The History of Detroit Auto Workers on Strike

Detroit was often referred to as an "Open Shop City" until the late 1930s. It was a great industrial city, and it was an ideal place for union organizers. The union organizers knew that Detroit had many small unions but lacked the strength in numbers to make much influence. In 1937, after the General Motors strike, a number of the smaller unions decided to join together, and the United Auto Workers union was established. They began an aggressive organizational campaign.

It took almost 30 long years, but Detroit eventually became what they referred to as a "Union Stronghold."

Great men such as Walter Reuther and James Hoffa, emerged from the union ranks and became great leaders, for the rights of the workers in the Union. Legions of devoted union representatives have followed in their footsteps, protecting the rights of UAW workers all over the country. Detroit's Identity resides in the strength of character and the determination of our people. They found strength in numbers and realized that by going out on strike, they could force the companies to create better working conditions and make the work place a safe environment. They helped establish fair labor practices and by fighting hard and walking the picket lines, during a strike. They took back the power and placed it in the hands of an organized Union.

On June 18 of 1937, The Cigar Workers walked out on Strike. Detroit was one of the nation's leaders in the production of Cigars. The workers often pulled 11 hour shifts in a very poorly ventilated, work environment. Most of the employees were women and immigrants. Most of the women who worked in the Cigar industry only earned half of what their male counterparts earned in this industry. The cigar industry had over 10,000 workers. Two thousand of these workers organized and decided to go out on strike. in June of 1937. After staging massive walk outs and sit down strikes, two of the factories were successful and established The Cigar Makers International Union. They received better working conditions, better wages, and better benefits. You can read more about this at this site: The photographs alone are extraordinary.