As far as I know, Ed Mann was the only member of the IWW in Youngstown, Ohio in the years after World War II. He was an ex-Marine who publicly opposed U.S. wars in Korea and Vietnam, an ardent member of the American Civil Liberties Union, and a socialist with a small “s.” He was president of Local 1462, United Steelworkers of America (USW) for three terms ending with the closing of the Youngstown mill in 1978-1979, and thereafter the animating spirit of the Workers’ Solidarity Club of Youngstown.

Extracts from Ed Mann’s autobiography appear as an appendix to my book “Solidarity Unionism.” I remember Ed especially in connection with three things.

You’ve Got To Be There

Born in Toledo, Ohio, Ed Mann settled in Youngstown when he got out of the Marines, went to work at the Brier Hill steel mill, and stayed there until the mill shut down. While at Brier Hill he took part in a number of successful job actions and wildcat strikes. One of them is remembered as “The Wildcat Over Tony’s Death,” described below:

Tony, a well-liked older employee, was on the verge of retirement. About a week before his scheduled last day of work, he was run over by a big heavy truck and died.

The truck that killed Tony had no warning horn alerting nearby workers when the truck was going to back up. The local union had grieved the absence of any warning device on the trucks. The company rejected the grievance out of hand.

Ed heard about Tony’s death after he clocked in for the afternoon shift.

Getting up on a bench in the washroom he asked: “Who’s next? Who’s going to get killed next? Don’t we give a damn about Tony?” The guys agreed to walk out.

The men gathered at the nearby union hall. Phone calls were made to friends on the midnight and morning shifts and a list of safety demands compiled. Production stopped. The mill was down. The company consented to negotiate and then, in Ed’s words, “agreed to everything.”

Ed’s reflection included the observation: “We made the steel…That’s a feeling of power. And it isn’t something you’re doing as an individual. You’re doing it as a group.” He also observed:

“I had credibility…It wasn’t prepared timing. It fell into place. You’ve got to recognize those situations. Be there when there are credible steps to take. Some people, it never happens in their lives. I was lucky.”

My wife Alice and I have borrowed the term “accompaniment” from Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador. People on the Left tend to think of themselves as “organizers.” Too often this means coming into a workplace or a community, bringing people together, planning joint activities, and then—win or lose—leaving town.

In contrast, Ed believed in “being there.”

I’m Going Down That Hill

After the Brier Hill mill shut down, Ed felt able to say and do things that would have gotten him fired had he still been an employee.

Shortly before Christmas 1979, U.S. Steel announced that it was closing all its Youngstown facilities. Feeling ran high because the company had clearly stated, on TV and over the mill public address system, that it had no plans of closing. In January 1980 a mass meeting convened at the USW Local 1330 union hall, just up a hill from U.S. Steel’s Youngstown headquarters.

Area politicians went to the mike but had nothing to suggest. Then Ed spoke. His own mill was down, his local union all but disbanded. The gist of his remarks can be found on pages 153-154 of my book “The Fight Against Shutdowns.” A white steel worker speaking to a predominantly white crowd of fellow workers, Ed read a long quotation from Frederick Douglass. It included the famous words: “Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out what people will submit to and you will find out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them.” Then Ed said:

“Now, I’m going down that hill and I’m going into that building. And any one that doesn’t want to go along doesn’t have to but I’m sure there are those who’ll want to. And...we’re going to stay there until they meet with Bob Vasquez [president of the U.S. Steel local].”

When Ed finished, Vasquez said: “Like Ed told you, there’s no free lunch.” The crowd seemed to spring to its feet as one, and streamed down the hill toward the company administration building. The next thing that I heard was tinkling glass as the front door was incapacitated.

Think There’s A Better Way

Ed explained very simply the different state of affairs that he hoped would one day come into Existence:

“The Wobblies say, ‘Do away with the wage system.’ For a lot of people that’s pretty hard to take. What the Wobblies mean is, you’ll have what you need. The wage system has destroyed us. If I work hard I’ll get ahead, but if I’m stronger than Jim over here, maybe I’ll get the better job and Jim will be sweeping floors. But maybe Jim has four kids. The wage system is a very divisive thing. It’s the only thing we have now, but it’s very divisive.

“Maybe I’m dreaming but I think there’s a better way...”

Transcribed by Juan Conatz