C3 strike

[Lyndon S.]

I have a questions on the strikes in the early seventies. Did the car lines just shut down, and not the parts plants? Are did they all shut down when the UAW went on strike at that time frame?

Kelly

[William C.]

Re: C3 strike

If the strike was a total GM shutdown of any length, the parts plants also shut down, generally within a couple of days. Local strikes shutting down only one assembly plant had a much lesser effect on the parts plants.

[William C.]

Re: C3 strike

If the strike was a total GM shutdown of any length, the parts plants also shut down, generally within a couple of days. Local strikes shutting down only one assembly plant had a much lesser effect on the parts plants.

[Jack H.]

Re: C3 strike

It depends upon the specifics of the strike in question. Some were local (commonly referred to as a 'wildcat') while others were national in scope. A wildcat could affect just a single work unit at a single plant with contract specific greivances there. Those might have little affect on vehicle production beyond what was produced at that work location.

Again, depending on the specifics, other work units might go out in 'sympathy' causing more widespread production distrubance. But, the big, national, strikes that typically precipitated when one of the Big Three was slated as the 'target' for a new national contract renewal to use as a 'model' for the rest of the industry were typically EXTENSIVE in terms of their cross-the-board work stoppage impact...

So, there's no 'correct' answer to the question you raise. It all depends on what, where, when specifics...

As a kid, I lived through this from the opposite side. My step-father was Director of Labor Relations for Chrysler and every so often, he'd disappear for days/weeks on end and return home to sleep for LONG periods after an individual situation had been resolved. It was pretty common to 'tip toe' around the house and be VERY quiet until he felt well enough to talk about things on his own. These were stress times for parties on both sides of the table!

[Jack H.]

Re: C3 strike

It depends upon the specifics of the strike in question. Some were local (commonly referred to as a 'wildcat') while others were national in scope. A wildcat could affect just a single work unit at a single plant with contract specific greivances there. Those might have little affect on vehicle production beyond what was produced at that work location.

Again, depending on the specifics, other work units might go out in 'sympathy' causing more widespread production distrubance. But, the big, national, strikes that typically precipitated when one of the Big Three was slated as the 'target' for a new national contract renewal to use as a 'model' for the rest of the industry were typically EXTENSIVE in terms of their cross-the-board work stoppage impact...

So, there's no 'correct' answer to the question you raise. It all depends on what, where, when specifics...

As a kid, I lived through this from the opposite side. My step-father was Director of Labor Relations for Chrysler and every so often, he'd disappear for days/weeks on end and return home to sleep for LONG periods after an individual situation had been resolved. It was pretty common to 'tip toe' around the house and be VERY quiet until he felt well enough to talk about things on his own. These were stress times for parties on both sides of the table!

[Terry M.]

Re: C3 strike

There were also non-GM strikes that stopped production -- such as when there was a nation-wide teamsters strike that disrupted the parts supply to the assembly plants.
The most comprehensive source of a list of St. Louis production disruptions is in "Birthplace of Legends" by Pete LeCastro. Available from the sponsor of this board.

[Terry M.]

Re: C3 strike

There were also non-GM strikes that stopped production -- such as when there was a nation-wide teamsters strike that disrupted the parts supply to the assembly plants.
The most comprehensive source of a list of St. Louis production disruptions is in "Birthplace of Legends" by Pete LeCastro. Available from the sponsor of this board.