The United Steelworkers of America was one of the new industrial unions to affiliate with the CIO at their emergence on the national scene in 1935. The goal of the CIO was to organize industrial workers who were mostly unskilled or semi-skilled and had little bargaining power at the time. Local 1404 of the United Steelworkers was established in 1937 and served as the bargaining agent for the workers at the Gisholt Machine Company of Madison, Wisconsin.
Following World War II, the postwar strike wave for better wages clearly had an effect upon the steelworkers. The CIO had agreed to a no-strike clause in support of the war effort, but soon after the war ended, CIO focus immediately shifted to the wage issues of its workers. The steelworkers went on strike in February 1946, and Local 1404 acted in full support of the national organization. The strike was successful, but shortly after, with internal conflict and the redbaiting of the McCarthy era, CIO strength waned. This disintegration led to the AFL-CIO merger in 1955, and United Steelworkers of America affiliated with the new organization.
Local 1404 went on strike independently in September 1968 over contract disputes with the Gisholt Machine Company. This dispute was settled by arbitration after only ten days. In 1973, the Gisholt Machine Company ceased operations in Madison. After that time Giddings and Lewis, Inc. has operated the plant as Giddings and Lewis Foundries, and Local 1404 continued to represent the workers at the foundry.
