After almost three years of work, retired Steelworker Lee Popovich helped oversee the incorporation of the SOAR Chapter 11-5 in a charter ceremony in the judge’s chambers in the Duluth Labor Temple last week.
Cathy Drummond was on hand on behalf of District 11 Director Emil Ramirez to present the charter. “This year, as SOAR celebrates its 38th year of activism, we couldn’t be prouder to add the new Head of the Lakes SOAR chapter to the organization,” Drummond said.

The Steelworkers Organization of Active Retirees was established in 1985 to provide retirees an opportunity to continue to act collectively, as well as to serve as a social function. It is also an affiliate organization of the USW.
Popovich has been working since 2021 to sign people up to get enough to charter a chapter. Retirees from the U.S. Steel plant in Duluth met regularly after it shut down, but after some time, that group petered out.

Millicent O’Connell said her husband, David, was one of those retirees. “My husband (Dave) and (organizer) Bob (Olson) were among those who closed out the U.S. Steel plant,” she said. “Olson was an organizer, all right — they started meeting where they used to have the union hall, and then us wives started coming in one by one, and we were some of the first to meet together.”

O’Connell is now one of the charter members of the Head of the Lakes SOAR chapter. Popovich is the president, and retired Steelworker Glenn Jackson is vice president.

Popovich says one of the first items of business is to inform all potential members of the opportunity to join. SOAR often engages on issues that retirees are especially interested in, such as Social Security and Medicare, protecting pension plans and so on. It also works to ensure these programs and opportunities are available to future generations.

The chapter plans on meeting on the third Tuesday of every other month; the next meeting will be March 21.

Membership is open to both retirees and current union members, their spouses, and even an active member in another union. “We want to get the locals that were at Sappi and the match plant — the hardest part is making sure we contact everyone.”

The only requirement is that you’re older than 45. Annual dues are $12 a year. If you’re interested in joining the Head of the Lakes SOAR Chapter 11-5, you can contact Lee Popovich at 218-624-2868. Leave a message and he’ll get back to you.