Today in 1935, the United Auto Workers (UAW) was officially organized, uniting various autoworker unions under one banner. This led to a series of sit-down strikes, culminating in the 44-day sit-in at Fisher Body Plant No. 1 in Flint. By the mid-1940s, the UAW represented nearly every auto worker in the U.S. and Canada.
TRANSCRIPT
It was on this day in 1935 that the United Auto Workers officially organized. In the days before the UAW, autoworkers were represented by various unions throughout the industry, but not under one single banner. The representatives of these various unions met in 1935 to discuss forming a single union. John Barnard writes in his book American Vanguard that little more than a year later, the UAW organized a sit-down strike in South Bend, Indiana. Later sit-downs in Atlanta, Midland, Michigan, Cleveland, and Kansas City all led up to the largest sit-in at the Fisher Body Plant No. 1 in Flint. That sit-down lasted forty-four days before General Motors recognized the union and agreed to negotiate. By the mid-1940s, nearly every automobile worker in the U.S. and Canada was represented by the UAW.