Olcott Park is a city park in Virginia, Minnesota , United States.
61-579: Olcott Park was named after William J. Olcott , an officer of the Oliver Iron Mining Company. In 1905 the company first leased the land to the city for $ 1 a year if the city would pay taxes on it. The city purchased the land in 1939 for $ 9,015. The Olcott Park in Virginia, Minnesota is a 40-acre (16 ha) amount of land on the north side of town. It is bordered by 9th St. N and Essentia Health /Virginia Regional Medical Center on
122-689: A 5% base wage increase each year for the four years, a $ 4,000 bonus upon ratification of the deal, $ 0.50/hour increase in hourly contributions to the Steel Workers Pension Trust, $ 0.10/hour increase in 401(k) contributions, and uncapped profit-sharing. During the 1948 Donora smog , an air inversion trapped industrial effluent (air pollution) from the American Steel and Wire plant and U.S. Steel's Donora Zinc Works in Donora, Pennsylvania. In three days, 20 people died... After
183-512: A contentious relationship with U.S. Steel, but far less so than the relationship that other unions had with employers in other industries in the United States. They launched a number of long strikes against U.S. Steel in 1946 and a 116-day strike in 1959 , but those strikes were over wages and benefits and not the more fundamental issue of union recognition that led to violent strikes elsewhere. The Steelworkers union attempted to mollify
244-863: A crisis with its union, the United Steelworkers of America . The Supreme Court blocked the takeover by ruling that the president did not have the Constitutional authority to seize the mills. President John F. Kennedy was more successful in 1962 when he pressured the steel industry into reversing price increases that Kennedy considered dangerously inflationary. According to the author Dan Carter in The Politics Of Rage: George Wallace, The Origins Of The New Conservatism, And The Transformation Of American Politics, U.S. Steel strongly resisted Kennedy administration efforts to enlist Alabama businesses to support
305-418: A major subsidiary. About 22,000 USX employees stopped work on August 1, 1986, after the United Steelworkers of America and the company could not agree on new employee contract terms. This was characterized by the company as a strike and by the union as a lockout . This resulted in most USX facilities becoming idle until February 1, 1987, seriously degrading the steel division's market share. A compromise
366-747: A site on the Delaware River in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania , where the soil had been contaminated with arsenic , lead , and other heavy metals , as well as naphthalene . Groundwater at the site was found to be polluted with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and trichloroethylene (TCE). In 2005, the EPA, United States Department of Justice , and the State of Ohio reached a settlement requiring U.S. Steel to pay more than $ 100,000 in penalties and $ 294,000 in reparations in answer to allegations that
427-574: A whole. During the 1970s, the logo's meaning was extended to include the three materials used to produce steel: yellow for coal, orange for ore and blue for steel scrap. In the late 1980s, when the AISI founded the Steel Recycling Institute (SRI), the logo took on a new life reminiscent of its 1950s meaning. The Pittsburgh Steelers professional football team borrowed elements of its logo, a circle containing three hypocycloids , from
488-508: Is open to the public year-round without charge. This three-room greenhouse dates from the 1930s. Its central room contains a good collection of exotic plants, ranging in size from small specimens to mature Ponderosa lemon trees bearing fruit, with cacti and succulents , large agave , palm , and ficus specimens. Historically it was the site for huge begonia shows which attracted thousands of visitors. The north and south greenhouses were used to raise bedding plants for flower beds throughout
549-478: The Great Lakes . Because of heavy debts taken on at the company's formation—Carnegie insisted on being paid in gold bonds for his stake—and fears of antitrust litigation, U.S. Steel moved cautiously. Competitors often innovated faster, especially Bethlehem Steel , run by Charles Schwab, U.S. Steel's former president. U.S. Steel's share of the expanding market slipped to 50 percent by 1911. James A. Farrell
610-549: The Homestead, Pennsylvania , plant was, for many years, broken after a violent strike in 1892. U.S. Steel defeated another strike in 1901, the year it was founded. U.S. Steel built the city of Gary , Indiana, in 1906, and 100 years later it remained the location of the largest integrated steel mill in the Northern Hemisphere. U.S. Steel reached a détente with unions during World War I , when under pressure from
671-614: The Michigan Wolverines football team, was the starting "three-quarter back" from 1881 to 1883 and served as captain of the 1882 and 1883 teams . Olcott graduated from Michigan in 1884. After receiving his degree, Olcott returned to Michigan's Upper Peninsula , where he worked in the mining business. In 1885, he was employed as an assistant engineer to the Chapin Mine on the Menominee Range . In 1890, he
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#1732801050218732-483: The S&;P 500 since 1957, U.S. Steel was removed from that index on July 2, 2014, due to declining market capitalization. The Board of Directors considers the declaration of dividends four times each year, with checks for dividends declared on common stock mailed for receipt on 10 March, June, September, and December. In 2008, the dividend was $ 0.30 per share, the highest in company history, but on April 27, 2009, it
793-834: The Steel Workers Organizing Committee , an arm of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) led by John L. Lewis . Taylor was an outsider, brought in during the Great Depression to rescue U.S. Steel. Watching the upheaval caused by the United Auto Workers ' successful sit-down strike in Flint, Michigan , and convinced that Lewis was someone he could deal with on a businesslike basis, Taylor sought stability through collective bargaining. Still, U.S. Steel worked hand-in-hand with
854-692: The Unisphere in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park , Queens , New York , for the 1964 World's Fair . It is the largest globe ever made and is one of the world's largest free-standing sculptures. The Chicago Picasso sculpture was fabricated by U.S. Steel in Gary, Indiana, before being disassembled and relocated to Chicago. U.S. Steel donated the steel for the construction of St. Michael's Catholic Church in Chicago since 90 percent of
915-481: The United Steelworkers (USW), forced the company to abandon plans to import British Steel Corporation slabs. U.S. Steel finally acquired National Steel's assets in 2003, after National Steel went bankrupt. As part of its diversification plan, U.S. Steel had acquired Marathon Oil on January 7, 1982, as well as Texas Oil and Gas several years later. Recognizing its new scope, it reorganized its holdings as USX Corporation in 1986, with U.S. Steel (renamed USS, Inc. ) as
976-443: The 1920s, U.S. Steel, like many other large employers, coupled paternalistic employment practices with "employee representation plans" (ERPs), which were company unions sponsored by management. These ERPs eventually became an important factor leading to the organization of the United Steelworkers of America . The company dropped its hard-line, anti-union stance in 1937, when Myron Taylor, then president of U.S. Steel, agreed to recognize
1037-528: The Birmingham (Alabama) Police Department as it vigorously investigated and targeted labor activities during the 1930s and 1940s. The corporation developed and fed information to a "Red Squad" of detectives "who used the city's vagrancy and criminal-anarchy statutes (liberally reinforced by backroom beatings) to strike at radical labor organizers." In the 1950s, those investigations shifted from labor to civil rights activists. The Steelworkers continue to have
1098-486: The ENA in 1984. In 1986, U.S. Steel employees stopped work after a dispute over contract terms, characterized by the company as a strike and by the union as a lockout . In a letter to striking employees in 1986, Johnston warned, "There are not enough seats in the steel lifeboat for everybody." In addition to reducing the role of unions, the steel industry had sought to induce the federal government to take action to counteract
1159-699: The Fannie Bailey Olcott Girl Scout Camp. Olcott retired as president of the Oliver Iron Mining Co. in 1928 and traveled extensively in the seven years following his retirement, including a year in Europe and trips to Florida and California. In April 1935, Olcott died while visiting his daughter, Mrs. Torrey Ford, in Pasadena, California . He died from pneumonia following a stroke suffered several weeks earlier. He
1220-573: The Mesabi Range. At the time, a newspaper account noted: "The lodge itself is a charming place, and the surroundings of lake and forest attractive and restful. The Olcotts not only have caused the beautiful lodge to be built and completely furnished and equipped, but they defray all costs of maintenance, with a competent and experienced woman in charge." In 1931, the camp was turned over to the Girl Scouts and has been operated since that time as
1281-599: The Steelmark logo belonging to the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) and created by U.S. Steel. In the 1950s, when helmet logos became popular, the Steelers added players' numbers to either side of their gold helmets. Later that decade, the numbers were removed and in 1962, Cleveland's Republic Steel suggested to the Steelers that they use the Steelmark as a helmet logo. U.S. Steel financed and constructed
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#17328010502181342-532: The Wilson Administration it relaxed its opposition to unions enough to allow some to operate in certain factories. It returned to its previous policies as soon as the war ended, however, and in a 1919 strike defeated union-organizing efforts by William Z. Foster of the AFL. Heavy pressure from public opinion forced the company to give up its 12-hour day and adopt the standard eight-hour day. During
1403-553: The city of River Rouge, Michigan , and the residents of River Rouge and the nearby city of Ecorse filed a class-action lawsuit against the company for "the release and discharge of air particulate matter...and other toxic and hazardous substances" at its River Rouge plant. The company has also been implicated in generating water pollution and toxic waste . In 1993, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued an order for U.S. Steel to clean up
1464-537: The city. William J. Olcott William James Olcott (February 22, 1862 – April 29, 1935) was an American college football player and mining and railroad executive in the Mesabi Range . He played football for the University of Michigan from 1881 to 1883 and was captain of the 1882 and 1883 teams. After receiving his degree, he worked in the iron ore mining industry for more than 40 years. He
1525-450: The company against criticisms and legal liability. U.S. Steel ranked 16th among United States corporations in the value of World War II production contracts. Production peaked at more than 35 million tons in 1953. Its employment was greatest in 1943, when it had more than 340,000 employees. The federal government intervened to try to control U.S. Steel. President Harry S. Truman attempted to take over its steel mills in 1952 to resolve
1586-572: The company illegally released pollutants into Ohio waters. U.S. Steel's Gary, Indiana facility has been repeatedly charged with discharging polluted wastewater into Lake Michigan and the Grand Calumet River . In 1998 the company agreed to payment of a $ 30 million settlement to clean up contaminated sediments from a five-mile (8 km) stretch of the river. With the exception of the Fairless Hills and Gary facilities,
1647-514: The company's corporate headquarters have been located there. It is the tallest skyscraper in the downtown Pittsburgh skyline, built out of the company's Corten Steel. New York City's One Liberty Plaza was also built by the corporation as that city's U.S. Steel Tower in 1973. When the Steelmark logo was created, U.S. Steel attached the following meaning to it: "Steel lightens your work, brightens your leisure and widens your world." The logo
1708-582: The company's iron ore mining operations. He testified in 1913 in a government suit seeking to break up the steel company. Olcott had 40,000 men working for him and reported directly to John D. Rockefeller . Rockefeller and his family stayed at the Olcott's home in 1928. On December 26, 1887, Olcott married Fannie Bailey of Ann Arbor, Michigan . In 1904, Olcott and his wife built a 10,000 square foot Georgian Colonial mansion for their family in Duluth. The house
1769-504: The company's president. He served as the railroad's president from 1901 to 1909. In 1905, Olcott was promoted to the position of vice president of the Oliver Iron Mining Company; he had previously been the general manager of the company. In 1909, he was appointed as the company's president. The Oliver Iron Mining Company was at the time the subsidiary of the United States Steel Corporation responsible for
1830-515: The debate." In July 2024, Nippon Steel hired Mike Pompeo to lobby for its acquisition of U.S. Steel. By September, the Biden Administration signaled plans to block the deal, citing national security concerns. U.S. Steel is a former Dow Jones Industrial Average component, listed from April 1, 1901, to May 3, 1991. It was removed under its USX Corporation name with Navistar International and Primerica . An original member of
1891-465: The desegregation of the University of Alabama , which Gov. George Wallace had promised to block by standing in the schoolhouse door . Although the firm employed more than 30,000 workers in Birmingham, Ala., company president Roger M. Blough in 1963 "went out of his way to announce that any attempt to use his company position in Birmingham to pressure local whites was 'repugnant to me personally' and 'repugnant to my fellow officers at U.S. Steel. ' " In
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1952-497: The dumping of steel by foreign producers at below-market prices. Neither the concessions nor anti-dumping laws have restored the industry to the health and prestige it once had. In December 2022, a new four-year contract was ratified between members of the United Steelworkers union and U.S. Steel. This contract covers 11,000 workers at 13 locations. The new agreements were retroactive to September 1, 2022, and included
2013-582: The early 2010s, U.S. Steel began investing to upgrade software programs throughout their manufacturing facilities. In January 2012, U.S. Steel sold its underperforming Serbian mills near Belgrade to the Serbian government. On July 2, 2014, U.S. Steel was removed from S&P 500 index and placed in the S&P MidCap 400 Index , in light of its declining market capitalization. In October 2019, U.S. Steel invested $ 700 million in Big River Steel,
2074-612: The federal government in subsequent years. Researchers at the Political Economy Research Institute have ranked U.S. Steel as the 58th-greatest corporate producer of air pollution in the United States (down from their 2000 ranking as the second-greatest). In 2008, the company released more than one million kg (2.2 million pounds) of toxins, chiefly ammonia , hydrochloric acid , ethylene , zinc compounds, methanol , and benzene , but including manganese , cyanide , and chromium compounds. In 2004,
2135-575: The first LEED-certified steel facility, gaining a 49.9% ownership stake. In December 2020, U.S. Steel announced it would acquire the remaining ownership interest in Big River Steel for $ 774 million. The acquisition was completed in January 2021. In February 2022, U.S. Steel began construction on a new mill in Osceola, Arkansas which will be operational by 2024. In April 2022, the electric arc furnace flat-rolled Big River Steel mill in Osceola became
2196-705: The first ResponsibleSteel site certified in North America following an independent audit by SRI Quality System Registrar (SRI). On December 18, 2023, Nippon Steel agreed to buy U.S. Steel for $ 14.1 billion, or $ 55 per share, pending approval. Nippon pledged to keep U.S. Steel’s Pittsburgh headquarters and honor union contracts. However, the deal received widespread criticism, including from prominent steelworkers labor union United Steelworkers (USW). On March 14, 2024, U.S. President Joe Biden declared that U.S. Steel must remain American-owned, stating
2257-711: The growth of U.S. Steel and its subsidiaries in the South was partly dependent on the labor of cheaply paid black workers and exploited convicts. The company could obtain black labor at a fraction of the cost of white labor by taking advantage of the Black Codes and discriminatory laws passed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Southern states after the Reconstruction Era . In addition, U.S. Steel had agreements with more than 20 counties in Alabama to obtain
2318-499: The inversion lifted, another 50 died, including Lukasz Musial, the father of baseball great Stan Musial . Hundreds more lived the rest of their lives with damaged lungs and hearts. But another 40 years would pass before the whole truth about Donora's bad air made public-health history. Today the Donora Smog Museum in that city tells of the influence that the hazardous Donora Smog had on the air quality standards enacted by
2379-427: The labor of its prisoners, often paying locals nine dollars a month for workers who would be forced into their mines through a system of convict leasing . This practice continued until at least the late 1920s. While some individuals were guilty of a crime, they did not receive payment or recognition for their work; many died from abuse, malnutrition, and dire working and living conditions. This practice of convict leasing
2440-480: The lawsuits concern facilities acquired by U.S. Steel via its 2003 purchase of National Steel Corporation , not its historic facilities. In 2021, U.S. Steel announced a goal to target net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The company previously set a target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions intensity by 20% by 2030. The U.S. Steel Tower in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania , is named after the company and since 1970,
2501-659: The merger to Morgan, ultimately emerged as the new corporation's first President. In 1907, U.S. Steel bought its largest competitor, the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company , which was headquartered in Birmingham , Alabama . Tennessee Coal was replaced in the Dow Jones Industrial Average by General Electric . The federal government attempted to use federal antitrust laws to break up U.S. Steel in 1911 (the same year Standard Oil
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2562-562: The merger. The architect of tax concessions to steel firms, Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA), complained that "we go out on a limb in Congress and we feel they should be putting it in steel." The events are the subject of "The U.S. Steal Song" by folk singer Anne Feeney . In 1984, the federal government prevented U.S. Steel from acquiring National Steel , and political pressure from the United States Congress , as well as
2623-474: The north and the Calvary Cemetery on the west. On the east it is bordered by N 9th Ave W, and a city museum (Heritage Museum). On the south, the park is bordered by Parkview Learning Center and some little-league baseball fields. Along with a large playground area, the park also boasts a bandstand in its center where Virginia City Band performances take place in the summer. In the northern region of
2684-548: The park, a fountain still stands today that was built during the Great Depression and renovated in 2019. Also, a structure in the southern edge of the park still stands that held monkeys and bear cubs prior to World War II . The Olcott Park Greenhouse is a 4,500-square-foot (420 m), city-operated greenhouse located in the Olcott Park at N. 9th Avenue W. and 7th Street N. in Virginia, Minnesota , United States. It
2745-755: The postwar years, the steel industry and heavy manufacturing went through a restructuring that caused a decline in U.S. Steel's need for labor, production, and portfolio. Many jobs moved offshore. By 2000, the company employed 52,500 people. In the early days of the Reagan Administration , steel firms won substantial tax breaks in order to compete with imported goods. But instead of modernizing their mills, steel companies shifted capital out of steel and into more profitable areas. In March 1982, U.S. Steel took its concessions and paid $ 1.4 billion in cash and $ 4.7 billion in loans for Marathon Oil , saving approximately $ 500 million in taxes through
2806-415: The problems of competitive foreign imports by entering into a so-called Experimental Negotiation Agreement (ENA) in 1974. This was to provide for arbitration if the parties were not able to reach an agreement on any new collective bargaining agreements , thereby preventing disruptive strikes. The ENA failed to stop the decline of the steel industry in the U.S. U.S. Steel and the other employers terminated
2867-474: The proposed acquisition by Nippon Steel would pose a risk to national security, and also declared that he would use U.S regulatory authorities to scuttle the deal. After this revelation, it was noted the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) had the authority to block the acquisition based on national security matters. According to USW President David McCall, Biden's decision "should end
2928-555: The union and with management and proceeded to have proxy battles with shareholders and management. But he abandoned all efforts to buy out the company on January 8, 1987, a few weeks before union employees returned to work. By the late 20th century, U.S. Steel earned most of its revenue from energy operations. In 2001, under CEO Thomas Usher , it spun off Marathon and other non-steel assets, except Transtar , and expanded internationally by acquiring plants in Slovakia and Serbia. In
2989-582: Was 73 years old at the time of his death. United States Steel Corporation U.S. Steel , or United States Steel Corporation, is an American steel company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania , with production facilities in the U.S. and Central Europe. The company produces and sells steel products, including flat-rolled and tubular products for customers in industries across automotive, construction, consumer, electrical, industrial equipment, distribution, and energy. Operations also include iron ore and coke production facilities. In 2008, U.S. Steel
3050-466: Was broken up), but that effort ultimately failed. In 1902, its first full year of operation, U.S. Steel made 67 percent of all the steel produced in the United States. About 100 years later, as of 2001, it produced only 8 percent more than it did in 1902, and its shipments accounted for only about 8 percent of domestic consumption. According to the author Douglas Blackmon in Slavery by Another Name ,
3111-443: Was brokered and accepted by the union membership on January 31, 1987. On February 4, 1987, three days after the agreement had been reached to end the work stoppage, USX announced that four USX plants would remain closed permanently, eliminating about 3,500 union jobs. Corporate raider Carl Icahn launched a hostile takeover of the steel giant in late 1986 in the midst of the work stoppage. He conducted separate negotiations with
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#17328010502183172-429: Was built at a cost of $ 140,000 and had an estate covering five city lots surrounded by a brick and wrought iron wall. The Olcotts had two daughters who they raised in the house. The Olcott family donated the house to Duluth Teachers College in 1939, where it housed a music school. In 1925, Olcott and his wife established the "Olcott Lodge", a rest lodge for wives of the Oliver Iron Mining Company at Half Moon Lake in
3233-427: Was fairly ubiquitous as eight Southern states had similar practices and many companies, as well as farmers, took advantage of this. The Corporation, as it was known on Wall Street , was distinguished by its size, rather than for its efficiency or creativity during its heyday. In 1901, it controlled two-thirds of steel production and, through its Pittsburgh Steamship Company, developed the largest commercial fleet on
3294-495: Was named president in 1911 and served until 1932. In March 1908, the company formed the Committee on Safety of United States Steel following chairman Elbert H. Gary's meetings on safety with casualty managers of the operating companies, thereby leading to the introduction of the modern "Safety First" movement. The committee's formation was intended not only to focus on workplace safety to prevent worker accidents, but to safeguard
3355-643: Was opposed by the United Steelworkers , the Trump campaign, and the Biden administration. As of November 2024 , the Biden administration was still set on blocking the proposed acquisition. J. P. Morgan formed U.S. Steel on March 2, 1901 (incorporated on February 25, 1901), by financing the merger of Andrew Carnegie 's Carnegie Steel Company with Elbert H. Gary's Federal Steel Company and William Henry "Judge" Moore 's National Steel Company for $ 492 million ($ 18 billion today). At one time, U.S. Steel
3416-614: Was president of the Oliver Iron Mining Company from 1909 to 1928 and president of the Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway from 1901 to 1909. Olcott was born in Detroit , Michigan , in 1862, the son of Harlow and Elizabeth Olcott. He moved with his family to Michigan's Upper Peninsula and attended school in Marquette, Michigan . He subsequently attended the University of Michigan where he studied chemistry and mining. He played on
3477-458: Was reduced to $ 0.05 per share. In February 2020, the dividend was reduced to $ 0.01 per share but was then later increased back to $ 0.05 per share in November 2021. U.S. Steel maintained the labor policies of Andrew Carnegie . Carnegie believed that "good wages and good workmen I know to be cheap labor." The Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers union that represented workers at
3538-556: Was reported to be living in Ironwood, Michigan , and working as an assistant superintendent of five mines at a salary of $ 3,600. Olcott later moved to Duluth, Minnesota , where he lived for three decades. He became superintendent of the Lake Superior Consolidated Mines on the Mesabi Range . In 1897, he was appointed first vice president of the Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway and in 1901 became
3599-614: Was the largest steel producer and largest corporation in the world. It was capitalized at $ 1.4 billion ($ 51.3 billion today), making it the world's first billion-dollar corporation. The company established its headquarters in the Empire Building at 71 Broadway in New York City; it remained a major tenant in the building for 75 years. Charles M. Schwab , the Carnegie Steel executive who originally suggested
3660-651: Was the world's eighth-largest steel producer. By 2022, it ranked 24th globally and second in the U.S., behind Nucor . Though renamed USX Corporation in 1986, the company was renamed United States Steel in 2001 after spinning off its energy business, including Marathon Oil , and other assets, from its core steel concern. Nippon Steel , Japan's largest steel producer, announced plans to acquire U.S. Steel for $ 14.1 billion, pending approval from regulators and shareholders. The deal, announced in mid-December 2023, would retain U.S. Steel's name and headquarters in Pittsburgh. It
3721-403: Was used as part of a major marketing campaign to educate consumers about how important steel is in people's daily lives. The Steelmark logo was used in print, radio and television ads as well as on labels for all steel products, from steel tanks to tricycles to filing cabinets. In the 1960s, U.S. Steel turned over the Steelmark program to the AISI, where it came to represent the steel industry as
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