On May 28, at the Monroe SWOC meeting, these workers voted unanimously for a strike and the closure of the plant, even though they represented only a minority of workers. The strike quickly closed the factory because even non-striking workers refused to cross a picket line, and because almost all workers in a critical department of the plant went on strike, meaning none of the other departments could work. However, both local law enforcement and the local business community supported the plant, and the state governor distanced himself from the labor issue, so the company knew it had a good chance of breaking the picket line and forcing the strikers back to work. On June 10, the day the factory reopened, a mob of local men attacked the Organizer McDonald`s, knocked him out and threatened to hang him. Later that day, the picket lines that heard the news of the attack began making makeshift weapons from materials they found on the street. Police ordered the pickets to disperse to allow workers to return. When they didn`t, the police pointed a gas bomb at the crowd and wounded six pickets. A few days later, SWOC held a rally in response, but by the end of June, the steel plant was back at full capacity and the picket line was over. This loss damaged SWOC`s national momentum, and many Little Steel companies trying to break strikes nationwide used some of the same tactics that succeeded in Monroe.

After Jones & Laughlin signed union contracts, signing with small steel producers became the CIO`s next goal. The three main targets were established as Republic Steel, Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company and Inland Steel Corporation, which had plants in the Midwest and Northeast United States, with nearly thirty plants in between. The three companies became the focus of the CIO`s status in the Little Steel industry, like that of US Steel in the Big Steel industry, the powerhouses of their industry. After the unionization of the large steel companies, Lewis immediately tried to persuade these small steel companies to sign SWOC union contracts similar to those signed by US Steel a few weeks earlier. The hope was to hit the powers at the beginning of the movement to send a message for negotiations with small businesses in the industry. However, the three companies rejected the contracts without hesitation, as they had previously resisted unionization, and refused to sign with SWOC. At that time, the IOC and swOC decided that they had to take action. Steel companies had a Deadline of 26 May to sign union contracts or undergo a strike. After that day passed without Little Steel, John L. Lewis issued an official strike call and the workers left their jobs just hours after the deadline and closed almost all the factories of Little Steel`s three largest companies.

The LITTLE STEEL STRIKE began on May 26, 1937, when members of the USW organizing committee voted to strike republic republic steel, youngstown sheet & tube and inland steel, the major independent steel producers known as “Little Steel.” Although Ohio Governor Martin Davey attempted to enter into negotiations between the parties to the dispute, the companies refused to recognize the committee as a representative of its members. At the beginning of the strike, more than 50% of the strikers were from the Steel Republic. [6] Republic Steel was headquartered in Cleveland and was one of the five largest steel producers in the country. [7] In 1942, Republic Steel was home to 9,000[8] workers, making it one of the best employers in the city of Cleveland. After the rejection of the contracts, CIO and SWOC immediately began planning the organization of small steel companies. The SWOC had two main ideas behind its organizational offensive: “Overcoming racial and ethnic conflicts, previous efforts to organize metalworkers by successfully organizing all groups of workers; and to infiltrate and co-opt corporate unions.” [1] The DPI immediately began placing union representatives in the companies` factories. Representatives were often harassed and beaten by spies sent to the union by the companies to prevent union organizing. As news of unionization spread, SWOC was able to quickly gain the quick support of many black metalworkers, mostly in Chicago factories, thanks to its openness and willingness to accept black metalworkers into the union. [4] It was thanks to black support that swoc was able to gain momentum so quickly that entire mills were able to be involved in the movement. As May approached, it was clear that businesses were preparing for a strike. Republic Steel fired many union supporters and carried out lockouts in several other places to weaken the union`s support. [1] the Steel Workers` Organising Committee (SWOC) and the Congress of Industrial Organisations (CIO) against a group of powerful steel companies – Republic, Bethlehem, Youngstown Sheet & Tube and Inland.

These were called “Little Steel” to distinguish them from the industry giant US Steel. .