The word “iron” the way John Balzano says it sounds like a freight train rolling over a bump (in case you find it difficult to appreciate this metaphor, please listen to the audio clip on the website). The 71-year old is a member of the steel worker’s union in the Tin Mill in Weirton, WV, which was just recently bought by the Indian steel giant Arcelor Mittal. “Iron,” Balzano said, “iron means strength. Hold tight. Hold together. That’s what iron means to me”. In August 2008, Balzano took us on a tour to the factory site that he had been working the past 49 years. “This factory is my best friend”, he said. “It has never let me down. It has paid me every single day. It gave me health insurance. It allowed me to send my sons to college.”
The Tin Mill is one of the few remaining factories in the area. Where Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia meet, you will find the ruins of the once mighty steel industry. Rusted furnaces raise their thawed chimneys; the ground is littered with car wrecks, fallen tower cranes and train tracks without a purpose. As many as 30,000 people used to work in the steel mills of the neighboring towns of Weirton, Steubenville and Mingo Junction. Now, it is one third of that number, and half of the population is gone.
Balzano is not the only worker who could be retired. Most of his colleagues, who steamroll aluminum on conveyor belts, have grey or white hair. On average, they are 57 years old. They are remains of a golden era before globalization hit the steal belt; remains of a time when unions successfully fought for decent wages. “When times changed, they were too young to accept a Golden Handshake. Today, they can’t afford it anymore to retire,” said David Skolnick, a reporter for a local newspaper.
It is not clear whom the workers are going to elect. Traditionally, they vote for the Democratic candidate, but their religious beliefs are conservative. “Many are mad at politicians,” said Skolnick, “because they could not protect the steel mills.”
Balzano will supposedly end his career where he began it. His mood is excellent, his optimism unlimited. “America is the best nation in the world. I cannot understand how anyone could want to live in another place”.
