Sons of Vulcan

[1] Because chemical testing of the molten iron had not yet been developed, puddlers relied on their long experience with steelmaking to determine whether too much or too little carbon had been oxidized.

[1][5] Puddling was also an extremely dangerous trade, as some steel processes required the molten metal to boil and bubble as the puddler stirred in scrap iron and puddlers were required to physically remove slag and drain pure steel out of furnaces for additional processing.

[1][5] The first strike in the iron and steel industry in the United States took place among puddlers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from December 20, 1849, to May 12, 1850.

[6] On April 12, 1858, a group of puddlers met at a hotel bar on Diamond Street to form a labor union, which they called the "Iron City Forge of the Sons of Vulcan".

[1] The Civil War led to a sharp increase in the demand for steel, and wages rose substantially.

[6] A second annual convention was held in Wheeling in the newly formed state of West Virginia in 1862, at which a constitution and bylaws were adopted.

[6] As it became apparent in June 1864 that the Civil War might be coming to a close, employers attempted to cut wages.

[6] Financial support for striking workers was provided by voluntary contributions from fellow "forge" members, not the national union.

[6] These changes significantly improved the union's stability, and membership climbed to 3,331 members in 83 "forges" in 12 states by 1873.

[1] At its convention in Troy, New York, in 1874, the Sons of Vulcan debated the industrial union proposal, and reacted favorably to it.

The Roll Hands sent a representative to the Associated Brotherhood convention of July 1874 to negotiate a merger of the unions.

[6] The three unions met separately in Emerald Hall in Pittsburgh on August 2, 1876, and adopted the resolution for amalgamation.

[1][2][3][4][6] The Sons of Vulcan provided 85 percent of the new union's membership, and dominated the new organization for much of its early history.