United Steel Workers, Great Lakes Seamen Local 5000 records

The founding of the United Steelworkers--Great Lakes Seamen Local 5000 was an event produced by two separate by converging streams in the history of Great Lakes labor history. The inability of such organizations as the National Maritime Union and the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association to successfully counterbalance the efforts of United States Steel Corporation and the Lake Carrier's Association to continue operations of lake fleets with open shop labor practices was a characteristic of labor/managment confrontations throughout the first half of the twentieth century. In contrast, the United Steelworkers of America had enjoyed more success in organizing union representation for iron miners and steel workers.

With an ability to obtain leverage in disputes with US Steel and LCA that other organizations lacked, the United Steelworkers of America began its organizing campaign in 1951. Strikes could be coordinated for unlicensed crew members of lake fleets along with sympathy strikes by miners and steelworkers to shut down both US Steel and LCA fleet operations.

The United Steelworkers of America became the parent organization for the Great Lakes Seamen's Union and Local 5000 was founded during 1951 in Cleveland, ohio. With this new and vigorous Local in the city where LCA maintained its headquarters, the Great Lakes Seamen began negotiating contracts with the threat of widespread industry-wide strikes to back their position. The Jones and Laughlin Steel Corporation was the first LCA member to negotiate a contract with the new union. US Steel remained the major target for new contract agreements because of its dominant position among lake fleets and its control over LCA.

By 1956 the development of negotiated contracts with other LCA members and the steelworkers strike of that summer brought US Steel to the bargaining table. In September 1956 US Steel began negotiations with the marine Engineers Beneficial Association. Contracts with other maritime unions including the Great Lakes Seamen followed.

Files in this collection reflect the growth of Local 5000 since the 1950s. Contracts are now negotiated with such shipping lines as the Great Lakes Fleet Division of US Steel, transportation divisions of Bethlehem Steel Corporation, Inland Steel Company, Wisconsin Steel Company, Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company, Oglebay Norton Company's Columbia Transportation Dvision, Hanna Mining Company, and the Interlake Steamship Company.

The significance of the role that Local 5000 came to play in labor relations for Great Lakes Maritime crews can be examined through a contrast between the sense of isolation many unlicensed crew members felt in the pre-World War II era in signing contracts to work in open shop fleets and the advice given in the newsletter The Great Lakes Sailor that stated in bold face: "WHEN IN DOUBT, ALWAYS FILE A GRIEVANCE."