The American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations merge on December 5, 1955, creating the AFL-CIO with 16 million members representing one-third of American workers. George Meany, the conservative plumber who led the AFL, becomes president, while the more progressive …
George MeanyWalter ReutherAmerican Federation of LaborCongress of Industrial OrganizationsAFL-CIOlaborunionslabor-consolidationlabor-politicscold-war
General Motors and the United Auto Workers sign a landmark five-year contract on May 23, 1950, that Fortune magazine christens the “Treaty of Detroit.” The agreement provides unprecedented wage increases and benefits but requires the UAW to abandon demands for a voice in corporate …
General MotorsUnited Auto WorkersWalter ReutherCharles Wilsonlabor-policycorporate-strategyunion-containmentwagescollective-bargaining
The Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) holds its eleventh annual convention in Cleveland and expels two member unions, the United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America (UE) and the Farm Equipment Workers, for alleged “disloyalty to the CIO” and support for the …
Congress of Industrial OrganizationsPhilip MurrayWalter ReutherUnited Electrical, Radio and Machine WorkersFarm Equipment Workers+1 morelabor-suppressionred-scareanti-communismunion-bustingmccarthyism+1 more
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 WorkersUnited Mine WorkersUnited Steel WorkersWalter ReutherJohn L. Lewis+1 morelabor-organizingstrikescorporate-powerpostwar-economyunion-rights
On May 26, 1937, at approximately 2:00 p.m., Ford Motor Company orchestrates a brutal assault on United Auto Workers organizers conducting a permitted leaflet distribution campaign at the Miller Road pedestrian overpass above Gate 4 of the massive River Rouge Plant complex in Dearborn, Michigan. UAW …
Ford Motor CompanyHarry BennettFord Service DepartmentUnited Auto WorkersWalter Reuther+3 morelabor-rightscorporate-violenceuawfordunion-busting+2 more
On February 11, 1937, General Motors—the world’s largest industrial corporation—capitulates to the UAW after 44 days of sit-down strikes, signing a one-page agreement that recognizes the United Auto Workers as exclusive bargaining representative for union members for six months and …
United Auto WorkersGeneral MotorsAlfred Sloan Jr.William KnudsenFisher Body workers+2 morelabor-rightsstrikessit-down-strikesuawgeneral-motors+2 more
At 8:00 p.m. on December 30, 1936, UAW autoworkers occupy General Motors Fisher Body Plant Number One in Flint, Michigan, launching one of the most significant labor actions in American history—a 44-day sit-down strike that transforms the fledgling United Auto Workers from a collection of isolated …
United Auto WorkersGeneral MotorsFisher Body workersBob TravisWalter Reuther+4 morelabor-rightsstrikessit-down-strikesuawgeneral-motors+2 more