"The old American dream just seems to be gone," says Walt Hill, the contract coordinator for Local 1196 in the decaying steel town of Brackenridge, Pennsylvania. In March of 2021, the union members of United Steelworkers Local 1196 struck, citing unfair labor practices on behalf of Allegheny Technologies (ATI). From late night conversations on the picket lines, to fiery debates at the union hall, to growing anxiety brewing in the homes of the members, LOCAL 1196: A STEELWORKERS STRIKE takes viewers on the ground during a strike. The film gives voice to strikers increasingly at risk of lost jobs, lost healthcare, and lost homes. Despite that risk, they continue to demand fair contracts, pay, and access to work for members and nonmembers alike, calling themselves the "last line of defense" for future steelworkers.