On this day in labor history, the year was 1948.
That was the day United Electrical workers voted to strike at Univis Lens Company in Dayton, Ohio.
Univis made safety lenses and instrumental optics.
The UE was well established in area manufacturing plants.
Once organized, Univis fought the UE’s presence every chance they could.
When the contract expired at the end of April, Univis refused to negotiate.
First came the injunction limiting picketing.
This was followed by a vigorous decertification campaign
Foremen made intimidating, personal visits to workers’ homes, offering raises and personal loans to coerce ‘no’ votes.
When the UE lost the election in late July, the company announced wage increases for returning workers and firings for remaining strikers.
Workers stuck together and the strike continued.
By the 26th, police swarmed the picket lines, beating top UE organizers and arresting hundreds.
Two days later, the company offered a settlement for all but 11 strikers.
The members refused.
Then House Un-American Activities Committee came to town to begin a red baiting inquisition of the UE district.
The city’s unions were outraged at the beatings and arrests.
They walked off their jobs to bolster the picket lines and were met with tear gas.
Governor Herbert called in the National Guard on August 2.
1500 troops rolled into town in Sherman tanks with machine guns trained on the strikers.
Scabs were escorted through plant gates between rows of fixed bayonets.
Area residents, furious at the virtual martial law established, flooded the governor with angry protests until troops were finally withdrawn.
The strike ended in victory, with workers winning most of their demands.
All but five were reinstated and by the following April, the NLRB voided the decertification election.
December 1 - Standing Up for Themselves and Their Patients
November 30 - Angel of the Stockyards is Born
November 29 - The Fight for $15 & A Union
November 28 - Disaster in the Mines
November 27 - Death Trap in Newark
November 26 - The Birth of William Sylvis
November 25 - Chicago Printers Walk Off the Job
November 24 - The Hollywood Ten
November 23 - The Thibodaux Massacre
November 22 - Uprising of the 20,000
November 21 - Autoworkers Join the Postwar Strike Wave
November 20 - Birth of the Time Clock
November 19 - Joe Hill’s Final Words
November 18 - Accident or Murder?
November 17 - Resisting Impressment
November 16 - NFL Players End Strike
November 15 - The IWW is Raided
November 14 - The Origins of CWA
November 13 - The Holland Tunnel Opens
November 12 - Striking Against Privatization
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