12 | AUGUST 29 • 2024 

union associated with the CIO. Its 
first major victory was a landmark 
sit-down strike in GM plants in 
Flint in 1936-37, perhaps the most 
important event in American 
Labor history. Auto workers “sat 
down,” refused to work or to leave 
the Fisher Body #2 plant, despite 
GM cutting off the water and 
power to the factory. Union wives, 
brothers, children and friends 
provided the strikers with food, 
water and blankets. 
After 44 days, GM agreed to 
recognize the UAW as the official 
bargaining voice for its factory 
workers. Soon after, hundreds of 
sitdown strikes were held around 
the country, and millions of 
workers joined unions. It was a 
most effective strategy for Labor; 
however, sitdown strikes were 
declared unconstitutional by the 

U.S. Supreme Court in 1939.
The first UAW contract, by the 
way, said absolutely nothing about 
wages and benefits, just that GM 
recognized the UAW. As Douglas 
A. Fraser, president of the UAW, 
1977-1983, stated: “The number 
one issue was dignity for factory 
workers.”
The UAW 
grew to be the 
most powerful 
union in 
the U.S. by 
the 1950s. 
Its members 
became the elite 
of the world’s 
industrial 
workers and 
helped create 
the American 
middle-class.

 
JEWS AND RISE 
OF U.S. LABOR 
MOVEMENT 
To say the least, 
Jewish Americans 
and immigrants 
were instrumental 
in the growth of 
unions. Not just 
as members, but 
as prominent labor 

leaders.

The AFL’s first president was 
Samuel Gompers (1850-1924). 
Born the son of Dutch-origin 
Jewish parents living in England, 
and a cigar-maker by trade, he led 
this organization from its creation 
in 1886 until his death in 1924. 
During these years, Gompers 
was easily the most powerful and 
influential labor leader in the U.S. 
In New York and elsewhere in 
America, there were hundreds 
of thousands of jobs in the 
clothing industry, and much of its 
workforce were Jewish immigrants. 
Their unions were powerful during 
the 1930s-60s. 
Born in Belorussia, David 
Dubinsky (1892-1982) was 
president of the International 
Ladies Garment Workers union, 
1932-1966. Dubinsky was also 
involved in the creation of the CIO. 
Jewish immigrant from Lithuania, 
Sidney Hillman (1887-1946), 
was president the Amalgamated 
Clothing Workers of America.
Both Dubinsky and Hillman 
were also leaders of the Jewish 
Labor Committee in America. It 
was formed in 1934 by Yiddish-
speaking trade union leaders in 
response to the rise of the Nazis 
in Germany, as well as home-

grown Nazis such as the German 
American Bund. Many of its 
leaders and members were from 
Russian, Poland, Germany and 
elsewhere in Europe. Its mission 
was twofold: to protect union 
members and activists under threat 
around the world, as well as Jewish 
traditions. 
Historically, Jewish men and 
women were instrumental in 
building unions in Michigan, and 
many became prominent union 
leaders. To name just a very few, 
Irv Bluestone and Martin Gerber 
were vice-presidents of the UAW, 
and Maurice Sugar was the union’s 
first general counsel. 
Sam Fishman was the longtime 
president of the Michigan AFL-
CIO, and Bernie Firestone, 
although the head of a very small 
union, the Michigan Amalgamated 
Clothing and Textile Workers 
Union, was a legendary, highly 
visible labor leader and social 
activist in Michigan. Likewise, 
Myra Wolfgang was a legendary 
leader of Detroit retail workers.

This past June, another longtime 
prominent Jewish Labor leader 
retired: David Hecker, president of 
the Michigan American Federation 
of Teachers (AFT). He was the 
ranking Jewish union leader in the 

OUR COMMUNITY

continued from page 11

Group of striking 
women-shirtwaist 
workers in New York 
City, circa 1909

