Iorwith Wilbur Abel
Encyclopedia
Iorwith Wilbur Abel also known as I.W. Abel, was an American labor
leader.
, in 1908, to John Franklin Abel, a German
blacksmith
, and Mary Ann (née Jones) Abel, the daughter of a Welsh
coal miner. He attended local public school and graduated from Magnolia High School in 1925.
He attended college at Canton Actual Business College in Canton, Ohio
, but did not graduate.
In 1925 he worked as a molder for the American Sheet and Tin Plate Company (now U.S. Steel
) in Canton. He switched jobs often, finding employment at the Canton Malleable Iron Company, the Timken Roller Bearing Company
and the Colonial Foundry.
Abel married Bernice Joseph in 1930. The couple had three children. Bernice Abel died in 1982, and Abel married Martha Turvey a few years later.
Laid off due to the Great Depression
, Abel worked at a brickmaking company loading a kiln at less than a quarter his former pay. Convinced that a union would have protected him from losing his job, he became active in the American labor movement.
In 1936, Abel found work again at Timken Roller Bearing and with the assistance of the Steel Workers Organizing Committee
(SWOC) organized Steel Workers Local 1123. He remained a member of the local until his death. He proved an effective and strong negotiator and union president, and in one year alone led 42 wildcat strikes
.
Abel was an active participant in the Little Steel strike in 1937. His skilled leadership during the strike brought him to the attention of national SWOC officers and staff.
, president of SWOC. When SWOC merged with the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers
in 1942 to form the United Steel Workers of America (USWA), Abel was appointed director of the Canton District of the USWA and became a member of the executive council of the Ohio CIO Council.
During World War II
, Abel served on the National War Labor Board
, representing the Congress of Industrial Organizations
(CIO).
was elected president as his successor, and Abel was elected secretary-treasurer. Unlike the flamboyant and vocal McDonald, Abel remained in the background as the union's secretary-treasurer. He was appointed to the CIO-PAC, the CIO's political action committee
. He spent most of his time visiting local unions and listening to members.
In the early 1960s, Abel was angered by what he perceived as McDonald's weakness in winning new national contracts for steelworkers. When McDonald altered the union's constitution to permit him to serve two more four-year terms, Abel decided to challenge McDonald in the 1965 presidential election. Abel accused McDonald of being too cozy with employers, substituting fringe benefit gains for wage increases, and ignoring members' concerns. The election took place on February 9, 1965. Voting irregularities and challenged ballots delayed a final result until April 30. Abel relied heavily on voting and ballot-challenging procedures established under the relatively new Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act
(or "Landrum-Griffin Act"). Without the assistance of the new law, it is unclear that he would have won. But union officials and federal monitors eventually declared Abel the winner by a razor-thin margin of 10,142 votes out of 600,678 cast, and on May 20 McDonald declined to challenge the result. Over 7,000 of those votes came from Canadian
locals, and Abel spent a greater amount of time than any of his predecessors protecting the interests of Canadian steelworkers locals. Abel was sworn in as USWA president on June 2, 1965.
following his election, and served on the federation's executive council. In 1968, he was elected president of the Industrial Union Department, AFL-CIO.
During Abel's presidency, membership in the USWA rose by more than 500,000 as he engineered mergers with the International Union of Mine, Mill, and Smelter Workers in 1967, the United Stone and Allied Product Workers of America in 1971, and District 50 of the Allied and Technical Workers of America in 1972.
Abel also broadened the union's inclusiveness. He encouraged the open discussion of controversial issues among the staff and membership, and decentralized a number of union functions. He also worked to increase minority participation in local, regional and national union affairs and to end job discrimination by local steelworker unions. But his reforms were not enough. Workers sued the union for race and sex discrimination numerous times in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In 1974, Abel was forced to sign a consent decree which altered seniority rules—changes designed to overcome the discrimination suffered by women and minority workers.
Abel actively sought new federal laws to protect union workers as well. He was a vigorous proponent of workplace health and safety and worked to help pass the Occupational Safety and Health Act
in 1970. He was also a strong advocate of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act
of 1974, which protected the interests of participants in private pension plans and established the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
.
Abel also won several strong national steel and other metals contracts. He established the union's first strike fund and quickly amassed an $85 million balance. He resumed coordinated bargaining with the major steelmakers, and established separate bargaining councils for aluminum and other metals industries.
In 1971, imports of foreign steel reached a (then) all-time high, and 108,000 steelworkers were laid off. Although a new national steel contract was reached without a strike the same year, Abel and the USWA executive council realized that the steel industry's tendency to stockpile steel in anticipation of a strike led to a boom-and-bust cycle which hurt workers.
To counteract this cycle, in 1973 Abel negotiated the Experimental Negotiating Agreement (ENA) with the major steelmakers. Abel agreed not to strike during the 1974 contract talks, and agreed to binding arbitration
for any bargaining issues which reached impasse
.
The ENA proved a great success during the 1974 national steel contract talks. Abel won a $2.00 an hour raise over three years. The union also won the right to engage in local strike over non-economic working conditions (which the union had been agreed to ban in previous contracts).
The ENA contributed to a second round of successful contract talks in 1977. But employers unilaterally withdrew from the pact in 1980 (as was their right) after the steel industry recession of 1979.
On Jan 11, 1977 Abel was bestowed with the Presidential Medal of Honor by President Ford.
In 1967, he was appointed an alternate representative of the United States delegation to the United Nations
.
Abel's strong advocacy of the rights of minorities within the union led him to be appointed a member of the Kerner Commission
in 1968, which investigated the 1967 race riots
.
In 1971, Abel was appointed to the Economic Stabilization Program, President Richard Nixon
's wage and price restraint board. He resigned in 1972 over the program's decision to strictly limit wage increases for workers.
One Abel's most prominent critics was Edward Sadlowski
, director of District 31 (then the union's largest district). Sadlowski, a member of the union's Rank and File Caucus, had mounted an insurgent campaign for the post of director of District 31 in 1973. Although unsuccessful, he sued to have the election overturned on the grounds that it violated the fair election procedures of the Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act
. Sadlowski won a re-run election in 1974. Sadlowski was widely considered to be a challenger to Abel in the 1977 presidential election.
But Abel announced his retirement instead. An Abel protege, Lloyd McBride
, the director of District 34, ran as Abel's successor. Sadlowski ran for the presidency as well. Abel spent a significant amount of time campaigning for McBride. The election was a bitter one, but McBride won.
After his retirement, Abel moved to Sun City, Arizona
. In 1984, he and his new wife moved to Malvern, Ohio
.
I.W. Abel died of cancer on August 10, 1987, at his home in Malvern, one day before his 79th birthday.
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
leader.
Early life and union career
I.W. Abel was born in Magnolia, OhioMagnolia, Ohio
Magnolia is a village in Carroll and Stark Counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 931 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Canton–Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
, in 1908, to John Franklin Abel, a German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
blacksmith
Blacksmith
A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
, and Mary Ann (née Jones) Abel, the daughter of a Welsh
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
coal miner. He attended local public school and graduated from Magnolia High School in 1925.
He attended college at Canton Actual Business College in Canton, Ohio
Canton, Ohio
Canton is the county seat of Stark County in northeastern Ohio, approximately south of Akron and south of Cleveland.The City of Caton is the largest incorporated area within the Canton-Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, but did not graduate.
In 1925 he worked as a molder for the American Sheet and Tin Plate Company (now U.S. Steel
U.S. Steel
The United States Steel Corporation , more commonly known as U.S. Steel, is an integrated steel producer with major production operations in the United States, Canada, and Central Europe. The company is the world's tenth largest steel producer ranked by sales...
) in Canton. He switched jobs often, finding employment at the Canton Malleable Iron Company, the Timken Roller Bearing Company
Timken Roller Bearing Company
The Timken Roller Bearing Company was one of the first to introduce roller bearings for railroad cars. Railroad cars owned and operated by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway were some of the first to use roller bearings rather than "oil waste journal" boxes.Also, the ATSF was the first...
and the Colonial Foundry.
Abel married Bernice Joseph in 1930. The couple had three children. Bernice Abel died in 1982, and Abel married Martha Turvey a few years later.
Laid off due to the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, Abel worked at a brickmaking company loading a kiln at less than a quarter his former pay. Convinced that a union would have protected him from losing his job, he became active in the American labor movement.
In 1936, Abel found work again at Timken Roller Bearing and with the assistance of the Steel Workers Organizing Committee
Steel Workers Organizing Committee
The Steel Workers Organizing Committee was one of two precursor labor organizations to the United Steelworkers. It was formed by the CIO in 1936. It disbanded in 1942 to become the United Steel Workers of America....
(SWOC) organized Steel Workers Local 1123. He remained a member of the local until his death. He proved an effective and strong negotiator and union president, and in one year alone led 42 wildcat strikes
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
.
Abel was an active participant in the Little Steel strike in 1937. His skilled leadership during the strike brought him to the attention of national SWOC officers and staff.
Career with the national union
In 1937, Abel was hired by SWOC head the national union's organizing staff. Abel became a protege of Philip MurrayPhilip Murray
Philip Murray was a Scottish born steelworker and an American labor leader. He was the first president of the Steel Workers Organizing Committee , the first president of the United Steelworkers of America , and the longest-serving president of the Congress of Industrial Organizations .-Early...
, president of SWOC. When SWOC merged with the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers
Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers
Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers was an American labor union formed in 1876 and which represented iron and steel workers. It partnered with the Steel Workers Organizing Committee, CIO, in November, 1935...
in 1942 to form the United Steel Workers of America (USWA), Abel was appointed director of the Canton District of the USWA and became a member of the executive council of the Ohio CIO Council.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Abel served on the National War Labor Board
National War Labor Board
The National War Labor Board was a federal agency created in April 1918 by President Woodrow Wilson. It was composed of twelve representatives from business and labor, and co-chaired by Former President William Howard Taft. Its purpose was to arbitrate disputes between workers and employers in...
, representing the Congress of Industrial Organizations
Congress of Industrial Organizations
The Congress of Industrial Organizations, or CIO, proposed by John L. Lewis in 1932, was a federation of unions that organized workers in industrial unions in the United States and Canada from 1935 to 1955. The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 required union leaders to swear that they were not...
(CIO).
Challenging McDonald
Murray died in 1952. USWA secretary-treasurer David J. McDonaldDavid J. McDonald
David John McDonald was an American labor leader and president of the United Steelworkers of America from 1952 to 1965.-Early life:...
was elected president as his successor, and Abel was elected secretary-treasurer. Unlike the flamboyant and vocal McDonald, Abel remained in the background as the union's secretary-treasurer. He was appointed to the CIO-PAC, the CIO's political action committee
Political action committee
In the United States, a political action committee, or PAC, is the name commonly given to a private group, regardless of size, organized to elect political candidates or to advance the outcome of a political issue or legislation. Legally, what constitutes a "PAC" for purposes of regulation is a...
. He spent most of his time visiting local unions and listening to members.
In the early 1960s, Abel was angered by what he perceived as McDonald's weakness in winning new national contracts for steelworkers. When McDonald altered the union's constitution to permit him to serve two more four-year terms, Abel decided to challenge McDonald in the 1965 presidential election. Abel accused McDonald of being too cozy with employers, substituting fringe benefit gains for wage increases, and ignoring members' concerns. The election took place on February 9, 1965. Voting irregularities and challenged ballots delayed a final result until April 30. Abel relied heavily on voting and ballot-challenging procedures established under the relatively new Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act
Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act
The Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959 , is a United States labor law that regulates labor unions' internal affairs and their officials' relationships with employers.-Background:...
(or "Landrum-Griffin Act"). Without the assistance of the new law, it is unclear that he would have won. But union officials and federal monitors eventually declared Abel the winner by a razor-thin margin of 10,142 votes out of 600,678 cast, and on May 20 McDonald declined to challenge the result. Over 7,000 of those votes came from Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
locals, and Abel spent a greater amount of time than any of his predecessors protecting the interests of Canadian steelworkers locals. Abel was sworn in as USWA president on June 2, 1965.
Presidency
Abel was elected a vice president of the AFL-CIOAFL-CIO
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, commonly AFL–CIO, is a national trade union center, the largest federation of unions in the United States, made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 11 million workers...
following his election, and served on the federation's executive council. In 1968, he was elected president of the Industrial Union Department, AFL-CIO.
During Abel's presidency, membership in the USWA rose by more than 500,000 as he engineered mergers with the International Union of Mine, Mill, and Smelter Workers in 1967, the United Stone and Allied Product Workers of America in 1971, and District 50 of the Allied and Technical Workers of America in 1972.
Abel also broadened the union's inclusiveness. He encouraged the open discussion of controversial issues among the staff and membership, and decentralized a number of union functions. He also worked to increase minority participation in local, regional and national union affairs and to end job discrimination by local steelworker unions. But his reforms were not enough. Workers sued the union for race and sex discrimination numerous times in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In 1974, Abel was forced to sign a consent decree which altered seniority rules—changes designed to overcome the discrimination suffered by women and minority workers.
Abel actively sought new federal laws to protect union workers as well. He was a vigorous proponent of workplace health and safety and worked to help pass the Occupational Safety and Health Act
Occupational Safety and Health Act
The Occupational Safety and Health Act is the primary federal law which governs occupational health and safety in the private sector and federal government in the United States. It was enacted by Congress in 1970 and was signed by President Richard Nixon on December 29, 1970...
in 1970. He was also a strong advocate of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act
Employee Retirement Income Security Act
The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 is an American federal statute that establishes minimum standards for pension plans in private industry and provides for extensive rules on the federal income tax effects of transactions associated with employee benefit plans...
of 1974, which protected the interests of participants in private pension plans and established the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation is an independent agency of the United States government that was created by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to encourage the continuation and maintenance of voluntary private defined benefit pension plans, provide timely and...
.
Abel also won several strong national steel and other metals contracts. He established the union's first strike fund and quickly amassed an $85 million balance. He resumed coordinated bargaining with the major steelmakers, and established separate bargaining councils for aluminum and other metals industries.
In 1971, imports of foreign steel reached a (then) all-time high, and 108,000 steelworkers were laid off. Although a new national steel contract was reached without a strike the same year, Abel and the USWA executive council realized that the steel industry's tendency to stockpile steel in anticipation of a strike led to a boom-and-bust cycle which hurt workers.
To counteract this cycle, in 1973 Abel negotiated the Experimental Negotiating Agreement (ENA) with the major steelmakers. Abel agreed not to strike during the 1974 contract talks, and agreed to binding arbitration
Arbitration in the United States of America
Arbitration, in the context of United States law, is a form of alternative dispute resolution — specifically, a legal alternative to litigation whereby the parties to a dispute agree to submit their respective positions to a neutral third party for resolution...
for any bargaining issues which reached impasse
Impasse
A bargaining impasse occurs when the two sides negotiating an agreement are unable to reach an agreement and become deadlocked. An impasse is almost invariably mutually harmful, either as a result of direct action which may be taken such as a strike in employment negotiation or sanctions/military...
.
The ENA proved a great success during the 1974 national steel contract talks. Abel won a $2.00 an hour raise over three years. The union also won the right to engage in local strike over non-economic working conditions (which the union had been agreed to ban in previous contracts).
The ENA contributed to a second round of successful contract talks in 1977. But employers unilaterally withdrew from the pact in 1980 (as was their right) after the steel industry recession of 1979.
On Jan 11, 1977 Abel was bestowed with the Presidential Medal of Honor by President Ford.
Other roles
Abel was active outside the union as well.In 1967, he was appointed an alternate representative of the United States delegation to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
.
Abel's strong advocacy of the rights of minorities within the union led him to be appointed a member of the Kerner Commission
Kerner Commission
The National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, known as the Kerner Commission after its chair, Governor Otto Kerner, Jr. of Illinois, was an 11-member commission established by President Lyndon B. Johnson to investigate the causes of the 1967 race riots in the United States and to provide...
in 1968, which investigated the 1967 race riots
12th Street riot
The 1967 Detroit riot, also known as the 12th Street riot, was a civil disturbance in Detroit, Michigan, that began in the early morning hours of Sunday, July 23, 1967. The precipitating event was a police raid of an unlicensed, after-hours bar then known as a blind pig, on the corner of 12th and...
.
In 1971, Abel was appointed to the Economic Stabilization Program, President Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
's wage and price restraint board. He resigned in 1972 over the program's decision to strictly limit wage increases for workers.
Retirement and death
Various union leaders and members began to criticize Abel after the 1977 contract. Despite Abel's successes at the bargaining table, steelmakers continued to cut back production and union membership sank by 650,000. Older union members were also angry over the 1974 consent decree, which stripped them of their seniority.One Abel's most prominent critics was Edward Sadlowski
Edward Sadlowski
Edward Sadlowski, also known as "Oil Can Eddie", is a United States labor activist and a past Director of United Steelworkers of America, District 31....
, director of District 31 (then the union's largest district). Sadlowski, a member of the union's Rank and File Caucus, had mounted an insurgent campaign for the post of director of District 31 in 1973. Although unsuccessful, he sued to have the election overturned on the grounds that it violated the fair election procedures of the Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act
Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act
The Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959 , is a United States labor law that regulates labor unions' internal affairs and their officials' relationships with employers.-Background:...
. Sadlowski won a re-run election in 1974. Sadlowski was widely considered to be a challenger to Abel in the 1977 presidential election.
But Abel announced his retirement instead. An Abel protege, Lloyd McBride
Lloyd McBride
Lloyd McBride was an American labor leader and president of the United Steelworkers of America from 1977 to 1983.-Early life and union work:...
, the director of District 34, ran as Abel's successor. Sadlowski ran for the presidency as well. Abel spent a significant amount of time campaigning for McBride. The election was a bitter one, but McBride won.
After his retirement, Abel moved to Sun City, Arizona
Sun City, Arizona
Sun City is a census-designated place and unincorporated town in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. The population was 38,309 at the 2000 census...
. In 1984, he and his new wife moved to Malvern, Ohio
Malvern, Ohio
Malvern is a village in Carroll County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,218 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Canton–Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Malvern is located at , along Sandy Creek....
.
I.W. Abel died of cancer on August 10, 1987, at his home in Malvern, one day before his 79th birthday.