At 8 p.m. on December 30, 1936, in one of the first sit-down strikes in the United States, autoworkers occupy the General Motors Fisher Body Plant Number One in Flint, Michigan.

Who started the sit-down strikes?

The two strike leaders, Bob Travis and Roy Reuther, helped to establish committees for cleaning, exercise, security, entertainment, and defense (Michigan State University, n.d.).

Why was there a sit-down strike?

Sit-down strikes became a favorite tactic of unions during the 1930s. The basic idea was for workers to stop what they were doing on the assembly line and bring all production to a halt. The workers then, in effect, occupied the factory. This lessened the chance of strike-breakers taking over their jobs.