HST 210WI Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Walter Reuther, United Automobile Workers, Italian Hall
Rise of Organized Labor
● 1913 Copper Strike
○ Fail for workers, shut down quickly
○ Brought together lower and higher power
workers
■ Realized they needed to band together &
form unions to fight for rights
○ Workers didn’t give up hope even when
company fought back w/ violence
■ Ex 1: Ceberville Murders: 2 workers
shot/killed when crossing over path that
went through land owned by mining
company
■ Ex 2: Italian Hall Massacre: during
holidays, Italians held family events &
someone yelled “fire” in crowd; 74
people killed (most kids)
○ Ignited fight for workers to push for fair pay,
reasonable hours, conditions, etc.
● Unions
○ Industrial workers of the World: mining, hard
labor, factory workers
○ Craft Unionism (AFL): organized by general
trades/skills
○ Industrial Unionism (CIO): organized by specific
jobs
● 1937 Flint Sit-Down Strike
○ “Strike heard around the world”
○ Rumors circulated that G.M. was going to “ship
out” people’s jobs because it was cheaper
○ Workers refused to work while at the factory
○ Took over G.M. factory until G.M. would
negotiate
○ G.M. tried to evict workers and told Gov. Frank
Murphy to call in MI National Guard
■ Didn’t work
■ Murphy supported workers and sent
guards to protect THEM
○ G.M. eventually cracked & had to recognize
UAW
The UAW & Ford
● Battle of the Overpass
● Ford offered to collect Union dues and put them in
workers paychecks for them
Walter Reuther and the
UAW
● 1945-1946 GM Strike
● UAW Presidency (1946-1970)
● March for Jobs and Freedom
