Skip to content
  • Home Home Home, current page.
  • Moments Moments Moments, current page.

Saved searches

  • Remove
  • In this conversation
    Verified accountProtected Tweets @
Suggested users
  • Verified accountProtected Tweets @
  • Verified accountProtected Tweets @
  • Language: English
    • Bahasa Indonesia
    • Bahasa Melayu
    • Català
    • Čeština
    • Dansk
    • Deutsch
    • English UK
    • Español
    • Filipino
    • Français
    • Hrvatski
    • Italiano
    • Magyar
    • Nederlands
    • Norsk
    • Polski
    • Português
    • Română
    • Slovenčina
    • Suomi
    • Svenska
    • Tiếng Việt
    • Türkçe
    • Ελληνικά
    • Български език
    • Русский
    • Српски
    • Українська мова
    • עִבְרִית
    • العربية
    • فارسی
    • मराठी
    • हिन्दी
    • বাংলা
    • ગુજરાતી
    • தமிழ்
    • ಕನ್ನಡ
    • ภาษาไทย
    • 한국어
    • 日本語
    • 简体中文
    • 繁體中文
  • Have an account? Log in
    Have an account?
    · Forgot password?

    New to Twitter?
    Sign up
ErikLoomis's profile
Erik Loomis
Erik Loomis
Erik Loomis
@ErikLoomis

Tweets

Erik Loomis

@ErikLoomis

Historian. Occasionally compared to Philip Marlowe. Wrote A History of America in Ten Strikes. http://tinyurl.com/y975opja  Exiled Oregonian. Cranky. Strong opinions.

Providence, RI
lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com
Joined November 2008

Tweets

  • © 2021 Twitter
  • About
  • Help Center
  • Terms
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies
  • Ads info
Dismiss
Previous
Next

Go to a person's profile

Saved searches

  • Remove
  • In this conversation
    Verified accountProtected Tweets @
Suggested users
  • Verified accountProtected Tweets @
  • Verified accountProtected Tweets @

Promote this Tweet

Block

  • Tweet with a location

    You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more

    Your lists

    Create a new list


    Under 100 characters, optional

    Privacy

    Copy link to Tweet

    Embed this Tweet

    Embed this Video

    Add this Tweet to your website by copying the code below. Learn more

    Add this video to your website by copying the code below. Learn more

    Hmm, there was a problem reaching the server.

    By embedding Twitter content in your website or app, you are agreeing to the Twitter Developer Agreement and Developer Policy.

    Preview

    Why you're seeing this ad

    Log in to Twitter

    · Forgot password?
    Don't have an account? Sign up »

    Sign up for Twitter

    Not on Twitter? Sign up, tune into the things you care about, and get updates as they happen.

    Sign up
    Have an account? Log in »

    Two-way (sending and receiving) short codes:

    Country Code For customers of
    United States 40404 (any)
    Canada 21212 (any)
    United Kingdom 86444 Vodafone, Orange, 3, O2
    Brazil 40404 Nextel, TIM
    Haiti 40404 Digicel, Voila
    Ireland 51210 Vodafone, O2
    India 53000 Bharti Airtel, Videocon, Reliance
    Indonesia 89887 AXIS, 3, Telkomsel, Indosat, XL Axiata
    Italy 4880804 Wind
    3424486444 Vodafone
    » See SMS short codes for other countries

    Confirmation

     

    Welcome home!

    This timeline is where you’ll spend most of your time, getting instant updates about what matters to you.

    Tweets not working for you?

    Hover over the profile pic and click the Following button to unfollow any account.

    Say a lot with a little

    When you see a Tweet you love, tap the heart — it lets the person who wrote it know you shared the love.

    Spread the word

    The fastest way to share someone else’s Tweet with your followers is with a Retweet. Tap the icon to send it instantly.

    Join the conversation

    Add your thoughts about any Tweet with a Reply. Find a topic you’re passionate about, and jump right in.

    Learn the latest

    Get instant insight into what people are talking about now.

    Get more of what you love

    Follow more accounts to get instant updates about topics you care about.

    Find what's happening

    See the latest conversations about any topic instantly.

    Never miss a Moment

    Catch up instantly on the best stories happening as they unfold.

    Erik Loomis‏ @ErikLoomis 23 May 2018

    This Day in Labor History: May 23, 1950. The United Auto Workers and General Motors came to an agreement that became known as the Treaty of Detroit. Let's talk about the high water mark of American unionism and how this moment represents the good and bad of post-war unionism.

    3:11 PM - 23 May 2018
    • 22 Retweets
    • 44 Likes
    • Amanda Mecke Rachel McLemore Suburban Guerrilla Ω Megan Lynch José Marichal John Davis Pass the PRO Act. Liddle Tilde Dallelie🌹 Auburn Parks
    1 reply 22 retweets 44 likes
      1. New conversation
      2. Erik Loomis‏ @ErikLoomis 23 May 2018

        In the aftermath of World War II, the United Auto Workers was one of the nation’s strongest unions. After a raucous period of internal dissension, Walter Reuther emerged as the union’s undisputed leader, with his brothers Victor and Roy at his side.

        1 reply 1 retweet 5 likes
        Show this thread
      3. Erik Loomis‏ @ErikLoomis 23 May 2018

        There would be plenty of opposition to Reuther, both from his left and his right, but he was the most prominent and important face of American labor in the 1950s and 1960s.

        1 reply 0 retweets 4 likes
        Show this thread
      4. Erik Loomis‏ @ErikLoomis 23 May 2018

        Reuther was anti-communist, even though he had spent time in the Soviet Union in the 1930s, but he also saw a post-world nation where unions were at the center of every decision making process.

        1 reply 0 retweets 3 likes
        Show this thread
      5. Erik Loomis‏ @ErikLoomis 23 May 2018

        For example, Reuther had a guy working on American nuclear policy full time, which started with the UAW winning contracts to represent workers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and moved into this person being one of the most important early anti-nuclear testing figures.

        1 reply 0 retweets 6 likes
        Show this thread
      6. Erik Loomis‏ @ErikLoomis 23 May 2018

        The CIO had a lawyer committed full-time to conservation issues. There were a lot of examples of this sort of thing. Basically, Reuther and his allies wanted American unions to operate in coordination with the state and corporations, as they would in some western European nations

        1 reply 0 retweets 8 likes
        Show this thread
      7. Erik Loomis‏ @ErikLoomis 23 May 2018

        To say the least, the automakers were not going to go along with this. American employers had always been more anti-union than their European counterparts and given their influence over the state, unions had a very hard time establishing themselves before the Great Depression.

        1 reply 0 retweets 3 likes
        Show this thread
      8. Erik Loomis‏ @ErikLoomis 23 May 2018

        Roosevelt and the new structure of labor law changed that, but that in itself caused a lot of bitterness from employers. By 1950, they might accept the existence of unions, albeit begrudgingly, but they would do whatever they could to undermine those unions.

        1 reply 0 retweets 4 likes
        Show this thread
      9. Erik Loomis‏ @ErikLoomis 23 May 2018

        That might be legislatively, through the Taft-Hartley Act for instance, or it might be at the bargaining table.

        1 reply 0 retweets 3 likes
        Show this thread
      10. Erik Loomis‏ @ErikLoomis 23 May 2018

        The late 1940s saw a series of battles between the UAW and the auto companies over what the postwar economy would look like In November 1945, the UAW went on strike against General Motors, demanding a 30 percent raise without the company raising car prices.

        1 reply 0 retweets 4 likes
        Show this thread
      11. Erik Loomis‏ @ErikLoomis 23 May 2018

        This was a response to the fact that workers had received a pretty raw deal during World War II, with prices rising faster than wages and the National War Labor Board fairly ineffective at solving these problems.

        1 reply 0 retweets 4 likes
        Show this thread
      12. Erik Loomis‏ @ErikLoomis 23 May 2018

        The spurt of worker activism in 1945 and 1946, such as the Oakland General Strike, was much more motivated by bread and butter concerns such as this rather than any kind of leftist radicalism.

        1 reply 0 retweets 4 likes
        Show this thread
      13. Erik Loomis‏ @ErikLoomis 23 May 2018

        They didn’t win that much, rather getting an 18.5 cents an hour that other unions, including the radical United Electric Workers (UE), had already agreed to, but it set the stage for further UAW militancy.

        1 reply 0 retweets 3 likes
        Show this thread
      14. Erik Loomis‏ @ErikLoomis 23 May 2018

        A 1947 contract granted the UAW COLA (cost of living adjustment) arrangements, set by Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers. No more would the UAW have to negotiate just to make up for inflation. Everything would be a gain.

        1 reply 1 retweet 5 likes
        Show this thread
      15. Erik Loomis‏ @ErikLoomis 23 May 2018

        Reuther pushed for pensions, vacation pay, and other unprecedented benefits as well. With the economy booming by the late 40s, the UAW had a lot of leverage. So the companies began caving on these issues.

        1 reply 1 retweet 5 likes
        Show this thread
      16. Erik Loomis‏ @ErikLoomis 23 May 2018

        In 1949, Ford simply agreed to cover the entire cost of pensions, just to avoid another strike. When Chrysler refused to cover all the money itself, Reuther led the UAW off the job for 104 days. Chrysler gave in after losing $1 billion.

        1 reply 1 retweet 7 likes
        Show this thread
      17. Erik Loomis‏ @ErikLoomis 23 May 2018

        But Reuther really wanted more. He wanted the UAW to be part of corporate production decisions. And he wanted the union to have access to the company books. The companies were not going to do that. They just flat out would not.

        1 reply 1 retweet 8 likes
        Show this thread
      18. Erik Loomis‏ @ErikLoomis 23 May 2018

        To them, bitter still that had to even talk to unions, the idea of corporate leaders giving up complete control over decisions was heresy. So in 1950, GM and the UAW came to an agreement that got Reuther to give up on those demands in exchange money and consistent production.

        1 reply 0 retweets 3 likes
        Show this thread
      19. Erik Loomis‏ @ErikLoomis 23 May 2018

        The key to this was that it was a 5-year contract. Fortune magazine labeled this deal the “Treaty of Detroit” and the name stuck. Ford and Chrysler soon agreed to similar long-term agreements.

        1 reply 0 retweets 4 likes
        Show this thread
      20. Erik Loomis‏ @ErikLoomis 23 May 2018

        This was intended to end the strikes that had so roiled production. And it worked. Auto workers made unprecedented money, had a nice pension, took vacations, started owning homes.

        1 reply 0 retweets 5 likes
        Show this thread
      21. Erik Loomis‏ @ErikLoomis 23 May 2018

        The work sucked in terms of turning humans into mindless automatons and foremen still greatly resented the unions. Things weren’t perfect.

        1 reply 0 retweets 3 likes
        Show this thread
      22. Erik Loomis‏ @ErikLoomis 23 May 2018

        But the car companies made lots of money too. In the short term, the Treaty of Detroit was great for everyone because the vision was an expanding pie that would serve both workers and employers.

        1 reply 0 retweets 6 likes
        Show this thread
      23. Erik Loomis‏ @ErikLoomis 23 May 2018

        But in the long term, the end of militancy for the workers, with significant workplace democracy, frequent strikes, and a lot of challenging the precepts of capitalism, really undermined the ability of unions to adjust to new conditions.

        1 reply 0 retweets 7 likes
        Show this thread
      24. Erik Loomis‏ @ErikLoomis 23 May 2018

        They became staid, top-down organizations with aging leadership and little to do with the workers on the shop floor. This was OK to some extent so long as the basic agreement of the Treaty of Detroit held up.

        1 reply 0 retweets 4 likes
        Show this thread
      25. Erik Loomis‏ @ErikLoomis 23 May 2018

        Younger workers might hate their work lives–as Lordstown would show in 1972–but at least the workers were well-compensated for boring jobs.

        1 reply 0 retweets 5 likes
        Show this thread
      26. Erik Loomis‏ @ErikLoomis 23 May 2018

        But once the auto companies started outsourcing a lot of work, closing factories and reopening them in the South or Mexico, etc., the unions simply were caught flat-footed and had no useful way to respond.

        1 reply 0 retweets 6 likes
        Show this thread
      27. Erik Loomis‏ @ErikLoomis 23 May 2018

        The shopfloor of the auto plants remained awful–especially compared to Japanese auto companies which did not have unions, but did have worker input over production decisions.

        1 reply 0 retweets 5 likes
        Show this thread
      28. Erik Loomis‏ @ErikLoomis 23 May 2018

        On American auto shopfloors, employers and foremen declared open, low-level, war on workers, reflecting the continued anger from them over unions having a presence at all and the unwillingness to accept any sort of power sharing in work relationships or culture.

        1 reply 0 retweets 5 likes
        Show this thread
      29. Erik Loomis‏ @ErikLoomis 23 May 2018

        Finally, the UAW had to agree to terrible two-tiered contracts in the last recession, effectively demonstrating that the workers were now powerless in the face of employer demands.

        1 reply 0 retweets 5 likes
        Show this thread
      30. Erik Loomis‏ @ErikLoomis 23 May 2018

        Good times for all. Speaking of good times, back on Saturday to talk about the Immigration Act of 1924, the last time the US decided to eliminate immigration from countries seen as undesirable.

        0 replies 0 retweets 5 likes
        Show this thread
      31. End of conversation

    Loading seems to be taking a while.

    Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.

      Promoted Tweet

      false

      • © 2021 Twitter
      • About
      • Help Center
      • Terms
      • Privacy policy
      • Cookies
      • Ads info