I find it sad but necessary to write about a loss to SOAR, the USW and the cause of workers and retirees and a friend and that is the death of our brother, Steve Skvara, District 7 SOAR Board Member. Steve was a retired Steelworker from Youngstown Sheet & Tube in East Chicago, Indiana, the President of SOAR Chapter 31-5 and the District 7 SOAR Executive Board member.
I had the opportunity to work with Steve. His dedication to SOAR was second to none. Before his health began to fail, you could always count on him to be active in protests and demonstrations; whenever the cause of workers and retirees were at stake.
One of the most memorable events was in 2007 at the Presidential Candidate forum in Chicago, when Steve related to the candidates including Barack Obama, his health care dilemma and concern for his wife’s health care. As a result, he appeared on a number of national TV broadcasts.
Even in the 2012 election, Steve helped Elizabeth Warren win the Senate election in Massachusetts when she was attacked for protecting steelworkers’ benefits during the LTV Steel Corporation bankruptcy.
Steve’s legacy should be an inspiration for all of us to be engaged and involved to carry on the fight for workers’ and retirees’ rights and benefits.
Bill Gibbons, PACE Representative
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