Riots; Michigan; Monroe; Newton Steel Company

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Description:

Group of men run from what appears to be tear gas during strike against the Republic Steel Company's Newton facility to unionize the plant in 1937. "The first violence in the strike came when a SWOC union leader was assaulted in Monroe's post office by a mob and by deputized special police that had been created by the City, the special deputized police left the City Commission offices and marched toward Newton Steel, at this point in time, with the possibility of violence increasing, Michigan Governor Frank Murphy unsuccessfully attempted to mediate the strike by telephone, making calls to strike leaders, City officials, and Newton officials, Chief Fischer ordered the strikers to open their picket lines, strikers refused and apparently company police lobbed a tear gas bomb from behind the picket lines, a melee ensued and the special deputized police launched tear gas canisters at the strikers, cars were overturned and dumped into the River Raisin, the strikers were outnumbered and out equipped, they ran and special deputized police chased and beat them, during the riot, eleven people were injured, within one-week after the violent picket line clash, Newton Steel was operating again at full capacity," from Historic Monroe website.

Notes:

Collection located at the Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan. To schedule an appointment to view the original image, order high resolution copies, or seek permission to use an image, contact the Walter P. Reuther Library Audiovisual Department at reutherreference@wayne.edu., Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs, Wayne State University, and This metadata was created by Wayne State University Library system based on original description by the Walter P. Reuther Library

Date Issued:

1937-06-11T00:00:00Z

Data Provider:

Wayne State University. Libraries and Walter P. Reuther Library

Collection:

Virtual Motor City

Place:

Michigan, Monroe, Michigan, and Monroe

Subject Topic:

Strikes and lockouts, Steel industry, and Tear gas

Format:

photographs

Rights:

Copyright Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs, Wayne State University

URL:

http://digital.library.wayne.edu/item/wayne:vmc65305_1