Steelworkers at Sloss Industries in Birmingham have been on strike for five months, after rejecting a company proposal that would have eliminated medical coverage for retirees, instituted a two-tier wage setup, imposed other cuts in benefits, and included no wage increase. Some 250 workers at the coke plant, members of United Steelworkers of America Local 12014, went on strike in early December and have maintained round-the-clock picket lines since then. "I believe in what we're doing," said first-time striker Felita Reese (second from left), one of four women in the plant. Sloss is owned by Jim Walter Industries, which also owns several coal mines in Alabama.  
 
 
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