Working for Pay and for Pride
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Work in the steel mills was always hot and hard. Gradually, though, it became safer and less exhausting. In the early days, 12-hour days and six-day weeks lead to less alert workers and many accidents. Shorter work days and, later, more safety training and equipment, made mill work much safer after the 1930s. Labor unions played a big part in making these changes.
While millworkers were glad when payday came, they also felt rewarded by a job well-done. They were proud of the teamwork of their work crews. When the country needed more steel to make weapons during wartime, they worked extra hard and celebrated their contributions to the war effort.
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Payday in 1880. All men wore their Sunday best to receive their pay out of respect for their employer. This is the Cambria Iron office building located on Washington Street. |
A Cambria Iron blast furnace crew, around 1880. The younger boys were helpers. |
These men formed a forging crew from the Blacksmith's shop in 1889. They are sitting on chunks of raw pig iron. |
This photo was taken in 1890 or 1891 - the building in the background was a temporary building built after the 1889 Flood. These men formed a 12-inch rolling mill crew. |
These men were wire drawers. The boys seated in front were approximately 12 years old and were helpers. This photo is from the 1890s. |
An Armistice Day parade crosses the Franklin Street bridge at the end of World War I. The Conrad Building in is the background. |
In 1981, the last blast furnace in Johnstown was tapped - and this is the photograph of that event. After this, Bethlehem changed to electric furnaces that were used to melt scrap steel. |
Day shift leaves the railcar shop in Franklin Boro of Johnstown in 1989. This facility is currently owned by FreightCar America. (photo by Clyde Hare) |