Auto-Lite Strike
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The Toledo Auto-Lite strike was a strike by a federal labor union of the
American Federation of Labor The American Federation of Labor (A.F. of L.) was a national federation of labor unions in the United States that continues today as the AFL-CIO. It was founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions eager to provide mutua ...
(AFL) against the Electric Auto-Lite company of
Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. A major Midwestern United States port city, Toledo is the fourth-most populous city in the state of Ohio, after Columbus, Ohio, Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnat ...
, from April 12 to June 3, 1934. The strike is notable for a five-day running battle between nearly 10,000 strikers and 1,300 members of the
Ohio National Guard The Ohio National Guard comprises the Ohio Army National Guard and the Ohio Air National Guard. The commander-in-chief of the Ohio Army National Guard is the governor of the U.S. state of Ohio. If the Ohio Army National Guard is called to f ...
. Known as the "Battle of Toledo," the clash left two strikers dead and more than 200 injured."New Peace Plan Drawn at Toledo As Riots Continue," ''Associated Press,'' May 27, 1934. The strike is regarded by many labor historians as one of the three most important strikes in U.S. history.Pakulski, "As Auto-Lite's Labor Battle Became a War, Union Seeds Took Root," ''Toledo Blade,'' October 24, 1999.


Background

The enactment of the
National Industrial Recovery Act The National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933 (NIRA) was a US labor law and consumer law passed by the 73rd US Congress to authorize the president to regulate industry for fair wages and prices that would stimulate economic recovery. It also ...
on June 16, 1933, led to widespread union organizing in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
.Phelan, ''William Green: Biography of a Labor Leader,'' 1989.Taft, ''The A.F. of L. From the Death of Gompers to the Merger,'' 1959. AFL president William Green decided to focus the federation's organizing efforts on automaking because organizing in that industry had received more attention from the national press. The problem for the federation remained its commitment to
craft unionism Craft unionism refers to a model of trade unionism in which workers are organised based on the particular craft or trade in which they work. It contrasts with industrial unionism, in which all workers in the same industry are organized into the sa ...
. Auto workers, like many of the new
mass production Mass production, also known as flow production or continuous production, is the production of substantial amounts of standardized products in a constant flow, including and especially on assembly lines. Together with job production and ba ...
workers, were specialists rather than craftsmen, and
industrial unionism Industrial unionism is a trade union organizing method through which all workers in the same industry are organized into the same union, regardless of skill or trade, thus giving workers in one industry, or in all industries, more leverage in ...
appealed to them. The AFL, however, remained ardently committed to craft unionism. To balance the need to organize workers on an industrial basis without compromising its commitment to craft unionism, the AFL had early in its history settled on federal labor unions (FLUs). FLUs were temporary unions which organized workers on an industrial basis. Once the majority of workers in an industry were organized, the federal labor union would be disbanded and the workers parceled out to the AFL's unions on a craft basis. The AFL began its organizing campaign in the auto industry in September 1933, by assigning an AFL national organizer to Detroit. By March 1934, the AFL had established an FLU at
Buick Buick () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Started by automotive pioneer David Dunbar Buick in 1899, it was among the first American marques of automobiles, and was the company that established General ...
and
Hudson Motor Car Company The Hudson Motor Car Company made Hudson and other branded automobiles in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., from 1909 until 1954. In 1954, Hudson merged with Nash-Kelvinator to form American Motors Corporation (AMC). The Hudson name was continued through ...
, and two at
Fisher Body Fisher Body was an automobile coachbuilder founded by the Fisher brothers in 1908 in Detroit, Michigan. A division of General Motors for many years, in 1984 it was dissolved to form other General Motors divisions. Fisher & Company (originally All ...
. Roughly 32,500 auto workers had joined the federation.


The Automobile Labor Board agreement

March 1934 proved to be a difficult month. On March 4, the four automotive FLUs voted to strike unless management recognized their union, instituted a 20 percent wage increase and reinstated all workers fired for union activity. Green, committed to labor peace and fearful that the FLUs were too weak to withstand a strike, attempted to persuade them to rescind the strike notice. But President Franklin D. Roosevelt, worried that an auto strike would harm the chances for economic recovery during the
Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
, offered to negotiate a settlement. Roosevelt ordered the
National Labor Board The National Labor Board (NLB) was an independent agency of the United States Government established on August 5, 1933, to handle labor disputes arising under the National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA). Establishment, structure and procedures T ...
to hear the workers' grievances, and the FLUs postponed the strike.Morris, ''The Blue Eagle at Work,'' 2004. Roosevelt himself stepped into the negotiations. On March 25, Roosevelt announced the creation of an Automobile Labor Board composed of one representative from management, one representative from labor, and a "neutral third party" to review allegations of anti-union activity. Roosevelt endorsed management's proposal to permit the recognition of
company union A company or "yellow" union is a worker organization which is dominated or unduly influenced by an employer, and is therefore not an independent trade union. Company unions are contrary to international labour law (see ILO Convention 98, Article ...
s and the principle of
proportional representation Proportional representation (PR) refers to a type of electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to geographical (e.g. states, regions) and political divis ...
. Green avidly endorsed the settlement, in accordance with his belief in the
social gospel The Social Gospel is a social movement within Protestantism that aims to apply Christian ethics to social problems, especially issues of social justice such as economic inequality, poverty, alcoholism, crime, racial tensions, slums, unclean envir ...
and lifelong refusal to endorse militancy in labor relations. But in doing so, he lost the confidence of the auto workers. Membership in automobile FLUs dropped by more than 14,000 to just 18,244 by the spring of 1934.


The Great Depression

The city of Toledo was financially devastated by the
Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
. The
Willys-Overland Willys (pronounced , "Willis" ) was a brand name used by Willys–Overland Motors, an American automobile company, founded by John North Willys. It was best known for its design and production of World War II era and later military jeeps (MBs) ...
automobile company, the city's largest employer, declared bankruptcy. The Ohio Bond and Security Bank, the city's largest bank, collapsed, along with most of the city's banks and
savings and loan association A savings and loan association (S&L), or thrift institution, is a financial institution that specializes in accepting savings deposits and making mortgage and other loans. The terms "S&L" or "thrift" are mainly used in the United States; simi ...
s. Near bankruptcy, the city of Toledo laid off hundreds of workers, including 150 police. Unemployment in the city reached 70 percent.


The Auto-Lite strike

Against this background, workers in Federal Labor Union 18384 began agitating for management to recognize their union and increase wages. FLU 18384 had been organized differently than other FLUs. It was a multi-employer union, and its members were employed not only by the Electric Auto-Lite Company but also by the Bingham Stamping and Tool Company and the Logan Gear Company (both subsidiaries of Electric Auto-Lite) as well as the Spicer Manufacturing Company.Bernstein, ''The Turbulent Years: A History of the American Worker, 1933–1941,'' 1970. Because of this diverse membership, workers at one employer could strike and the union would remain financially solvent. This encouraged militancy among the FLU's members, and on February 23, 1934, the Auto-Lite members engaged in a
recognition strike Strike action, also called labor strike, labour strike, or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became common during the In ...
and attempted to win a 10 percent wage increase. Nearly all FLU members at Auto-Lite walked out. The strike lasted only five days. The employees returned to work after management agreed to a 5 percent wage increase and to negotiate a contract by April 1, 1934.Fine, ''The Automobile under the Blue Eagle,'' 1964. Both parties agreed to negotiate further over wages (the union demanded an additional 20 percent wage increase),
seniority Seniority is the state of being older or placed in a higher position of status relative to another individual, group, or organization. For example, one employee may be senior to another either by role or rank (such as a CEO vice a manager), or by ...
rights, the
closed shop A pre-entry closed shop (or simply closed shop) is a form of union security agreement under which the employer agrees to hire union members only, and employees must remain members of the union at all times to remain employed. This is different fr ...
, improved working conditions, union recognition and an end to discrimination against union members and supporters. Management declared itself unwilling to sign a new contract in early April. FLU 18384 authorized a second strike, to begin on April 12, 1934. This time, only a fourth of the Auto-Lite workers walked out. The AFL's Central Labor Council (CLC) formed a "Committee of 23," a council of the largest unions in the Toledo area, to support the strike. But the Committee of 23 proved ineffective, and the strike began to collapse."Threat of General Walkout," ''New York Times,'' May 26, 1934. The
American Workers Party The American Workers Party (AWP) was a socialist organization established in December 1933 by activists in the Conference for Progressive Labor Action, a group headed by A.J. Muste. Formation The American Workers Party was established in Dec ...
immediately entered the strike on the FLU's behalf. The American Workers Party (AWP) had been formed in 1933 from the Conference for Progressive Labor Action by
A.J. Muste Abraham Johannes Muste ( ; January 8, 1885 – February 11, 1967) was a Dutch-born American clergyman and political activist. He is best remembered for his work in the labor movement, pacifist movement, antiwar movement, and civil rights movement ...
, a
Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...
minister and non-dogmatic
Marxist Marxism is a left-wing to far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand class relations and social conflict and a dialecti ...
. Louis F. Budenz served as its executive secretary. In part, the AWP organized the unemployed so that they would not act as
strikebreakers A strikebreaker (sometimes called a scab, blackleg, or knobstick) is a person who works despite a strike. Strikebreakers are usually individuals who were not employed by the company before the trade union dispute but hired after or during the str ...
. In Lucas County, the AWP's offshoot was the Lucas County Unemployed League (LCUL), led by Ted Selander and Sam Pollock. The LCUL had been organizing jobless workers for nearly a year, leading demonstrations and other public actions, and was well-poised to take over the strike.Selander, "The 1934 Toledo Auto-Lite Strike," ''Socialist Action,'' March 1986. It is not clear how or why the AWP became involved in the Auto-Lite strike. But by the end of April, its leaders (Budenz in particular) were deeply involved in planning strike strategy. The AWP's first step was to ring the Auto-Lite plant with thousands of unemployed workers, effectively sealing off the grounds. Electric Auto-Lite sought a court injunction prohibiting any pickets in front of its plant. Court of Common Pleas Judge Roy R. Stuart issued an injunction limiting the number of union and LCUL pickets to 25 at each entrance to the two-building plant. Budenz subsequently instructed the local leaders of the AWP to defy Judge Stuart's injunction. On May 5, 1934, Pollock and Selander wrote a letter to Stuart declaring that the Lucas County Unemployed League would "deliberately and specifically violate the injunction enjoining us from sympathetically picketing peacefully in support of the striking auto workers' federal union." On May 7, picketing resumed outside the Auto-Lite plant. At first, there were only four pickets. Selander and Pollock were arrested for
contempt of court Contempt of court, often referred to simply as "contempt", is the crime of being disobedient to or disrespectful toward a court of law and its officers in the form of behavior that opposes or defies the authority, justice, and dignity of the cour ...
the same day, but released on May 8 with
suspended sentence A suspended sentence is a sentence on conviction for a criminal offence, the serving of which the court orders to be deferred in order to allow the defendant to perform a period of probation. If the defendant does not break the law during that ...
s. The day of their release, the picket line returned—although this time nearly 40 picketers marched before the plant gates. On May 11, Selander, Pollock and all the picketers were arrested. Judge Stuart attempted to try the group, and noted corporate attorney
Edward Lamb Edward Lamb (April 23, 1901 – March 23, 1987) was an American businessman, broadcasting executive and labor lawyer. He is best known for having defended striking workers during the Auto-Lite Strike in 1934 and for successfully resisting the fe ...
argued the case for the defendants. During the short trial, the League continued to put 30 to 60 picketers on the line every day, and the police continued to arrest large numbers of them. The League, meanwhile, packed the courtroom with hundreds of supporters, who cheered, sang and disrupted the trial. Stuart finally released the entire group of arrestees after a few days without issuing a decision. As Judge Stuart attempted to try the picketers, the Auto-Lite company decided to break the strike. The firm hired approximately 1,500
strikebreaker A strikebreaker (sometimes called a scab, blackleg, or knobstick) is a person who works despite a strike. Strikebreakers are usually individuals who were not employed by the company before the trade union dispute but hired after or during the st ...
s as replacement workers to re-open the plant and start production. The company also hired armed guards to protect the replacement workers, and the Lucas County sheriff's department deputized large numbers of special deputies (paid for by Auto-Lite) to assist the company's private security personnel. Additionally, Auto-Lite purchased $11,000 worth of tear and vomit gas munitions and stored them in the plant. When the AWP learned about the strikebreakers, it engaged in mass picketing. On May 21, Budenz spoke to a group of 1,000 pickets in front of the plant. The next day, the pickets swelled to 4,000. By the morning of May 23, the number of picketers rose to 6,000. City and company officials began to worry that the Toledo police, who were disaffected because of wage cuts and layoffs, were beginning to sympathize with the strikers and were no longer reliable.


The "Battle of Toledo"

On the afternoon of Wednesday, May 23, the sheriff of Lucas County decided to take action against the picketers. In front of a crowd which now numbered nearly 10,000, sheriff's deputies arrested Budenz and four picketers. As the five were taken to jail, a deputy began beating an elderly man. Infuriated, the crowd began hurling stones, bricks and bottles at the sheriff's deputies. A fire hose was turned on the crowd, but the mob seized it and turned the hose back on the deputies. Many deputies fled inside the plant gates, and Auto-Lite managers barricaded the plant doors and turned off the lights. The deputies gathered on the roof and began shooting tear gas bombs into the crowd. So much tear and vomit gas was used that not even the police could enter the riot zone. The strikers retaliated by hurling bricks and stones through the plant's windows for seven hours. The strikers overturned cars in the parking lot and set them ablaze. The inner tubes of car tires were turned into improvised slingshots, and bricks and stones launched at the building. Burning refuse was thrown into the open door of the plant's shipping department, setting it on fire. In the early evening, the strikers attempted to break into the plant. Police fired shots at the legs of rioters to try to stop them. The gunfire was ineffective, and only one person was (slightly) wounded. Hand-to-hand fighting broke out as the strikers broke into the plant. They were repelled, but tried twice more to break into the facility before they gave up late in the evening. More than 20 people were reported injured during the melee. Auto-Lite president Clement O. Miniger was so alarmed by the violence that he ringed his home with a cordon of armed guards."Troops in Toledo to Check Rioting; Workers Besieged," ''New York Times,'' May 24, 1934.Sallah, "1934 Conflict, Killings Shaped Labor Movement," ''Toledo Blade,'' July 26, 1998. At 5:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 24, 900 Ohio National Guardsmen, some of them high-school-aged teenage boys, arrived in a light rain. The troops included eight rifle companies, three machine-gun companies and a medical unit. The troops cleared a path through the picket line, and the sheriff's deputies, private security guards and replacement workers were able to leave the plant."Two Slain, Score Injured, As National Guard Fires on Toledo Strike Rioters," ''New York Times,'' May 25, 1934. Later that morning, Judge Stuart issued a new injunction banning all picketing in front of the Auto-Lite plant, but the picketers ignored the order. During the afternoon of May 24,
Charles Phelps Taft II Charles Phelps Taft II (September 20, 1897 – June 24, 1983) was a U.S. Republican Party politician and member of the Taft family. From 1955 to 1957, he served as Mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio. Like other members of his family, Taft was a Republ ...
, son of the former president, was sent to Toledo by President Roosevelt to act as a special mediator in the dispute. AFL president William Green sent an AFL organizer to the city as well to help the local union leadership bring the situation under control. During the late afternoon and early evening of May 24, a huge crowd of about 6,000 people gathered again in front of the Auto-Lite plant. Around 10 p.m., the crowd began taunting the soldiers and tossing bottles at them. The militia retaliated by launching a particularly strong form of tear gas into the crowd. The crowd picked up the gas bombs and threw them back. For two hours, the gas barrage continued. Finally, the crowd surged back toward the plant gates. The National Guardsmen charged with bayonets, forcing the crowd back. Again the crowd advanced. The soldiers fired into the air with no effect, then fired into the crowd—killing 27-year-old Frank Hubay (shot four times) and 20-year-old Steve Cyigon. Neither was an Auto-Lite worker, but had joined the crowd out of sympathy for the strikers. At least 15 others also received bullet wounds, while 10 Guardsmen were treated after being hit by bricks."Six Thousand in Battle," ''Associated Press,'' May 25, 1934. A running battle occurred throughout the night between National Guard troops and picketers in a six-block area surrounding the plant. A smaller crowd rushed the troops again a short time after Hubay and Cyigon's deaths, and two more picketers were injured by gunfire. A company of troops was sent to guard the Bingham Tool and Die plant, a squad of sheriff's deputies dispatched to protect the Logan Gear factory, and another 400 National Guardsmen ordered to the area. Nearly two dozen picketers and troopers were injured by hurled missiles during the night. The total number of troops now in Toledo was 1,350, the largest peacetime military build-up in Ohio history. In the early morning hours of Friday, May 25, Auto-Lite officials agreed to keep the plant closed in an attempt to forestall further violence. Also on May 25, Clement Miniger was arrested after local residents swore out complaints that he had created a public nuisance by allowing his security guards to bomb the neighborhood with tear gas. Louis Budenz, too, was arrested—again on contempt of court charges. Meanwhile, violence continued around the Auto-Lite plant. Furious local citizens accosted National Guard troops, demanding that they stop gassing the city. Twice during the day, troops fired volleys into the air to drive picketers away from the plant. A trooper was shot in the thigh, and several picketers were severely injured by flying gas bombs and during bayonet charges. In the early evening, when the National Guard ran out of tear gas bombs, they began throwing bricks, stones and bottles back at the crowd to keep it away. Tensions worsened during the day. The AFL's Committee of 23 announced that 51 of the city's 103 unions had voted to support a general strike. That evening, local union members voted down a proposal to submit all grievances to the Automobile Labor Board for mediation. The plan had been offered by Auto-Lite officials the day before and endorsed by Taft. But the plan would have deprived the union of its most potent weapon (the closed plant and thousands of picketing supporters) and forced the union to accept proportional representation. Union members refused to accept either outcome. Taft suggested submitting all grievances to the National Labor Board instead, but union members rejected that proposal as well. On Saturday, May 26, the violence began to die down somewhat. Troopers began arresting hundreds of people, most of whom paid a small bond and won release later the same day. Large crowds continued to gather in front of the Auto-Lite plant and hurl missiles at the troops, but the National Guard was able to maintain order during daylight hours without resorting to large-scale gas bombing. During the day, Ted Selander was arrested by the National Guard and held incommunicado. Despite the pleas of Muste and Lamb, Taft refused to use his influence to have Selander freed or his whereabouts revealed. With two of the AWP's three local leaders in jail, the AWP was unable to mobilize as many picketers as before."Near Peace Basis in Toledo Strike As Rioting Ceases," ''Associated Press,'' May 27, 1934. Although a crowd of 5,000 gathered in the early evening, the National Guard was able to disperse the mob after heavily gassing the six-block neighborhood. That morning, Taft led a round of negotiations involving the union, officials of all three companies, and National Guard leaders. Union officials demanded that the plants remain closed during arbitration and that troops be withdrawn. But at Taft's urging, they agreed to lower their wage demands to a 10 percent increase. On Sunday, May 27, almost all picketing and rioting within the now eight-block-wide zone surrounding the Auto-Lite plant ceased.


End of the strike

Over the next two weeks, Taft continued his negotiations. On May 28, the union agreed to submit their grievances to mediation, but Auto-Lite officials refused these terms. A
company union A company or "yellow" union is a worker organization which is dominated or unduly influenced by an employer, and is therefore not an independent trade union. Company unions are contrary to international labour law (see ILO Convention 98, Article ...
calling itself the Auto-Lite Council injected itself into the negotiations, demanding that all replacement workers be permitted to keep their jobs. In contrast, the union demanded that all strikebreakers be fired. Meanwhile, Judge Stuart began processing hundreds of contempt of court cases associated with the strike. Arthur Garfield Hays, general counsel for the
American Civil Liberties Union The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1920 "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States". T ...
, traveled to Toledo and represented nearly all those who came before Judge Stuart."Complete Tie-Up in Toledo Looms," ''New York Times,'' May 30, 1934. On May 29, tensions worsened again. The Toledo Central Labor Council continued to plan for a general strike. By now, 68 of the 103 unions had voted to support a general strike, and the council was seeking a vote of all its member unions on Thursday, May 31. Auto-Lite executives, too, were busy. Miniger met with
Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
George White George White may refer to: Politicians * George White (died 1584) (c. 1530–1584), MP for Liverpool * George White (Liberal politician) (1840–1912), British Liberal member of parliament, 1900–1912 * George E. White (politician) (1848–1935), ...
and demanded that White re-open the plant using the National Guard. White refused, but quietly began drawing up contingency plans to declare
martial law Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory. Use Martia ...
. Negotiations remained deadlocked, and Taft began communicating with
United States Secretary of Labor The United States Secretary of Labor is a member of the Cabinet of the United States, and as the head of the United States Department of Labor, controls the department, and enforces and suggests laws involving unions, the workplace, and all ot ...
Frances Perkins Frances Perkins (born Fannie Coralie Perkins; April 10, 1880 – May 14, 1965) was an American workers-rights advocate who served as the 4th United States secretary of labor from 1933 to 1945, the longest serving in that position. A member of th ...
to seek federal support (including personal intervention by Roosevelt). On May 31, the Toledo Central Labor Council asked President Roosevelt to intervene to avert a general strike. The CLC placed the final decision to hold a general strike in the hands of the Committee of 23, with a decision to be rendered on June 2. By this time, 85 of the CLC's member unions had pledged to support the general strike (with one union dissenting and another reconsidering its previous decision to support the general strike). The same day, leaders of FLU 18384 met with Governor White and presented their case. The media reported that both Labor Secretary Perkins and AFL president Green might come to Toledo to help end the strike. Despite no resolution to the strike, Toledo remained peaceful. Governor White had begun withdrawing National Guard troops a few days earlier, and by May 31 only 250 remained. On June 1, the prospects of a general strike greatly subsided. A local affiliate of the
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) is a trade union, labor union that represents approximately 775,000 workers and retirees in the electricity, electrical industry in the United States, Canada, Guam, Panama, Puerto Rico, a ...
, which had threatened to strike on June 2, reached a tentative agreement for a 20 percent wage increase. The local approved the pact the same day. As Taft secured final agreement on the electrical workers' contract, he also kept all sides in the Auto-Lite strike negotiating round the clock in the same hotel. That night, a torchlight parade of 20,000 union members and their supporters peacefully marched through Toledo. Auto-Lite and FLU 18384 reached a tentative agreement settling the strike on June 2, 1934. The union won a 5 percent wage increase, and a minimum wage of 35 cents an hour. The union also won recognition (effectively freezing out the company union), provisions for arbitration of grievances and wage demands, and a system of re-employment which favored (respectively) workers who had crossed the picket line, workers who struck, and replacement workers. Although Muste and Budenz advocated that the union reject the agreement, workers ratified it on June 3.Stark, "General Walkout Blocked in Toledo," ''New York Times,'' June 3, 1934. Governor White withdrew the final National Guard troops on June 5, 1934. Toledo remained tense, however. When union officials complained on June 5 that not all striking workers had been rehired, Taft urged Auto-Lite officials to re-employ them immediately (although that was not required under the agreement). Auto-Lite did so on June 6, and a final crisis was averted. Instead of a general strike beginning on Friday, June 9, the Toledo CLC held a victory rally at which 20,000 people paraded.


Aftermath

The victory by FLU 18384 led to widespread unionization in Toledo. In 1935, the auto workers would successfully strike
Chevrolet Chevrolet ( ), colloquially referred to as Chevy and formally the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Company, is an American automobile division of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941) and ou ...
, leading the unionization of that automaker and the first successful steps in organizing workers in automobile manufacturing. Toledo remains one of the most unionized cities in the United States as of 2007. The strike also led to the creation of the Toledo Industrial Peace Board. Now called the Labor-Management-Citizens Committee, the Industrial Peace Board became a national model for strike resolution in the post-
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
period. In 1935, FLU 18384 became
United Auto Workers The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, better known as the United Auto Workers (UAW), is an American Labor unions in the United States, labor union that represents workers in the Un ...
Local 12.


Strike memorial

The Auto-Lite Plant closed in 1962, and the plant and property were eventually deeded to the city of Toledo. The city did nothing with the structure, and the abandoned plant became an eyesore. After much pressure from local citizens to tear down the plant, the former Auto-Lite facility was demolished on August 30, 1999, and the site turned into a park. On May 12, 2001, the city of Toledo dedicated a memorial on the site to commemorate the 1934 strike. The site was turned into a new city park, named Union Memorial Park.
Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region o ...
sculptor
Hai Ying Wu Hai Ying Wu (also known as Jason Wu) is a Chinese American sculptor best known for his firefighter memorials. and his memorial commemorating the Auto-Lite Strike in Toledo, Ohio. A native of China, Wu received his degree in sculpture from the S ...
designed two life-sized bronze statues of picketers, which were placed on a plaza made of bricks salvaged from the Auto-Lite plant. A nearby doorway of concrete and brick, also salvaged from the plant, serves as a gateway to the plaza. The memorial cost $225,000.


Cultural references

The
Soledad Brothers The Soledad Brothers were three inmates charged with the murder of a prison guard, John Vincent Mills, at California's Soledad Prison on January 16, 1970. George Jackson, Fleeta Drumgo, and John Clutchette were alleged to have murdered Mills in ...
' song "Mean Ol' Toledo" recounts the story of the Electric Auto-Lite strike of 1934.Yonke, "Success and the Soledad Brothers," ''Toledo Blade,'' March 12, 2006.


See also

*
List of incidents of civil unrest in the United States Listed are major episodes of civil unrest in the United States. This list does not include the numerous incidents of destruction and violence associated with various sporting events. 18th century *1783 – Pennsylvania Mutiny of 1783, June 20. ...
*
Murder of workers in labor disputes in the United States The following list of worker deaths in United States labor disputes captures known incidents of fatal labor-related violence in U.S. labor history, which began in the colonial era with the earliest worker demands around 1636 for better working co ...


Notes


References

* "Auto-Lite Strike Memorial." ''Toledo Blade.'' May 25, 2006. * Bernstein, Irving. ''The Turbulent Years: A History of the American Worker, 1933–1941.'' Paperback edition. Boston: Houghton-Mifflin Co., 1970. (Originally published 1969.) * Budenz, Louis. "Strikes Under the New Deal." ''Challenge to the New Deal.'' Alfred M. Bingham and Selden Rodman, eds. New York: Falcon Press. 1934. * Clapp, Tom. "Toledo Industrial Peace Board, 1935–1943." ''Northwest Ohio Quarterly.'' 40 (Spring 1968). * "Commandant Blames Reds." ''New York Times.'' May 27, 1934. * "Complete Tie-Up in Toledo Looms." ''New York Times.'' May 30, 1934. * Dollinger, Sol and Dollinger, Genora Johnson. ''Not Automatic: Women and the Left in the Forging of the Auto Workers' Union.'' New York: Monthly Review Press, 2000. * Fine, Sidney. ''The Automobile under the Blue Eagle.'' Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan Press, 1964. * Foner, Philip S. ''History of the Labor Movement in the United States. Vol. 3: The Policies and Practices of the American Federation of Labor, 1900–1909.'' Paperback ed. New York: International Publishers, 1964. * Hentoff, Nat. ''Peace Agitator: The Story of A.J. Muste.'' Paperback rev. ed. New York: A.J. Muste Memorial Institute, 1982. * ''I Remember Like Today: The Auto-Lite Strike of 1934.'' Philip A. Korth and Margaret R. Beegle, eds. East Lansing, Mich.: Michigan State University Press, 1988. * ''Industrial Munitions.'' S. Report 6, Part 3, 76th Congress, 1st Session. Committee on Education and Labor. United States Senate. Washington, D.C.: United States Congress, 1939. * Korth, Phillip A. "The Auto-Lite Strike: Methods and Materials." ''Labor History.'' 14 (Summer 1975). * Lamb, Edward. ''No Lamb for Slaughter.'' New York: Harcourt, Brace World, 1963. * Messer-Kruse, Timothy. ''Banksters, Bosses, and Smart Money: A Social History of the Great Toledo Bank Crash of 1931.'' Columbus, Ohio: Ohio State University Press, 2005. * Morris, Charles. '' The Blue Eagle at Work: Reclaiming Democratic Rights in the American Workplace.'' Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2004. * Muste, A.J. "The Battle of Toledo." ''The Nation.'' June 6, 1934. * "Near Peace Basis in Toledo Strike As Rioting Ceases." ''Associated Press.'' May 27, 1934. * "New Peace Plan Drawn at Toledo As Riots Continue." ''Associated Press.'' May 27, 1934. * Pakulski, Gary T. "As Auto-Lite's Labor Battle Became a War, Union Seeds Took Root." ''Toledo Blade.'' October 24, 1999. * "Peace Over Toledo." ''Time.'' June 11, 1934. * Phelan, Craig. ''William Green: Biography of a Labor Leader.'' Albany, N.Y.: State University of New York Press, 1989. * "Postpone Tie-Up of Toledo Power." ''New York Times.'' May 31, 1934. * Robinson, JoAnn. ''Abraham Went Out: A Biography of A.J. Muste.'' Philadelphia, Pa.: Temple University Press, 1982. * Rosenbloom, Victor H. "How Cities Keep Industrial Peace." ''Labor Law Journal.'' 3:10 (October 1952). * Sallah, Michael D. "1934 Conflict, Killings Shaped Labor Movement." ''Toledo Blade.'' July 26, 1998. * Schlesinger, Arthur M. ''The Age of Roosevelt: The Coming of the New Deal: 1933–1935.'' Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1958. * Selander, Ted. "The 1934 Toledo Auto-Lite Strike." ''Socialist Action.'' March 1986. * "Signs Pact Ending Strike in Toledo." ''Associated Press.'' June 4, 1934. * "Six Thousand in Battle." ''Associated Press.'' May 25, 1934. * Stark, Louis. "Edison Pact Won, Aids Toledo Peace." ''New York Times.'' June 2, 1934. * Stark, Louis. "General Walkout Blocked in Toledo." ''New York Times.'' June 3, 1934. * Stark, Louis. "Roosevelt Asked to Act in Toledo." ''New York Times.'' June 1, 1934. * Stershner, Bernard. "Depression and New Deal in Ohio: Lorena A. Hickok's Reports to Harry Hopkins, 1934–1936." ''Ohio History.'' 86:4 (Autumn 1977). * Taft, Philip. ''The A.F. of L. From the Death of Gompers to the Merger.'' Hardback reprint ed. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1959. * "Threat of General Walkout." ''New York Times.'' May 26, 1934. * "Toledo Conferees Reach Deadlock." ''Associated Press.'' May 29, 1934. * "Toledo's 'Blade' Locks Out Three More Unions." ''Editor and Publisher.'' August 27, 2006. * "Troops in Toledo to Check Rioting; Workers Besieged." ''New York Times.'' May 24, 1934. * "Truce Is Rejected in Toledo Strike; Officer Wounded." ''Associated Press.'' May 26, 1934. * "Two Slain, Score Injured, As National Guard Fires on Toledo Strike Rioters." ''New York Times.'' May 25, 1934. * Yonke, David. "Success and the Soledad Brothers." ''Toledo Blade.'' March 12, 2006.


External links


Autolite corporate Web site

Autolite Strike
(Web site for the Seattle band)

* [http://quincy.hbs.edu:8080/lehman/company_histories/d-f/companyHistory.html?companyName=The%20Electric%20Auto-Lite%20Company "The Electric Auto-Lite Company-Company History," Lehman Brothers, Inc., Collection, Baker Library, Harvard University]
wbgu.org
"1934 Electric Auto-Lite Strike," a documentary film by WBGU-PBS, Bowling Green.

(Interview with Edward Lamb) * ttps://web.archive.org/web/20070928075409/http://www.co.lucas.oh.us/Prosecutor/RRStewart.asp "Roy R. Stewart (1876–1974) – Biography (1921–1926)(online biography of Judge Roy R. Stewart)
Sam Pollock Papers, Center for Archival Collections, Jerome Library, Bowling Green State University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Auto-Lite Strike 1934 labor disputes and strikes 1934 riots 1934 in Ohio Labor disputes in Ohio Labor relations in Ohio Riots and civil disorder in Ohio Economy of Toledo, Ohio History of Toledo, Ohio History of the United Auto Workers Labor-related riots in the United States Manufacturing industry labor disputes in the United States April 1934 events May 1934 events June 1934 events