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The announcement of 900 steel job lay-offs by June, 2001 sent more
shivers through Cleveland. Depending on who you ask, the local steel
industry is on the ropes due to poor management, healthcare costs
and/or foreign competition. Industry officials, union leaders and
politicians have done their share of finger-pointing. Steel workers
past and present are worried about their financial future. On Thursday,
April 19th, 2001, 90.3 WCPN® spent an entire day exploring the
industry that helped create modern Cleveland.
At 9:00 a.m., Congressman Dennis Kucinich, State Senator Bob Hagan
and a steel industry analyst updated us on the state of steel in
Northeast Ohio. After, labor and management officials joined in
for a special call-in program. They discussed what it would take
to save the industry.
On Around Noon, the Ensemble Theatre production of Steel Bound was
previewed. Steel Bound is a modern take on a Greek tragedy which
dramatizes the plight of the steel industry in modern America. Local
artists who create steel sculptures were also interviewed.
Our "Day of Steel" will conclude with a two-hour townhall meeting
on Cleveland's steel culture. Broadcasting live from the Tremont
neighborhood, where many immigrant steelworkers came to live, we'll
examine the impact the industry has had on Cleveland and where it's
going. You'll hear about the Western
Reserve Historical Society's oral history project to document
the story of steel workers. We'll also hear excerpts from the Ensemble
Theatre production of Steel Bound, which will serve as a springboard
to a live discussion about the past, present and future of steel
in Cleveland. You can call in your comments and questions to
(216) 578-0903.
The local band Harmonia provided
musical texture for the evening. The group has a national reputation
for its expertise in Eastern European music -- representing the
nationalities of steel workers who came to Cleveland from abroad.
Also during the evening show, we featured reading from poets who
grew-up in the steel cities of Lorain and Youngstown. They are part
of a local small press Bottom
Dog Press.
The steel industry is in trouble. For at least the last three years
industry leaders have warned of the current crisis. The situation
has now exploded, leaving factory shut-downs and lost jobs in its
wake. The list of reasons for the trouble are as long as the unemployment
lines many steel workers are now facing. Today some experts doubt
that American steel can or should survive. Mike
West looks at what's being done to save an industry with deep
roots in Cleveland.
Yesterday we heard about what happens to the economy -- and to people's
lives -- when a steel mill shuts down. What we didn't hear was how
the closure of a major industrial site affects the physical environment.
Who will oversee clean up after LTV's west side mill closes? And
how can that site be turned into land that attracts new businesses?
90.3's Karen Schaefer has this
report on what happened in another community -- and what could
happen here.
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