Republic Steel: The Rise and Fall
Description
This exhibit will trace the rise and fall of Republic Steel Corporation from its roots to eventual merger and transformation to LTV Steel in the 1980s. Republic Steel was a direct symbol of Cleveland's identity as a center of industrial power from the Depression years through to the early 1980s.
Credits
Sandy Cibulskas, Edward Petrina, Mark Raczynski, Ryan Tyna
Sections
The Republic Steel Company faced labor tensions with its steel workers throughout the 1900's. The company's workers sought to unionize, but the company did all in their power to prevent this from occurring. Workers at the Republic Steel Company, the Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company, and several other steel companies went on strike over low wages and poor working conditions. Collectively these steel companies were known as “Little Steel.” The workers used sit-down strikes and picket lines to attain their goals of better wages and improved working conditions. Other strikes occured throughout the company's history including the strikes of 1947, 1952, and a wildcat strike in 1959. Ultimately, the company was sold to LTV steel due to foreign trade challenges, high union wages, and environmental laws.
Republic Steel Waste Management for industrial waste dumping into the Cuyahoga River, 1968-1972.