Document Type



Master of Arts


American Studies

First Adviser

Schennum, Jill

Other advisers/committee members

Pettegrew, John


This research and documentary film attempts to articulate the story of the worker at Bethlehem Steel formally located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. In part, this is an examination of the labor unions at Bethlehem Steel and though they remain always in the background the film delves more deeply into the evolution of the worker at the plant from the early strikes for labor recognition to the closing of the plant. There are three chapters in the film; the 1941 Bethlehem Steel strike, the unions after their recognition, and the closing of the Bethlehem plant. The workers stories and analysis form the central component of the film and the methodology for selecting what would be included. Workers provide most of the analysis whereas the narration and multi-media selected serve to facilitate their story. What the documentary finds is a wealth of information on Bethlehem Steel as told by their workers coupled with the human emotion that accompanies their struggle. This documentary film explores workers at Bethlehem Steel, their initiation into labor unions, their evolution through the decades, and finally their lives through the closing.