'Local 1196: A Steelworkers Strike' details economic, emotional toll of 2021 ATI strike

A bitter, three-month walkout by ATI employees in 2021 — and the impacts of sudden unemployment for families of striking steelworkers — will be the focus of a free documentary showing Thursday at Pittsburgh Mills.

“Local 1196: A Steelworkers Strike” will be offered at GQT Movies, featuring behind-the-scenes footage from among the 450 steelworkers in Harrison, Vandergrift and Derry who cited unfair labor practices when they walked off the job on March 30, 2021.

“I feel like this story continues to resonate with people,” said filmmaker Samuel George from the Washington, D.C., nonpartisan think tank Bertelsmann Foundation.

“We want people to see it because of the emotional impact.”

In all, 1,300 union members in three states walked off the job over issues that included wages, benefits and job protections. The fiery dispute lasted more than three months and impacted workers at nine of the specialty steelmaker’s facilities.

The strike marked the first employee-driven work stoppage at the company in nearly 30 years.

When the news initially broke, George traveled to the Brackenridge Works to capture moments from the picket line. He spoke with more than 50 steelworkers to convey the fight through their eyes.

“The struggles they faced were important,” said George, whose dad grew up in Pittsburgh and worked at a steel plant in Homestead.

“Way back, when there was a strike, it was national news. I wanted to give these workers a chance to open up and tell their stories.”

The film has the potential to appeal to a variety of audiences given the rise of workplace organizing across the country, George said. In addition, a strike at one of the region’s largest employers has a ripple effect on small-town economies, he said.

The 2021 strike ended when a four-year contract was reached, with ATI spokeswoman Natalie Gillespie saying at the time that the company deemed safety “the absolute focus of our robust return-to-work process.”

But the strike was marked by allegations levied by both sides, especially over the issue of health care insurance.

The company accused the union of “bait and switch” tactics that would have removed any cost containment mechanisms and the union accused the company of using “tricks and traps” in negotiations that would have allowed it to make changes to healthcare coverage without the union’s consent.

The new contract eventually reached expires in February 2025.

Thursday’s screening is hosted by state Sen. Lindsey Williams along with the Bertelsmann Foundation and the Battle of Homestead Foundation, a nonprofit that promotes the industrial and labor history of Western Pennsylvania.

“When the workers of ATI went on strike three years ago, they stood up for all of us and what we deserve: a living wage, fair benefits, and dignity and respect in the workplace,” Williams said. “But going on strike is never an easy decision, and these workers made incredible sacrifices to stand up to corporate greed.

“I am excited to see their story on the silver screen here in the Allegheny Valley where it happened.”

Williams, George and local labor leaders will be on hand for a question-and-answer session following the movie.

“Local 1196” was an official selection at film festivals across the country and was broadcast on PBS.