Edward Sadlowski


Edward Sadlowski was an American labor activist associated with "Steelworkers Fightback", a rank-and-file movement against corruption in the international United Steelworkers of America union. Sadlowski became the youngest president of his local union at U.S. Steel's South Works, later served as Director of District 31, and became known nationally during his unsuccessful attempt to become the international Union's president in 1977.

Early and family life

Edward Eugene Sadlowski was born on September 10, 1938 in Chicago, Illinois. His father helped organize labor at the Inland Steel Company. Sadlowski left school in the eleventh grade and joined the United States Army during the Korean War.
He married Marlene Sadlowski, who survived him, as did their son Edward Sadlowski Jr. and daughters Susan Sadlowski Garza, Patricia Hoyt and Diane Agelson.

Career

In 1956, Sadlowski started work as a machinist's apprentice at U.S. Steel in Chicago, which was represented by Local 65 of the United Steelworkers of America. He got his nickname "Oil can Eddie" because he often carried an oil can while walking around plants and talking with rank-and-file members.
Fellow members elected Sadlowski shop steward of his plant in 1960 and their grievance representative in 1962. The following year Local 65 members elected him their president, and in 1964 at age 25 Sadlowski became the youngest person to hold that union office, overseeing about 23,000 workers. He won re-election in 1967.

District 31 Director Election

In 1972 long time District 31 Director, Joe Germano, announced he was retiring. District 31 was the USWA's largest district, covering the Chicago, Illinois - Gary, Indiana area with about 128,000 members. Sadlowski announced he candidacy for the Director position:
His opponent, Samuel C. Evett, had the support of the International Union, including its President I.W. Able. District 31 included 288 locals and Sadlowski needed nominations from 29 of them to get on the ballot. He conducted a street campaign at plant gates and coffeehouses, bars and restaurants. The International refused to give the Sadlowski campaign a list of the locals, but eventually Sadlowski secured nominations from 40 locals.
The Evett forces claimed Sadlowski was supported by Communists and that he long opposed the Vietnam War. On the night of the February 13, 1973 election, Sadlowski was winning by about 3500 votes around midnight when further votes stopped coming in. When votes starting coming in again, Evett was winning and was ultimately declared the winner by 2,000 votes.
Sadlowski protested the election and sued the union. The U.S. Department of Labor investigated and found massive fraud, including that the official union leadership at the Gary Works U.S. Steel local had faked ballots. A federal court fight followed, which led Evett in July 1974 to agree to a new election. Meanwhile, Sadlowski's supporters had built an organization known as "Steelworkers Fightback". When the election was held between November 12 and November 15, 1974. Sadlowski won by 20,000 votes.

United Steelworkers of America Presidential Race

After Sadlowski won the District Director election, he traveled around the country talking to steelworker groups about whether to run for International president. The International offered Sadlowski a deal. They would give him the staff he wanted in his district and would stay out of the district's political affairs. In return they wanted Sadlowski to stay out of International union politics. Sadlowski rejected the deal, commenting:
Sadlowski became a candidate for president of the Steelworkers in 1977, running at the head of a reformist slate.Time, January 17, 1977, During the campaign he liked to say, "There is a fire in the steelworker union and I'm not going to piss on it."
During the 1977 election, Sadlowski ran against Lloyd McBride, who received substantial support from union officers and staff. The International denied Sadlowski access to all membership lists. Since the Steelworkers Union represents many jobs which are not steel related, Sadlowski sent union activists from Chicago around the country to help campaign at many of these locals. During the campaign Sadlowski gave a controversial interview with Penthouse magazine, in which he said he would not want his children to work in a steel mill:
About 580,000 of the union's 1.4 million members voted. McBride won with 328,000 to Sadlowski's 249,000 votes, but Sadlowski beat McBride in the large steel locals. Time, February 21, 1977. He also won in the United States-based locals, but the vote in Canada was overwhelmingly for McBride. Canada also did not have labor law fraud protections that exist in the U.S.
Sadlowski had raised donations from both inside and outside the union. His enemies had charged that if he was elected outsiders would run the union, and Sadlowski's failure to respond forcibly may have cost him many votes. When the USWA at their 1978 convention outlawed such donations, Sadlowski sued to overturn the union rule on First Amendment grounds. Although he initially won his case at the federal district and appellate court levels, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the rulings in 1982.

Later life

After the 1977 election, Sadlowski became a subdistrict director in the South Chicago area, but "Steelworkers Fightback" disintegrated. He never ran for elected union office again. He retired from the union in 1993.
From 1993 until 2012, Sadlowski served on a local panel of the Illinois Labor Relations Board. In 2012, the Illinois Labor History Society inducted him into its Union Hall of Honor.
In 2015, his daughter, Susan Sadlowski Garza was elected to the Chicago City Council representing the 10th ward.

Death and media portrayals

Sadlowski died in Fort Myers, Florida on June 10, 2018, after suffering from dementia for several years. He was survived by his widow, children, 11 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Sadlowski was featured in the first chapter of the novel Never a City So Real: A Walk in Chicago, as well as the history Homestead, and memoir Which Side Are You On? He was a member of the advisory board for the Association for Union Democracy.