U.S. Corporations

Largest Strike Wave in U.S. History Begins as 5 Million Workers Walk Out

1945-11-21 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 8/10

Over five million American workers engage in strikes in the year after V-J Day - the largest strike wave in U.S. history and the closest thing to a national general strike of the 20th century. Workers demand wages to match 16% inflation while their pay rises only 7%. Major strikes include 750,000 …

United Auto Workers United Mine Workers United Steel Workers Walter Reuther John L. Lewis +1 more labor-organizing strikes corporate-power postwar-economy union-rights

WWII Corporate Profits Soar 113% as Cost-Plus Contracts Enable Massive War Profiteering

1940-01-01 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 8/10

Corporate profits explode during WWII mobilization, with the largest 200 corporations more than doubling annual profits from $576 million (1936-39) to $1.225 billion (1940-44) - a 113% increase. Cost-plus contracting allows companies to inflate costs with lavish executive salaries while earning …

U.S. corporations General Motors Steel industry War Industries Board Charles E. Wilson war-profiteering corporate-power defense-industry executive-compensation cost-plus-contracts