Steelworkers often labored six or even seven days a week in long, exhausting shifts, and accidents were common. Between 1905 and 1941, over 500 men died on the job, and hundreds, if not thousands, were badly injured by burning metal, toxic gases, and fast-moving machinery. The men who worked these dangerous jobs were desperately poor and mostly immigrants, and few could afford to choose safer or easier work. In the 1900s through the 1940s, labor organizers tried to unite the workers into a single force, and after a long and sometimes violent struggle with management, the Steel Workers Organizing Committee succeeded in unionizing Bethlehem in 1942. The union negotiated for improved safety measures, shorter hours, and fair wages. In the early 1900s, two major strikes rocked the steel industry and the South Bethlehem community. The Bethlehem Steel strike of 1910 lasted 104 days, left one man dead and several others injured, and, although president Charles M. Schwab barely budged, drew public attention and prompted a federal investigation into working conditions. Ultimately, the work day was shortened to 8 hours, and working conditions and safety measures improved. In 1941, when the corporate-sponsored Employee Representation Plan could not effectively negotiate for workers, members of the Steel Workers Organizing Committee struck again. Though that strike lasted only four days, it was violent, with over 50 cars flipped, men injured, a state of emergency declared by the governor, and all saloons and liquor stores shut down. The strike delayed a vote for new Employee Representation Plan officers, but a U.S. District Court ruling paved the way for collective bargaining.
