Michigan Votes Forum

As reported in the excellent MIRS newsletter [www.mirsnews.com], today is an important date:

On This Day In Michigan History
On Dec. 30, 1936, the Flint sitdown strike began. Spurred by an unfounded rumor that work was going to be transferred to plants with weak union support, autoworkers began a spontaneous sitdown strike at General Motors' plants in Flint.

Described as the most important strike in American labor history, the Flint Sitdown strike ended in early February when General Motors recognized the United Auto Workers to represent its workers.

Source: Michigan History online

An "unfounded rumor" is such a smart reason for setting in stone a policy that will last for generations.

Shortly after this, World War Two conveniently flattened the only two competitors with enough industrial might to compete in the global automotive market (Europe and Asia.) But after both had fully recovered from that, they started making cars, then came over here and set up plants in states with "weak union support" ... and now here we are today.

I wonder what would have happened if the Germans and Japanese had decided to make cars instead of weapons in 1938.

"Most important strike in American labor history" doesn't begin to cover it. This may have been the most important thing ever to happen in Michigan.

 i wonder what would have happened in 1936 if porche, bmw, audi, and a whole slew of british and italian car manufacturers would have bought land and built plants here before the war?

i wonder whether the unions would have stood a chance against low cost, high quality cars being produced in our own back yard, without TARRIF PROTECTION to keep prices artificially inflated?

perhaps we can look back on that day as the start of all of our current problems, as the unions certainly seem to be at the root of several of them.

i also wonder how loudly the unions and automakers are going to squeal at the public trough when the money dries up?