The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-07-22
SOME LESSONS OF THE FLINT
AUTO STRIKE

wages will not be cut. The bulk of the work
ers struck under the leadership of the Auto
Workers Union though the wage cut had up
to that time effected only two departments
and few hundred workers. This reveals the
growing consciousness of the workers as to
the aims of the bosses offensive and the need
for the united struggle on the part of the
entire working class 1t is to the credit of
the Auto Workers Union, however, that from
the beginning it issued the slogan of spread
the strike and put forward demands not only
for the departments affected by the strike
but for the entire plant. Unquestionably this
helped to bring the bulk of the workers on
strike who not only rallied to fight against
the wage cut but to answer the offensive of
the bosses against their living standards with
the counter-offensive - demanding increased
wages, abolition of piece work, regulation of
speed 8-hour day, 5-day week, unemployment
insurance, recognition of the union among
other demands. This feature of the strike
shows the growth of the rehabilitation among
the unorganized masses of workers in the
basic industries.
Rapidly of Events.
Events in the Flint strike moved very rapid
ly. In period of two weeks many important
stages of the struggle passed. From Tuesday
to the end of the first week of the strike the
struggle in the three departments was con-
sodated, the strike committee built and the
demands formulated. In this phase of the
struggle the Auto Workers Union was slow
in putting forward the demands for the work
ers Of the entire plant and in raising the so-
gan of spread the strike. Nor was mass
picketing effectively organized. 1t was only
by the beginning of the next week Monday,
that the mass picketing was effectively organ
lied and the workers called upon to join the
strike and fight for demands based on their
immediate needs The response was great
success. From this point on events moved very
swiftly. Huge mass picket lines and demon
STATIONS on Wednesday and Thursday, mass
meetings of thousands of strikers every day.
struggle with the police, the breaking through
of the police lines on a number of occasions
marked the first few days of the strike in
volving the entire plant of 5000 workers.
Boss Terror.
During this remaining period we witnessed
the bringing in of the state troopers, the
armed sheriffs, gangsters imported from Chi
cago and other cities and the National Guard
During this period we saw the arrest of over
go strikers and the organizers of the Auto
Workers Union, the treachery of the A. F. of
L., the socialist labor party, and the betrayal
of the strike by some of the leaders of the
strike committee who assisted the company
and the police in the formation of company
uIloH III InlS SJrlke we saw events that
usually take weeks and months in ordinary
strikes in the past take place and concen-
trated in a few days. We saw the whole ma
chinery of violence of the bosses modified to
break the strike which the bosses correctly
viewed as the beginning of the revolt of the
auto workers against their ntolerable condi-
tons
The flogging of nine organizers of the Auto
Workers Union by the police who took them
for ride" in the woods, the whole show of
force and application of terror show the fas-
cist development of the government and the
sharpness of struggles in the present period
1t shows the necessity of the organization of
Defense Corps not only during the strikes
but the building of these organizations in the
preparations for the struggle. The Auto Work
ers' Union made beginning in the building
of defense corps in the course of the strike
Ito Be Continued)