On this day, 4 March 1972, thousands of autoworkers in the Lordstown General Motors plant walked out on strike over numerous grievances. The walkout occurred amidst a widespread unofficial campaign of sabotage and absenteeism. For example, to slow down the inhumanly fast production line, workers would often just fail to perform their designated task. The plant manager told the Cleveland Plain Dealer: “we’ve had cases of engine blocks passing 40 men without them doing their work.” Other workers slashed upholstery, scratched paint and bent metal parts. Management responded by disciplining and suspending 1,200 workers and laying off nearly 700. Staying solid for 22 days, concessions were won, including cancellation of most of the layoffs and disciplinaries. The United Auto Workers union declared a complete victory despite management not conceding on speed-up and workloads which were the main problem for workers. One worker’s subsequent complaint outlined the feelings of the rank and file: “Before the strike the union local was in favour of not working faster than you could. Now people are afraid not to work. The union and the Company say everything’s settled.” The dispute was a lesson to some radical workers that it showed the importance of strikers themselves running disputes rather than leaving it to union leaderships.
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