The United Steelworkers, through its Humanity Fund, has set aside $20,000 in emergency aid for victims of the devastating earthquake that struck India and Pakistan, and $10,000 for victims of Hurricane Stan in Guatemala.

"The Earth has been wracked with disasters this year," said Ken Neumann, President of the Humanity Fund and Steelworkers' National Director. "Many of our own members are from regions that have been affected. It is our mission, through the Humanity Fund, to help where we can."

The Steelworkers' Humanity Fund is based on penny-an-hour contributions made by union members who negotiate the deduction clause into their contracts.

The first union fund of its kind in Canada, the Humanity Fund was created in 1985, initially in response to the crisis in Ethiopia. It has relief and development projects in countries around the world and also promotes worker exchanges, especially among employees of those companies that operate both in Canada and in the developing world.