The 1930s were a tumultuous time in the labor history of the United States.
Violence was breaking out all through the land, as workers fought to be
recognized. Major cities such as San Francisco and Minneapolis were sites
for some of the most formative, yet turbulent strikes in our history.

In 1934, the Electric Auto-Lite plant in Toledo, Ohio, was the site for one of these bloody strikes. Its aftermath left two strikers dead, more than 200 injured, and dozens maimed for life.

The 1934 Electric Auto-Lite Strike in
Toledo, Ohio, describes many of the conditions that provided fertile ground
for the strike, such as the national and local economic situation, and the working atmosphere within the Auto-Lite plant.

The program also examines: what ignited peaceful picketing into mass rallies and violence; national guard occupation; and the death of the two protesters.

Finally, it looks at the successes and failures of the strike, as well as the influence it had in the development of
the UAW and CIO.

Charge up Chestnut- The National Guard charge up Chestnut Street, pushing back strikers who had surrounded the Auto-Lite plant. This happened several times, and was described by one reporter as
"a regular war scene." Nine-hundred National Guardsmen first arrived, which included eight rifle companies, three machine gun companies, and a medical unit. After the death of two of the protesters, 400 more troopers arrived.

Frank Hubay - Fellow strikers surround
the body of Frank Hubay, one of the two protesters shot by the National Guard near
the Auto-Lite Factory. Hundreds more
were wounded.

Pickets - After an injunction to prevent
picketing was issued, the number of pickets was limited to 25. Union leaders and radical individuals such as communists and socialists later motivated the workers to break the injunction, and carry out mass picketing; this led to the shut down of the plant.

Strike Action- The crack in this photo was the result of the photographer's glass plate being smashed by a rock thrown by a striker. The protesters are fleeing the tear gas being fired by the special deputies hired by Auto-Lite.

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