Montana labor news., 1934-01-04
1884 MAY N H
OPEN SHOP AUTO
MOBILE PLANTS.

DETROIT-(FP)-The auto indus
try, long the stronghold of the open
shop principle, may be organized dur
ing 1884. During the last decade, the
resentment of the unorganized auto
workers to steadily worsening condi-
tions in the shops could only express
itself in sporadic departmental walk
outs. In this period, the only strikes
worthy of note were those of the oil
senders at Flint, the trimmers at the
Fisher Body Corp. and the production
workers at the Briggs Mfg. Co. Mel
drum Ave. plant in Detroit.
The depression gave the auto boss
es another excuse to reduce wages
and speed up the line. Unorganized,
the workers were helpless before cut
after cut. Driven to desperation, they
organized in a small way secretly in
the Auto Workers Union, affiliated
with the Trade Union Unity League.
The situation was depressing at the
beginning of 1888; then the storm
broke.
Here's the amazing record of the
strikes in the center of the open shop
industry during the year. None of the
small shop strikes is included-just
the major ones. (Unless another city
is mentioned, the locality is Detroit.)
The year started off with a bang
with the Briggs strike on Jan. IL, the
Motor Products Co. girls on Jan. 20,
the Hayes Body Co. workers at Grand
Rapids Jan. 81, the complete tieup
of the Briggs four Detroit plants Jan.
23 and Jan. "a, the Murray Body Co..
workers Jan. q, the Hudson Motor
Co. bodyworkers Feb. 7, the Hudson
production workers Feb. 8, the WHY'S
Overland Co. workers in Toledo Feb.
rs. The Chevrolet Motor Co. strike
in Oakland, Cal, and the White Motor
Co. strike in Cleveland finishes the
chronology for the spring and sum-
mer.
On Sept. %, the Mechanics Educa-
tional Society pulled out the tool and
die makers at Buick, Chevrolet, A. C.
Sparkplug and Fisher Body at Flint.
Then the tool and die strike spread
to Cadillac, Chevrolet, Dodge, Fisher
Body, Hudson, Packard, Plymouth,
Briggs Vernon highway, Ternstedt,
Murray, Pontiac and G. M. Truck. The
production workers at Murray walked
out Sept. 81, Henry Ford faced his
first strikes Sept. 26 at Chester, Pa,
and Sept. % at Edgewater, N. ]. The
Nash Motor Co. workers struck
No. 9, at Kenosha, Wis, and the more
than 1000 workers at Budd Mfg. Co.
struck Nov. Is at Philadelphia.
The primary result of the wave of
strikes was the immediate stop to
wage cutting. Improved conditions
in all Detroit plants were noticed.
dead time" was abolished. The
most decisive victory was at the Mo-
tor Products plant where men and
women who had previously received as
low as 25c and Toe an hour respect
lively won 4Oc and zoe hourly mini
NUNS after a 3-day strike. Other
concessions were won. And thousands
of autoworkers gained valuable strike
experience.
The strike of the tool and die MAX
ers, organized in the Mechanics Edu-
cational Society, resulted in the abo-
lition of %piecework, contract work,
bonus and the gang system. Packard,
Hudson and 85 small tool and die
shops signed union agreements. An
Soc hourly minimum was won. The
NJ. E. S., begun by Is unemployed
autoworkers in the spring, now has
a membership of $4,000 in Detroit
alone. Branches are located in Flint,
Pontiac, Toledo, Cleveland and South
Bend.
The United Automobile Workers of
America, A. F. of L., has 1900 men,
bers in Flint alone with their men,
bership in Detroit only a guess. The
workers are organized in the U. A,
W. A. in practically every plant in
Detroit.
The Metal & Machinery Workers
Section of the Industrial Workers Of
the World controls the bodyworkers in
Murray. The stronghold of the Auto
Workers Union is the Hudson plant
with members in other plants.
With the strike experience gained
and the unions growing rapidly, it is
evident that in 1884 the autoworker'
will stage struggles on a still greater
scale. Autoworkers are more hopeful.