……..I used to get Memorial Day and Labor Day confused when I was little. I knew one was at the beginning of Summer; One was at the end. As I grew older (and one would hope more knowledgeable) I learned that Memorial Day honored and remembered those who had given their lives in defense of our country and Labor Day honored the men and women who toiled in the factories, mines and many industries and formed the backbone of our country.
……I was at the New Cumberland Cemetery yesterday. The official end of Summer to me signifies the time to replace the Summer grave decorations with Fall decorations. As I walked about, I thought about the proud tradition of Labor Unions in West Virginia and in our area. Sadly, it might also be a time to honor the demise of the largest independent steelworkers union in the United States. We were once home to not only the home of Weirton Steel, but also the ISU as it was known to all. I had the privilege of working with both management and the union when I served in the Legislature from 1989-2000. I also was the editor of UNION FOCUS, the ISU’s monthly newspaper.
…… It’s hard to imagine that Weirton Steel was once the largest employer in the State of West Virginia. Those who served in the Legislature 50 years ago remembered when “coal was king” in our State, but that was changing and Weirton Steel had taken its place when I served.nions guided a lot of legislation and it was difficult to get a bill passed that didn’t have Union support. As legislators valued endorsements, it was hard to beat a candidate endorsed by the unions
. Sure, the Chamber of Commerce, Business and Industry Council and all the business groups endorsed, but the value of a union endorsement was that the members not only worked to get you elected, they were sure to vote. I remember hearing of unions taking buses full of workers to the polls. (:A bit of Hancock County history: The Racetrack Video Lottery Act would never had gotten passed without the support of the union. The pari-mutuel workers were a Local chapter of the AFL-CIO and with their endorsement came that of not only the AFL-CIO, but the United Steelworkers and the CWA (Communications Workers of American. Locally, that meant the tireless work of the Local Unions president, Jeanne Ann Gibson Chetock. Having Jeanne Ann on your side meant that she garnered all the Unions throughout the State, her workers and the community to go to work to get the legislation passed.
…….As I write this, I realize that tomorrow might honor the Jeanne Anns of the Labor movement. When they were with you, they had your back.
…..The labor movement in West Virginia was fraught with violence. It began with the industrialization of the State in the late 19th and earlu 20th centuries. Our reailroads, timber and coal industries grew the number of workers. The southern coalfields population fgrew from 93,000 to 446,000 between 18880 and 1920. Thanks to West Virginia history classes we all remember Mother Jones and the violence that occurred as mineworkers organized.
…….According to the West Virginia Encyclopedia “For their magnitude and level of violence, several struggles union recognition have entered the realm of legend: the Paint Creek,-Cabin Creek mine war 1912-1913, the Mingo Mine War 1919-21, etc .” We all remember learning about Battle of Blair Mountain, the Matewan Massacre and the killing of Matewan Police Chief Sid Hatfield.”
…..But, what of unions locally. By the mid 1930’s, the tri-state Upper Ohio Valley Region had more than half the factories in the Nation. To us, that meant Weirton Steel, UMWA President John L. Lewis challenged the AFL effort to organize unions by industries rather than craft, This resulted in the creation of the Congress of Industrial Organizations or the CIO.
……There’s not a whole lot written about Weirton Steel’s union past so forgive me if I err. (Acutally, do contract me if your information differs) The United Steel Workers of America tried to organize Weirton Steel in the late 1930’s. Their efforts failed. The Employees Security League, a company union, was recognized by the National Labor Relations Board. It then became the Independent Steelworkers Union.
……Things got violent then as well. I can find no written account, but I remember my Dad telling me he had just gotten a job at Weirton Steel and he took the bus from New Cumberland to Weirton. When he got to Weirton Steel he saw that “they were busting heads.” He said he didn’t even bother to get off the bus, and when back home. I heard stories of “red hats” who were company men who used violence to discourage workers from joining the USW. I even heard that those employees were redlined and could never be fired. Again, all just rumors.
…….I had the privilege of working with the Independent Steelworkers as a legislator. I say privilege because they were rational, fair and represented their members well. There were times, in fact, that they were at odds with the USW. One that comes to mind is the “20-minute lunchbreak bill” which they were against because of their employees who were on incentive and didn’t want to be forced totake 20-minutes to eat. Those employees ate while they were working. Weirton Steel and the ISU won that one in Finance Committee.
…….I’ve gone on much to long. We’ve seen the demise of Weirton Steel along with ISU and I fear our area has also not only suffered the loss of jobs, but the advantage of significant political power.
