December 1936

• December 29 – G.M. transfers union members out of the Chevrolet Fisher Body No. 2 plant.
• December 30
  • 7:00am Chevrolet Fisher Body No. 2 plant workers start a sit-down strike.
  • 8:00pm Buick Fisher Body workers start a sit-down strike.
  • 8:00pm Buick Fisher Body No. 1 workers begin a sit-down strike.

January 1937

• January 1 – Women’s Auxiliary established to aid sit-down strikers and their families.
• January 2 – G.M. seeks injunction against workers.  Genesee County Circuit Court Judge Black grants injunction.
• January 3 – Judge Black found to own GM stock, injunction overturned.
• January 4 – U.A.W. presents contract demands to G.M.
• January 7 – A pro-business organization known as the “Flint Alliance” begins anti-union activity.
• January 11– Flint police and county sheriff deputies attempt to retake Chevrolet Fisher Body No. 2 and are repelled by workers, 27 are injured.  The event becomes known as “Battle of the Running Bulls”
• January 12 – Governor Frank Murphy orders National Guard to Flint to prevent further violence.  By strikes end, 4,000 guardsmen are stationed in Flint.
• January 20 – Women’s Emergency Brigade established “to protect our husbands and sons from violence”
• January 27 – Flint Alliance holds “Back to Work” rally at I.M.A. Auditorium

February 1937

• February 1 – Genesee County Circuit Court Judge Gadola orders workers to leave plants and stop picketing.  Sit-down strike spreads to Chevrolet Plant No. 4.
• February 3 – Governor Murphy refuses to use National Guard to evict strikers from plants.
• February 11 – 2:30am G.M. agrees to recognize the U.A.W., Sit-down strike [2]

 

Important Resolution:

On February 1, 1937, two days after the Flint sit-down strikes, GM and the UAW began discussing a contract, that although fell short of many of our initial demands, provided that UAW with the first initial steps toward formal recognition.

The following were the provisions we reached with GM after the sit-downs at Flint:

*GM recognized the UAW as a bargaining agent for it’s own members in the plants that were on strike
*the corporation promised that for six months it would not bargain with or enter into agreements with any other union or representative of employees of plants on strike
*GM would not undercut the UAW by bargaining with a company union
*the corporation pledged not to discriminate against or penalize union members [1]