Flint Sitdown Monument Picture.

an artist's rendering.

GRAPHIC VERSION OF THIS CONTRACT - http://community-2.webtv.net/blacklava/contract/ The First UAW-GM Agreement February 11, 1937 Agreement entered into on this 11th day of February, 1937, between the General Motors Corporation (hereinafter referred to as the Corporation) and the International Union, United Automobile Workers of America (hereinafter referred to as the Union). The Corporation hereby recognizes the Union as the Collective Bargaining agency for those employees of the Corporation who are members of the Union. There shall be no discrimination, interference, restraint or coercion by the Corporation or any of its agents against any employee because of membership in the Union. The Corporation and the Union agree to commence collective bargaining negotiations on February 16th with regard to the issues specified in the letter of January 4th, 1937, from the Union to the Corporation, for the purpose of entering into a collective bargaining agreement, or agreements, covering such issues, looking to a final and complete settlement of all matters in dispute. The Union agrees to forthwith terminate the present strike against the Corporation, and to evacuate all plants now occupied by strikers. The Corporation agrees that all of its plants, which are on strike, or otherwise idle shall resume operations as rapidly as possible. It is understood that all employees now on strike or otherwise idle will return to their usual work when called and that no discrimination shall be made or prejudices exercised by the Corporation against any employee because of his former affiliation with, or activities in, the Union or the present strike. The Union agrees that pending the negotiations referred to in Paragraph Two, there shall be no strikes called or any other interruption to or interference with production, by the Union or its members. During the existence of the collective bargaining agreement contemplated pursuant to Paragraph Two, all opportunities to achieve a satisfactory settlement of any grievance or enforcement of any demands by negotiations shall be exhausted before there shall be any strikes or other interruption to or interference with production by the Union or its members. There shall be no attempts to intimidate or coerce any employees by the Union and there shall not be any solicitation or signing up of members by the Union on the premises of the Company. This is not to preclude individual discussion. After the evacuation of its plants and the termination of the strike the Corporation agrees to consent to the entry of orders, dismissing the injunction proceedings which have been started by the Corporation against the Union, or any of its members, or officers or any of its locals, including those pending in Flint, Michigan and Cleveland, Ohio, and subject to the approval of the Court to discontinue all contempt proceedings which it has instituted thereunder. GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION /s/ William S. Knudsen /s/ J. T. Smith /s/ D. Brown UNITED AUTOMOBILE WORKERS /s/ Wyndham Mortimer, First Vice-President /s/ Lee Pressman, General Counsel, CIO /s/ John L. Lewis, Chairman, CIO GRAPHIC VERSION OF THIS CONTRACT - http://community-2.webtv.net/blacklava/contract/ OR http://community-2.webtv.net/uhhuhdotcom/uhhuh/ will work, also. www.FlintSitdown.com or http://community.webtv.net/uhhuhdotcom/diaryofasitdowner/ Walter Reuther, President UAW 1946 -1970           "There's a direct relationship between the bread box and the ballot box, and what the Union fights for and wins at the bargaining table can be taken away in the legislative halls." http://www.time.com/time/time100/builder/profile/reuther.html For further information on The Great Flint Sitdown Strike of 1936-1937 and Genesee county history, please read the following books... THE MANY AND THE FEW / A Chronicle of the Dynamic Auto Workers by Henry Kraus HEROES OF UNWRITTEN STORY / The UAW, 1934-1939 by Henry Kraus SITDOWN! by Sidney Fine THE FLINT SIT-DOWN STRIKE OF 1936-1937: WITNESSES AND WARRIORS by Catherine Smith / Publisher: Mott Community College, Flint Michigan www.artscope.net/NEWS/news990615-7.shtml NOT AUTOMATIC / Women and the Left in the Forging of The Auto Workers' Union by Sol Dollinger and Genora Johnson Dollinger More Reading... HANGING ON or How to Get Through a Depression and Enjoy Life by Edmond G. Love During the Depression, Flint Michigan was hit twice as hard in comparison to the rest of the cities in the U.S. Unemployment averaged close to 50% while the average U. S. city averaged a 25% rate. Mr. Love writes about life in Flint during this time. THROUGH THE YEARS IN GENESEE an Illustrated History by Alice Lethbridge The village of Flint grew up around a tavern on the Flint River where pioneer families gathered to ease the loneliness and celebrate the hard-won victories of frontier life. The village grew and prospered as market town and county seat, and drew the first of the many visionary businessmen who would change Flint from a country village to a center of industry. The lumber industry, the carriage industry, and finally the automobile brought Flint into the forefront of a modern age. The transition has not always been easy, and as in pioneer days, the victories have been hard-won. Genesee County History Book Bibliography

Workers of the great UAW, if you are interested in reading about the history  of the U.S. Labor Movement, especially The Flint UAW, and want to learn more about labor union issues here are some wonderful books! Brothers and Sisters, alot of these books are at The Flint Public Library...the greatest library in the world! Check out The Genesee District Libraries in Genesee County also for these great reads. As a member of the UAW, the best reading that we can do as workers is to have a copy of your latest local and national agreement. With these tools, you can help enforce and strengthen the local and national agreement. If one can't clear up the perceived contractual violation with the manager or engineer, please call your commitee person! By doing this, you become part of the process, and by standing up for your rights, you thus protect another worker's! KNOW YOUR WEINGARTEN RIGHTS! CLICK NOW TO LEARN THEM! http://www.unionism.com/weingarten_rights.htm Also, you should have a copy of your local union by-laws and International UAW Constitution. Please get involved with your local. Attend your union meetings. Run for union office! Read and educate yourself in the great labor history all us workers are part of. The Great Flint Sitdown Strike was the pivotal moment in labor history! We are all connected together because of this.   The Many and the Few , A Chronicle of the Dynamic Autoworkers by Henry Kraus Heroes of Unwritten Story by Henry Kraus  Sitdown by Sidney Fine The Flint Sit-Down Strike of !936-1937: Witnesses and Warriors (This book accompanied the art exhibition on June 11 - July 2 1999 at The Greater Flint Arts Council) by Jan McFarlane, Wilma Romatz and Catherine Smith Not Automatic, Women and the Left in The Forging of The Auto Workers' Union by Sol Dollinger and Genora Johnson Dollinger The Brothers Reuther and the Story of the UAW/ A Memoir by Victor G. Reuther Reuther, A Daughter Strikes by Elisabeth Reuther Dickmeyer The Most Dangerous Man in Detroit, Walter Reuther and the Fate of American Labor by Nelson Lichtenstein Walter Reuther (A Great Men Of Michigan Book) by R. L. Tyler Black Detroit And The Rise Of The UAW by August Meier and Elliot Rudwick The UAW And The Heyday Of American Liberalism 1945-1968 by Kevin Boyle American Workers, American Unions by Robert H. Zieger Working Detroit by Steve Babson with Ron Alpern, Dave Elsila, and John Rivette Labor's Untold Story by Richard O. Boyer and Herbert M. Morais Autowork edited by Robert Asher and Ronald Edsforth The Unfinished Struggle, Turning Points in American Labor 1877 - Present by Steve Babson Lean Work, Empowerment and Exploitation in the Global Auto Industry edited by Steve Babson Confronting Change - auto labor and lean production in North America edited by Huberto Juarez Nunez and Steve Babson Workers In A Lean World - Unions in the International Economy by Kim Moody    Union Steward Education: The Rights Of Employees and Union Members by Wayne N. Outten, Robert J. Rabin and Lisa R. Lipman The Legal Rights Of Union Stewards by Robert M. Schwartz