What is National White Shirt Day/ White T-shirt Day?
National White Shirt Day, also known as National White T-Shirt Day, commemorates the day a historic autoworker strike ended on February 11, 1937.
Manufacturing formed a significant portion of our workforce in the early part of the twentieth century. automakers laid-off employees and cut costs after the 1929 stock market crash sparked the Great Depression. GM did as well, removing their more expensive models from their more expensive ones. They stripped down their remaining models and sped up manufacturing to a stumbling pace. They recruited employees back, but they did so at lower pay and didn't consider seniority when they did.
The Wagner Act of 1935 allowed workers to legally organize and join labour unions. Conditions in 1936 reached a volatile and fast rate. Workers had been organized before, standing in picket lines that put not only their jobs in jeopardy but also their lives.
However, Sit-ins had the opportunity to shut down the plant entirely without any replacement employees crossing picket lines. After a scheme to walk out was derailed, GM workers took up residence in the Flint, Michigan Body Plant Number 1, GM workers took up residence. Their sit-in lasted 44 days and brought production to a halt, not only GM but also the entire auto industry.
The strike made United Auto Workers (UAW) union the sole bargaining agent for GM autoworkers in the United States. The observance is most prominent in Flint, Michigan, and other cities that have a GM auto plant.
