Kratcha came to America in 1895 and later worked in a local steel mill in Braddock, Pennsylvania when he got a first hand look at the dangers that occurred every single day inside the mills when his best friend Joe Dubik died on the job. “The explosion blew out the top of the furnace. Three men were killed instantly and eleven injured, three of them fatally.” This was very common at the time, however the plant owners

Mike had died in a work accident before he was able to take any serious action against the business owners, but his son, Dobie, had the same views as his father and was able to follow through with them. He was a very smart young man, who could speak perfect english, and write perfectly as well. Ever since he quit school and started working at the age of 13 he had always been a fighter, and didn’t just accept things for what they were. For example, the company began to take two dollars per week out of everybody’s checks for the supplies that each of them had supposedly bought. Dobie could not take being unjustly bossed around any longer. He immediately went to the boss to make his case, only to be turned away.

class. He passed the law that would provide an eight hour work day as well as one that provided workers compensation.” This was not enough for Mike. Wages were still very low and it was impossible for a “Hunky” to get a decent job, even if he had ten times the experience needed for the job. In addition to this, the bosses of the mills would almost force the workers to vote for a certain candidate in the upcoming elections. The owners knew that having control of the government would ensure the safety of the company from losing its power. Some men secretly voted for the candidate they wanted but most of them played it safe so they would not get laid off. One of these men was Mike. “Mike voted for a socialist Eugene Debs instead of the Republican the company wanted him to vote for, William Howard Taft. Taft won the election and the owners never discovered that Mike was in favor of Debs”

The Steel Workers Organizing Committee (S.W.O.C) was formed, taking over for the A.A. The Committee for Industrial Organization asked some of the S.W.O.C workers, including Dobie, to testify in court against the company. Dobie revealed his new confidence when he asked his boss, Mr. Todd, for time off to testify in Washington. He

Some topics in this essay:
Organization SWOC, Joe Dubik, Mike Dobrejak, Debs” Mike, Mike Wages, Dobie AA, America Slovakian, Employee Representative, , Association AA, control government, employee representative, mike dobrejak, steel mill, swoc workers, government control, business owners, unskilled workers,