Today in Labor History June 5

 

GM on Strike

Sixty-Seven anarchists were arrested and set up for deportation in the wake of a bomb explosion, marking the beginning of the infamous “Palmer raids” that ultimately led to the deportations and imprisonment of thousands of union members, communists, and anarchists. – 1919

Thirty-five members of the Teamsters, concerned about the infiltration of organized crime in the union and other issues, meet in Cleveland to form Teamsters for a Democratic Union. – 1976

A strike began at a General Motors Corporation parts factory in Flint, Michigan that spread and ultimately forced the closure of GM plants across the country for seven weeks. The Flint workers were protesting the removal of key dies from their plant and feared their jobs would be lost. The company ended the dispute by assuring the plant would remain open until at least the year 2000. – 1998