Organizing Ford
   In the US

Organizing Ford In the US

Henry Ford was determined that his plants would never be organized. Back in 1937 he had stated:

Ford kept his plants and his 150,000 workers non-union through a combination of:

• Intimidation
• Paternalism
• Wage incentives
• Spying on workers.

In May, 1937, in one of many early efforts to organize Ford, the UAW attempted to pass out leaflets at an overpass leading to Ford’s giant River Rouge plant in Dearborn, Michigan (outside of Detroit). Several of the organizers including Walter Reuther were severely beaten by thugs hired by the company. The attack came to be known as the "Battle of the Overpass."

1. CIO ORGANIZING POSTER, 1941.

As he entered the decade of the forties, Ford was confident that he could continue to hold out against the UAW. He continued to fire workers for union activity, even though it was illegal under the Wagner Act passed in 1935. Finally, on April 1, 1941, a dispute in the plant’s steel-rolling mill sparked a walkout that led to the entire Rouge complex being shut down. The company tried to operate the plant with strikebreakers, but failed when black and white workers remained united in support of the UAW.

A regular picket line was ineffective at the sprawling Rouge plant. The union organizers decided to use a car blockade to block entrances to all the roads and streets leading to the plant. Workers were able to shut the plant down for eight days. On April 10, 1941, the strike was settled. Ford was forced to agree to an election. The union won the representation election by a landslide. On June 20, 1941, they succeeded in negotiating the best contract that had been won from any automaker up to that time. It took Ford workers in Canada four more years to get a similar deal.

Ford Gains First Contract 1941

• forty hour week
• union shop
• dues check-off.

   Organizing Ford
   In Canada

Organizing Ford In Canada

2. AERIAL VIEW OF FORD CANADA, LATE 1940s.

The huge Windsor Ford plant, with 13,000 workers, was organized by the UAW in November, 1941.

• At first, organizing at the plant was conducted in secret to protect the organizers from being fired by management.
• The drive gathered momentum during the war as thousands of workers began flocking to the union organizing meetings.
• In early 1941, the UAW set up an office near the plant to sign members up.
• A twenty-one person organizing committee was formed and departmental stewards were selected.

3. FORD WORKERS ON CONVEYOR LINE, 1937-38.

The company responded by forming a company union and launching a publicity campaign against the UAW using newspapers and radio. The union conducted its own campaign, broadcasting from Detroit when it couldn't get air time on Windsor's radio station. UAW Local 600, at the big River Rouge plant across the river in the U.S., helped the union to fight back by cutting off the flow of supplies from their plant to Canada.

Eventually, the company was forced to agree to a fair and impartial vote which was held in November, 1941. The union won with a large majority and in January

1942, the first collective agreement was negotiated and signed between Ford Canada and UAW Local 200.