Walter Philip Reuther was an American leader of organized labor and civil rights activist who built the United Automobile Workers (UAW) into one of the most progressive labor unions in American history. He saw labor movements not as narrow special interest groups but as instruments to advance social justice and human rights in democratic societies. He leveraged the UAW's resources and influence to advocate for workers' rights,civil rights,women's rights,universal health care,public education,affordable housing,environmental stewardship and nuclear nonproliferation around the world. He believed in Swedish-style social democracy and societal change through nonviolent civil disobedience. He cofounded the AFL-CIO in 1955 with George Meany. He survived two attempted assassinations,including one at home where he was struck by a 12-gauge shotgun blast fired through his kitchen window. He was the fourth and longest serving president of the UAW,serving from 1946 until his death in 1970.
The 1936–1937 Flint sit-down strike,also known as the General Motors sit-down strike,the great GM sit-down strike,and so on,was a sitdown strike at the General Motors plant in Flint,Michigan,United States. It changed the United Automobile Workers (UAW) from a collection of isolated local unions on the fringes of the industry into a major labor union,and led to the unionization of the domestic automobile industry.
The International Union,United Automobile,Aerospace,and Agricultural Implement Workers of America,better known as the United Auto Workers (UAW),is an American labor union that represents workers in the United States and Canada. It was founded as part of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) in the 1930s and grew rapidly from 1936 to the 1950s. The union played a major role in the liberal wing of the Democratic Party under the leadership of Walter Reuther. It was known for gaining high wages and pensions for auto workers,but it was unable to unionize auto plants built by foreign-based car makers in the South after the 1970s,and it went into a steady decline in membership;reasons for this included increased automation,decreased use of labor,movements of manufacturing,and increased globalization.
The Canadian Auto Workers was one of Canada's largest and highest profile labour unions. In 2013,it merged with the Communications,Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada,forming a new union,Unifor. While rooted in Ontario's large auto plants of Windsor,Brampton,Oakville,St. Catharines,and Oshawa,the CAW has expanded and now incorporates workers in almost every sector of the economy. The presidents of the CAW were Bob White (1985-1992),Buzz Hargrove (1992-2008),Ken Lewenza (2008-2013),and Jerry Dias (2013–2022) when the CAW became UNIFOR.
The Canadian Labour Congress,or CLC is a national trade union centre,the central labour body in Canada to which most Canadian labour unions are affiliated.
Douglas Andrew Fraser was a Scottish - American union leader. He was president of the United Auto Workers from 1977 to 1983 and an adjunct professor of labor relations at Wayne State University for many years.
Owen Frederick Bieber was an American labor union activist. He was president of the United Auto Workers (UAW) from 1983 to 1995.
Reuther's Treaty of Detroit was a five-year contract negotiated by trade union president Walter Reuther between the United Auto Workers (UAW) and General Motors in 1950. The UAW reached similar deals with the other members of the Big Three automakers,Ford Motor Company and Chrysler. The UAW agreed to a long-term contract,which protected automakers from annual strikes,and it gave up the right to bargain over some issues in exchange for extensive health,unemployment,and pension benefits;expanded vacation time;and cost-of-living adjustments to wages.
Nelson "Jack" Edwards (1917–1974) was Vice President of the UAW,and a founder of CBTU,the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists.
The 2007 General Motors Strike was a labor union strike that lasted three days from September 23 to September 25 of 2007 organized by the United Auto Workers (UAW) union. The UAW were engaged in talks with General Motors (GM) to negotiate a new labor contract but were unable to come to an agreement before the deadline. Consequently,73,000 workers walked out forcing 80 GM facilities in 30 states to cease operations. After the two day strike,the two parties reached an agreement in which the UAW union would assume the responsibility for managing retiree healthcare liabilities. The UAW previously went on strike against General Motors in 1970.
Leon E. Bates Sr. was an American labor union leader with the United Auto Workers union (UAW) from 1937 to 1964 when he retired as an "International Representative" of the UAW. He was one of the first African-American union organizers to work for the "UAW-CIO".
The International Harvester strike of 1979–1980 was a strike by the United Auto Workers (UAW) against the International Harvester (IH) company over work rules. The strike began on November 1,1979,and ended after 172 days on April 20,1980. As of May 2008,it was the fourth-longest strike of national importance ever held by the UAW.
Olga M. Madar was the first woman to serve on the United Auto Workers (UAW) International Executive Board.
Robert Thompson King is an American lawyer and labor union activist and leader. He was elected President of the United Auto Workers (UAW) on June 15,2010. His term of office ended in June 2014,and King announced his retirement,being succeeded by Dennis Williams as head of the UAW.
Stephen Phillip Yokich was an American labor union activist who served as President of the United Auto Workers from 1994 to 2002.
The Canadian auto industry is closely linked to the U.S.,due to the Automotive Products Trade Agreement and later the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA),and is in similar trouble. Canada's 3,500 car dealers,which employ 140,000 people,told the federal and Ontario governments in mid-November they are at risk from the financial crisis;they are asking the national government to help out despite a record year of sales. Ottawa is considering providing financial aid to the Canadian subsidiaries of the Big Three,and possibly auto parts companies as well. The auto industry argued that loan guarantees and other help would try to save tens of thousands of Canadian jobs threatened by the sudden drop in North American car sales. Chrysler Canada has asked for $1 billion in aid,making it the only Canadian arm of the Big Three to make a specific dollar request.
The Autoworker Caravan is an advocacy group dedicated to promoting the interests of Unionized American Autoworkers. It is primarily based in Detroit Michigan,but has a network of activists covering virtually every major American facility operated by the Big Three. The Caravan is composed of both active and retired UAW members. It is also sometimes referred to as the AWC.
David Alan Curson is an American union representative and former member of the United States House of Representatives,representing Michigan's 11th congressional district. He is known for having one of the shortest terms in congressional history. Curson defeated Kerry Bentivolio in a special election to replace former Representative Thaddeus McCotter,who resigned in the summer of 2012,and served less than two months. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
The tool and die strike of 1939,also known as the "strategy strike",was an ultimately successful attempt by the United Auto Workers Union (UAW) to be recognized as the sole representative for General Motors workers. In addition to representation rights,the UAW,working jointly with the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO),sought to resolve existing grievances of skilled workers.
The Chrysler Auto Strike began in October 1939 at the Dodge Main Plant in Detroit,Michigan,as a struggle between the Chrysler Auto manufacturer and The International Union,United Automobile,Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America,better known as the United Auto Workers (UAW).
