Today marks the 54th Anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I have a dream” speech. Looking back at the values that motivated Dr. King’s leadership in the civil rights movement and struggle for jobs and justice, it’s clear that Americans are still striving to make this dream a reality. The historic speech is believed to have been written in part at UAW headquarters, Solidarity House in Detroit, Michigan: Download the full speech
As demand for his Model T skyrocketed, Henry Ford embarked on an ambitious project to build the world’s largest industrial complex. The Ford Rouge Plant in Dearborn, Michigan, housed everything needed for automobile production in one massive complex – from refining raw materials to assembly line. But Henry Ford’s demands soon took a toll on Ford workers, who had few rights within the plant. Workers who complained were often fired. At the same time, the economy was badly hurting after the 1929 stock market crash. Unemployment in Detroit skyrocketed and wages fell over 50 percent. On March 7, 1932, thousands of people ...
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Divots, ball marks, soft fairways, disease, pests, dollar spots, top dressing, aerifcation, irrigation, frost, gophers … and golfers! While many courses have two or three so-called signature holes that are worthy of brochure status, every hole at Black Lake Golf Club could easily be on the front cover of a magazine promoting the course. That’s one reason it was named Golf Digest’s “100 Greatest Public Courses in America.” The Black Lake Golf Club is run by 27 employees and eight are part of the union course maintenance staff with this elite title: greenskeeper (or Class 1 Maintenance if you want to get ...
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Walter Reuther was the visionary president of the UAW who led the union through some of its toughest battles, greatest victories, and largest expansions. Throughout his career, he was renowned as a powerful public speaker. Some of his best quotes are collected here on uaw.org: Since all the workers in the industrial community get the benefits of these services performed by the union, made possible by the union, we believe that since all the workers share in the services all the workers ought to share in the cost of providing those services. —Walter Reuther Management has no divine rights. Management ...
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March is Women’s History Month. From the sit-down strikes of 1936-37 through the war years of Rosie the Riveter, from the postwar fight for jobs to today’s campaigns for pay equity and safe workplaces, women have played a key role in UAW history. Side by side, women and men are building a stronger union every day. We salute UAW women everywhere. Here’s the story of one noteworthy UAW woman: From the Reuther Photo Archives at Wayne State May Wolf was working as a teacher when she met Walter Reuther in Detroit in 1936. While Walter Reuther was trying to organize ...
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