan@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-759-7871.

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