Akron Life February 2022

HISTORICAL 330

WHILE THERE WAS PLENTY OF WORK IN AKRON AT THE RUBBER FACTORIES, THE WORKING CONDITIONS WERE HORRENDOUS AT BEST, ACCORDING TO FIRST-HAND ACCOUNTS OF RUBBER WORKERS OF THE DAY (WHICH YOU CAN LISTEN TO ON AKRON STORIES’ WEBSITE, AKRONSTORIES.COM). It could be very physi cal and dangerous work, depending on the job. Tire strikes were largely unsuc cessful. If workers walked out, management would point to the line of people waiting to take their places. Jack Hefner is a third-gen eration rubber worker who worked at General Tire in the 1970s and was a union president. His grandfather worked at General Tire for decades and was one of the people who helped create the United Rubber Workers union during the big strike in 1936. Hefner: My grandfather worked at General Tire for more than 40 years. My dad also worked there for 40-plus years. But my grandfather was one of the people — there were thousands of them — that helped form a union back in ’36 during that big strike. builders worked their fingers to the bone on machines. They worked long hours in three shifts to keep up with demand. Worker disputes often flared up, but

(My grandfather told me) management would walk you over to the window and let you look at the guys out there in line wanting a job, ‘So you need to go back and do more.’ They were working the hell out of the workers. And multiply that by thousands of guys (and gals) working in the rubber shops around Akron. Then when President Roosevelt came into office, he gave workers the right to organize. And it just went from there.

The 1936 strike was a turn ing point for rubber work ers in Akron, who had had enough and wanted their voices heard. Management didn’t think they needed to make any concessions. My grandfather said that there were so many strikers — thousands of rubber work ers — that the line started at the intersection of Case and Market and went all the way up past the clocktower and past the Goodyear head

quarters, masses of people going all the way across the street. The sheriff and some Akron police officers came from downtown, from Market Street to bust up the strikers. But when they got to that intersection, they looked up the hill and saw how many there were. So they just turned around, went back downtown. (My grandfather) said it would have been a bloodbath on both sides.

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