Bill Mistick [DIGITIZED], October/November 1997

William Mistick (b. - 2018) was the youngest of ten children born to Andy and Elizabeth Mistick, who settled in Braddock, PA, after leaving Slovakia in the early 1900s. Bill grew up on Talbot Avenue in Braddock. As a young man he took a job at what was then the new Fisher Body Plant in West Mifflin. Bill was a crane operator and climbed the ladder at the beginning of every shift and remained high above the plant floor, awaiting the call for a lift. He used that time to read everything he could find on politics and social philosophy. He was a lifelong member and officer of United Auto Workers Local 544. He walked every picket line, spoke at every union meeting, and fought hard for workers' rights at every turn. After retirement, he proudly served as president of the Local 544 Retirees organization. Bill also volunteered as a greeter at the Heinz History Museum, where he shared his own memories of the region's industrial past. He was active with the Braddock's Field Historic Society and the preservation of Braddock Library, where he had spent happy times as a child.