A few blocks northeast of the Flint Truck and Bus assembly plant is a small park with a memorial to the Sit Down Strike. On December 30th, 1936 the workers at General Motor’s Fisher Body Plant stopped production and barricaded themselves inside the plant. They learned the company was going to move the dies that stamp out most of the body parts for GM’s cars. Rather than picketing outside, they occupied the plant so GM could not move the stamping dies or bring in scab workers to break the union strike. Without the body parts, most of General Motor’s production came to a halt. Governor Murphy sent in the Michigan National Guard, not to help one side or the other, but to keep the peace. After 44 days the United Auto Workers of America and GM came to an agreement and production resumed.
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