Making tin plate was different from most other metal work—it needed very skilled workers, which gave them more leverage in labor negotiations. They stayed unionized longer than other metal workers, even after a big union defeat in the deadly 1892 strike in Homestead, Pennsylvania. U.S. Steel took over many tin mills by 1900 and pushed out unions, but Wheeling's mills held strong until a failed strike in 1909.

In the 1930s and 1940s, steelworkers in West Virginia began organizing again. At Weirton Steel, a 1933 strike led to promised union elections, but the company canceled them. Most workers still chose the company-run union in 1937. In 1950, the government ruled that Weirton's company union was illegal. A fair vote was held, and the Independent Steelworkers Union won. After that, Weirton workers didn’t strike again. Meanwhile, the United Steelworkers of America made gains at Wheeling Steel and signed a deal in 1937.