The Flint Sit-Down Strike

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The beginning of the immigration movement people came from all part of Europe looking for jobs and new opportunities over seas in the Americas. As immigrants, there were not many jobs that they could do, so many of them ended up in the mining and then later the manufacturing industries. The second industrial revolution played a big part in immigration for a few reasons. One, the invention of the steam boat. The steam boat made the travel much faster and a once long journey was made into a week. This trip was also much less costly for the immigrants and many travels back and forth between their countries and the United states (Immigration and American Experience). Two, the industrial revolution created many jobs in the United States for unskilled …show more content…

This strike involved the workers of General Motors and they were unhappy with how much they were getting payed in relation to how much profit General Motors was bringing in. They also were concerned with the notion of being fired with no warning and no help after they were layoff with no unemployment insurance. The workers that were still at the plants had no control over about of hours to be worked, or when the lines would speed up. With the workers at high tension they formed the Sit down strike (The 1937 Flint Sit- down Strike). The strike need to be this was for a few reasons, one, all the workers would not leave the building because if they held a normal strike then they would just all be fired and replaced with other people. Another reason was because although there was an early union that started in 1935, the United Automotive Workers (UAW), they are still a new union that did not have respect with he companies to negotiate with them. Also, by locking themselves inside with the machinery, the GM had to react in a peaceful way so that their machines would not be damaged(Rubenslein Ziewacz, 241). Another big step for Unions was on August 28, 1963. This was event was called the March on Washington and took place at our nations capital. Although many people now know the March on Washington to be about civil rights and freedom it was originally about Jobs and the rights of workers. My people gathered to hear Dr. King speak about freedom, but the Union officials were their as well supporting what they were fighting for as well (The 1937 Flint Sit- down

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