Alcoa Tennessee 1980s strike and worker conditions

Geographic reference — Tom notes the existence of Alcoa, Tennessee and its hydroelectric infrastructure. Used to illustrate Alcoa's integrated-monopoly business model.

That's why Alcoa only had fifty percent. It turns out the only three aluminum companies of note were Alcoa, Kaiser, and Reynolds was very specialized at that time. They've grown in what they do. Alcoa was a pretty well integrated monopoly. Remember there were other integrated monopolies: Henry Ford making automobiles, he had his own steel plant, he had his own glass plant. Alcoa had their own hydroelectric plants. They built big dams. Anybody from eastern Tennessee? There's a town right near Knoxville called Alcoa. You fly into the airport for Knoxville, you'll be flying into Alcoa, Tennessee. Alcoa built hydroelectric plants in the Smoky Mountains. They started out at Niagara Falls back in the 1890s, because that's where you get your electricity. By 1910 they were going to other places where they had wild rivers and building dams and building big Hall cell plants. Alcoa still has a plant in Alcoa, Tennessee.

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