Striking Steel (Solidarity Remembered) (Critical Perspectives on the past series) [Paperback]

Jack Metzgar (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2000 | ISBN-10: 1566397391 | ISBN-13: 978-1566397391

Having come of age during a period of vibrant union-centered activism, Jack Metzgar begins this book wondering how his father, a U.S. Steel shop steward in the 1950s and '60s, and so many contemporary historians could forget what this country owes to the union movement. Combining personal memoir and historical narrative, "Striking Steel" argues for a reassessment of unionism in American life during the second half of the twentieth century and a recasting of 'official memory.' As he traces the history of union steelworkers after World War II, Metzgar draws on his father's powerful stories about the punishing work in the mills, stories in which time is divided between 'before the union' and since. His father, Johnny Metzgar, fought ardently for workplace rules as a means of giving 'the men' some control over their working conditions and protection from venal foremen.He pursued grievances until he eroded management's authority, and he badgered foremen until he established shopfloor practices that would become part of the next negotiated contract. As a passionate advocate of solidarity, he urged coworkers to stick together so that the rules were upheld and so that everyone could earn a decent wage. "Striking Steel's" pivotal event is the four-month nationwide steel strike of 1959, a landmark union victory that has been all but erased from public memory. With remarkable tenacity, union members held out for the shopfloor rules that gave them dignity in the workplace and raised their standard of living. Their victory underscored the value of sticking together and reinforced their sense that they were contributing to a general improvement in American working and living conditions.The Metzgar family's story vividly illustrates the larger narrative of how unionism lifted the fortunes and prospects of working-class families. It also offers an account of how the broad social changes of the period helped to shift the balance of power in a conflict-ridden, patriarchal household. Even if the optimism of his generation faded in the upheavals of the 1960s, Johnny Metzgar's commitment to his union and the strike itself stands as honorable examples of what collective action can and did achieve. Jack Metzgar's "Striking Steel" is a stirring call to remember and renew the struggle. Jack Metzgar is Professor of Humanities at Roosevelt University.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Striking Steel is part memoir, part history of the steelworkers and their union. It is a unique addition to the literature on American labor. Although I disagree with Metzgar's spirited defense of the union, this is an indispensable book for any student of American labor and of recent American history!" --Stanley Aronowitz, author of From the Ashes of the Old: American Labor and America's Future "We have here an informative, engaging, perceptive, sometimes controversial and always challenging history of the 1959 steel strike and the union struggles of the '50s. A thought-provoking review of a much neglected period and event, its results and its implications." --Lynn Williams, past President of the United Steelworkers of America "Jack Metzgar is a fabulous writer whose memoir of his own steelworking family illuminates a now distant shopfloor universe of moral conflict, cultural change, and working class power. Striking Steel is full of insight, wisdom, and passion. read it and you will turn the pages with eagerness and appreciation." --Nelson Lichtenstein, University of Virginia "Through its compelling portrayal of one family, one union and industry, striking Steel vividly brings to life the spirit fo the American labor movement. and in its brilliant reinterpretation of one of the most misunderstood eras in our nations' past; it makes a potent case for organized laobr's continuing role in helping to shape the next American century." --Roberta Lynch, International Vice President of AFSCME and co-author of Rusted Dreams: Hard Times in a Steel Community

About the Author

Jack Metzgar is Professor of Humanities at Roosevelt University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Temple University Press (February 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566397391
• ISBN-13: 978-1566397391
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #811,209 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Leads to better understanding of labor issues, April 19, 2000

By 

K. Grant (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Striking Steel (Solidarity Remembered) (Critical Perspectives on the past series) (Paperback)

Striking Steel is well written. The author did a massive amount of research and shows an understanding of the deeper underlying labor issues. While we may not always agree on the issues, I came away with a better understanding of why it is sometimes necessary for unions to strike. Even though Mr. Metzgar did not drive the point that all of us--even those of us with comfy office jobs--have better working conditions because unions have demanded them, his recitation of working conditions in the 20th century, made me realize this is so. It is when he brings the issues home--literally--to show how they shaped his family and neighborhood that the book takes on life. Statistics, theory, and conjecture are fine--but the reality of the lives of the workers is where the book has its greatest impact.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unions make a difference, June 30, 2000

By 

Bill Carey (Gary, IN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Striking Steel (Solidarity Remembered) (Critical Perspectives on the past series) (Paperback)

In these memoirs by the son of a steelworker union rep, Metzger does a great job explaining how steelworkers and their Union created a middle class in steel towns across the U.S. by repeatedly striking during the 1950's. He brings to life the dry legalistic contract language, that steelworkers walked off the job for 119 days to protect and shows how when backed by a strong union and dedicated union reps, these words gave ordinary workers the tools to get respect on the job even when the boss wasn't keen on giving it. His history of the 1959 strike is well documented and he does a good job explaining why so many others got it wrong.

5.0 out of 5 stars a great read, February 28, 2011

By 

bill - See all my reviews

This review is from: Striking Steel (Solidarity Remembered) (Critical Perspectives on the past series) (Paperback)

This is interdisciplinary writing at its best--honest memoir, perceptive sociology, informative labor history, clear economics, and tough-minded politics. I not only learned a lot from reading this, but it was engaging and enjoyable, and it made the crucial decades of the 20th century--especially with regard to working class life--come alive for me. It serves as a reminder of how deeply and intensely issues of economics and government policy intersect the human complexity of everyday life.