The Many and the Few: A Chronicle of the Dynamic Auto Workers

by Henry Kraus, Neil O. Leighton (Introduction), William J. Meyer (Introduction)

The Many and the Few recounts the dramatic "inside" story of one of the pivotal strikes in American history. For six weeks in 1937, workers at General Motors' Flint, Michigan, plant refused to budge from their sit-down strike. That action changed the course of industrial and labor history, when General Motors finally agreed to recognize the United Auto Workers as the sole bargaining agent in all GM plants. Through it all, UAW activist Henry Kraus was there.
 

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Labor

328 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1985

Reviews

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of the first labor histories of the UAW, in 1947, a detailed blow-by-blow account of the Flint Sit-down Strike of 1936-37 which caused the membership to explode from 30,000 to 500,000 by the end of the 30s. It is full of dramatics as General Motors workers actively seize the initiative from union organizers and push ahead to take over the factories and then defend them from attempts to expel them. It is not a straight romance, though one does get the sense of the overwhelming odds the poverty stricken workers faced, as they try hard to build a union of imperfect and rough and tumble human beings that made up the labor force of the auto industry, as the company brutally tried to keep the union out. The account shows the who's who of the UAW organizers of the late 1930s, many of whom would have prominent roles in the UAW as it expanded. Homer Baily, the first President, does not come out looking well, as a cautious and cowardly man.

Good for knowing the courage and solidarity it took to face down a huge corporation in GM (funded by Dow Chemical).

[Nick Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun to read first hand account of the Flint sit-down strikes.

Unfortunately the author is biased by his allegiance to the CP - he dishonestly downplays or neglects to mention the leadership of organizers not in the CP, and seems to overemphasizes the leadership of CP members. Additionally, he patronizes and diminishes the leadership of women during the strike.

These important issues aside, the book is a rare, exhilarating glimpse into the massive UAW strike effort and is worth the read.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

While the writing in this book is far from spectacular, it does document my absolute favorite historical moment, and so it belongs on my favorites list.