The great Flint sit-down strike against GM 1936-37 - Walter Linder
Submitted by Steven. on Feb 16 2014 15:40
A history of the Flint sit-in strike by Walter Linder, slightly abridged by Solidarity and published as Solidarity pamphlet 31 on 1 November, 1969. Walter Linder was a member of the Maoist Progressive Labor Party, whose politics are rejected by both Solidarity and libcom.org, however Solidarity published the pamphlet due to the wealth and value of the factual historical information.
White supremacy and the looting of Detroit
Submitted by ideas and action on Jan 30 2014 18:14
Mike Kolhoff on right wing politics and its effects on the current situation in Detroit.
The court has ruled, so the legalized looting of Detroit will go ahead as Governor Snyder has planned. The Emergency Manager has ordered the DIA to provide him with a list of the values of the many artworks in the institute. The city water works are also probably going to be sold, as well as city parks and anything else they can get a nickel for.
The American worker and the Forze Nuove: Turin and Detroit at the twilight of Fordism
Nicola Pizzolato on the commonalities between Detroit and Turin, Italy in the 1960s.
In a 1982 paper presented at MIT, Italian urbanist Paolo Ceccarelli characterized Detroit and Turin as “città fragili” – fragile cities. His assessment contrasted starkly with the way the two “motor cities” had been represented for most of the twentieth century, but it resonated with his contemporary audience.
Radical America #09.01: Current economic crisis
Constituent articles:
- Changes in world capitalism and the current crisis of the U.S. economy (MacEwan, Arthur)
- Black cats, white cats, wildcats auto workers in Detroit (Glaberman, Martin)
- Niggermation in auto company policy and the rise of Black caucuses (Georgakas, Dan Surkin, Martin)
- Poetry (Flanigan, B. P.)
- Motown ... and the heart attack machine (Wovoka)
Detroit: I do mind dying. A study in urban revolution - Dan Georgakas and Marvin Surkin
Submitted by wojtek on Jun 2 2013 20:53
Detroit: I Do Mind Dying tracks the extraordinary development of the Dodge Revolutionary Union Movement and the League of Revolutionary Black Workers, as they became two of the most vital political organizations of the 1960s and 1970s. Widely heralded as one the most important books on the black liberation movement and labor struggles in U.S. history.
Finally got the news
Documentary about the League of Revolutionary Black Workers, a radical black workers' group based in the car factories of Detroit. Through interviews with members, supporters and opponents as well as footage of leafleting and picket lines, the film documents their attempts to build a radical black workers' organisation to take on both management and the union and fight to improve conditions for all workers, black and white.
Finally Got the News from Libcom Dot Org on Vimeo.
The occupation of the factories: Paris 1936, Flint 1937
Interesting article comparing two waves of factory occupations that took place little more than six months apart and fundamentally changed boss-worker relations in their countries.
The American revolution: Pages from a negro worker's notebook
In 1963, drawing on his own experience as a factory worker and radical militant, James Boggs wrote this pamphlet. It addresses (among many things) the failures of the CIO, increasing automation, rising unemployment and the emergence of new social actors ('the outsiders') that he saw as a threat to capitalism.
James Boggs, born in Marion Junction, never dreamed of becoming President or a locomotive engineer. He grew up in a world where the white folks are gentlemen by day and Ku Klux Klanners at night. Marion Junction is in Dallas County where as late as 1963, although African-Americans made up over 57 percent of the total county population of 57,000, only 130 were registered voters.
Detroit high school students walkout protesting charterization and school shut downs
Submitted by Comrade Motopu on Apr 29 2012 00:44
Detroit students walk out against school budget cuts and in solidarity with a nearby school threatened with closure.
Western International High School students talk about defending public education and opposing the charterization and privatization of their schools. They see it as turning the school system into a for profit enterprise instead of a community service. They are also walking out in solidarity with a nearby high school, Southwestern, which they have heard will be shutdown.
Comparing Fordist cities: urban crisis and union response in Detroit 1915-45 and Turin 1950-75
Essay by Ted Perlmutter comparing the industrial cities of Detroit and Turin, their economies, demographics and the struggles that took place. While we have some criticisms of the article, we reproduce it here for reference as it contains some very interesting information.
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