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Leo Connelly

Leo Connelly was threatened by the general foreman

Leo Connelly

Sitting down in Chevy 4

Leo Connelly

Wildcat Strikes

Earl Crompton

Black Janitors

Joe Devitt

Piece-Work

Ed Erlich

Ed Erlich talks about working conditions.

Ed Erlich

Ed Erlich says he was forced to leave the plant temporarily when his youngest child got sick.

Ed Erlich

Ed Erlich manned the hoses during the Battle of Bulls’ Run.

Harry Fleischman

Harry Fleischman talks at length about how he got involved in the strike as a member of the Socialist Party.

Harry Fleischman

Failure of Socialist Party

Joe Fry

Joe Fry tried to collect food from area merchants and farmers: part 1

Joe Fry

Joe Fry tried to collect food from area merchants and farmers: part 2

Frank Funk

Frank Funk describes the sit-down strike as a Communist weapon.

Frank Funk

Frank Funk talks about an early organization attempt in 1933.

Ann Gadola

Wife of Judge Gadola talks about having (unnecessary?) police protection at her house.

Russel Gage

Russel Gage did not even have time for a drink of water.

Louis Ganscos

Louis Gancsos emphasizes working conditions as the cause of the strike.

Louis Ganscos

Louis Gancsos says that the leaders of the strike were radical by necessity.

Louis Ganscos

small differences after strike

Lloyd Gebo

Lloyd Gebo talks about the terrible dust at Standard Cotton.

Robert Gibbs

Robert Gibbs was verbally abused for carrying a union card in his pocket.

Robert Gibbs

Robert Gibbs says the churches didn’t help because of their emphasis on non-violence under any circumstance.

Robert Gibbs

Assigning duties

Evelyn Gillette

Evelyn Gillette says that the men didn’t know whether to sit down or walk out at first.

K. Gillian

Gillian K. nearly lost her job for eating candy on the line.

K. Gillian

Mr. K. Gillian remembers a rumor about a goon squad coming to shoot them out.

Dorothy Harbin

Dorothy Harbin remembers being contacted by some supervisors who wanted her to be on the lookout for “Communistic” talk.

Andrew Havrilla

Andrew Havrilla talks about the unequal wage system.

Laura Hayward

Laura Hayward discusses all the benefits the union has brought

Laura Hayward

Laura Hayward remembers that the Flint Journal cast everybody involved in the strike as either “Reds” or fascists.

Laura Hayward

Laura Hayward discusses her work at the union hall

Gerald Healy

Gerald Healy discusses an aborted plan to have the Reuther brothers beat up.

Gerald Healy

Gerald Healy says it was the sit-down tactic that got everybody's attention:

Ray Holland

Ray Holland talks about GM’s high turnover rate.

Earl Hubbard

Earl Hubbard talks about how he first learned of the union.

Earl Hubbard

Earl Hubbard talks about life inside the plants.

Earl Hubbard

Also talks about how they had to burn burlap when the company shut off the heat.

Martin Japinga

Martin Japinga talks about his experiences as a Flint police officer at the time.

Larry Jones

Larry Jones says that the actual beginning of the strike was a surprise.

Larry Jones

Larry Jones describes the meeting between Lewis and Murphy on February 9

Larry Jones

Larry Jones talks about the role of the “Red Berets”:

Larry Jones

Larry Jones describes the hot summer of 1936 and its effect on workers.

Larry Jones

AC Sparkplug Conditions

Larry Jones

Making Ends Meet and Staying Active

Larry Jones

Larry Jones recounts how it took extreme optimism and faith to believe that the strike would be successful.

Larry Jones

Larry Jones says that the actual beginning of the strike was a surprise.

Larry Jones

Also recounts the gassing of the men at Plant 9.

Larry Jones

Larry Jones talks about the role of the Red Berets.

Francis Jordan

Francis Jordan addresses the difficulty of keeping up with the line.

Irving King

Irving King describes the behavior of the workers after going back to work

Irving King

Irving King talks about ridding the new union of Communists

Irving King

Irving King talks about the absolute authority held by GM before the strike.

Ray Knotts

Rotten foremen

Ray Knotts

Knotts talks about union demands.

Henry Kraus

Kraus feels that the necessity of a strike was recognized as early as 1935.

Henry Kraus

Centrality of Flint to GM

Henry Kraus

Kraus discusses the theory behind sit-down strikes.

Henry Kraus

Kraus describes workers’ distrust of John L. Lewis.

Mrs. Hans Larson

Mrs. Hans Larson remembers her husband getting shot.

Clarence Lischer

Clarence Lischer describes the company union before the strike.

Clarence Lischer

Clarence Lischer was one of the first to wear a union button in the shop.

Paul Loisell

Paul Loisell felt that the strike was unnecessary.

Robert Mamero

Robert Mamero says that the strike showed the company that men couldn't be treated like dogs.

Robert Mamero

Robert Mamero tells the story of the Battle of Bulls' Run.

Sheldon McNe

Sheldon McNe remembers the first night of sitting in

Irene Mitchell

Irene Mitchell says that young people today “don’t know what the older people went through”

Irene Mitchell

Wearing Union Buttons

Irene Mitchell

No Privacy

Mrs. Rollin Moon

Rollin Moon’s husband warned her that he might not come home one night.

Mrs. Rollin Moon

Threatened by Foreman

Mrs. Rollin Moon

Mrs. Rollin Moon says that company goons tried to scare the wives of strikers at night.

Maynard Mundale

Maynard Mundale talks about the AFL strike of 1930.

Maynard Mundale

Getting sick on the line from overwork

Maynard Mundale

Maynard Mundale discusses the arrival of Bob Travis.

Maynard Mundale

“Red” Mundale talks about how Fisher 2 wasn’t as radical, politically, as Fisher 1.

Maynard Mundale

Maynard Mundale talks about getting acquainted with Bob Travis.

Maynard Mundale

Maynard Mundale talks about wearing union buttons in the shop.

Gordon Nelson

Variable Working Conditions

Mary Nightengale

Protected by National Guard

Mary Nightengale

Working in the Glass Department

Mary Nightengale

Mary Nightengale claims that the union “put the country on its feet”

Stanley Novak

Stanley Novak says that it was the ethnic groups within Flint who were the radicals.

Harold O'Rourke

Harold O’Rourke talks about piecework and bonus systems.

Andrew J. Olay

Andrew Olay remembers that there was a more democratic feeling in the plants after the strike

Andrew J. Olay

Andrew Olay talks about men bolting from the plant when it was shut down.

Delia Parish

Delia Parish remembers taking food to the strikers at Chevy 4, despite the warnings of guards

Delia Parish

She also put furniture back in the houses of families who had been evicted

Alexander Reider

Alexander Reider remembers being injured in the Chevy 4 takeover

Alexander Reider

Continues his narration of the takover, part 1

Alexander Reider

Continues his narration of the takover, part 2

Alexander Reider

Continues his narration of the takover, part 3

Alexander Reider

Signing up Members

Roscoe Rich

Rich Roscoe talks about shutting Fisher II down.

Roscoe Rich

First Few Days of Strike

Roscoe Rich

Roscoe Rich gives his version of the Battle of Bulls’ Run.

Grant Ricks

Grant Ricks belonged to the union even though he already made good wages.

Grant Ricks

Stooges

Leo Robinson

Leo Robinson says the strike gave him the chance to get on a desirable shift

Leo Robinson

Leo Robinson talks about his tussle with company men on the stairwell at Chevy 4

Leo Robinson

Leo Robinson claims that the sit-down was John L. Lewis’s idea

Leo Robinson

Leo Robinson says that workers lost wages if the machines broke down.

Leo Robinson

Bonus System

Floyd Root

Speed-Up System

Floyd Root

Spies in the Shop

Floyd Root

Floyd Root says that the sit-down tactic was wholly unconstitutional; yet it was also terribly effective..

Floyd Root

Benefits of Union

Floyd Root

Floyd Root remembers the chaotic relationship between supervision and union leadership after the strike

Peter Schmitz

Peter Schmitz says that the general public was caught by surprise when the strike occurred.

Joseph Skunda

Walter Reuther comes to town with armed men.

Joseph Skunda

Joseph Skunda says that the strike could have been a lot more violent

Joseph Skunda

Like Russel Gage, Joseph Skunda did not have time for a drink of water.

Joseph Skunda

Joseph Skunda says Murphy was never given enough credit

Arthur Smith

Signing up Union Members

William Spechman

William Spechman talks about the change in conditions following the strike

James Spohn

James Spohn recalls the improved conditions in the paint department immediately after the strike

 

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