As the twentieth century dawned on western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio, the region's steel industry faced a struggle for unionism. Unionists like Philip Murray, John L. Lewis, Samuel Gompers and Gus Hall battled for fair wages, hours and working conditions. Strong 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. Author Dale Richard Perelman charts the struggle and decline of the nation's most prominent regional steel industry.

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.

Description courtesy of The History Press.