The United Steelworkers announced yesterday that it would seek to merge with two large British unions, Amicus and the Transport and General Workers Union, in a move that would form the first trans-Atlantic labor group. Gathered at a convention in Ottawa, the leaders of the three unions said that they would seek to negotiate a merger within 12 months, with the combined union expected to have more than 2.6 million members. The United Steelworkers, based in Pittsburgh, is the largest manufacturing union in the country, representing 850,000 people, including steel workers, rubber workers and paper workers. Amicus represents 980,000 workers, and the Transport and General Workers Union, 800,000.
See "Steelworkers and British Unions Seek Merger", Steven Greenhouse, The New York Times, April 18, 2007