Mlive: See the 46 images from the historic Flint Sit-Down Strike (strike began Dec. 30, 1936)

[Omaha Steve]

X post in GD & Socialist-Progressive

http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2015/01/see_the_images_from_the_histor.html

Dominic Adams

FLINT, MI – It was 78 years ago, when a group of 50 men would begin the Flint Sit-Down Strike of 1936-37 inside General Motors’ Fisher Body Plant 2, beginning a 44-day work stoppage that would end when GM recognized the United Auto Workers as the bargaining agent for hourly workers.

The strike began Dec. 30, 1936, at the Fisher 2 plant when the men sat down on the line in protest against the transfer of three inspectors who refused to quit the union.



Members of the Michigan National Guard get into formation in this Flint Journal file photo from Jan. 18, 1937. The National Guard was called in during the Flint Sit-Down Strike.


Nine days after the strike started, police took a more active role by making arrests in front of Chevrolet’s Plant 9 at West Kearsley and Asylum streets following a “pitched battle” there, according to The Flint Journal’s archives.

A couple of days after the first arrest, police fired tear gas outside and inside Fisher No. 2, according to “Sit-Down,” a book detailing the history of the Sit-Down Strike by the late Sidney Fine.


View of the Chevrolet Motor Co. plant No 4 just before Flint Sit-Down strikers took it over as seen in this Flint Journal file photo from Feb. 1, 1937.


FULL story and more photos at link.

[mountain grammy]

1. Thanks, Steve.

The history of the labor movement in America. The greatest untold story ever. My mom was born in 1912 and was an active participant in the unionization of American workers. She joined the Marines as a single woman of 30 when WWII started, but she was most proud of her work in for the unions.