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Flint’s 1937 Sit-down Strike Saved Wages, Work, and Democracy

The Mitten Channel Season 6 Episode 5

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The Flint Sit-Down Strike of 1936–37 wasn’t just a labor dispute — it was a turning point in American history. In this short documentary segment, former Genesee County Prosecutor Arthur Busch breaks down what really happened inside the Fisher Body plants, why the strike succeeded, and how Flint became the birthplace of modern union power.

This video explores:

  • The strategy workers used to shut down General Motors
  • How the UAW was born inside the factory walls
  • Why General Motors feared the sit-down tactic
  • The role of women’s brigades and community support
  • How Flint’s labor victory shaped wages, work, and democracy for generations

The sit-down strike wasn't about nostalgia — it was about power, dignity, and the fight for the American middle class. Its lessons are still relevant today as workers confront automation, corporate consolidation, and the changing nature of labor.

If you want to understand Flint, Detroit, the Rust Belt, or the history of American work, it starts here.

About This Channel

This video is part of Radio Free Flint Podcast, a narrative documentary project exploring how Flint became a mirror for the American working class.
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“When men and women are united in common purpose, there is no power in the world that can stop the forward march of free people.” — Walter Reuther

#UAW #SitDownStrike #FlintMichigan #LaborHistory #WalterReuther #UnionStrong #TheMittenChannel

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Walter Reuther, UAW President

We need to let our younger people know what it was like in the early days, how we were beaten up by the gangsters and the underworld goons, and how we were shot at, and how we were intimidated, but we overcame all of that power of these great corporations, and we demonstrated that when free men and women are united in the solidarity of human brotherhood, when they are united by common commitments in pursuit of common objectives, that there is no power in the world that can stop the forward march of free men.

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