When was the GM sit down strike?
4 min read
Asked by: Joe Yadav
On November 12, 1936, General Motors workers started their sit down strike, which at the time was legal, gaining control of the Body Plant Number One in Flint. On January 1, 1937, workers controlled a second Plant in Flint.
When did the GM sit down strike end?
February 3 – Governor Murphy refuses to use National Guard to evict strikers from plants. February 11 – 2:30 a.m. GM agrees to recognize the U.A.W. and sit-down strike ends.
What was the sit down strike 1936?
The Flint Sit-Down 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.
What happened in the sit down strike in 1937?
It changed the United Automobile Workers (UAW) from a collection of isolated local unions on the fringes of the industry into a major labor union, and led to the unionization of the domestic automobile industry. Sit-down strikers guarding window entrance to Fisher body plant number three. Photo by Sheldon Dick, 1937.
How many days did the GM strike of 1936 last?
44 days
The strikes had lasted for 44 days, left 136,000 GM workers idle and caused 280,000 cars to go unbuilt. Though much of the public was against sit-down strikes and considered labor unionists to be dangerous rabble-rousers, GM’s public image had suffered, too. And labor would never be the same.
How did the sit-down strike end?
Finally, on February 11, GM agreed to negotiate a labor contract for all UAW members in all its plants. Furthermore, the company promised not to interfere with UAW efforts to sign up new members in GM factories. In exchange, the union agreed to end the sit-down strike and get the production of cars moving again.
How long was the sit-down strike?
44 days
In all, the strike lasted 44 days. The Flint sit-down strike was not spontaneous; UAW leaders, inspired by similar strikes across Europe, had been planning it for months.
Are sit-down strikes still illegal?
Strikes unlawful because of misconduct of strikers.
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that a “sitdown” strike, when employees simply stay in the plant and refuse to work, thus depriving the owner of property, is not protected by the law.
Why were there strikes in the 1930s?
Millions of unemployed workers were ready to work at any wage in any conditions, and large corporations used this desperation as a threat to their existing workers to accept horrendous job conditions.
How many strikes were there in 1934 and why did they strike?
The year 1934 marked a turning point for the working-class struggle during the Great Depression, with three strikes in three cities–Toledo, San Francisco and Minneapolis–that showed workers could fight back and win.
What was the result of the general textile strike of 1934?
The UTW took the opportunity to declare victory and held a number of parades to celebrate the end of the strike. In fact, the strike was a total defeat for the union, particularly in the South. The union had not forced the mill owners to recognize it or obtained any of its economic demands.
What happened to labor unions in the 1930s?
The tremendous gains labor unions experienced in the 1930s resulted, in part, from the pro-union stance of the Roosevelt administration and from legislation enacted by Congress during the early New Deal. The National Industrial Recovery Act (1933) provided for collective bargaining.
What is a yellow dog clause?
Definition. An agreement between an employer and employee in which the employee agrees not to join or remain a member of a labor or employer organization. Yellow dog contracts are generally illegal.
What was the main reason that many labor union members went on strike shortly after World War II?
The strikes were largely a result of tumultuous postwar economic adjustments; with 10 million soldiers returning home, and the transfer of people from wartime sectors to traditional sectors, inflation was 8% in 1945, 14% in 1946, and 8% in 1947.
What has been the outcome of the 1934 strike on the San Francisco waterfront?
The result of the strike was the unionization of all of the West Coast ports of the United States.
What happened July 5th 1934?
[This year also marks] the 80th anniversary of Bloody Thursday, July 5, 1934, when clashes between San Francisco police [and] picketers resulted in two strike supporters being killed and hundreds wounded. In the aftermath of Bloody Thursday, 127,000 workers representing 160 unions walked off their jobs in protest.
What caused the general strike of 1934?
When ILA officials negotiated an agreement that left out the hiring hall, rank-and-file members of Local 38-79 suspended their president. Unable to win their broader demands, longshoremen throughout the Pacific Coast region went on strike on May 9, 1934.
