Singing with the Sit-Down Strikers

A video on the Flint Sit-Down Strike featuring Dan Hall singing a strikers song written by David O. Norris.

Echoes of Flint in Chicago Factory

Nelson Lichtenstein, director of the Center for the Study of Work, Labor and Democracy, and Christopher Phelps, who teaches at Ohio State University at Mansfield, compare the Flint Sit-Down Strike with the current takeover of the Republic window factory in Chicago:

Just as FDR once told reporters, "If I worked in a factory, the first thing I would do is join a union," so too has President-elect Barack Obama declared the Republic workers "absolutely right" in their quest for remuneration. More importantly, Obama observed that the Republic factory closure "is reflective of what's happening across this economy."

Indeed, it is not just that workers are suffering during a severe recession, but that the owners of capital, both large and small, are morally compromised in the crisis that besets the nation.

Bank of America, the giant lender, played a large role in the Republic factory closure when the bank, noting a decline in Republic's sales, cut off the company's line of credit. In normal times, this would have been considered prudent banking practice, but just last month Bank of America received $25 billion in a financial bailout meant to keep loans and credit flowing.

But Main Street managers have dirty hands as well. According to the union, the owners of Republic Windows and Doors failed to give their workers a legally required 60-day notice that they would close. And the Chicago Tribune reports that in the weeks before the factory shutdown, people with apparent ties to Republic formed a corporation that bought a similar plant in western Iowa.

It is hardly surprising that Republic's workers have laid temporary claim to the factory in which some have given decades of their lives. Its owners and creditors have forfeited their own claims, both moral and legal, to rightful stewardship.

Layed Off But Not Leaving

There's a sit-down strike, of sorts, taking place in Chicago, except this time the workers have already lost their jobs.

Monica Davey of The New York Times reports:

"Scores of workers laid off from a factory here that makes windows and doors have refused to leave, deciding to stage a “peaceful occupation” of the plant around the clock this weekend as they demand pay they say is owed them.

"Workers at Republic Windows and Doors, which laid off about 250 people, said they were notified Tuesday that the plant, more than four decades old, would close Friday. They said they were given insufficient notice and were never paid for vacation days or severance.

"The workers, many of whom were sitting on fold-up chairs on the factory floor Saturday afternoon, said they would not leave.

"'They’re staying because the fact is that these workers feel they have nothing to lose at this point,' said Leah Fried, an organizer for the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America Local 1110, who said groups of 30 were occupying the plant in shifts. 'Telling them they have three days before they are out on the street, penniless, is outrageous.'"

Dash and Pep

Frank Kelly, far left, was a Buick worker, participant in the Sit-Down Strike, and manager of the Buick No. 12 basketball team — "A Club With Dash and Pep." His story is well told by his grandchild Kelly D. Wernette in "The Life and Times of Frank Kelly, 1893-1957."

"Just before the Great Depression of 1929, Frank began taking night classes at GMI in Flint. The school was only a short distance from his home. He would eventually become a tool and die maker, a critically important technical job, and his future employment at Buick was assured. His job survived through the depression and prevented him from serving in World War II. His work building the engines of war was considered critical to the defense department. He was soon the foreman at the Grand Blank Tank Plant, in Grand Blank, Michigan. He held this position throughout the war years. Frank did join the Michigan National Guard during those years and he appeared on a list in the Flint Journal called the 'Uncle Sam Roll of Honor in Flint.' Stella would also work on the Ration Board from 1941-1946. Frank's youngest son Don Kelly also served in the occupation forces of Japan in 1946.

"According to family lore, Frank asked to return to his old job after the war. He didn't want to continue as a foreman. He reportedly didn't like the politics of being an administrator. He was willing to do it during the war, but when the war ended he wanted out. In 1937 Frank had been an avid union supporter. Prior to the Great War the battles were being fought between labor and management, so when the workers went on strike in the "Sit-down Strike of 1937," he was an enthusiastic participant. All the workers in Flint literally sat down on the job, refusing to continue until GM agreed to negotiate a labor contract with the union. Rumors ran rampant that Federal Troops might be called into the situation.

"Stella Kelly played her small part in this strike, according to family lore. She used to make up a basket of sandwiches and sneak them into the Plant 12 window under the noises of the security plant guards. After a long standoff, the union won the day and I think Frank never saw himself as a management person from then on. Although he would serve as a foreman during WWII, he returned to his union when the war ended.

"Frank, throughout his life and throughout his years in Flint, 1917-1957, would always be associated with sports. He was one of the "original seven" referees in the Flint area. He coached, played for, and umped for many of the factory teams during his era. He won trophies for bowling, baseball, basketball, and more. Between 1925-1930 he coached a semi-pro basketball team in Flint. It was the team sponsored by O. W. Young, the General Manager of Buick. They played other divisions of GM all around the country. He is of course "pictured" in the official Buick Program from that era with his team."

The Victors versus the Flintoids

UM-Flint students have voted on a possible nickname for the university. They've chosen the "Victors," rejecting both the "Flash" and the "Stones."

Wow, couldn't they just reject all three names. Please!

My top picks would be be the "Flintoids," of course, or the "Sit-Downers." Hell, the "Shop Rats" would be more appropriate than the "Victors," and it would have a lot more mascot potential.

Any other suggestions from readers?

UPDATE: A few reader suggestions:

• Flint Folk
• Rivetheads
• Downtowners
• Murder
• Strikers