Dark chocolate
Lessons from the 1937 Hershey sit-down strike
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 10252811 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Robert E Weir (0000-0002-7432-6375, Smith College, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2015 |
| Volume | 56 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 40-57 |
| Publication date | 2015-01-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Labor History (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0023-656X • E-ISSN: 1469-9702 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/0023656x.2015.991562 |
| OpenAlex | W2018758998 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 7 |
The 1936–1937 General Motors sit-down strike may be the most famous work stoppage in American history. The victory in Flint so heartened workers that a veritable “sit-down fever” wave spread across America. But are labor scholars guilty of unintentionally spreading a Whiggish view of history? Just 7 weeks after the victory in Flint, Hershey Chocolate workers sat down. Within 7 days they were forcibly ejected from the factory and beaten by a mob. This article takes a look at the events in Hershey with an eye toward raising questions about the overall efficacy of sit-down strikes. Although it by no means wishes to diminish the heroism or the usefulness of the Flint sit-down, it argues that a balanced look at the past requires a deeper look into the strikes that failed. The question is of the utmost importance for the contemporary labor movement, as some activists have called for a revival of sit-down militancy as a tactic for organized labor to reverse decades of decline. This may not be wise strategy, as past sit-down strikes are too narrowly filtered through the triumphant lens of Flint
Factory (object-oriented programming · Political science · Victory · History · Labor Movements and Unions · Law
| Highly cited | No |
|---|