<P> The second surge of unionization came under the auspices of the militant CIO in the late 1930s, when it set up the Steel Workers Organizing Committee . The SWOC focused almost exclusively on the achievement of a signed contract, with "Little Steel" (the major producers except for US Steel). At the grassroots however, women of the steel auxiliaries, workers on the picket line, and middle - class liberals from across Chicago sought to transform the strike into something larger than a showdown over union recognition.In Chicago, the Little Steel Strike raised the possibility that steelworkers might embrace the' civic unionism' that animated the left - led unions of the era . The effort failed, and while the strike was won, the resulting powerful United Steelworkers of America union suppressed grassroots opinions . </P> <P> Integration was the watchword as the various processes were brought together by large corporations, from mining the iron ore to shipping the finished product to wholesalers . The typical steelworks was a giant operation, including blast furnaces, Bessemer converters, open - hearth furnaces, rolling mills, coke ovens and foundries, as well as supported transportation facilities . The largest ones were operated in the region from Chicago to St. Louis to Baltimore, Philadelphia and Buffalo . Smaller operations appeared in Birmingham, Alabama, and in California . </P> <P> The industry grew slowly but other industries grew even faster, so that by 1967, as the downward spiral began, steel accounted for 4.4% of manufacturing employment and 4.9% of manufacturing output . After 1970 American steel producers could no longer compete effectively with low - wage producers elsewhere . Imports and local mini-mills undercut sales . </P> <P> Per - capita steel consumption in the U.S. peaked in 1977, then fell by half before staging a modest recovery to levels well below the peak . </P>

Who developed the steel and oil industries in the united states