The Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers (commonly known as the AA) was an American labor union formed in 1876 and which represented iron and steel workers. It partnered with the Steel Workers Organizing Committee, CIO, in November, 1935. Both organizations disbanded May 22, 1942, to form new organization, the United Steelworkers. A trade union or labor union is an organization of workers. ... Year 1876 Pick up Sticks(MDCCCLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a leap year starting on Thursday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... The United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union (United Steelworkers or USW) claims over 1. ... The Congress of Industrial Organizations, or CIO, was a federation of unions that organized industrial workers in the United States and Canada in 1935-1955. ... For other uses, see November (disambiguation). ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar). ... is the 142nd day of the year (143rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union (United Steelworkers or USW) claims over 1. ...

Founding and early history

The Long Depression of 1873-79 forced a number of unions to merge in order to survive. In 1876, the Sons of Vulcan (a puddlers union), the Iron and Steel Heaters Union (a union of workers who operated roughing and rolling machines, and who acted as catchers for still-hot rolled steel), the Iron and Steel Roll Hands Union (another union of roughers, rollers and catchers) and the Nailers Union (riveters) merged to form the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers. The Long Depression (1873 – 1896) affected much of the world from the early 1870s until the mid-1890s and was contemporary with the Second Industrial Revolution. ... Schematic drawing of a puddling furnace The puddling furnace is a metalmaking technology to create wrought iron from the pig iron produced in a blast furnace. ...

It openly embraced conservatism in its national constitution shortly after its founding. From its inception, the union refused to admit African-Americans as members.^[1]

Organization and structure

Local AA affiliates were organized in 'lodges.' Each lodge represented one particular skill, which meant there might be several lodges within a given mill. Each lodge elected a president as well as other officers. The president appointed a mill committee to enforce rules—both against the employer and against workers who did not wish to honor the contract. A joint committee composed of lodge presidents (or their designees) oversaw other contractual matters and negotiated contracts.^[2]

Each lodge also had an executive board, which functioned as a policy-making body and trial court. Each executive board also appointed its own president, who held little day-to-day power. The executive committee acted as a strike committee during job actions, and the executive board president acted as a strike coordinator. Membership meetings were rare and held only during crises; at such times, all workers in a plant were usually allowed to participate and debate the issues (not just dues-paying members).^[3]

Although local contracts were negotiated by each local, contracts were also submitted to the international's executive board for approval. The international could, and sometimes did, reject local contracts.^[4]

Contracts and policies

The AA's membership was concentrated in ironworks west of the Allegheny Mountains. The union negotiated national uniform wage scales on an annual basis; helped regularize working hours, workload levels and work speeds; and helped improve working conditions. It also acted as a hiring hall, helping employers find scarce puddlers and rollers.^[5] Ironworks at Coalbrookdale, Shropshire, England An ironworks or iron works is a building or site where iron is smelted and where heavy iron and/or steel products are made. ... The Allegheny Mountain Range (also spelled Alleghany and Allegany) -- informally, the Alleghenies -- is part of the Appalachian Mountain Range of the eastern United States. ... In organized labor, a hiring hall is an organization, usually under the auspices of a labor union, which has the responsibility of furnishing new recruits for employers who have a collective bargaining agreement with the union. ...

The AA was accommodating of technological advance, even when such changes led to large numbers of layoffs or the dissolution of local affiliates. At almost no point, even after losing several strikes and being effectively dismembered, did the AA see technological advancement as a problem.^[6]

In the 1880s, the union's embrace of technological change led it to abandon its emphasis on a national master agreement on wages. By 1892, the AA argued that technological differences in each steelworks dictated different wages and hours in each plant as well.^[7]

Early organizing history

The AA was a founding member of the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions (FOTLU). The union was strongly committed to craft unionism, as was FOTLU. The Knights of Labor, a labor organization of unskilled workers committed to industrial unionism, attempted to convince the AA to abandon FOTLU and join the Knights. The head of the Knights, Terence V. Powderly, promised that the AA would retain its organizational distinctiveness rather than be forced to disband and merge its members with local and regional Knights bodies, and that it could retain its own hierarchical internal governance structure. But the AA refused. The AA subsequently fought bitter battles with the Knights for the allegiance of iron and steel workers, and eventually contributed to the collapse of the Knights' national iron and steel worker division.^[8] The Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions represented a transition stage of Labor unions in the United States; it was the immediate predecessor of the American Federation of Labor. ... by Leon CunninghamCraft unionism refers to an approach to union organizing in the United States and elsewhere that seeks to unify workers in a particular industry along the lines of the particular craft or trade that they work in. ... Knights of Labor seal The Knights of Labor, also known as Noble and Holy Order of the Knights of Labor, was founded by seven Philadelp tailors in 1869, led by Uriah S. Stephens. ... Industrial unionism is a labor union organizing method through which all workers in the same industry are organized into the same union — regardless of skill or trade — thus giving workers in one industry, or in all industries, more leverage in bargaining and in strike situations. ... Terence Vincent Powderly (1849 - 1924) was born in Carbondale, Pennsylvania, the son of Irish immigrants. ...

The AA organized the Pittsburgh Bessemer Steel Works in Homestead, Pennsylvania, in 1881. The AA engaged in a bitter strike at the Homestead works on January 1, 1882 in an effort to prevent management from forcing yellow-dog contracts on all workers. Violence occurred on both sides, and the plant brought in numerous scabs (mostly Scandinavians). But the AA worked cooperatively with unskilled workers and immigrant groups to discourage scabbing and tamp down ethnic tensions. The strike ended on March 20 in a victory for the union.^[9] Homestead is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA, in the Mon Valley, seven miles (11 km) southeast of downtown Pittsburgh. ... is the 1st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1882 (MDCCCLXXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... A strikebreaker is a heroic figure with a free mind and free will, considered by many to be the culmination of human virtue. ... is the 79th day of the year (80th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

In 1883, the AA briefly withdrew from the AFL after the federation approved a series of resolutions condemning high tariffs. To the AA, protecting the American steel industry—and the jobs of its members—was more important than the effect the tariffs had on workers and consumers in general.^[10] Year 1883 (MDCCCLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

The rise of the steel industry created significant challenges for the AA. Unionized iron manufacturers often accepted the union's claim on members in their newly-established steel-making divisions. But new, non-union steel companies resisted the union. The union was unsuccessful at the Duquesne and Edgar Thomson plants near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Cambria steelworks near Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and the Steelton mill. However, the union successfully had organized the Jones and Laughlin steelworks by 1885 as well as most employers in Ohio and Illinois. By 1892, the AA had organized about half the skilled workers in the steel industry.^[11] Duquesne is a city located in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. ... Pittsburgh redirects here. ... Nickname: Location of Pennsylvania within the USA Johnstown, Cambria County, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. Coordinates: , Country State County Cambria Government  - Mayor Tom Trigona Area  - City  6. ... Steelton is a borough in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, three miles (5 km) southeast of Harrisburg. ... The earliest foundations of Jones and Laughlin Steel Company appeared in 1853 and 1859 when two iron-producing enterprises began operations several miles (c 4km) south of Pittsburgh along the Monongahela River. ... 1885 (MDCCCLXXXV) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

By 1891 the AA had more than 24,0000 members, which was about two-thirds of the millworkers eligible to join. It was the largest union in the nation, and one of the most influential unions in the American Federation of Labor (AFL).^[12] The American Federation of Labor (AFL) was one of the first federations of labor unions in the United States. ...

But size also created internal strife. Technological advances and the growth of the steel industry had forced the layoffs of many puddlers and other ironworkers. Yet, puddlers still dominated the union politically and were still a majority of its members. Skilled steelworkers felt the union increasingly ignored their needs. In a concession to the steelworkers, the AA amended its constitution in 1890 to admit unskilled workers. But membership was restricted to the local level and the admisson of unskilled workers was left to the discretion of the local affiliate. Few lodges actually gave such permission, and even fewer unskilled workers joined. The amendment did little to assuage the steelworkers, however. Dissension became so bad that William Weihe lost his 1889 re-election bid for international president.^[13] Year 1890 (MDCCCXC) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar). ... Year 1889 (MDCCCLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

The Homestead strike

Main article: Homestead strike

The Homestead strike was a major turning point for the union. The Homestead Strike was a labor lockout and strike which began on June 30, 1892, culminating in a battle between strikers and private security agents on July 6, 1892. ... The Homestead Strike was a labor lockout and strike which began on June 30, 1892, culminating in a battle between strikers and private security agents on July 6, 1892. ...

Carnegie placed strong anti-unionist Henry Clay Frick in charge of his company's operations in 1881.^[14] With the union's contract due to expire on June 30, 1892, Frick demanded a 22 percent wage decrease, then unilaterally announced that if an agreement was not reached he would no longer recognize the union.^[15] Henry Clay Frick Henry Clay Frick (December 19, 1849 – December 2, 1919) was an American industrialist and art patron. ... is the 181st day of the year (182nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1892 (MDCCCXCII) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

Frick locked the workers out on June 29.^[16] The striking workers ringed the plant and patrolled the Monongahela River (which ran alongside the mill) to prevent anyone from entering.^[17] Local sheriff's deputies failed to retake the plant on July 5.^[18] is the 180th day of the year (181st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The South Tenth Street Bridge over the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh in 2005 The Monongahela River in Fairmont, West Virginia in 2006 Monongahela River Scene, 1857[11] Opekiska Lock and Dam on the Monongahela River near Fairmont, West Virginia at river mile 115 The Monongahela River (pronounced , also known locally... is the 186th day of the year (187th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Frick then sent 300 Pinkerton National Detective Agency guards to seize the plant and re-open it on the night of July 5. The Pinkerton men were ordered to approach the plant from the river.^[19] But the strikers learned of the Pinkertons' arrival.^[20] The Pinkertons attempted to land about 4 a.m., and the crowd surged onto the Homestead plant grounds.^[21] A shot was fired, then both sides opened fire. Two workers and two Pinkertons died and dozens were wounded.^[22] The Pinkerton tug departed with the wounded agents, leaving the remaining agents stranded.^[23] Pinkerton guards escort strikebreakers in Buchtel, Ohio, 1884 The Pinkerton National Detective Agency was a private U.S. security guard and detective agency established by Allan Pinkerton in 1850. ... is the 186th day of the year (187th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

The strikers continued to sporadically fire on the stranded barges, and an attempt was made to sink the barges with a cannon.^[24] When the Pinkertons tried to disembark again at 8:00 a.m., a firefight broke out and four more strikers were killed.^[25] The strikers attempted to burn the barges several times during the day, but failed.^[26] At 5:00 p.m., the Pinkertons surrendered and were handed over to the sheriff.^[27]

On July 9, despite union claims that law and order had been restored, Governor Robert E. Pattison ordered the state militia to seize the town.^[28] More than 8,000 militia arrived on July 12, and within 90 minutes company officials were back in their offices.^[29] Strike leaders were charged with conspiracy, riot, murder and treason.^[30] is the 190th day of the year (191st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Categories: People stubs | 1850 births | 1904 deaths | Governors of Pennsylvania ... is the 193rd day of the year (194th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

The strike collapsed after an anarchist gained entrance to Frick's office and shot and stabbed him (although not mortally).^[31] Public support for the strike evaporated, and large numbers of strikers began crossing the picket line.^[32]

The AA was nearly bankrupted by the job action, and voted to return to work on November 20, 1892.^[33] In February 1893, the company and the union agreed to drop the charges filed against one another.^[34] is the 324th day of the year (325th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1892 (MDCCCXCII) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Year 1893 (MDCCCXCIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

1901 organizing drive at U.S. Steel

The Homestead strike affected the AA nationwide. The Joliet Iron and Steel Company, the Jones and Laughlin Steel Company, the St. Louis Wire Mill Company, the Edgar Thomson works and the Duquesne works all refused to sign contracts with the AA while the Homestead labor action lingered. A deepening in 1889 of the Long Depression led most steel companies to seek wage decreases similar to those imposed at Homestead.^[35] The earliest foundations of Jones and Laughlin Steel Company appeared in 1853 and 1859 when two iron-producing enterprises began operations several miles (c 4km) south of Pittsburgh along the Monongahela River. ...

In 1893, Carnegie defeated an AA union drive at the Duquesne steelworks. In 1885, Carnegie ousted the AA at the Edgar Thomson works.^[36]

An organizing drive at the Homestead plant in 1896 was crushed by Frick. In May 1899, 300 Homestead workers actually formed a lodge, but Frick ordered the Homestead works shut down and the unionization effort collapsed. Carnegie Steel remained nonunion.^[37]

De-unionization efforts throughout the Midwest began in 1897 when Jones and Laughlin Steel refused to sign a contract. By 1900, not a single steel plant in Pennsylvania remained union. The AA presence in Ohio and Illinois continued for a few more years, but the union continued to collapse. Many lodges disbanded, their members disillusioned. Others were easily broken in short, desultory battles. Carnegie Steel's Mingo Junction, Ohio plant was the last major unionized steel mill, but it, too, broke the AA and withdrew recognition in 1903.^[38] Downtown Mingo Junction in September 2006. ...

Search for growth

AA membership sagged to 10,000 in 1894 from its high of over 24,000 in 1891. A year later, it was down to 8,000. By 1909, it had sunk to 6,300.^[39]

The collapse of the AA in the steel industry was due not only to the shock of the loss at Homestead, but by changing conditions in the steel industry. So long as steel, like iron smelting, remained a craft-like endeavor, the AA—with the allegiance of each plant's skilled workers—could control the industry. But as the steel industry mechanized, the skills needed to manufacture steel shrank. Inexperienced workers could learn the unskilled work quickly. Steel manufacturers also realized that having multi-plant operations meant that production could continue if the union struck a particular facility.^[40]

Although the AA lost nearly all its members in the steel industry, the union continued to maintain its presence in the iron industry.

The AA looked for growth, however, in the tin industry, which still required skilled workers. By 1900, the union had organized 75 percent of the sheet metal mills and all but one of the tin mills in the country. That year, the union changed its named to the Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel and Tin Workers.^[41]

Crisis of the trusts

But the AA seriously misjudged both the economics of the tin industry. A sheet metal trust formed in 1900 which brought nonunion plants into competition with the AA's unionized facilities at the American Sheet Steel Company. The company refused to recognize the AA and idled union plants while keeping nonunion works running at full speed.^[42] Äž: For the film, see: 1900 (film). ...

The formation of the U.S. Steel trust in 1901 threatened the AA with ruin. The trust incorporated plants of the American Tin Plate Co. into U.S Steel. If the AA was to save its existing locals at American Tin Plate and American Sheet Steel, it had to organize all the plants of U.S. Steel. But before an organizing drive could get under way, U.S. Steel's tin plate subsidiary withdrew recognition from the AA and refused to bargain at unionized plants. The independent American Sheet Steel did the same.^[43] The United States Steel Corporation (NYSE: X) is an integrated steel producer with major production operations in the United States and Central Europe. ... Year 1901 (MCMI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday [1] of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

Recognition strike at U.S. Steel

Main article: U.S. Steel Recognition Strike of 1901

The AA tried to organize U.S. Steel by staging a recognition strike. U.S. Steel executives pressured American Sheet Steel executives into recognizing the AA at most Sheet Steel plants on July 13, 1901. But AA president T.J. Shaffer rejected the deal because it did not cover all American Sheet Steel plants.^[44] The U.S. Steel Recognition Strike of 1901 was an attempt by the Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel and Tin Workers (the AA) to reverse its declining fortunes and organize large numbers of new members. ... The U.S. Steel Recognition Strike of 1901 was an attempt by the Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel and Tin Workers (the AA) to reverse its declining fortunes and organize large numbers of new members. ... is the 194th day of the year (195th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1901 (MCMI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday [1] of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

U.S. Steel president J.P. Morgan then backed out of the deal. John Pierpont Morgan (April 17, 1837 – March 31, 1913), American financier and banker, was born in Hartford, Connecticut, a son of Junius Spencer Morgan (1813–1890), who was a partner of George Peabody and the founder of the house of J. S. Morgan & Co. ...

The strike failed. U.S. Steel and American Sheet Steel workers refused to leave work, both compnaies hired thousands of strikebreakers, and the AFL refused to support the AA financially or organizationally.^[45] The strike against U.S. Steel ended on September 14.^[46] is the 257th day of the year (258th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Aftermath of the U.S. Steel strike

The AA never recovered from the U.S. Steel strike. It turned strongly conservative, hoping through submissiveness and cooperation to maintain its few remaining contracts. U.S. Steel slowly dismantled AA unions in its plants.^[47]

The puddlers in the union's ironworker locals attempted to secede in 1907. Angered at the union's decline and the way national leaders ignored their interests, the puddlers had retained membership throughout the battles with Carnegie and U.S. Steel. Adopting their old Sons of Vulcan name, about 1,250 of the AA's 2,250 puddlers left the union. But the secession did not last. The Sons of Vulcan won recognition from the Lockhart Iron and Steel Company of McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania. But when the new union demanded a massive wage hike in 1910, the union was forced to strike. After the successful strike, fights broke out between returning union members and strikebreakers who had stayed in the plant. The company slowly replaced all the strikers. Weakened, the Sons of Vulcan soon lost recognition at Youngstown Sheet and Tube, and at the A.M. Byers ironworks. The secessionists slowly drifted back into the AA.^[48] Year 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... McKees Rocks, also known as The Rocks, is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, along the west bank of the Ohio River, adjoining Pittsburgh. ...

On June 1, 1909, U.S. Steel finally withdrew recognition of the AA at the 12 remaining unionized mills. While the union's larger locals, such as those at Youngstown Sheet and Tube and the LaBelle Iron Works, disbanded without a fight, most of the union's smaller affiliates fought back. A strike was called. The AFL began a national campaign to publicize dangerous working conditions in the company's plants and the monopolistic nature of the trust. U.S. Steel aggressively countered, breaking up union meetings with hired thugs, driving organizers out of town, bringing in strikebreakers and shifting production to other plants. Although the AA flirted with bankruptcy, donations from other unions kept it afloat. The strike dragged on for 14 months, and was broken in December 1910.^[49] is the 152nd day of the year (153rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1909 (MCMIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... The Youngstown Iron Sheet and Tube Company was one of the largest steel manufacturers in the world. ... Year 1910 (MCMX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday [1] of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

In 1911, the AA was unable to win wage increases among independent steel employers to match those unilaterally bestowed by U.S. Steel.^[50] Year 1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

The depression of 1915 forced sizeable wage decreases on the union. The union, which had once organized nearly every tin and sheet metal plant in the country, now could count less than one-fifth under contract. Once the largest affiliate of the AFL, now the AA numbered a mere 6,500 members.^[51] Year 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday[1] of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

Blacklisting of union members and supporters and widespread use of 'yellow-dog' contracts became widespread, hindering the union.^[52] A blacklist is a list or register of people who, for one reason or another, are being denied a particular privilege, service, or mobility. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

Post-war activism

Faced with declining membership, the AA amended its constitution in 1910 and offered membership to all iron and steel workers. Few took the union up on its offer.^[53] Year 1910 (MCMX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday [1] of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

In 1909, AA president P.J. McArdle won approval for an AFL organizing drive at U.S. Steel, but the drive never got off the ground.^[54] Year 1909 (MCMIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

During World War I, the AA saw some limited growth. The AFL formed a National Committee for Organizing the Iron and Steel Workers to take advantage of worker restiveness. More than 15 AFL unions participated in the committee, while 24 claimed jurisdiction over portions of the steel industry. John Fitzpatrick and William Z. Foster of the Chicago Federation of Labor became the committee leaders. But the organizing drive was hampered by the refusal of many of the participating unions to provide resources and support, and by the committee's lack of a mechanism to enforce jurisdictional agreements and requisition funds.^[55] “The Great War ” redirects here. ... There have been a number of people named John Fitzpatrick: John Fitzpatrick, former leader of the Chicago Federation of Labor John Fitzpatrick (1915-1997), former Australian politician John Fitzpatrick (b 1946), a Scottish football player John Fitzpatrick, test pilot and founder of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots John Fitzpatrick... William Edward Foster (February 25, 1881 - September 1, 1961), who renamed himself as William Z. Foster, was the long-time General Secretary of the Communist Party USA and trade union leader. ... The Chicago Federation of Labor (CFL) is the central labor body for over 300 Chicago area unions affiliated with the AFL-CIO. The CFL was formed in the late 1800s to strengthen the efforts of individual union locals by creating a unified voice for the citys labor movement. ...

A shoving match between the AFL and the steel companies led to the next major push to organize the steel industry.

1919 steel strike

Main article: Steel strike of 1919

Shortly after Armistice Day, AFL organizers in and around Pittsburgh began to be harassed. The anti-union pressure quickly spread to the Midwest and West.^[56] The Steel Strike of 1919 was an attempt by the weakened Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel and Tin Workers (the AA) to organize the American steel industry in the wake of World War I. The strike was a failure. ... Armistice Day Celebrations in Toronto, Canada - 1918 Armistice Day is the anniversary of the official end of World War I, November 11, 1918. ...

The AFL pushed back with a national strike. On April 1, 1919, miners in Pennsylvania struck to demand that local officials allow union meetings, and frightened town mayors soon issued meeting permits. The success of the miners' strike led the AA to hold a strike referendum in August in which 98 percent of its members favored a general steelworker strike to begin September 22.^[57] The Steel Strike of 1919 was an attempt by the weakened Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel and Tin Workers (the AA) to organize the American steel industry in the wake of World War I. The strike was a failure. ... is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... is the 265th day of the year (266th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

The September strike shut down half the steel industry.^[58]

But the owners quickly turned public opinion against the AFL. A Red Scare had swept the United States in the wake of the Russian revolution of October 1917. The steel companies took advantange of the change in the political climate, publishing articles exposing Foster's past as a Wobblie and syndicalist. The steel companies also played heavily on nativist hatreds and implied that immigrant steelworkers were communists. Political cartoon of the era depicting an anarchist attempting to destroy the Statue of Liberty. ... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar (see: 1917 Julian calendar). ... The IWW Label A Wobbly membership card The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW or the Wobblies) is an international union headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, having much in common with anarcho-syndicalist unions, but also many differences. ... Syndicalism refers to a set of ideas, movements, and tendencies which share the avowed aim of transforming capitalist society through action by the working class on the industrial front. ... For other uses, see Nativism (disambiguation). ... Communism is an ideology that seeks to establish a classless, stateless social organization based on common ownership of the means of production. ...

The use of state-sponsored violence against the union was widespread. President Woodrow Wilson's stroke, however, prevented federal officials from meeting steelmakers' demands to use federal troops to put down the strike. State and local authorities did intervene, and encouraged the use of widespread violence against the union. State militia violence was so bad that the U.S. Army was forced to occupy Gary, Indiana.^[59] Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856–February 3, 1924), was the twenty-eighth President of the United States. ... The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... This article is about the city. ...

Steel companies turned toward strikebreaking and rumor-mongering to break the strike. Tens of thousands of African American and Mexican workers were brought in as strikebreakers, and many racist white steelworkers returned to work to stop minorities from taking their jobs.^[60]

The AFL refused to contribute funds or staff to support the strike. By November, most AA local affiliates had collapsed.^[61]

The Steel strike of 1919 collapsed on January 8, 1920. AA officials begged the National Committee to approve a unilateral return to work, but National Committee members voted to keep the strike going. The AA withdrew from the National Committee, and the organizing effort and strike ended.^[62] is the 8th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ...

New Deal organizing

By mid-1933, the Great Depression and conservative leadership had left the AA with only 5,000 members and less than $30,000 in the bank. Union president Michael F. Tighe, 76, was referred to as 'Grandmother' due to his advanced age and timidity.^[63] Year 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see The Great Depression (disambiguation). ...

Passage of the National Industrial Recovery Act on June 16, 1933 sparked widespread union organizing throughout the country. Even the AA attempted to organize workers. An organizing drive at Jones and Laughlin Steel saw more than 6,000 workers sign membership cards. A similar drive at the U.S. Steel works in nearby Duquesne in late 1933 enrolled one-quarter of the mill's unskilled workforce, mostly immigrants and blacks.^[64] The National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA) or National Recovery Act (NRA) of June 16, 1933, was part of President Franklin Delano Roosevelts New Deal. ... is the 167th day of the year (168th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The AA's membership rose to more than 150,000 by February 1934. Nearly one in two steelworkers had signed a union authorization card (although they had not become dues-paying members).^[65]

Strike activity, too, soared. Steel strikes affected the same proportion of the industry as strikes did strikes in the rubber and auto industries. The number of striking steel workers jumped from none in 1932 to 34,000 in 1933. Roughly 75 percent of the workers were fighting for recognition of their union.^[66]

Tighe denounced the strikes and resented the way new members seized control of the lodges.^[67]

Rank and File Movement

In 1934, an opposition group known as the Rank and File Movement formed within the AA. A number of militant local affiliates had sprung up across the nation or had joined existing lodges in large enough numbers to elect their own, militant leaders. The locals coalesced into the Rank and File Movement and challenged the conservative leadership to act, demanding that the AA reorganize along industrial union lines. At the AA national convention in late April, the Rank and File Movement forced through a resolution which committed the international to a nationwide strike on June 16, 1934, if the major steel employers did not recognize the union in every plant.^[68] Year 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 167th day of the year (168th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Meanwhile, the federal regulatory scheme under which the AA had been organizing began to collapse. The National Labor Board (NLB), which attempted to enforce Section 7(a) of the NIRA, lacked the powers necessary to enforce the act, and employers had begun to ignore the Board and violate the law. Senator Robert F. Wagner, co-author of the NIRA, had begun to write new legislation in the fall of 1933 to more fully lay out the rights of workers in the U.S. and establish a new agency to enforce these rights. Wagner introduced his legislation on March 1, 1934.^[69] The National Labor Board was the predecessor to the National Labor Relations Board. ... Portrait of Robert F. Wagner in the U.S. Senate Reception Room Robert Ferdinand Wagner (8 June 1877–4 May 1953) was a Democratic United States Senator from New York from 1927 until 1949. ... is the 60th day of the year (61st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Simultaneously, a fight was brewing between the United Auto Workers (UAW) and the auto industry. The UAW had organized nearly 50,000 auto workers in 1933, but the auto manufacturers had refused to recognize the union, established company unions and rejected the NLB's call for mediation. Roosevelt had personally intervened in the dispute. In an agreement applauded by the AFL, Roosevelt stripped the NLB of its jurisdiction over the auto industry and established a separate Automobile Labor Board.^[70] The United Auto Workers (UAW), headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, officially the United Automobile, Aerospace & Agricultural Implement Workers of America International Union, is one of the largest labor unions in North America, The UAW has approximately 540,000 active members and over 500,000 retired members in the United States, Canada...

The March 1934 auto industry agreement paved the way for new legislation which did away with the toothless NLB, but which only worsened the problems of the labor movement. With the steel strike deadline approaching, the steel industry was gearing up for war with the AA. But the Wagner bill, which might have averted a strike by establishing stronger protections for workers, had little chance of passing. Again Roosevelt intervened. He called a conference at the White House on June 12 at which AFL president William Green was one of the attendees. A compromise bill was hammered out which authorized the president to create one or more new labor boards to enforce Section 7(a) by conducting investigations, subpoenaing evidence and witnesses, holding elections and issuing enforcement orders.^[71] is the 163rd day of the year (164th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

At a special convention of the AA on June 13, Green convinced the AA to call the strike off. The Rank and File Movement's inadequate organization, the obstructionist policies of the Amalgamated's national leadership, strong opposition from the steel industry and the promise of enhanced governmental protection cut the legs out from the nascent organizing drive. Tighe exacted his revenge: Throughout the rest of the year, he suspended locals that called for aggressive action.^[72] is the 164th day of the year (165th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

AFL attempts to organize

At its annual convention in San Francisco in October 1934, Green called for an organizing campaign in the steel industry.^[73] But no organizing drive in steel emerged. Only Green and two other AFL vice presidents supported the plan, the AFL executive council voted to initiate a joint organizing drive similar to the failed 1919 campaign.^[74] This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... Year 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

By early 1935, what little organizing the AA had exhibited in the steel industry melted away. When the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the NIRA on constitutional ground on May 27, 1935,^[75] the AFL's organizing drive collapsed.^[76] The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C. The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C., (large image) The Supreme Court of the United States, located in Washington, D.C., is the highest court (see supreme court) in the United States; that is, it has ultimate judicial authority within the United States... is the 147th day of the year (148th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar). ...

Merger with SWOC

Other events swiftly overtook the AA. The National Labor Relations Act was signed into law by President Roosevelt on July 5, 1935. Committee for Industrial Organization (CIO) formed within the AFL on November 8, 1935.^[77] This article does not cite any references or sources. ... is the 186th day of the year (187th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar). ... The Congress of Industrial Organizations, or CIO, was a federation of unions that organized industrial workers in the United States and Canada in 1935-1955. ... is the 312th day of the year (313th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar). ...

The CIO wanted to start a steel organizing campaign. But John L. Lewis and the CIO did not wish to leave the AFL, however, so the CIO resolved to work through the AA instead.^[78] The CIO attempted to push a steelworker industrial organizing plan for the AA through the January 1936 AFL executive council meeting, but the plan was rejected.^[79] DAVE ACKERMAN HAS WOOLY SOCKSJohn Llewellyn Lewis (February 12, 1880 – June 11, 1969) was an American leader of organized labor who served as president of the United Mine Workers of America from 1920 to 1960. ...

The CIO subverted the AA from within. John Brophy, the newly-hired organizing director of the CIO, was able to infiltrate the AA convention and proposed that the delegates accept the CIO's offer. The delegates agreed to appoint a committee to study the proposal.^[80] John Brophy is the name of more than one notable person. ...

Tighe sent AA international secretary Louis Leonard to consult with Green, but Green could not match the CIO's offer. Lewis made it clear that the CIO would move ahead with an organizing drive in the steel industry with or without the AA.^[81] Confronted with a choice between irrelvance or collusion, AA officials accepted the CIO proposal, affiliated with the CIO on June 4, and agreed to make the AA an administrative unit of CIO's Steel Workers Organizing Committee (SWOC). SWOC was formally announced in Pittsburgh on June 7, 1936.^[82] Green was outraged, the AFL suspended the 10 unions which belonged to the CIO in November 1936.^[83] Philip Murray was appointed director of SWOC, and ran the organization (and union) until his death in 1952.^[84] Louis Leonard (born July 16, 1984) is an American football defensive tackle for the St. ... is the 155th day of the year (156th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union (United Steelworkers or USW) claims over 1. ... is the 158th day of the year (159th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Philip Murray (May 25, 1886 - November 9, 1952) was a U.S. (Scottish-born) labor leader. ... Year 1952 (MCMLII) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The AA under SWOC

Main article: Steel Workers Organizing Committee

For the next six years, the AA remained inactive within SWOC. It issued charters and approved contracts for existing lodges, but let SWOC handle all matters regarding organizing and to negotiate contracts on behalf of new locals.^[85] The United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union (United Steelworkers or USW) claims over 1. ...

SWOC and the AA were disbanded at a convention held in Cleveland, Ohio on May 22, 1942. A new organization, the United Steel Workers of America (USWA), was founded. Philip Murray was named president. David McDonald, Murray's long-time aide at SWOC, was appointed the first secretary-treasurer of the USWA.^[86] Cleveland redirects here. ... is the 142nd day of the year (143rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union (United Steelworkers or USW) claims over 1. ... David John McDonald (November 22, 1902 - August 8, 1979) was an American labor leader and president of the United Steelworkers of America from 1952 to 1965. ...

Notes

The Toledo Auto-Lite strike was a strike by a federal labor union of the American Federation of Labor (AFL) against the Electric Auto-Lite company of Toledo, Ohio, from April 12 to June 3, 1934. ... is the 179th day of the year (180th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... David Dubinsky (David Dubnievski) (February 22, 1892 - September 17, 1982) was a U.S. labor leader. ... The International Ladies Garment Workers Union was once one of the largest labor unions in the United States, one of the first U.S. unions to have a primarily female membership, and a key player in the labor history of the 1920s and 1930s. ... Holding Section 3 of the National Industrial Recovery Act was an unconstitutional delegation of legislative power to the Executive, and was not a valid exercise of congressional Commerce Clause power. ... // The United States Reports, the official reporter of the Supreme Court of the United States Case citation is the system used in common law countries such as the United States, England and Wales, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Australia and India to uniquely identify the location of past court... is the 61st day of the year (62nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America was a United States labor union known for its support for social unionism and progressive political causes. ...

References

• Brody, David. Labor in Crisis: The Steel Strike of 1919. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 1987. ISBN 0-252-01373-5
• Brody, David. Steelworkers in America: The Nonunion Era. New York: Harper Torchbooks, 1969. ISBN 0-252-06713-4
• Brody, David. 'The origins of modern steel unionism: The SWOC era.' Forging a Union of Steel: Philip Murray, SWOC, and the United Steelworkers. Cornell, NY: ILR Press, 1987. ISBN 0-87546-134-4
• Dubofsky, Melvyn and Dulles, Foster Rhea. Labor in America: A History. 6th ed. Wheeling, IL: Harlan Davidson, Inc., 1999. ISBN 0-88295-979-4
• Foner, Philip. History of the Labor Movement in the United States. Vol. 2: From the Founding of the A.F. of L. to the Emergence of American Imperialism. New York: International Publishers, 1955. ISBN 0-7178-0092-X
• Krause, Paul. The Battle for Homestead, 1890-1892: Politics, Culture, and Steel. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1992. ISBN 0-8229-5466-4
• Marshall, Margaret. 'Waiting for Lewis.' The Nation. May 20, 1936.
• Morris, Charles. The Blue Eagle at Work: Reclaiming Democratic Rights in the American Workplace. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2004. ISBN 0-8014-4317-2
• Pacchioli, David. 'Forged in steel.' Research/Penn State. 20:1 (January 1999).
• Phelan, Craig. William Green: Biography of a Labor Leader. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 1989. ISBN 0-88706-871-5
• Rayback, Joseph G. A History of American Labor. Rev. and exp. ed. New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc., 1966. ISBN 0-02-925850-2
• Rose, James D. Duquesne and the Rise of Steel Unionism. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 2001. ISBN 0-252-02660-8
• Schlesinger, Arthur M. The Age of Roosevelt: The Coming of the New Deal: 1933-1935. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1958. ISBN 0-618-34086-6
• Zieger, Robert H. The CIO, 1935-1955. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 1995. ISBN 0-8078-2182-9

External links

• United Steelworkers