USW in Coatesville set to mark 75 years
Local 1165 plans to welcome active and retired workers to celebrate their union
Vonie Long knows many people have a negative perception of unions, but he is proud of the role his has played in the lives of its members.
On Saturday, Long will lead a celebration of 75 years in existence for the United Steelworkers’ Local 1165 as well as for the national steelworkers’ union.
“Overall, the perception of unions is negative,” Long said. “But if you talk to someone at a lunch counter or get to speak to them individually, it’s a different story. There’s somewhat of a Wall Street effect where you have a few wealthy men leading the anti-union effort. But they’re not your neighbor.”
The USW local represents around 600 workers at ArcelorMittal’s Coatesville plant, a far cry from the early 1970s when it had 8,000-strong in the union, said Long, president of the local. Automation, process efficiencies and contracting out have been the main culprits, the union president added. Unlike other steel mills, China is not a main contributor to the reductions because the plant’s alloy-based operation is not one China is big in,
Long said.
“I can think of jobs in the mill where you have one doing the work that four used to do and a lot of tasks combined from three jobs to one,” said Long, an electrician and maintenance technician at the mill. “If you just take my 20 years here, they had 1,200 workers 20 years ago. They just don’t replace people when they retire.”
Still, the union remains important in keeping family-sustaining jobs in the area, Long said.
“We’re pretty proud of the pay and lifestyles we’ve managed to get for our members, so they could send their kids to college and they could live in the suburbs and they could go to the shore one week during the summer,” Long said. “Plus, you have the joint company-union safety committee now that has made it a much safer place to work.”
One of those who has benefited is Dawn Schaffer, a retired steelworker who was hired at Lukens Steel in 1973 and worked there for 40 years.
“The union was a huge factor in my life,” Schaffer said. “It just helped you if you needed it. I left with two pensions (one from Lukens and one from ArcelorMittal). There are so many people who don’t have a dedicated pension anymore. I feel very fortunate.”
Schaffer is a member of Women of Steel, an international organization, and is treasurer of the retirees’ group at the union in Coatesville.
Schaffer said she started at the mill as a laborer in the masonry department and was the head of a crew in the 140-inch rolling mill when she left. She estimated that 30 women work in the mill today.
“It was a great opportunity for women back then,” she said. “I have a lot of respect for the union and for the company, too. I’m very happy with my career, I’m very happy I was in a union.”
In Chester County, USW Local 1165 represents 1,200 workers. In addition to ArcelorMittal, it has workers at: Johnson Matthey in Devon, Downingtown and West Chester; Lenape Forge in Pocopson; AGC Chemicals in Thorndale; Stein Mill Services in South Coatesville; Coatesville Scrap; Hanson Aggregates in Downingtown; Lasko AirKing in West Chester; McAvoy Brick in Phoenixville; Exton Nissan; and Steel Mill Services in South Coatesville.
The most serious labor action Long could recall was a 105-day strike in the early 1990s.
“People think we’re out to hurt our employers, but we’re not,” he said. “But we want a little bit back.”
The national union also is marking its 75th anniversary, said Long, who provided highlights of its history.
The USW was established May 22, 1942, by a convention of representatives from the Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel, and Tin Workers and the Steel Workers Organizing Committee, after almost six years to create new unions of steelworkers.
On Oct. 31, 1949, the USWA won its first company-funded pension plan for workers in a contract with Bethlehem Steel.
Members of the Aluminum Workers of America merged with the budding steelworker union that was the USW in June 1944. Eventually, eight more unions joined the USW as well.
The United Steelworkers, with 850,000 members, is currently affiliated with the American Federation of Labor - Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) and the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) as well as several international union federations.
Saturday’s luncheon is for active and retired steelworkers to celebrate the union’s history, Long said.
“It’s going to be low key, but I have a few appreciation awards to hand out,” he said, adding that many of those attending will be third- and fourth-generation steelworkers at the Coatesville facility.