Overview and Significance of the Fisher Body Sitdown Strike 1936 1937 Flint Michigan
TheFlint Body Sit-down strikewas a galvanising event in human history that led to the UAW or United Autoworkers Union becoming the sole representative for workers in the United States automobile industry. After forming in 1935 the UAW was comprised only of small bands of locals who had grouped together to seek representation. After the Flint Sit-down Strike however, they became one of the strongest unions in the nation and had powerful bargaining tools at their disposal.
The strikeis aptly named after the workers technique of sitting down in order to voice their objection to the terms imposed upon them by their employer, which in this case was General Motors. The strike is further named after the plant at which the events transpired, namely the Fisher Body Plant number 2 located in Flint Michigan. This was an organized strike on behalf of the UAW and their plan was to go after their biggest employer, after only convening for the first time in 1936, when the strike broke out on Dec 30 it was a quick action on part of the Union to establish themselves and their credibility.
The Flint Body sit-down strike followed up other smaller strikes around the nation and began in Michigan only afterUAW officialsdiscovered that GM was about to relocate their dies to a different facility and immediately sent workers inside to occupy the plant. The first conflict in the strike occurred on Jan 11 1937 and is called the "Battle of the Running Bulls", and twenty eight people were injured. After the company shut off the heat, closed the gate, and removed a ladder that was being used to supply the workers with food, violence soon broke out and the Governor of Michigan Frank Murphy called in the National Guard. The local police were also called and it was at that point that they opened fire with sidearms and tear gas.
The precise location of the strike was chosen because UAW representatives discovered that General Motors only had two plants where automobile body parts were made. These two factories contained the only dies that GM used and hence were a critical target to strike in order to shut the company down. Production came to a near standstill but the Governor announced that the National Guard and Authorities were only there to keep the peace and would not take sides in the strike.
A resolution to the strike came only after President Roosevelt encouraged General Motors to recognize the Union and bring about an end to hostilities. The two sides reached an agreement on Feb 11, 1937 in a one page document that acknowledged the Union and its bargaining power.
