Today in Labor History June 5, 2025

 

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

Israel responds to a build-up of Arab forces along its borders by launching a preemptive aerial attack against Egypt. Jordan subsequently entered the fray, but the Arab coalition was no match for Israel’s armed forces. In six days of fighting, Israel occupied the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt, the Golan Heights of Syria and the West Bank and Arab sector of East Jerusalem, both previously under Jordanian rule. By the time the United Nations cease-fire took effect on June 11, Israel had more than doubled its size, including claiming the Old City of Jerusalem from Jordan - 1967

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