Workers inside one of the plants mark day 21 on the strike calendar, Flint, Michigan. February 19, 1937. Walter P. Reuther Library, Wayne State University.
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Inspired by other workers’ successful activism, General Motors (GM) workers in Flint, Michigan launched a massive strike on December 30, 1936 to demand safe working conditions, wages that their families could live on, and for their bosses to recognize the United Auto Workers (UAW) union. Although protesting outside had been the most common strategy used by striking workers, these auto workers instead occupied the factories to prevent GM from bringing in strikebreaking replacement workers. GM responded by cutting off heat and electricity to the buildings and trying to prevent food deliveries to the strikers, but the auto workers and their community supporters worked together to keep the strikers healthy and organized. When GM bosses used police and hired “goons” to violently attack the strikers, Governor Frank Murphy ordered the National Guard to reestablish peace and protect the workers. The sit-in strike lasted 44 days and ended when GM agreed to recognize the UAW, improve safety, and increase pay by up to 300%. The workers’ victory launched a national wave of intense worker activism, and the UAW became a leader in the American union movement as its membership surged from 30,000 to 500,000 within one year.
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