Mike Ferner on the 50th Anniversary of the Auto-Lite Strike and Red-Baiting (1984)
Channel: Reflections on the Glass City
Date: 2021-07-23

Mike Ferner is an activist, organizer, and former member of Toledo City Council. Over a career that has spanned decades, he has earned a reputation for his work on a variety of environmental, peace, and labor issues.

In this video, Mike discusses organizing a public event with the Toledo Area Solidarity Committee commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 1934 Auto-Lite strike. The event was well-attended, but United Auto Workers leadership discouraged its members from attending.

From the interview: "They put the word out to the UAW [United Auto Workers] members in the area to not attend the rally at the courthouse on the day that it was held because it was 'organized by communists'. Those of us in the Solidarity Committee had a good laugh at that, because the way the Auto-Lite Strike was won was by the communist-organized Unemployed League."

Interview conducted in June 2021 by Sean Nestor. Videography by Cullen Park Productions (http://www.cullenpark.com/)