Valley Oldies: Labor strife, cagers, racing draw attention from readers
By RON PAGLIA
There’s no shortage of subjects on the minds of readers of the Mon Valley Independent.
A woman in Donora wants to know if details might be available on a strike by steelworkers 100 years ago.
According to newspaper accounts of the situation on Sept. 23, 1919, that labor strife idled all workers at mills in Monessen and Donora, but had no impact on facilities in McKeesport and Duquesne, where the turnout was 100 percent. Elsewhere, only 25 percent of the work force at Homestead was idled by the situation and 80 percent of the workers were on the job at Clairton.
Newspapers reported 4,000 to 5,000 men at the wire mill, zinc mill and steel works in Donora were paid in full that day for their work during the first two weeks of September.
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