Business Industry | Labor Strikes

The General Motors Sit-Down Strike

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News of the strike's success spread quickly. Within two weeks, 87 sit-down strikes began in the auto-manufacturing hub of Detroit alone. Car companies responded in their favor, boosting workers' wages 300 percent in 1937.

Hundreds of deaths in Flint, Michigan, auto plants during the summer of 1936 incited a citywide sit-in strike of the dangerous work conditions and low wages. Starting November 12, 1936, hundreds of General Motors workers began a sit-in demonstration that by January of the following year was 2,000 strong. Many in the community rushed to support the strikers, bringing them meals and offering their support for the cause. After 44 days, the president of General Motors announced a wage increase and recognition of the United Automobile Workers (UAW) Union, ending the strike.

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By the end of 1936, the strike had gained momentum. The sit-down strike in Flint was the first major union victory in American labor history.

 

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With lots of downtime during the strikes, protesters entertained themselves with board games and books, as well as concerts and lectures.

 

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Because of the strike's success, United Auto Workers Union membership grew from 300,000 to 500,000 by the end of 1937.