The inexorable tide of global steel finally has crested the banks of the Ohio River at Weirton, W.Va., an anachronistic bastion of independence in an industry stoked by a steady diet of growth hormones.

This weekend, members of the Independent Steelworkers Union at the former operations of Weirton Steel were set to agree to affiliate with the United Steelworkers union. Their vote is a reluctant, belated acknowledgement that the stubborn sovereignty that so long governed what was once America's largest employee-owned company no longer works.

"As the world changed and the industry continued to consolidate, we were the odd guys out here," says Mark Glyptis, a third generation steelworker who has been ISU president since 1991.

"At this point in time, we believe independence has run its course."

Mr. Glyptis, 55, has been tested more often than Job since signing on at the mill in 1973. He has witnessed Weirton and most other domestic producers being picked off by aggressive, low-cost foreign producers, who either dispatched them into oblivion or seized them as pawns of their global ambitions. Nowhere was the struggle against relentless reality waged more dramatically, but ultimately futilely, than at Weirton.

In the mid-'80s, when U.S. steelmakers were ravaged by the first wave of foreign competition, Weirton Steel was a beacon of hope. Workers purchased the mill from National Steel in 1984, commencing a raucous experiment in worker capitalism.

ISU members and Weirton's other workers paid a high price for the lofty ideals of employee ownership. Chronically short of cash, they grudgingly, gradually relinquished control, selling shares to outside investors to finance operations and improvements. But the fresh capital, constant layoffs and $278 million in concessions from workers, suppliers and lenders weren't enough to prevent Weirton's descent into bankruptcy in 2003.

International Steel Group, created from the ashes of Bethlehem Steel, LTV and other bankrupt domestic producers, paid $225 million to rescue Weirton a year later, but not before demanding additional concessions.

A year later, ISG was swallowed by Mittal Steel, the world's largest producer. Despite the trail of tribulations, the ever-optimistic Mr. Glyptis remained upbeat. "Two years ago, we were fighting for our survival. Now we're part of the world's largest steel producer," he said at the time. "We feel positive about it."

It didn't take long for Mittal to survey its vast empire and decide Weirton's steel furnaces were superfluous. The subsequent layoffs reduced Weirton's work force to about 1,300, about 3,000 fewer than in 1999, its last profitable year as a stand-alone company.

"As soon as Mittal took over, we got hit immediately," says ISU member Frank Slanchik, 53, who has worked at Weirton 35 years. "With the USW, would that have been possible?"

Mittal's subsequent plans to merge with No. 2 Arcelor made ISU members even more uncomfortable about being a rounding error on a behemoth's balance sheet. Suddenly, affiliating with the powerful USW, an idea that had been bandied about for years but had never garnered enough support, made sense.

"To me, that issue needed to be discussed," says Dean Harris, who campaigned for the merger but finished a distant second to Mr. Glyptis in the 2006 ISU presidential race.

He regrets workers weren't offered the chance sooner to merge into the 850,000-member union.

"It just never came out of the [ISU] executive committee," says Mr. Harris, a Weirton worker for 33 years and the city's former mayor.

There's some grumbling that Mr. Glyptis and other executive committee members didn't offer the choice because they were protecting their privileges as union leaders, including executive committee members and most ISU stewards being paid for six days of work per week.

"People know that's not the reason, that's absolutely not the reason," says an angry Mr. Glyptis. "The vast majority of people loved the independence of the union."

ISU members are among the last to surrender their independence.

An independent union representing workers at AK Steel's Butler mill recently joined the United Auto Workers union. An independent union locked out of AK Steel's Middletown, Ohio, mill affiliated with the International Association of Machinists before settling the year-long dispute last month.

Paul Clark, a Penn State labor studies professor, says the trend reflects how hard it is for independent unions to negotiate effectively when confronted by large, well-financed employers.

"It's just more difficult, particularly in basic industries, to operate on your own," he says. "A large organization like the [United] Steelworkers just levels the playing field."

Proponents of joining the USW say it will provide more protection against layoffs and better benefits for retirees. While they will continue working under their current contract until at least next year, Weirton's workers become eligible for USW-negotiated profit-sharing payments immediately.

However, dues will go up substantially, from $16 a month now to about $70, according to Mr. Harris. "When you look at the representation we're going to get, in the bigger picture, I think it's worth it," he says.