United Steelworkers of America
Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
In the Grant Building here on June 17, 1936, the Steel Workers Organizing Committee was founded. Renamed in 1942, the USWA became one of the world's largest unions, embracing over a million workers. Philip Murray was its first president.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
In the depths of the Great Depression, organized labor was fighting to gain a foothold in America's mightiest industry. On June 17, 1936, in Pittsburgh's Grant Building, the Steel Workers Organizing Committee was formed to bring the men of the mills into one union. Under its first president, Philip Murray, the effort grew into the United Steelworkers of America, eventually representing more than a million workers across the continent.
Why it matters
The drive to organize steel was a turning point in the American labor movement, giving industrial workers a collective voice in the nation's economic life.
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Related people
- · Philip Murray
Related events
- · Founding of the Steel Workers Organizing Committee
Themes & tags
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