A Letter from Local President Paul Martino

By Paul Martino

It started as a rainy, chilly morning. But Pittsburgh’s 2014 Labor Day Parade turned out to be sunny, pleasant and inspirational. About two dozen members and friends of the SAG-AFTRA Ohio-Pittsburgh Local took part in the city’s annual celebration of labor.

As we marched down the streets of downtown Pittsburgh, I couldn’t help but sense the great tradition of organized labor in this region. Many, many people died throughout the tri-state area, as they fought for the right to bargain for wages and a safe and humane work environment.

In 1877, Pittsburgh was the site of the great railroad strike. There was widespread rioting. Dozens died. Forty buildings were burned.

That same year, in Cleveland, workers at Standard Oil struck for better wages and working conditions. Sent to break up the strike, the police started a riot when they began clubbing the striking workers’ wives. The riot lasted for three days.

The Carnegie steel strike took place in Homestead, Pennsylvania, in 1892. Henry Clay Frick sent in Pinkerton guards to break the strike. Ten people died.

In Cincinnati, during a 1921 steelworkers’ strike at the Andrews Steel Mill, over 200 shots were fired into the homes of workers from machines positioned on the mill’s property. Two workers were killed.

While strikebreakers were shooting steelworkers in Cincinnati, coal barons were strafing and bombing coal miners on West Virginia’s Blair Mountain. The incident became known as the Battle of Blair Mountain and was the country’s largest armed rebellion since the Civil War.

For the SAG-AFTRA Ohio-Pittsburgh Local, there has been no bloodshed thankfully. But our tradition of organized labor helps make this region one of the strongest locals in our union. Throughout our history, we have battled for wages and better working conditions.

Our local remains strong today because of that great legacy. The legacy of broadcasters, actors, singers, dancers and stunt performers who stood up and put their careers on the line for the rest of us. And the legacy of those steelworkers, refinery workers, rail workers and coal miners who put their lives on the line for fair wages and working conditions.

The fight continues today. It's hard to get a contract with these stations. They’d rather not deal with us. But I’ll tell you this: I’d much rather negotiate with a union behind me, then without one.

And I’m glad I can go to the bargaining table in a place that has the history of organized labor that the Ohio-Pittsburgh Local has.

This item was originally featured in the November 2014 local newsletter.