Puzzled about the 1970 strike

[Mike E.]

The UAW strike in fall of 1970 was from September 15 (actually started the evening of September 14) through November 20. As I'm trying to help with a 71 built right after the strike (body build date Nov. 25) I'm puzzled, because one of the heads is cast I30 0. (September 30th) Perhaps the foundry didn't go on strike at the same time, but why (or how long) would they keep cranking out parts that weren't going to be used? Were they trying to fill the warehouses in anticipation of the strike ending? How long did they continue to work?
This is a new dimension for me--trying to figure out something other than a 61-62.
Thanks,
Mike Ernst

[Harmon C.]

Re: Puzzled about the 1970 strike

Mike
The strike may have been assembly plants with foundry closing down just a little bit later as a shutdown. I think this sometimes happened way back then.

[Chris H.]

Re: Puzzled about the 1970 strike

There was no email back then and sometimes it took time to let other plants know to go on strike. ))

[Thomas E.]

Re: Puzzled about the 1970 strike

When a strike was called foundrys would not shut down until the strike looked to be a long one. Start up time could take at least a week so they tried to get a feel for the gap between the company and union.

If the foundry shut down back then you knew the impass was a large one.

[Dick W.]

Re: Puzzled about the 1970 strike

Reverend Mike, Divine Intervention????

[mike cobine]

Re: Puzzled about the 1970 strike

You mean about twice as many white haired old guys as regular workers didn't try to run it through the strike?

Every strike I have ever seen, the places didn't shut down completely, having managers, office workers, engineers, and scabs doing all they could to keep going.

Usually funny, in that typically a job that required one specialized union guy often had 3 or 4 guys old enough to be your great-grandfather standing around trying to figure out what to do.

Shutting down furnaces like an electric hearth in a mill was so labor intensive and so time intensive, they usually did all they could to keep them up.