[BlueStreak]

Speaking of "Big Steel".......an excellent, truly objective look at the decline of the steel industry is ".....and the Wolf finally came." by John Hoerr.

One quote from this book that sticks in my head is from an 1988 interview with J. Bruce Johnston, Cheif Negotiator for the Steel Industry in the 1970s-early 1980s;

"It's become customary to blame the union for everything. The truth is that there are two signatories on every contract. There were plenty of times that we, negotiating on the management side were in a position to play hardball....but all the big guys in Pittsburgh cared about was avoiding a strike, hence the '73 contract*."

*In 1973, management demanded a ten year "no strike clause". In exchange, they agreed to a 4% annual increase in addition to annual COLA increases. This meant that union employees in 1974-1981 recieved pay increases of 15-18% annually. The industry requested renegotiation in '78, but the USWs national council voted against it. In 1981 the two sides finally agreed to renegotiate, but, by then it was too late. The massive closings had already begun.

See? Foolishness all around.

Initially, the unions demand in '73, was simply for the COLA and nothing else. Sometimes I wonder if the "no strike clause" was worth it. In the book, Mr. Johnston didn't think so. Over that seven years not paying that extra 4% would have saved them 28% of the cost increases. Might have made a difference, I dunno. But, I'll bet that was a huge chunk o' change.

Dave