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Austin(WI) 
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 Topic: Allis-Chalmers Strikes 1946-1947
Posted: 02 Nov 2011 at 10:58am |
This might be a long shot, but I was wondering if anyone on here is old enough to remember this strike that took place at AC in 1946-1947. I am doing a research paper about it and I would like some input from people that might have been there or remembers it. Thanks.
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Austin(WI)
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Posted: 02 Nov 2011 at 11:38am |
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Or anyone that worked at AC that had heard from older employees about this strike
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Austin(WI)
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Posted: 02 Nov 2011 at 4:38pm |
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Bump
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Coke-in-MN
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Posted: 02 Nov 2011 at 4:54pm |
Have seen several articles on it and from both sides , think one has to look at the earlier strike back in 1942 or so to find all the information on it . There were two strikes and the first one put down war production and ended up stopping production of ships for lend lease as well as the Navy orders for new ships.
like many things there are two sides , the latter strike was also more of a continuation of the first one . also there was a division between Unions from what i have read and the infiltration of Communist agitators within the Union higher ranks . Believe there were congressional investigations into both strikes .
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Faith isn't a jump in the dark. It is a walk in the light. Faith is not guessing; it is knowing something.
"Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful."
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Austin(WI)
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Posted: 02 Nov 2011 at 5:22pm |
Yea.. I have read the congression papers put together by AC Vice President Harold Story. I have also read papers from the employees. A lot was about how they wanted improved working conditions and contract stuff. Seemed like there was a lot of red baiting going on.
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Bill Long
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Posted: 02 Nov 2011 at 7:55pm |
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This is the strike that KILLED ALLIS CHALMERS. It has been documented that communist leaders took over the union and were determined to shut down an American Industrial Company. Remember when this strike took place - right after WWII. Farmers had really made good money during the war producing enough to FEED THE WORLD. They wanted to buy updated equipment. Much of their equipment was being held together with bailing wire. We could have sold ANYTHING! We got SIX TRACTOR for the year - most of them C's. That was the story throughout Allis Chalmers. The resulting loss of profits did not kill Allis Chalmers Then but it was the seed that and mismanagement later caused the eventual breakdown.
Check with the Author of "Plow Peddler". He and I fully believe that strike was the route cause of the eventually downfall of Allis Chalmers.
For research go to Barnes and Noble web site and search for Allis Chalmers. There are some books that fully describe what happened here.
If you want send me a Private Message and I will gladly respond more fully.
Good Luck!
Bill Long
ps: May go back on this site or search for Allis Chalmers Strike on this site
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Austin(WI)
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Posted: 02 Nov 2011 at 8:30pm |
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I sent you a PM Bill :)
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Ryan Renko
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Posted: 02 Nov 2011 at 9:31pm |
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My dad said after the war new tractors were so much in demand that dealers would pick names "out of a hat" to sell whatever ones they had. Demand for new equipment was very high!! Ryan
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mlpankey
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Posted: 02 Nov 2011 at 9:35pm |
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oh no surely they weren't the dreadful union members and they made such a quality tractor then.lol
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Austin(WI)
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Posted: 03 Nov 2011 at 8:57am |
 mlpankey wrote:
oh no surely they weren't the dreadful union members and they made such a quality tractor then.lol |
??
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Coke-in-MN
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Posted: 03 Nov 2011 at 9:42am |
I seen no one saying it was this or caused by any one group. A history of AC and of many other companies before, during the war and after were results of many actions.
As the country turned from full war effort after the depression to making goods again for the home market as well as to replace those materials which had been used up throughout the world, workers demands as well as the pent up demand of buyers let to confrontations.
Strikes had been banned under War Powers Acts, and Union strikes had been tried in coal and steel industries. Socialism was still a power and idea that was strong within many parts of the world.
Capitalism, Socialism, Fascisms still held favor with many minds and in countries, the winning of the war over Nazi Germany was just one thing or one part.
To understand that strike or many of the others which occured during the years after the war one has to look deep into many parts of the economy. The change of the labor force from war work back to consumer goods, from women in the male dominated industries to the returning GI who now needed his job. From profits made from contracts with government to selling a product that individuals could afford. Market forces of cost of goods came into a important issue.
One has to remember Russia and Communism was the new kid on the block and they had defeated Germany all by themselves according to somes history. The fact of US supplies and war materials were not looked on as a item of importance.
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Faith isn't a jump in the dark. It is a walk in the light. Faith is not guessing; it is knowing something.
"Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful."
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Austin(WI)
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Posted: 03 Nov 2011 at 6:15pm |
There was for sure a lot going on during this time. I will have to check into the 1941 strikes.
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Austin(WI)
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Posted: 04 Nov 2011 at 10:21am |
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The book Stalin over Wisconsin: The Making and Unmaking of Militant
Unionism, 1900-1950 is supposed to be a good source for information about this.
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Austin(WI)
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Posted: 07 Nov 2011 at 11:18am |
Found this interesting article in the Milwaukee Sentinel. I remember reading about this in the archives. Some other workers were fed up with the CIO and some of its Communists in it, so they tried to break away and form their own Union within the plant. Go to this link and check out Page 10.
Edited by Austin(WI) - 07 Nov 2011 at 11:19am
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Red Ranger
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Posted: 07 Nov 2011 at 12:13pm |
Austin(WI) wrote:
Found this interesting article in the Milwaukee Sentinel. I remember reading about this in the archives. Some other workers were fed up with the CIO and some of its Communists in it, so they tried to break away and form their own Union within the plant.
Go to this link and check out Page 10.
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...then check pg. 13
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Austin(WI)
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Posted: 07 Nov 2011 at 3:07pm |
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Thanks!!!! I didn't even see this! Would make a cool poster.
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