Ford Motor Company was the last American automaker to hold the line against unionization. In April of 1941 a violent strike closed the enormous River Rouge plant and after a ten day siege Henry Ford capitulated to demands for a union contract. The strike at River Rouge has long been regarded at a great victory for the workers over the oppressive management at Ford Motor Company.Oddly enough Henry Ford had been criticized by some of his competitors for paying excessively high wages and for actively recruiting members of the black community. Ford's practice of tying compensation to productivity was one of the keys to creating a highly efficient work force. All things considered there was very little (if anything) to be gained from unionization for the average worker at Ford. According to former Communist party leader Benjamin Gitlow, the pressure to organize Ford came from outside the company. Despite the fact that Henry Ford had helped to train Russian technicians and engineers in the...(Read Full Post)