In spite of the gravity of the problem of mass unemployment and its periodic recurrence in industrial societies, few scientific studies have been undertaken which serve to define the impact of plant closings on workers, families, and the community; to evaluate individual group, or community responses to closings; and to offer suggestions for the future.Shutdown at Youngstown meets this need. It presents the findings of a multidisciplinary, scientific study of the closing of the steel mills in Youngstown in 1977 which put 5,000 persons out of work. Research reported in the text is based on personal interviews, social indicator data, and data from health and human service agencies. The authors conclude by developing a public policy for dealing with plant closings and the crisis of mass unemployment.
Terry F. Buss is Director of the Center for Urban Studies at Youngstown State University. F. Stevens Redburn is Social Science Research Analyst at the Office for Policy Development and Research, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Individuals InterviewedFiguresTablesAcknowledgments1. Introduction Part 1. Background 2. Black Monday: The Closing of Youngstown Sheet and Tube Part 2. Impact of the Closing Overview3. The Psychological Impact of the Shutdown4. The Community Impact of the Shutdown Part 3. Responding to the Crisis Overview5. Reemployment, Retraining, and Relocation6. Other Responses: Individuals and Agencies Part 4. Social Policies for Mass Unemployment Overview7. Employment Policy8. Human Services Policies9. The Longer Run Appendix A. MethodologyAppendix B. Politics of a Plant ClosingAppendix C. Measurement of Mental HealthAppendix D. Euology to a Shutdown Steel Mill NotesReferencesIndex