Jeff Manes: USW deals with ‘right-to-work,’ getting younger

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Tom Hargrove, 67, of Hammond is president of United Steelworkers Local 1010 in East Chicago. | Photo provided

Updated: January 19, 2012 10:39AM

“... If I was coal miner, I’d want a union representing me to make sure I was safe and you did not have some of the tragedies that we’ve been seeing in the coal industry.

“If I was a teacher, I’d want a union to make sure that the teachers’ perspective was represented as we think about shaping an education system for our future.”

— President Barack Obama

About 70 years ago, President Franklin D. Roosevelt told workers the first thing he’d do if he was a factory worker was join a union.

Tom Hargrove is the president of United Steelworkers Local 1010 in East Chicago. Hargrove, 67, has been married to Veronica since 1967; they’ve raised two sons. He has lived in Hammond all his life and is a Hammond Tech High School graduate.

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Growing up in Hammond?

“We didn’t get a TV until about ’56,” he said. “Most of our childhood was spent playing outside, which is a little different than what goes on today.”

Hammond Tech?

“I think the technical-vocational high school is something we need to bring back. Right now, we’re in a crisis; we need qualified electricians and mechanics.

“We really need to revive the apprenticeships and transfer the knowledge of the senior folks who are about to retire from the mills. If we lose the knowledge, it’s gone forever. Apprenticeships gave us the opportunity to transfer the knowledge.”

Tom, I had Pete Gyerko and Rich Ortiz for welding instructors when I was an apprentice. Those guys were old school and had burned a lot of rods. They were bargaining-unit employees.

“Jeff, like you, I come from blue-collar stock; my dad was a cement finisher. I remember my Uncle Joe living with us in the early ’50s. He was working for a small company in Hammond; they ground up cornmeal.”

American Maize?

“No, it was some off-the-wall company. He was cleaning a machine and, evidently, someone started the machine. He was killed.

“I remember my father going to the door; there were a couple of policemen standing there. They had to tell my dad his brother was dead. That has quite an effect. Uncle Joe had two young daughters who never got to know him.”

Your uncle’s family lived with your family?

“No, my uncle, like my father, came up here from the South to find work. His wife and daughters were to remain down south until he got established up here.”

I know you started out as a welder. How long have you been president of Local 1010?

“Since ’98. Before that, I was vice president, treasurer, griever ... .”

Safety-wise, has the mill changed much since the ’60s?

“We’re much better today. Before ’89, when we put in the (Inland Employee Safety Program), there were only two years when we didn’t have a fatality. Most years, we had multiple fatalities.

“Since that time, we’ve had 12 years without a fatality. The only thing acceptable is zero fatalities.”

ArcelorMittal has employees worldwide. Global safety?

“Leo Gerard and the (International Metal Federation) and the (European Metal Federation) put together a group of union people among their company counterparts, and we signed an agreement in June of ’08, setting minimum standards for safety around the world. We visit the sites ... . We have meetings with the unions; we listen to their concerns ... .”

These are all ArcelorMittal plants?

“Yes, Mittal has facilities in 60 countries. I’ve been to the Ukraine, Romania, Brazil, South Africa ... .”

How were some of those mills regarding safety?

“Brazil was the cleanest and most safety-minded facility I’ve been to. The worst one was in Romania; the factories there were full of dogs. Before the old dictator and his wife were killed, they made all the people release their dogs from public housing. So, there are literally thousands of dogs occupying the plant. I’ve never seen anything like it.

“The mill with the most pollution was in Poland. It looked like East Chicago back in the ’60s. The iron oxide and pollution just hung around the city; it was so thick, you could taste, see and smell it.”

Right-to-work legislation?

“Right to work is a misnomer; it brings you no rights or work. It’s a plot to disband unions. ... It’s the top priority in the state of Indiana. It’s wrong. ...

“Jeff, before you leave, I want to give you copies of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce Foundation Right-to-Work report that came out in January, and also the Higgins Labor Studies Program report from the University of Notre Dame that counters it, which came out in March.”

Thanks, I’ll read them. I can’t imagine Northwest Indiana being part of a right-to-work state.

“In 1957, Indiana voted in right to work. We had it until 1965.”

Really?

“In ’65, the Democrats got hold of the Statehouse and voted it out. Once again, the Republicans are in charge, and instead of focusing on jobs, they want to focus on eliminating unions.

“Working at nursing homes, making beds, those are the kinds of jobs they have in mind. The good jobs are not the ones they’re talking about.”

Could right to work lead to the demise of the middle class?

“Jeff, we want young people to stay in Indiana. The more workers are attacked, well, it gets to a point where you have to ask, ‘Why would someone want to live in this state?’

“Look at Florida — seven or eight bucks an hour? These jobs in the mill or building trades are good-paying jobs, where you can raise a family and send your kids to college.”

Let’s switch gears; solidarity among the rank-and-file?

“Sticking together works; we have to focus on supporting our retirees and up-and-coming workers. We finally have some young people in the mill, and we’re trying our best to get them involved in the union.”

Tom, I’ve always loved that painting in your office; the one with the ladle, tundish and molten metal.

“Frank Myslivie created that painting with his left hand in the 1940s. He was born right-handed, but lost it in the mill.”

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Hargrove told me he’s hopeful 11 fair-minded Republicans will join the state’s Democrats in opposing right to work.