The Deal of a century that was doomed for failure:

Ever heard the saying that this will never happen because it's just doomed for failure? Well, I've not only heard it, but lived it all too many times. In fact, I've also witnessed it many times in my personal as well as professional life and career. What exactly does it mean, you might ask? Well, in all reality it means that regardless of the efforts, the hard work, the sweat, tears, and blood that went into a project, was never going to succeed from the very onset. In other words, no matter what attempt(s) would be made, or by whom, it was not going to happen. Why, one might ask?

When someone inserts the following, you know that you have to watch out as things are going to get messy. What's this referring to? "POLITICS", yes my friends, good old nasty to the core politics!!!

Why am I saying this? Well, I know that most of my articles have centered around what I like to refer to as "the deal of the century", being the attempted acquisition of the iconic U.S. Steel Corporation by Nippon Steel Corporation of Japan. Now I know that many have had interest in how this deal was going to end up. I have talked to many because my insight and expertise along with my years of experience has perked the interest of many people who were interested in my opinion on this subject matter. Therefore, for over a year, I have opined greatly on this subject matter and in my own methods, attempted to gain as much knowledge and insight into what would be in the best interest for all involved in this matter.

Because of my knowledge of how Union's operate, as well as Company's for that matter, I have educated myself to the fullest of my capabilities with keeping up with this project since the inception of U.S. Steel going on the market for "bid" first began. I learned of all the players, many which I know on a first name basis, then others that I simply know of, or did tremendous research on to determine in my own mind what would be best for the most people that would be impacted. I didn't necessarily care about the CEO of USS, the CEO of Cleveland-Cliffs or even the CEO of Nippon Steel. To be perfectly honest, I didn't much care about what would be best for the International President of the USW either because nearly all of these are positions filled with ego's the size of one of the largest outdoor stadium that would seat thousands upon thousands who in the end, only care about themselves. The same holds true for many of their respective board members too, as on these boards are people who have long forgotten, if they ever truly knew, what it was like to be a worker on the shop floor simply trying to make a living, earning a decent wage, raising a family, trying to send their kids to school.......

But because along comes a couple of "cry-baby's" that didn't get their way, they start employing "politics" into the equation, and dangling their endorsement like a carrot to get a Presidential nominee to say what they wanted him to say, when in all reality, he didn't even need their endorsement because never in a million years would they have endorsed the "other guy", we get the sitting President of the United States to make a foolish statement like, "this iconic company needs to be run and owned by a domestic company", like he knows what he's talking about. The "other guy" has already stated "if I'm elected I'll kill the deal". And now, with a new Democratic candidate who could have so easily simply stated that let's let the process run its course through all the regulatory procedures and see what the findings are, has to run to Pittsburgh to assure the USW leadership that she's got their backs....I mean does anyone really think this was necessary to keep the USW endorsement????

Anyhow, now we see that there is about to be a report come down that doesn't fair well for Nippon and their efforts. Could Nippon have done more? Absolutely they could have. Could U.S. Steel and its leadership have done more to move this along more expeditiously. Absolutely they could have and should have before it was too late. Could Cliffs have done less? Absolutely, but when you have the political ties and leverages that their CEO and at least one particular board member brings to the table, isn't it nice to know that while USW President McCall and his wife attend big dinners that only few ever in a lifetime would get to attend, the workers on the shop floor and their spouses worry about what the future holds for them, as they ponder who will own them, who will protect them, who will employ them, who will either keep their plant running, or who will shut it down.

For you see, one of the fundamentals of any union organizing drive is to pound into the heads of workers that the reason they should sign a card saying they want a union is because it will give them "A VOICE" that they currently don't have. WELL GUESS WHAT DAVID McCALL, you have succeeded in taking the voice of over 10,000 union members away from them by bullying them and not letting them have a say in what happens to their futures and the futures of their families and communities. Shame on the leadership of the USW for failing your own members. Shame on the USW for not meeting with Nippon Steel and putting forth an outline of issues that could potentially have worked out a contract that would have put an end to all this "saber-rattling" by these politicians that don't know what the......they are dealing with.

National security being put at risk??? How about domestic security of jobs for your members? Have you forgotten coming out of that Steel plant in Indiana back in 1986 where you demanded that your voice be heard then? Now that you are at the helm of the USW, have you so quickly forgotten who, where, and why YOU are to represent the WORKERS AND THEIR FAMILIES????

Yes, readers of this Article, I am disturbed by how poorly this has been handled and by all the parties involved because it didn't have to be this way. I've never pretended to have all the answers, but I have a ton of questions and even though they may never be answered, one day, Dave McCall, you'll answer for your actions in this matter.

USW MEMBERS that are employee's of U.S. Steel YOU need to hold your leadership accountable for what happens to your future in this deal. Yes, you have two (2) District Directors and an International President that should be held accountable and its up to YOU to ensure that they are. When THEY won't stand up for YOU, IT IS YOU that has to stand up to them!!!!

The handling of this situation is one of the poorest example of unionization that I have witnessed and what is the saddest of all, all the CEO's of all three (3) Company's and the USW President will still be sitting in their ivory towers having their jobs, their salaries and benefits, and all the other perks that come with these positions while many will become unemployed and left with nothing. This is sad from our political leaders, from company leaders and from union leaders.......