A Revolution on The Assembly Line: The Enduring Legacy of The Flint Sit-Down Strikes

A group of strikers guarding a window entrance to Fisher body plant №3, 1937

In the winter of 1936, auto workers at General Motors (GM) plants in Flint Michigan went on strike. Production ground to a halt as members of the United Auto Workers (UAW) sat down at their stations, occupying the factory. These workers who had so often been the target of intimidation and union-busting tactics were finally able to rally together, into something greater than the sum of its parts. In the months that followed, these workers would revolutionize and usher in a new age for labor in America and beyond.

A Brief Overview

The Flint Sit-Down Strikes began in the early hours of December 30th, 1936, at the Fisher Body Plant №1. The then-fledgling UAW demanded to be recognized as a union and to be protected from having their jobs replaced by non-union workers. They employed a novel strategy of “sitting in”; striking inside of factories instead of outside on picket lines, where they were often vulnerable to law enforcement.

General Motors was quick to denounce this as illegal and secured an injunction demanding strikers leave the plant. Shortly after, the UAW revealed that the judge who issued the decree, Judge Edward S. Black, owned over 3000 shares of GM stock, an embarrassing revelation for the company. As Michigan law prohibited judges from presiding over cases in which they had a personal interest, the threat of injunction quickly vanished as fast as it had come.

Armed police attempted to enter Fisher Body Plant №2 on January 11th, 1937; in an event that would come to be known as “The Battle of The Running Bulls.” Strikers fought back against police with bolts, hinges, and bottles, eventually repelling them. Tear gas and gunfire left at least 28 people injured from the clash. Following this, Governor Frank Murphy sent the National Guard to protect workers from police and strike-breakers.

National Guardsmen overlooking a factory with a machine gun

Support for the strikers was immense. Unionists poured into Flint from all over the region: “All roads into Flint were jammed with cars loaded with unionists from Detroit, Lansing, Pontiac and Toledo,” wrote Art Preis. “More than a thousand veterans of the Toledo Auto Lite and Chevrolet strikers were on hand. Rubber workers from Akron and coal miners from the Pittsburgh area rallied to defend the Flint strikers.” President Franklin D. Roosevelt urged GM to negotiate with the strikers so factories could reopen. Roosevelt himself had stated a year prior that if “[he] went to work in a factory the first thing [he]’d do is join a union.’’

After an intense two-month-long back-and-forth, GM finally announced it was ready to negotiate. The series of strikes culminated in GM President Alfred P. Sloan announcing a $25 million wage increase for workers, and recognition of the UAW as the official bargaining representative for its employees; a hard-fought yet resounding victory for the upstart union, and labor across the world.

Strike Strategy

Not only were the sit-down strikes at Flint of an unprecedented scale, they introduced novel tactics that proved to be effective in coming to a resolution with General Motors. During prior strikes, the usual strategy of picketing was often ended by a brutal cycle of crackdowns from law enforcement that supported companies over workers. The titular sit-down/sit-in strategy broke this cycle. Workers remained inside the factories, taking up space to prevent strike-breakers and “scabs” from replacing them. Poor weather and hostility from locals could be avoided by staying inside. This significantly boosted worker morale and the long-term sustainability of the strike. The sit-down strategy also introduced a new problem for companies: damage to valuable machinery inside of the factories would hurt their bottom line, making them unwilling to send in police as they might before; that would risk starting a destructive riot. Misinformation was also used to curb GM’s attempts at espionage. GM spies and informants were fed misinformation to deceive the company. In multiple instances, GM anticipated a strike at one factory that was then secretly relocated to another.

Sit-down strikers in Fisher Body Plant №3

On top of this, workers showed remarkable restraint and were civilized throughout the duration of the strike. Rules were set to ensure that production could quickly return to normal in the event of a successful deal with GM. Damage to machinery and vehicle bodies within the factories were prevented as best as possible. Liquor was prohibited, and daily cleanups were organized to make sure nothing had been damaged. The workers’ discipline revealed their dedication to the collective over individual interests. In one incident, workers who had been cut off from their food supply avoided raiding the commissary full of snacks, even though they would’ve faced little individual punishment for doing so. The collective efforts of strikers to stay civilized served an important purpose: it made the strikers seem more reasonable in the eyes of the general public. It was extremely difficult for GM to demonize a group of seemingly well-behaved workers who were causing minimal disruption to locals. This public perception was crucial for attracting both material and social support for the cause among locals. Considerations for public perception and fears of property damage left GM’s position weakened. To protect their image, GM felt compelled to maintain heating and lights within the factories. They allowed food deliveries from the union’s Women’s Auxiliary, led by Genora Johnson Dollinger. All of this contributed to rallying support for the workers and the ultimate victory of the strike. These revolutionary strategies marked Flint as decidedly different from the strikes that had come before it.

Strikers eating in Fisher Body Plant №3

Impact On Labor

As the first major victory for unionization in America, The Flint Sit-Down Strikes left a lasting impact on labor movements and unions everywhere. Across the country, workers joined unions in droves. Within a year, UAW membership grew from 30,000 to 500,000. In a span of two weeks, 87 sit-down strikes started in Detroit alone. It both pioneered and popularized strategies to make strikes more effective in achieving change for workers.

While unions had previously been formed under secrecy for fear of union-busting and crackdowns, across the nation workers were empowered to voice their opinions and form/join unions. For the next 30 years, America experienced incredible economic growth and an increasingly strong middle class. It was an era of record-high union membership, directly tied to increased wages and improved working conditions.

[Photo: Economic Policy Institute]

Yet in recent years, union membership has declined in tandem with an increase in wealth inequality. The decline can be attributed to a shift away from traditional manufacturing jobs; into new industries with less robust unionization practices. Barriers to creating unions have increased significantly in recent years. Union-busting faces little retaliation, sometimes even in cases where they’re illegal. Globalization has made it far easier for companies to move overseas or outsource the work to places with little union presence. “Right to Work” laws are increasingly common in American states, which makes forming unions far more difficult.

Despite this, America may be in the midst of another rise in union membership and support. In 2023, the UAW went on strike once again, this time in the form of a “stand-up strike.” With workers locked into bad deals that forced many to work 60–80 hours a week just to make ends meet, the union demanded better wages and benefits. The SAG-AFTRA strikes brought union-adjacent issues into the public consciousness again, rallying the support of celebrities and public figures. According to recent figures, 71% of Americans approve of unions, the highest since 1965. On September 26th, 2023, Joe Biden became the first-ever sitting American president to join a picket line. The evidence points to a possible resurgence in union strength, and the future for labor looks bright.

UAW on strike, 2021

Cultural and Political Legacy

The sit-down strikes at Flint left an indelible mark on American culture and attitudes towards labor. The strikes were widely covered by media at the time, with journalists being allowed inside of the factories. It brought national attention to the plight of workers in manufacturing industries. This attention influenced public discourse and increased support for labor rights; fostering a sense of solidarity among members of the working class. The contributions of women were highlighted as well, as evidenced by the participation of the Women’s Brigade. For many, the Flint Sit-Down Strikes represented exactly what the labor movement stood for: workers standing up in the face of adversity and collectively bargaining for their needs.

Ultimately, the Flint Sit-Down Strikes show the immense impact of unions in securing benefits for workers, serving as a testament to the power of worker solidarity.