Sit Down!
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The music video for the original 1989 Rough Trade release was directed by Ed Barton. Set against a white background, with Tim Booth singing and the band performing the song. At one point Booth hugs a sheep and various shady-looking individuals sit down next to him. The video received a Musicians Union ban for two weeks, as it featured Jim Glennie impersonating a drummer, and thus taking someone else's job.[9]
1936 would prove pivotal. In July of 1936 there were hundreds of deaths in auto plants in Michigan that were thought to be a result of a heat wave combined with difficult working conditions3. On November 12, 1936, three welders participated in a "quickie sit-down" strike and were fired when they arrived to work the next day. Their firing resulted in a sit-down protest of 700 men on November 13 at the Fisher Body No. 1, until the the three men were rehired later that day. This success "had an electrifying effect on Flint's auto workers," and saw United Automobile Workers union membership growing from approximately 150 to 1500.4 On December 30, 1936, General Motors workers started their sit down strike, which at the time was legal, gaining control of the Body Plant Number One in Flint. On January 1, 1937, workers controlled a second Plant in Flint. Although the strike was gaining power, some of the General Motors' plants were still running - most notably Chevy Plant Number Four, the largest plant owned by GM. But on February 1, 1937, the striking workers took control of this plant.
This was the first major victory for unionization in America's history and its consequences were dramatic; within two weeks, 87 sit down strikes started in Detroit alone. Packard, Goodyear, and Goodrich announced immediate wage increases. Within a year, membership in United Auto Workers grew from 30,000 to 500,000 and wages for autoworkers increased by as much as 300%. This strike marked the beginning of decade of intense union activity.6
Sit-down strikes spread from the auto industry to other industries, such as laundries and cigar factories. Governor Murphy repeatedly urged negotiation and refused to use force to settle disputes. The Sit-Down Strike was ultimately successful and peacefully resolved because both sides compromised.
"that is done or which involves sitting down," 1836 in reference to meals; 1936 in reference to strikes where the workplace is occupied; from the verbal phrase meaning "take a seat, seat oneself" (c. 1200), from sit (v.) + down (adv.). Sit down (v.) meaning "put up (with)" is attested from c. 1600, hence to (not) take something sitting down. As a noun, sit-down "act of sitting down" is from 1861, especially a sitting down together for friendly or social intercourse.
"To be or remain in that posture in which the weight of the body rests upon the posteriors" [OED], Middle English sitten, from Old English sittan "occupy a seat, be seated, sit down, seat oneself; remain, continue; settle, encamp; lie in wait; besiege" (class V strong verb; past tense sæt, past participle seten), from Proto-Germanic *setjan (source also of Old Saxon sittian, Old Norse sitja, Danish sidde, Old Frisian sitta, Middle Dutch sitten, Dutch zitten, Old High German sizzan, German sitzen, Gothic sitan), from PIE root *sed- (1) "to sit."
"in a descending direction, from a higher to a lower place, degree, or condition," late Old English shortened form of Old English ofdune "downwards," originally of dune "off from (the) hill," from dune "from the hill," dative of dun "hill" (see down (n.2)). The "hill" word is general in Germanic, but this sense development is peculiar to English. As a preposition, "in a descending direction upon or along," from late 14c.
To be down on "express disapproval of" is by 1851. Down home is from 1828 as "in one's home region," as an adjective phrase meaning "unpretentious" by 1931, American English. Down the hatch as a toast is from 1931. Down to the wire is 1901, from horse-racing.
In the first documented book-length study of this violent confrontation, Sidney Fine portrays the dramatic events of the 1936-37 strike that catapulted the UAW into prominence and touched off a wave of sit-down strikes across the land. Basing his account on an impressive variety of manuscript sources, the author analyzes the strategy and tactics of GM and the UAW, describes the life of the workers in the occupied plants, and examines the troubled governmental and public reaction to the alleged breakdown of law and order in the strikes. In addition, Dr. Fine provides vivid portraits of Governor Frank Murphy and the major figures on both sides of the conflict: Alfred Sloan, Jr., William Knudson, Robert Travis, Roy Victor, and Walter Reuther, Homer Martin, and Wyndham Mortimer. Of particular interest today are the author's concluding remarks regarding the similarities between the sit-down strike movement of the 1930's and the civil rights movement and the college sit-ins of our own era.
The GM sit-down strike marks the close of one era of labor-management relations in the United States and the beginning of another. Professor Fine has provided us with the definitive account of that momentous conflict.
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.
The sit-down strike against GM in Flint, Michigan was well organized by the UAW. Up to 2,000 men occupied three GM plants during the strike. All the sit-downers were assigned specific duties each day. Some became members of plant police patrols or fire squads. Committees were set up to arrange for the delivery of food. Rules of behavior were posted: no liquor, no yelling, no guns, and no damage to company property. Workers enforced these rules. The men passed their time playing cards, reading, and attending union-taught classes in labor history and public speaking. The workers sang to keep up their morale and professional entertainers even entered the plants to perform for the sit-downers. The men slept inside the car bodies that sat unmoving on the stalled assembly lines.
On January 22, 1937, 12 days after the strike began, about 100 strikers occupied the second floor of the Fisher Body Plant where the sit-down had started. Another 150 strikers and sympathizers picketed outside the plant in 16-degree weather. Trouble began when GM officials ordered the heat turned off in the plant.
A stalemate followed. The strikers remained in control of the plant. The police held a position a short distance down Chevrolet Avenue. The police did not charge again, but began to lob long-distance gas grenades at the strikers.
On February 1, 1937, a Flint judge issued a court order declaring sit-downs and even peaceful picketing illegal in Michigan. This order put pressure on Governor Murphy to end the strike by using force if necessary. Still, the governor delayed action against the strikers and called for talks between GM and the UAW. Governor Murphy worked day and night to hammer out an agreement. President Roosevelt telephoned both GM and the UAW encouraging a compromise. Finally, on February 11, GM agreed to negotiate a labor contract for all UAW members in all its plants. Furthermore, the company promised not to interfere with UAW efforts to sign up new members in GM factories. In exchange, the union agreed to end the sit-down strike and get the production of cars moving again.
The sit-downers had won a great victory, not only for themselves but for the entire labor movement in the United States. GM auto workers, originally reluctant to join the UAW, now signed up by the thousands in Flint and other cities. Shortly after the GM strike ended, the UAW called a strike against the second largest automaker in the U.S., Chrysler Corporation. A month later Chrysler gave in and agreed to negotiate a contract with the UAW. Soon, thousands more in other industries began joining unions.
Questions about the rights of workers to organize and strike have come before the courts on many occasions. In 1937, the Supreme Court had to decide whether sit-down strikes as described in this article were legal. Recreate that case with the following brainstorm activity.
In 1936 and 1937, the UAW argued that sit-downs were legal since GM and other companies refused to obey labor laws, including the Wagner Act. Most employers viewed the sit-down as little more than trespassing. The facts of one sit-down strike in 1937 led to a U.S. Supreme Court case.
Select nine students to take the roles of Supreme Court justices. Divide the rest of the class into groups of three or four students each. Half of these will represent the sit-downers position, the other half will represent Fansteel.
Truett's Grill was originally opened in 1996 to commemorate Truett Cathy's 50th anniversary as a restauranteur. There are now three locations in Georgia, and the restaurant has the look and feel of a 1950s diner. Truett's Grill offers sit down, counter and drive-thru service, and features the full Chick-fil-A menu alongside Southern dishes including Fried Okra and Collard Greens.
Founded by Truett Cathy in 1946, the Hapeville Dwarf House (originally named the Dwarf Grill) is the birthplace of the Original Chick-fil-A® Chicken Sandwich. The classic diner offers sit down, counter and drive-thru service. The restaurant serves items from Truett's original menu (including hamburgers!) along with the Chick-fil-A menu.
Shortly after opening the first freestanding Chick-fil-A® in 1986, founder Truett Cathy created a new restaurant that replicated his first restaurant, the Dwarf Grill. Beginning in the late 1980s and through the early 1990s, Cathy oversaw the construction of multiple Dwarf House restaurants located around the metro Atlanta area. Designed to honor the history of the Chick-fil-A franchise, these restaurants offer sit down, counter and drive-thru service. 781b155fdc