30–40 plan, 114, 121–22, 183, 186n6
African American autoworkers: among laid-off Packard employees, 171; automation, 59, 127; barred from skilled trades, 29; boom (1950), 48; breakthrough jobs, 1953, 78; housing crisis (1950), 52; persistent job discrimination, 69–70; recession (1949), 40; secondary jobs, 39, 63; segregation in auto plants, 29–30; seniority clauses, 60; wives and domestic service, 100. See also Franklin, James; Michigan Chronicle; Scott, L. J.; Wartman, Charles; White, Horace; Woods, Joe
Agorgianitis, Tom: post-1955 transfers, 139
American Motors Corporation (AMC), 102, 175, 230n10
annual improvement factor (AIF), 1, 69, 80, 161
Arnold, Edith: becomes an autoworker, 76; boom (1955), 118; enters the workforce (1953), 74; essential income, 96; post-1955 transfers, 138; recession (1958), 152–53
Arsenal of Democracy, 17; Korean War, 49, 61–62, 71; motivation for 1950 migrants, 54; source of nostalgia, 181
automation: blamed for loss of jobs, 127, 167; Chrysler’s 1955 rebound, 126; contracts (1950), 48; defense of, 97; employment of women, 74; Guaranteed Annual Wage, 115, 117; limited application, 38–39; masked by 1955 boom, 127; in postwar auto employment, 7–8, 12, 58–59, 97, 129, 177–79, 183; severance pay, 161; skilled workers, 98; supplemental unemployment benefits, 121
automobile dealers: “bootlegging,” 101, 125; closing of used-car dealerships, 1948, 33; easy credit, 125, 132; fears of de-franchising, 91; Ford sales (1959), 173; GM sales (1956), 135; inventories (1953), 80, 88; inventories (1954), 100, 106, 116; inventories (1958), 158; low 1946 sales, 27; rising inventories (1949), 36; rising inventories (1955–57), 125, 128, 130, 143; rising inventories (1959), 174, 176–78; steel strike (1959), 174. See also credit; Regulation W
Automobile Manufacturers Association: praises industry’s accomplishments, 1949, 42; predicts boom times, 111; predicts less demand for unskilled workers, 98
autoworkers: age discrimination, 112, 171; as a problematic term, 179–80; barriers for young men, 104; blamed for auto industry’s troubles, 144–45; blamed for own troubles, 153; boom (1955), 107, 112; debating access to auto jobs, 154–55; decline of jobs by 1958, 164; disabilities, 87–88, 103–4; inability to purchase new cars, 33, 36, 49, 101, 142–43, 145; inability to purchase used cars, 52; “labor aristocracy,” 122–23; migrants to Detroit (1950–51), 51, 55; missing from the historical literature, 186n12; shortage (1952–53), 67–70, 73, 78; standard of living, 55–56; worker’s budget (1954), 119. See also Arnold, Edith; Beaudry, Margaret; Brown, Elwin; Coleman, Les; Franklin, James; Hester, Don; Ish, Paul; Johnson, Arthur (Gene); Liles, Ernie; McGuire, James; Neal, Emerald; Neumann, Katie; Nowak, Thomas; Ross, Paul; Sackle, Dorothy; Scott, L. J.; Weber, Bud; Woods, Joe
Beaudry, Margaret: becomes an autoworker, 76–77; boom (1955), 118; post-1995 transfers, 137–38; postwar decisions, 18; recession (1954), 92; recession (1958), 152; reenters workforce, 1953, 74
Big Three. See Chrysler Corporation; Ford Motor Company; General Motors Corporation
Breech, Ernest, 149. See also Ford Motor Company
Briggs Manufacturing Company: impact of 1950 Chrysler strike, 42; Korean War layoffs, 57; layoffs from 1948 Chrysler strike, 32–33; layoffs from shortages, 24; purchased by Chrysler Corporation, 97, 103; strike by plant guards (1948), 34; wildcat strikes, 23–24. See also Chrysler Corporation; strikes at Chrysler Corporation
Brown, Elwin: boom (1953), 77; boom (1955), 118; drafted into the military, 56–57, 65; economic insecurity, 139; recession (1954), 92; recession (1958), 152; reconsiders auto work, 135
Budd Company: major parts supplier, 33, 111; pace of work, 176–77; supplemental unemployment benefits, 127
Bugas, John: dismisses thirty-hour work-week, 121; opposes higher wages, 32, 39; opposes the Guaranteed Annual Wage, 116. See also Ford Motor Company
Cadillac: effects of 1953 GM explosion, 81; postwar layoffs of women, 2; steady employment, 57, 97
Caruso, Pat, 131
Chevrolet: basis for determining standard of living, 10–11; builds suburban plant, 79; competition with Ford, 104, 113, 146; declining 1956 sales, 137; labor shortage in Flint, 74–75; overtime, 97; overproduction, 101; pricing, 36; short weeks, 94; steel strike (1952), 66; transmissions in demand, 81; unfilled orders (1947), 26. See also General Motors Corporation; strikes at General Motors Corporation
Chrysler Corporation: automation and restructuring (1957), 141, 143; boom (1954–55), 106, 111–12, 117, 126–27; coal strike (1946), 24; compact cars, 174–75; contract (1955), 126; contract (1958), 162; contract negotiations (1947), 27; contract negotiations (1948), 32–33; glassworkers’ strike, 167; Korean War, 57; layoffs (1953), 83, 89; layoffs at Dodge Main, 178; number of Detroit-area workers, 13; performance (1956), 137; performance (1959), 166–74; poor styling, 91, 126; recession (1954), 97, 104; sales and earnings (1949), 41; sales and layoffs (1957), 146; sales and profits (1947), 31; steel shortages (1947), 28; steel strike (1952), 66; strike (1950), 42–47; takes over Briggs Manufacturing Company, 103; threatens to leave Detroit, 175. See also Briggs Manufacturing Company; Colbert, L. L.; layoffs; strikes at Chrysler Corporation
Colbert, L. L.: contributes to Chrysler’s 1955 resurgence, 126; opposes the guaranteed annual wage, 116; predicts continued growth, 88; tries to reverse lack of consumer enthusiasm, 157. See also Chrysler Corporation
Coleman, Les: automation, 98; earnings, 139; 1958 recession, 152
cost of living. See cost of living allowances; inflation
cost of living allowances (COLA): contracts (1958), 161; at GM (1948), 32–33; GM base pay, 80; inflation, 123; Korean War inflation, 68; standard of living, 1, 11, 122; pensions, 159
Coughlin, Father Charles, 115
credit: boom (1955), 125, 130; dealers, 101–2; neighborhood stores, 25; overextended autoworkers, 132–33, 143, 156–57, 169–70; supplemental unemployment benefits, 124; sustaining car sales, 110. See also Regulation W
Curtice, Harlow: annual pay, 115; confidence (1953), 80, 83; criticizes UAW’s profit-sharing plan, 149; dismisses 1954 pessimists, 93; poor business conditions, 143; prediction (1956), 130; predicts 1955 boom, 111; receives profit-sharing, 150. See also General Motors Corporation
dealers. See automobile dealers
decentralization: apparent in wildcat strike disruptions, 177; boom (1953), 78–79; by Ford, 136; compact car production, 172; Detroit car assemblies, 104; labor shortage (1953), 73; parts makers, 133
Detroit, City of: Department of Parks and Recreation addresses 1958 unemployment, 151; Ford strike (1949), 38; population, 52, 70; shelters (1953), 87–88; welfare department during Korean War, 64; welfare eligibility (1950), 42–43; welfare rules (1949), 37–38. See also secondary support strategies
Detroit Automobile Dealers Association. See automobile dealers
Detroit Board of Commerce: on autoworkers’ wages, 49, 64–65, 89, 171, 181; confused by instability, 141; criticizes autoworkers (1949), 39–40; Korean War, 62; on 1953 layoffs, 84, 88–89; predicts 1959 boom, 164; urges unemployed autoworkers to leave Detroit, 107, 180
Detroit Free Press: dismisses skeptics, 88; blames autoworkers’ wages for problems, 165; criticizes UAW’s profit-sharing plan, 149; criticizes Walter Reuther, 111; criticizes wildcat strike, 105; encourages unemployed autoworkers to leave Detroit, 107, 167; opposes the guaranteed annual wage, 116, 121; praises 1957 auto production, 146; responds to supplemental unemployment benefits, 121, 124. See also Donovan, Leo; Perrin, Robert
Detroit News: claims UAW members are “pawns,” 160; criticizes UAW’s profit-sharing plan, 149; on job instability, 106; on mass layoffs, 93. See also Watts, Ralph
Dodge Main plant, 178. See also Chrysler Corporation; layoffs; Quinn, Pat; strikes at Chrysler Corporation
Donovan, Leo: boom enthusiasm (1952), 67; disruptions (1946), 22
Douglas, Paul, 88
Ford, Benson, 157–58. See also Ford Motor Company
Ford, Henry II: on automation, 97; dismisses unemployment, 93; on Korean War materials shortages, 61; predicts growth, 88; warns against 1955 strikes, 118. See also Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company: blames sales on union, 144; blames wages for problems, 165; boom (1955), 111, 127; compact cars, 172, 175; contract (1949), 40–41; contract (1958), 161; and GM strike, 1946, 20; Korean War, 57; motorized circus, 143; number of Detroit-area workers, 13; opposes guaranteed annual wage, 119; opposes UAW profit-sharing plan, 149; parts shortages (1946), 24; performance (1956), 134–35, 137; production boom (1954), 91; profits (1959), 166, 173–74; profits (1960), 176; recession (1958), 157; speedup strike (1949), 37; supplemental unemployment benefits, 120. See also Breech, Ernest; Bugas, John; Ford, Benson; Ford, Henry II; layoffs; Lincoln-Mercury; strikes at Ford Motor Company
Franklin, James: boom (1953), 77–78; boom (1955), 118; early jobs, 30; recession (1954), 92–93
Fraser, Douglas, 113. See also United Auto Workers
fringe benefits. See medical insurance; pensions; supplemental unemployment benefits; unemployment benefits
General Motors Corporation: boom (1955), 111, 127; compact cars, 175; contract (1950), 47–48; contract (1955), 124; contract (1958), 162; contract negotiations (1947), 27; contract negotiations (1948), 32–33; industry pricing, 101; Korean War, 57; metro-Detroit expansion, 126; number of Detroit-area workers, 13–14; performance (1956), 135, 137; production boom (1954), 91; profits (1959), 166, 173–74; profits and payrolls (1949), 41; reopening 1950 contract, 69, 80; sales and income (1947), 31; steel strike (1959), 174; strike (1945–46), 20–22; transmission plant explosion (1953), 80–83. See also Cadillac; Chevrolet; Curtice, Harlowe; layoffs; strikes at General Motors Corporation
grievance procedures: criticized, 186n6; at GM, 51; at Pontiac Motor, 160–61; theory behind, 50–51
guaranteed annual wage (GAW), 113–20, 141
Hester, Don: avoids 1956 layoff, 138; boom (1953), 77; fired from first job, 30–31; Korean War, 65; recession (1954), 92
housing: boom (1953), 73; children and rentals, 51, 64, 68–69, 85–86, 100, 152; conditions (1950), 51–52; crisis (1953), 84–87; end of rent controls, 1952, 68; home eviction, 45–46; and inflation, 28; Korean War, 64; land contracts, 86; racial discrimination, 133–34; suburbs, 79–80; threat of foreclosures and evictions, 38, 81
Hudson Motor Car Company: boom (1950), 46; GM explosion (1953), 81; Korean War, 57; merger with Nash-Kelvinator, 102–3; postwar production, 26, 36; profits (1949), 41–42
inflation: blamed on wages, 144–45, 165; Detroit level, 134; disincentive for strikes, 142–43; early postwar years, 20–21, 28; fears of, 155; fueled by debt, 49, 52; impact of supplemental unemployment benefits, 121–23; national level, 125; in 1948, 32–34; in 1951, 55–56; in 1952, 67–69; retirees, 155, 159–60. See also cost of living allowances (COLA)
Ish, Paul: enters skilled trades, 99; first job, 1947, 29
Johnson, Arthur (Gene): avoids 1946 GM strike, 21; Korean War, 63; leaves auto work, 70; recession (1954), 92; recession (1958), 152
Kaiser-Frazer Corporation: early postwar production, 25, 28; losses (1949), 42; GM explosion (1953), 81, 83
Kaiser Motors Corporation. See Kaiser-Frazer Corporation
Keller, K. T., 27, 32. See also Chrysler Corporation
Kelsey-Hayes Company, 19, 190n6
Korean War: impact on Detroit, 56–58, 79; inflation, 55–56; initial economic impact, 49; materials allocation, 52, 57, 61
Lawrence, David. See Detroit Free Press
layoffs: Briggs strike (1948), 34; “bumping,” 137–39; at Chrysler (1957), 141–42, 146; Chrysler strike (1950), 42–47; coal strike (1948), 31–33; deterrent to migrants, 73; Dodge Main (1959), 178; glassworkers’ strike (1959), 167; GM explosion (1953), 81–83; impact on local businesses, 136, 148; Korean War materials shortages, 53, 55, 57–58, 60; materials and supplier strikes (1946), 19–26; miscellaneous causes, 1947, 29; natural gas shortage (1948), 31; overproduction (1953), 83; overproduction (1955), 130–35; parts suppliers, 176; postwar for women, 18; recalls and overtime, 163; recession (1954), 91, 94, 102–6; recession (1958), 148, 150; Rouge plant (1959), 175; steel and coal strikes (1949), 41; steel shortages, 28; steel strike (1952), 65; steel strike (1959), 174. See also unemployment
Liles, Ernie: alternative jobs, 139; becomes an autoworker, 1952, 67–68; boom (1953), 77
Mazey, Emil, 43. See also United Auto Workers
McCracken, Paul, 121
McGuire, James: leaves auto work, 135, 151; moves to Detroit, 66; unsteady employment, 82
McLouth Steel, 173
medical insurance: GM contract (1950), 48; “labor aristocracy,” 110; overtime, 126
Michigan Association of Manufacturers, 80
Michigan Chronicle: hiring discrimination, 40; mass layoffs (1958), 150; as source base, 6–7, 9. See also African American autoworkers; Wartman, Charles
Michigan Employment Security Commission (MESC): age discrimination, 78; assessment (1957), 146; employment (1956), 141; encourages unemployed to leave auto work, 167; expands 1958 operations, 157; experiences layoffs, 167–68; Korean War, 58, 63–64, 66; layoffs, 150; manufacturing jobs, 143–44; on migrants, 93; unemployment (1953), 84. See also layoffs; Michigan Unemployment Compensation Commission; unemployment
Michigan Unemployment Compensation Commission (MUCC): discrimination, 48; eligibility, 20; in 1949, 41; short weeks, 38; unemployment (1947), 29, 31. See also layoffs; Michigan Employment Security Commission; unemployment
Motor Products Corporation, 133, 188n30
Murray Corporation, 103, 188n30
Nash Motors: GM explosion (1953), 81; merges (as Nash-Kelvinator) with Hudson Motor Car Company, 102; parts shortages (1950), 50; post-merger layoffs, 171; Rambler, 230n10. See also American Motors Corporation
National Association of Manufacturers (NAM): blames unions for wrecking economy, 145; guaranteed annual wage, 116, 121; industrial volatility, 34
Neal, Emerald: layoff (1956), 135; recession (1954), 92; recession (1958), 152; returns to Detroit, 107
Neumann, Katie: boom (1955), 118; necessity of income, 96; post-1955 transfers, 138; postwar layoffs, 18–19
Nowak, Thomas: boom (1955), 117–18; layoff (1956), 130; recession (1954), 92
Packard Motor Car Company: claims no job discrimination, 69; ends Detroit operations (as Studebaker-Packard), 134; Korean War, 56, 79; layoffs (1954), 91, 94; locates scrap steel, 58; merges with Studebaker, 103; offers to help GM, 81; parts shortage, 50; postwar interruptions, 22, 24–25, 28, 34; profits (1949), 41–42
pensions: blamed for lack of job mobility, 167; Chrysler strike (1950), 42, 47; defended by UAW, 140; disincentive for hiring, 49; GM contract (1950), 47–48; inadequacy, 78, 123, 159–60, 177; increased, 80; inflation, 69, 159; “labor aristocracy,” 122; overtime, 126; plant closing, 134; standard of living, 1, 11, 110; UAW-Ford contract (1949), 40–41
Perrin, Robert: job instability, 69; layoffs (1952), 66; spending temptations, 133
Pontiac Motor: boom (1955), 107, 117; GM explosion (1953), 81; layoffs (1956), 135; “Otter” contract, 56; steel strike (1952), 66; strike (1955), 124; strike (1958), 160. See also General Motors Corporation; strikes against General Motors Corporation
Pontiac Truck and Coach, 18
Porter, Sylvia, 121, 122, 132–33
postwar boom: foundations of myth, 31, 34, 41, 180–82, 188–89n30, 189n33; hopes for, 17; lowered 1947 expectations, 26; in 1952–53, 67, 70, 73; in 1955, 111–12, 125–27; possibility (1960), 174; upsurge (1950), 46–48, 53
Quinn, C. Pat, 148–49, 163, 172–73. See also Chrysler Corporation; strikes at Chrysler Corporation
Regulation W, 33–34, 36, 52. See also credit; inflation
Reuther, Walter: calls for increased purchasing power, 1949, 39; cost of living allowances and inflation, 68; criticized by scholars, 182; criticizes federal government for lack of relief, 135; criticized for supporting the guaranteed annual wage, 186n6; criticizes overtime policy, 163–64; criticizes Secretary of War Charles Wilson, 106; demands guaranteed workweek (1947), 26–27; demands relief after 1953 GM explosion, 81; demands wage increases (1958), 145; explains supplemental unemployment benefits, 120; frustration with recent hires, 108; short workweeks (1953), 89; recession (1954), 104; proposes profit-sharing plan, 148–50; supports the guaranteed annual wage, 114–15; warns of unsustainable production rates, 108–9, 111. See also United Auto Workers
R. L. Polk Company, 7
Ross, Paul: benefits from 1955 boom, 118; enters skilled trades, 63
Rouge plant. See Ford Motor Company; Stellato, Carl; strikes at Ford Motor Company
Sackle, Dorothy: boom (1950), 48; boom (1955), 118; post-1955 layoffs, 131; postwar layoff, 19; primary breadwinner, 96
Scott, L. J.: boom (1955), 117; downturn (1956), 131; drafted, 65; racial barriers to skilled trades, 99; recession (1954), 92; recession (1958), 151; suspended from first auto job, 57
secondary support strategies: Chrysler strike (1950), 42–45; doldrums (1959), 168–71, 173–74; downturn (1956), 131–32, 135, 139; Ford speedup strike (1949), 37–38; former Packard workers, 144; Korean War, 60–65; recession (1949), 39; recession (1954), 92–94, 100, 103; recession (1958), 151–56, 158–60; unemployment compensation, 1946, 25; working wives, 1948, 32. See also Arnold, Edith; Beaudry, Margaret; Brown, Elwin; Coleman, Les; Franklin, James; Hester, Don; Ish, Paul; Johnson, Arthur (Gene); Liles, Ernie; Mc-Guire, James; Neal, Emerald; Neumann, Katie; Nowak, Thomas; Ross, Paul; Sackle, Dorothy; Scott, L. J.; supplemental unemployment benefits; Weber, Bud; Woods, Joe
seniority: area-wide, 162; attitudes of younger workers, 140; job mobility, 167; layoffs and recalls, 59–60, 171–72; probationary period, 30, 57
short weeks, 26, 38, 94, 102, 130, 164, 176, 178
skilled tradesmen: access to, 63; automation, 98; compared with mail delivery, 144; contracts (1955), 120–24, 126–27; contracts (1958), 161–63; declining prestige, 98–99; demand for, 56, 89; Korean War, 71; housing, 86; layoffs (1958), 152, 161; leaving Detroit, 1947, 29; limited opportunities (1956), 140; race and sex discrimination, 29, 48, 70, 99; reduced to unskilled jobs, 103, 161; secession movement, 127; standard of living, 62, 139; training requirements for, 98; wage compression, 80; wildcat strike (1949), 25
southern whites: adjustment, 70; blamed for 1954 recession, 95; considered perpetual migrants, 89; fewer migrating to Detroit in 1953, 76; as “marginal” workers, 72; oppose calls to leave Detroit, 107, 211n11. See also Johnson, Arthur (Gene); Liles, Ernie; Mc-Guire, James; Neal, Emerald; Ross, Paul
Stellato, Carl: contract (1958), 161–62; employment and seniority inequities, 175–76; four-day workweek, 148–49; guaranteed annual wage, 114; protests product line decisions, 172; seniority discrimination, 171–72; supplemental unemployment benefits, 121
strikes: causes of postwar strikes, 27; workload strikes, 1949, 36–37. See also wildcat strikes; strikes by industry and by company
strikes at Briggs Manufacturing Company: in 1946, 23; in 1948, 34
strikes at Chrysler Corporation: controversy over, 108; in 1948, 32–33; in 1950, 42–47. See also wildcat strikes
strikes at Ford Motor Company: Rouge plant speed-up strike (1949), 37–38. See also wildcat strikes
strikes at General Motors plants: in 1945–46, 20–22; in 1955, 124–25. See also wildcat strikes
strikes by parts suppliers: affecting Ford, 22, 24, 177; Briggs Manufacturing Company, 1946, 23, 34; General Motors as parts supplier, 20; Kelsey-Hayes Corporation, 1946, 19
strikes in the coal industry, 24, 26, 31–33, 41, 46
strikes in the copper industry, 25
strikes in the glass industry, 20–21, 167
strikes in the railroad industry: in 1950, 47; in 1951, 55
strikes in the steel industry, 21–22, 41, 65–66, 173–74
Studebaker Automobile Company, 50, 103, 134; as Studebaker-Packard, 149
supplemental unemployment benefits (SUB): contract (1955), 120–21, 124; criticism of, 121–22; ineffectiveness of, 131, 152; UAW calls for increases in, 149. See also guaranteed annual wage; unemployment benefits
Treaty of Detroit (1950), 47, 69. See also General Motors Corporation; United Auto Workers
turnover: entry-level workers (1947), 29; hindrance to 1953 boom, 73; recession (1949), 40
UAW Local 3, 156, 163, 167, 172. See also Quinn, C. Pat
UAW Local 400, 18
UAW Local 600: discontented skilled tradesmen, 161–62; Ford Facts, 9–10; guaranteed annual wage, 121; member complains of inflation, 142; picketed by women workers, 60, 171–72; protests decentralization, 172, 175–76; protests layoffs, 60; speedup strike (1949), 37–38; 30–40 plan, 114; tight credit, 52. See also Stellato, Carl
unemployment: African Americans, 70; automation, 38–39; boom (1955), 112, 117, 125, 128; demise of independent automakers, 102; Detroit a “critical unemployment area,” 135; dismissed by Henry Ford II, 93; gas shortage (1948), 31; GM explosion (1953), 80–83; how calculated, 13; increases in crime, 100; Korean War, 51, 54–58, 60–66; late 1953, 84, 88; in 1947, 29, 31; in 1956, 131; in 1958, 148, 150, 157, 160, 163–64; in 1959, 167, 176–77; rate (1949), 40; rate (1950), 48; rate for older workers, 49; recession (1949), 38; recession (1954), 91, 100, 105, 107; strikes (1946), 20. See also layoffs
unemployment benefits: amounts (1946), 25; companies avoid liabilities, 30, 36–37; compared with short weeks, 89; critics say too generous, 153–54; discourage businesses, 175; eligibility and amounts (1949), 42, 46, 62, 132, 139; essential for survival, 103, 142, 149, 156, 158; exhaustion of (1951), 60, 64, 168; migrants ineligible for, 55; in 1958, 148; recession (1954), 91–92, 94, 100; recipients called lazy, 106. See also Michigan Employment Security Commission; Michigan Unemployment Compensation Commission; secondary support strategies; supplemental unemployment benefits
United Auto Workers (UAW): blames automakers for industry’s woes, 145–46; Chrysler contract (1950), 47; contract negotiations (1947), 27; contract negotiations (1948), 32–33; contract (1958), 148, 158–61; criticized by laid-off worker, 67; Ford contract (1949), 40–41; GM contract (1950), 47–48; GM wages (1947), 27; guaranteed annual wage, 113–20; lays off staff members, 167; persistent job instability, 182–83; on production rates, 79–80; reopening of 1950 contracts, 69, 80; Rouge speedup strike, 1949; seniority, 140; sets up unemployment centers, 173; unsure how members cope with layoffs, 63. See also Fraser, Douglas; Mazey, Emil; Reuther, Walter; Treaty of Detroit; Weinberg, Nat; Woodcock, Leonard
United States Chamber of Commerce, 116
United States Department of Defense, 79
United States Department of Labor, 18, 93, 137, 177
Volkswagen, 172
wages of autoworkers: aggregate Detroit purchasing power, 53; alleged annual total, 142–43; alleged weekly total (1953), 89; compared with foreign counterparts, 165; compression for skilled workers, 80, 99, 122, 126–27, 147, 161; Ford contract (1949), 40; Ford contract (1958), 161; Ford deems too high, 39, 165; GM contract (1948), 32–33; hourly average (1947), 27; hourly average (1948), 32; increases opposed by automakers, 101, 130, 144; inflation, 20–21, 27; as interpreted by scholars, 1–2, 10–11, 13–15, 180; worker’s annual budget, 119. See also annual improvement factor; cost of living allowances; guaranteed annual wage; inflation
Ward’s Automotive Reports, 7, 178
Wartman, Charles: African American autoworkers, 133–34; impact of decentralization on racial discrimination in hiring, 40. See also African American autoworkers; Michigan Chronicle
Watts, Ralph, 84. See also Detroit News
Weber, Bud: layoffs (1946), 21, 25; post-1955 transfers, 138–39; recession (1949), 39
Weinberg, Nat, 113. See also United Auto Workers
wildcat strikes: Briggs and Budd (1948), 33; Briggs and Chrysler (1946), 23, 26; Chrysler (1957), 142; intra-union conflicts, 50–51, 55; Korean War, 57; in 1956, 137; post-1950 Chrysler contract settlement, 50; protesting heat (1946), 25; recession (1954), 105. See also strikes by industry and by company
Williams, Governor G. Mennen, 61, 135
Wilson, Charles Edward (General Electric), 61
Wilson, Charles Erwin (General Motors): criticized (as Secretary of Defense) by Kaiser Motors workers, 83; criticizes recipients of unemployment benefits, 106; Korean War materials shortages, 61; recession (1954), 93. See also General Motors Corporation
women autoworkers: barred from skilled trades, 29; blamed for 1954 recession, 95; boom (1950), 48; continued discrimination against, 1953, 74–75, 127; defended, 95–97; and postwar layoffs, 18–19; recalls (1959), 171–72; recession (1958), 151; seniority clauses, 60. See also Arnold, Edith; Beaudry, Margaret; Neumann, Katie; Sackle, Dorothy
Woodcock, Leonard, 149, 161. See also United Auto Workers
Woods, Joe: boom (1950), 48; boom (1955), 118; drafted into the military, 65; segregation on first job, 29–30