AFTERMATH
The strike was settled on February 11, 1937. The UAW did not win
all of its demands, but gained an agreement from General Motors
to recognize the union in the struck plants and to allow the union
exclusive rights for six months to organize in the other plants.
The company also agreed not to discriminate against the strikers
who were returning to work. The lion's share of credit for the final
settlement belongs to Governor Frank Murphy and CIO President John
L. Lewis. The possibly legendary story goes that Murphy met with
Lewis in his Detroit hotel room. When Murphy expressed determination
to execute the laws of the State and to evict the strikers, Lewis
reminded him that his (Murphy's) father had once been a striking
mine worker. Then the union leader asked the Governor what his father
would think if he used force to break up the strike. As a result
of this conversation, Murphy agreed to let the strikers stay in
the plants, which left GM with practically no other choice but to
settle.
The first few weeks after the settlement of the strike brought
a predictable chaos to the plants. Since the success of the strike
had created an unprecedented situation, nobody had a clear idea
of what the new relationship between labor and supervision was supposed
to be. Nevertheless, the new union locals got busy electing officers,
setting up grievance procedures, and signing up members. Now that
the overriding fear of belonging to the union was gone, this last
task was relatively easy. Inside the plants, wildcat strikes occurred
on a daily basis in various departments until the union disavowed
them, and there was also a new, and perhaps ironic, emphasis on
ridding the organization of Communist influences. Most importantly,
though, some truly dangerous and exploitative working conditions
were banned, such as poor ventilation, hazardous machine work, and
unpaid overtime. Additionally, wages rose in nearly every department.
The United Auto Worker's victory in the Flint Sit-Down Strike did
not mean that the union had it easy from then on. The immediate
results of the strike were mixed in some quarters, and further strikes
were necessary before the fruits of victory could be fully enjoyed.
Even in Flint, many individuals would remain ambivalent about the
true value and historical importance of the strike. Nevertheless,
the true legacy of the 1936-37 sit-down strike is that over the
next forty years the UAW won for its membership some of the broadest
and most significant benefits of any union in the country: full
health coverage, generous pensions, and even 90% pay during lay-offs
in some cases. While some may argue that this had the effect of
weakening the automobile industry in America, a more persuasive
argument would be that it created a model of industrial employment
that has been emulated all over the world.
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