Women and the flint sitdown strike of 1937 workers world. First uaw gm labor agreement 1937 great flint sitdown strike. A sitdown strike is a labour strike and a form of civil disobedience in which an organized group of workers, usually employed at factories or other centralized locations, take unauthorized or illegal possession of the workplace by sitting down at their stations the attraction of the tactic is that it prevents employers from replacing them with strikebreakers or removing equipment to. In fact, the union leadership tried to stop spontaneous actions from breaking out at gm plants. The flint sitdown strike in comics dissent magazine. The flint strike also dramatically increased the popularity of the sitdown strike as a bargaining tool among union organizers and disgruntled workers. About half of the sitdown strikes in 1937 were undertaken by. First uaw gm labor agreement 1937 great flint sitdown strike text version of first u. Michigan autoworkers win strike for union rights, 193637. Abstractin this article we use the great flint sitdown strike as a strategic case for examining the issue of movement success in seemingly disadvantageous structural conditions. The storied sitdown strike in flint, michigan has a special significance for today. They saw it as an offense to the american tradition of property rights and assigned the blame for its introduction in flint to outside agitators, radicals and reds. I am very pleased to see genora dollingers story of the flint sitdown strike in graphic format.
Uaw leaders, inspired by similar strikes across europe, had been planning it for months. Moraleconomy,structuralleverage, andorganizationalefficacy. University of michiganflint library genesee historical. Critical to the strike s success was the womens emergency brigade, formed by a strikers spouse, genora johnson. Sit down the general motors strike of 1936 1937 top results of your surfing sit down the general motors strike of 1936 1937 start download portable document format pdf and ebooks electronic books free online rating news 20162017 is books that. The 19361937 flint sitdown strike against general motors also known as the general motors sit down strike, the great gm sit down strike, and other variants changed the united automobile workers uaw from a collection of isolated locals on the fringes of the industry into a major labor union and led to the unionization of the domestic. Print as many primary sources as you believe your students can effectively analyze in a class periodblock. The largest news story ever to originate in flint was the sitdown strike at general motors which took place at a number of plants in flint in 19361937. Frank funk claims that the sitdown strike was a communist weapon, pure and simple.
Led in large part by leftwingerscommunist, socialist, and trotskyist alikeit was, more important, the most dramatic part of a movement that swept across the nation. Pdf moral economy, structural leverage, and organizational. Through an application and elaboration of social movement and organizational theory to the flint sitdown strike we identify four key factors that help to explain the emergence of successful collective defiance by. Moral economy, structural leverage, and organizational. Sitdown history journal diary audio great depression links. Its success, in making the united auto workers the bargaining agent for the employees of general motors corporation, has been discussed in numerous studies of the labor wars of the 1930s and. Classformation andthegreatflintsitdownstrike,1936 1937 joshua murray, vanderbilt university michael schwartz, stony brook university abstract in this article we use the great flint sitdown strike as a strategic case for ex. The immediate results of the strike were mixed in some quarters, and further strikes were necessary before the fruits of victory could be fully enjoyed.
Collect primary sources on fdrs courtpacking plan from the university of virginias miller center and also from the truman library. Ebook sit down the general motors strike of 1936 1937 as. Gerald healy says it was the sitdown tactic that got everybodys attention. Gerald healy says it was the sit down tactic that got everybodys attention. The occupation of the factories paris 1936, flint 1937. Jeremy brechers account of the great sit down strike in the general motors plants in flint, 19361937, where workers occupied the factories and won big concessions. The flint, michigan sitdown strike harvard business publishing.
Eighty years since the victory of the flint sitdown strikepart two author. This month in business history, february business reference services. Wikiproject organized labour rated bclass, midimportance this article is within the scope of wikiproject organized labour, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of articles related to organized labour on wikipedia. Progressive labor party pamphlet, the great flint sitdown strike against gm, 193637 1965 edition it was 1. Media in category flint sitdown strike the following 12 files are in this category, out of 12 total. February 1937, a major strike at several critical general motors gm plants in flint, michigan. Six months later, sitin strikes in flint, michigan, defeated the open shop at the general motors corporation, opening the way to the subsequent unionization of. The united auto workers victory in the flint sitdown strike did not mean that the union had it easy from then on. Brief guide to resources about the flint, michigan sitdown strike 193637, the first major labor dispute in the u. They evicted supervisory personnel and refused entry to outsiders. Sloan responded to the list of uaw demands with the memo below, which was posted on gm billboards and widely published in the press. For roughly six weeks between late december 1936 and february 1937, a major strike at several critical general.
Fisher body in atlanta on november 16, gm in kansas city on december 16 and a fisher. The sitdown strike in flint, michigan in 19361937, a dynamic turning point in labor history, changed not only the auto industry but american industry as a whole. Social welfare history project flint sitdown strike 1936. The tirebuilders worked in smooth frenzy, sweat around their necks, under their arms. The flint sitdown strike, part 1 w ith thousands of nalc members traveling to detroit this summer for the national convention, i thought it a good time to write about. Collect primary sources on the gm sitdown strike from. Critical to the strikes success was the womens emergency brigade, formed by a. Eighty years since the victory of the flint sitdown.
Early in 1935 in flint, michigan, the united auto workers staged the first successful sitdown, forcing general motors to come to terms. This memorial honors the strikers who chose to sit down and take over the gm. The greatest labor strike of all time, for which medical benefits, vacation pay, pensions, workmans compensation, etc. In july 1936, about a year prior to the sitdown strike at the general motors plant, hundreds of workers died in auto plants in michigan. The flint, michigan sitdown strike represented a stunning victory for organized labor in a context where new deal era legislation most notably the national labor relations act of 1935 created a laborfriendly environment in the short run, with possibly adverse consequences for the performance of the u. Homer martin easily purged flint of most of the outside radical organizers who had led the sitdown. For a terse telling of the flint sitdown strike story, click this link. The flint sitdown strike the 1936 flint sitdown strike took the.
The 19361937 flint sitdown strike against general motors changed the united automobile workers uaw from a collection of isolated locals on the fringes of. The sit down strike was the beginning of unions and memorial pays tribute to those who participated. Oh yeah, the union got us seats so we could sit down. The flint, michigan sitdown strike represented a stunning victory for organized labor in a context where. Only 48 of the 2,712 strikes in 1936 were sitdown strikes, compared to 477 of 4,740 strikes the following year. Learning from the flint sitdowners november 2, 2017 julian guerrero tells the story of the flint sitdown strike of 193637 and draws out its lessons for today, in an article first published at. Early in 1935 in flint, michigan, the united auto workers staged the first successful sit down, forcing general motors to come to terms. The 1936 strike that brought americas most powerful. Genora was only 23 years old at the time of the strike. By t he late 1970s, gm employed more than 80,000 workers in the county. Flint health coalition and a collection of multisector and community stakeholders, including the. This is the conclusion of a twopart series on the 44day battle by us autoworkers in 193637 that forced general motors, the worlds largest industrial enterprise, to recognize the recently founded united auto workers union. The flint sitdown strike against general motors early in 1937 encouraged other workers to adopt the same tactic. She had the confidence and the ability to play such a leading role because she was a socialisttrained organizer.
Women working in the big city in the 1930s duration. Certainly the impetus given to unionization by the sitdown strikes in 19367 was the main force that finally brought more than five millions into the. The 19361937 flint sitdown strike against general motors changed the united automobile. In addition to the books listed below, the ghcc holds a number of publications more ideological in nature. One way gm fought the strike was by planting spies among the sitdown strikers in flint, who spread. But a sitdown strike in cleveland in late december 1936 and the subsequent transfer of unionists out of the flint fisher body plant no. Frank funk claims that the sit down strike was a communist weapon, pure and simple. The flint sitdown strike is known as the most important strike in american history because it changed the united automobile workers uaw from a collection of isolated individuals into a major union, ultimately leading to the unionization of the united states automobile industry. Thus the leadership of several of the big flint locals went to workers who had opposed or stood on the sidelines during the sitdown strike. In a sitdown strike, workers seized control of the facility. The deaths were thought to be a result of a heat wave.
The sitdown strike in flint, michigan in 19361937, a dynamic turning point in labor history, changed not only the auto industry but american industry as a. He also remembers the lack of worldliness among the population of flint. Voices of the flint sitdown strike history resources at. Throughout her life, genora fought against the bureaucratization of the unions. Class formation and the great flint sitdown strike, 1936193. As with all the statements issued by both sides during the strike. In the years since the strike, historians have scrutinized it in many different contexts, although rarely has it been the subject of an entire study. Best mob documentary philly mob, gambinos, bonanos, hells kitchen, scarfo, phil leonetti duration. Jeremy brechers account of the great sitdown strike in the general motors plants in flint, 19361937, where workers occupied the factories and won big concessions. The 1936 flint sitdown strike took the uaw from a collection of isolated locals on the outside of the industry to a major union that led to the unionization of the. Eighty years since the victory of the flint sitdown strikepart two by jerry white 16 february 2017 february 11 marked the 80th anniversary of the victory of the flint sitdown strike. The general motors corporation sitdown strike of 19361937 remains probably the most significant historical event which has taken place in flint. It was a major victory and the sit down spread to other areas. Pdf in this article we use the great flint sitdown strike as a strategic case for examining the issue of movement success in seemingly.
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