Road to Rust - by Dale Perelman (Paperback)

About the Book

The author charts the struggle and decline of the United States most prominent regional steel industry.

Book Synopsis

The author of Steel tells the story of strikes and violent unrest amid the mines and mills of twentieth-century Pennsylvania and Ohio--includes photos.

As the twentieth century dawned on western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio, the region's steel industry faced a struggle for unionism. The industry was plagued by disasters that killed and maimed countless workers, many of them impoverished immigrants from Ireland, Hungary, and other nations--in 1906 alone, more than four hundred workers died in steel plant accidents.

In response, unionists like Philip Murray, John L. Lewis, Samuel Gompers, and Gus Hall began to battle for fair wages, hours, and working conditions. Managers like Judge Elbert Gary and Tom Girdler opposed their every move. Tensions from issues of immigration, class, skill, and race erupted throughout the industry.

The tribulations led to widespread steel strikes directed by the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers and the Steel Workers Organizing Committee, and a war that killed scores and injured thousands. In this book, industrial relations expert Dale Richard Perelman charts the struggle and decline of the nation's most prominent regional steel industry.

About the Author

Dale Richard Perelman has written several books, including Mountain of Light: The Story of the Koh-I-Noor Diamond, The Regent: The Story of the Regent Diamond, Centenarians: One Hundred 100-Year-Olds Who Made a Difference and Steel: The Story of Pittsburgh's Iron and Steel Industry, 1852-1902. Mr. Perelman holds a bachelor of arts degree in English literature from Brown University, an MBA in industrial relations from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a graduate gemologist designation from the Gemological Institute of America.