Photography by Sheldon DickFLINT, MI (WNEM) -
People around Mid-Michigan are remembering a key moment in the history of organized labor.
It's been 75 years since the beginning of the sit down strike in Flint. The 44-day event was pivotal to the birth of the United Auto Workers union.
An ongoing exhibit at the Sloan Museum tells the story of the worker's struggle through videos, displays, and activities.
The strike began on Dec. 29, 1936, when General Motors began transferring members of the newly formed union out of the Fisher Body plant. The next day, workers at that Fisher plant began striking by sitting down. Other workers soon followed suit at other plants in Flint.
Over time, the National Guard was sent in to keep the peace between the strikers and those attempting to evict them from the plants.
The strike finally ended in February when then Governor Frank Murphy helped negotiate GM's recognition of the union.
TV5 wants to know -- do you think the UAW has as much influence in Mid-Michigan as it once did? Sound off in our comments section or cast your vote in our poll below.
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