STUDEBAKER: Brief Production and UAW-CIO Union His

[alexmadison]

Studebaker was the only nationally-known wagon manufacturer to survive the transition from horses to horsepower. In the early 1930's, during the Depression, the First was passed, allowing Labor Unions to organize. The workers at Studebaker were among the first automobile companies to organize into an Industrial Union -- becoming Federated Labor Union 18310 under the American Federation of Labor (AFL).

During the organization of the UAW and the CIO in 1935, the Studebaker Union became Local No. 5, UAW-CIO.

[If you're a fan of Studebaker or Trade Union memorabilia, one interesting bit of history is a WWII STUDEBAKER UNION AGREEMENT from 1944. Known as the UAW-CIO Local #5 AGREEMENT Between THE STUDEBAKER CORPORATION (South Bend, Indiana) And The INTERNATIONAL UNION UNITED AUTOMOBILE, AIRCRAFT And AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENT WORKERS OF AMERICA (U.A.W - C.I.O., Local No. 5), it was accepted on December 8, 1944.]

The Agreement in full is a large document, but of course, the union provided an easy-to-carry, 34-page pocket-sized edition.

...read the full guide with pics here

[StudeRich]

Does it provide a provision for UAW members to drive Studebakers? It should have! Most actually did, because of Co. discounts and sometimes even Co. loyalty! [:0]

The existence of Automotive Unions helped drive Studebaker out of business, just as it soon will, the remaining three!

StudeRich
Studebakers Northwest
Ferndale, WA

[studebaker-R2-4-me]

quote:The existence of Automotive Unions helped drive Studebaker out of business, just as it soon will, the remaining three!

It has nothing at all to do with the general American public shopping at Walmart(the right arm of the Chinese Government), the US Government deregulating the financial institutions, the fact the GM, Ford and Chrysler all build huge gas guzzling "BIC" lighters for years (drive them for a few years and you have to throw them away)or most importantly filling the pockets of executives with corporate greed just to keep the working man down? That's exactly what the executives at Studebaker did instead of investing into the future of the company. It had little to do the a Union taking the company down. Whereas GM and the others management agreed to some bad contracts and now are paying the price, where I highly doubt any negotiating team was holding a gun to their head when they signed an agreement. Huge Profits mean better contracts. Simple economics.





1964 GT Hawk R2 Clone
Oakville, Ontario.

Hamilton Chapter

[barnlark]

Boy, I can forsee this topic getting locked out eventually, but did the Studebaker workers make that much back then compared to the union contracts today? Tough comparison. So many variables back then.. and now. I love my Union built Lark, though.

[StudeRich]

They were constantly threatened with a strike like the 1954-55 strike that nearly killed the Studebaker Corp. so they got MORE than comparable workers at GM/Ford did at the time to avoid one.

There is no comparison to today's salary, at different inflation rates, dollar value etc. it just prices our Co's out of the World Market.

StudeRich
Studebakers Northwest
Ferndale, WA

[8E45E]

quote:Originally posted by StudeRich

The existence of Automotive Unions helped drive Studebaker out of business, just as it soon will, the remaining three!

Rich, I would dispute that to some degree. Local 5 built the brand new Union Hall in South Bend in 1961, just 2-1/2 years before Studebaker closed the plant. It is beyond me why any union would spend that amount of money on a new facility just to drive their employer out of business. Not to mention, the title was "Studebaker Local Number 5" as on this plaque still hanging in the lobby.



Craig