Little Steel Strike - Steel Companies Defy Wagner Act, Refuse Union Recognition Despite Legal Obligation

The “Little Steel” strike begins on May 26, 1937, when 75,000 steelworkers walk off their jobs at Republic Steel, Bethlehem Steel, Youngstown Sheet and Tube, and Inland Steel after these companies refuse to sign contracts with the Steel Workers Organizing Committee (SWOC) despite the Wagner Act’s requirement to bargain in good faith with unions chosen by workers. The strike represents the most significant corporate defiance of the Wagner Act and demonstrates that major corporations are prepared to use violence and lawbreaking rather than accept union organization.

Republic Steel chairman Tom Girdler emerges as the face of corporate resistance, declaring he would rather shut down his mills, go farming, and raise apples than recognize a union. Girdler and his fellow executives maintain private arsenals and coordinate with local police to attack strikers—most notoriously at the Memorial Day Massacre in South Chicago on May 30, 1937, when police fire into a crowd of peaceful demonstrators, killing ten and wounding dozens more. Despite clear evidence of corporate unfair labor practices and police violence, the NLRB lacks effective enforcement mechanisms, and the companies successfully hold out against the union for years.

The Little Steel strike reveals the gap between the Wagner Act’s legal promises and the reality of corporate power. When asked to intervene, President Roosevelt famously responds “a plague on both your houses,” disappointing union supporters and emboldening corporate resistance. The companies use Mohawk Valley Formula tactics—“back to work” movements, citizens’ committees, and coordinated propaganda—to portray themselves as defenders of individual workers against union tyranny. The strike ends in defeat for SWOC, with workers returning without contracts. The Little Steel companies do not sign union contracts until 1941-1942, when war production pressures and NLRB rulings finally compel recognition—demonstrating that even landmark labor legislation requires sustained enforcement and political support to overcome determined corporate resistance.