Hon. Richard Gephardt

George Becker was a giant in the labor movement and became a close friend and confidante. George personally felt the pain of industrial workers, their families, and their communities who had been battered by unfair foreign trade and outsourcing by too many U.S. multinational companies.  George channeled this pain into action and led efforts in opposition to many trade agreements that have now proven, as he projected, to be utter failures. He built up a communications and advocacy network in Rapid Response, that became not only a model for others in the labor movement but an agent of change.  This book captures George’s leadership and provides testimony to his work and that of the Steelworkers that continues to make a difference to this day.  I am proud to have called him my friend.

—Richard Gephardt, Democratic Congressman from Missouri (1977-2005), served as Democratic Leader of the House from 1989 through 2003.

Ike Gitlen

Jim English has produced a solid recounting of a besieged leader who was a force of nature.  In so doing, this bio becomes a great addition to the record of the struggles of blue-collar workers against a design of globalization that exploits and has led to our current political and economic disarray.

English’s approach sticks to actions and results, while mostly leaving judgements on what happened to the reader.  He tells the life of a remarkable leader against the background of dramatic public events.  In the process, he gives readers a window into how a complex union like the Steelworkers makes decisions, organizes and uses its power and resources to be a voice for workers well beyond its membership. 

Time and again, Becker was confronted with strikes and lockouts as well as legislative challenges that required a long-term commitment and vision.  George Becker believed in the power of the rank and file and that unshakeable belief formed the basis for the programs he created to broaden and empower its activism to confront those challenges.  English details many of these struggles and the innovations that Becker championed to keep those fights fresh.

George Becker, the son of Granite City, IL, was someone who walked the halls of power and knew “the elite” of our nation.  Yet he made it clear that he had no interest in joining that club.  His is as a model of a working-class leader and decision-maker who  knew how to fight.

— Ike Gitlen, a past Steelworkers Local 1688 President at then Bethlehem Steel in Harrisburg, is currently a member of the staff of the USW.

Paul Whitehead

Author James English weaves together the life of an authentic labor activist, George Becker, as he ascends to and takes the presidency of the Steelworkers Union.  English gives us a front-row seat on how Becker literally turned an organization around.  If there is a “secret sauce” here for the leaders of unions, and maybe even leaders of other membership organizations as well, it is the way Becker engaged local, rank-and-file members more intimately than ever before.  English shows Becker, time and again, trusting the aspirations of the members, and then making clear to them that the union cannot fulfill those hopes without their increased activism.  So, fellow readers, buckle up and prepare to see how one leader literally “laid it on the line” with his fellow members while advancing their shared goals.        

Paul Whitehead is a Professor at Penn State University and former General Counsel of USW.

Paul Clark

Both as a western Pennsylvania native with numerous relatives and friends who have worked in the steel industry, and as someone who has spent a career studying American unions, I have closely followed the United Steelworkers (USW) over the last fifty years as it has dealt with many serious challenges.  

I watched with sadness in the 1980s and 1990s as the union lost half its membership and suffered plant closing after plant closing.  I also followed with admiration as the USW won meaningful battles with companies like Ravenswood and shored up the union through mergers  with other unions and thoughtful organizational reforms. But observing these developments from a distance provided little appreciation for the remarkable leadership that steered the union through waters that could just as easily have resulted in its demise. 

Thanks to his book Jim English provides a window into how President Becker led the union to higher ground.  Clearly, leaders and members at all levels contributed to the union’s fight for survival.  But English’s firsthand insights reveal how Becker’s strategic vision, innovative thinking, ability to inspire, and unshakeable faith in the power of unions to advocate for workers, was central to all the USW accomplished.  

 Normally, much of the rationale, the decision-making, and the implementation that goes into top  leadership decisions at a large international union resides in a black box, closed to all but a few.  But Jim English clearly had access and was present to witness every aspect of Becker’s remarkable leadership.

 For current and future union leaders at all levels, as well as for union activists, labor’s allies, and those who study unions and leadership, English’s book serves as a unique case study from which to both learn about, and be inspired by, the example George Becker set.

Paul Clark is a Professor and Former Director of the School of Labor and Employment Relations at Penn State University 

Michael Wessel

The book captures George’s humanity, humility, leadership, and vision. George was a client, a colleague, a mentor, and, most importantly, a friend. In addition to working with him to advance trade and economic policies that would advance the interests of workers, I had the honor to serve with him on two federal commissions – the US Trade Deficit Review Commission and on the US-China Economic & Security Review Commission. George brought all of his experiences and his passion for the American worker and America itself to all of his work on the Commissions.  He locked swords with some of America’s leading advocates for unfettered free trade and for those who outsourced production and jobs to China and around the globe and won, time after time.   It was an honor to have known and learned from him on so many different levels.

—Michael Wessel is head of the D.C. based Wessel Group which provides consulting services to domestic producers and workers on federal matters, particularly with respect to International Trade.  He also serves as a commissioner on the US-China Economic & Security Review Commission.