The forgotten battle of East Lansing
In 1937, Michigan State College students physically clashed with striking UAW union members marching through East Lansing, throwing several into a local river.
summary is enough A fun local history piece that is entertaining to read, though the summary covers the main narrative arc.
summary
A 1937 UAW labor holiday in Lansing, sparked by arrests of union leaders, spilled over into neighboring East Lansing as workers forced local businesses to close. Michigan State College students, backed by ROTC cadets, revolted against the interruption of their town and physical skirmishes ensued, culminating in unionists being tossed into the Red Cedar River. Despite the student resistance and anti-union media praise, the strike successfully forced the targeted company to unionize.
key points
- Approximately 15,000 union members walked off the job in a 1937 Lansing labor holiday protesting the illegal arrest of union leaders and their spouses.
- Michigan State College students formed a mob, engaging in street fights and throwing between 8 and 20 union members into the Red Cedar River.
- Despite the student counter-protest and widespread anti-communist political praise, the UAW ultimately won their primary objective when Capital City Wrecking Company signed a union contract.
who should read it
Regional history enthusiasts and readers interested in 1930s American labor history.
discussion mixed
consensus
Commenters debate whether the students were genuine grass-roots defenders of local commerce or hired strikebreakers, while noting the historical irony of universities being hotbeds of anti-communism rather than radical leftism at the time.
pushback
Some users push back on idealizing the union actions, pointing out that forced closures and aggressive tactics often fueled anti-union sentiment among the public.
> “But many Michigan State College students, overhearing the arguments between the unionists and the businessmen, quickly perceived the situation as a challenge to their sovereignty and to their eating places,” they wrote.
I'm skeptical of the idea that this was all the result of a big misunderstanding. Students were often recruited to act as strikebreakers in the early 20th century.
There's a book that deals with this subject, Strikebreaking and Intimidation: Mercenaries and Masculinity in Twentieth-Century America. Football players were especially valued.
It introduces historical context regarding the frequent use of college athletes as anti-union strikebreakers during that era.
Generated by an LLM from the article and thread. Check the sources before relying on it.