Detroit’s Labor Landmarks That Tell the Story of the Working Class

Detroit was built by the working class, and there’s evidence everywhere if you know where to look. In a sense, you only have to look around you, from the buildings downtown (built by labor) to the food in our grocery stores (stocked by labor). But look a little closer and you’ll find a rich and layered history of the workers whose struggles paved the way for life as we know it today. The 40-hour workweek, overtime pay, and safer working environments are just some of the accomplishments of the workers who joined together in solidarity. Even lifelong residents may not know how much of that progress happened because the people of Detroit fought for it. This Labor Day - or any other time of the year - learn about the workers who built Detroit through the landmarks that saw it happen.

From Detroit’s early days, industry and manufacturing have been the backbone of the local economy, and when the Great Depression hit, it hit hard. One of the city’s largest employers, Ford Motor Company, laid off a third of its workforce – tens of thousands of people – and cut the pay of the remaining workers while increasing production demands. On March 7, 1932, over 3,000 people marched to the Ford Rouge plant in Dearborn, desperate to change their situation. They carried with them a list of demands to rehire laid-off employees and for safer working conditions for all. The workers and their families, including children, clashed with security guards and police, leading to the deaths of five people.

Today, you can retrace their steps starting at the Fort Street Bridge Park, at Denmark and South Fort Streets, where a memorial sculpture is dedicated to their memory. Be sure to look closely at the sculpture to spot parts of the old bridge. Follow the march route toward historical markers at the UAW Local 600 headquarters at Dix and Ferney. Further down Fort Street is Woodmere Cemetery, where the marchers who lost their lives rest in power.

As the depression rolled on, those who had jobs experienced cuts in pay, increased hours, and pressure to speed up production, creating hazardous situations. In response, a 1937 craze called the “sit-down” strike spread across the nation. It all started at Detroit’s Kelsey Hayes auto parts manufacturer, when Walter Reuther, with brothers Roy and Victor, of the UAW, led members to sit down on the job and refuse to move until they received better pay and working conditions. Workers at more than 100 businesses in the city conducted sit-down strikes that year, each time bringing production and service to a halt. From auto companies and their suppliers to hotels, restaurants, theaters, department stores, and cigar manufacturers - no workplace was immune.

Wolfgang was involved with sit-down strikes in other locations across Detroit – including the nearby Book Cadillac Hotel. There, bell-hops, wait staff, bartenders, elevator operators, and others took a seat during their shifts, shutting down service. It was the third hotel in the area to strike, but the staff at Book Cadillac only needed to wait 24 hours before agreements were reached and business proceeded as usual – with a slightly heftier paycheck. As for Wolfgang, after the exciting months of 1937, her career in the labor movement grew, leading to her instrumental involvement in the passage of Michigan’s 1966 minimum wage law (then $1.00). Perhaps her most famous quote was “Women were in the labor movement before men were born.”

Today, visitors to the Book-Cadillac can enjoy the beautifully renovated hotel and its on-site restaurants, including Sullivan’s Steakhouse and Brunch Haus.

On May 26, 1937, UAW organizers positioned themselves on the pedestrian bridge over Miller Road. They wanted to hand out leaflets and recruit members from the Ford Rouge factory. But Henry Ford did not want his workforce unionized, so he sent his security staff, led by the infamous Harry Bennett, to stop them. Though the union organizers - future UAW president Walter Reuther among them - were technically on public property and had a leafletting permit, Bennett and his men attacked, inflicting serious injuries. The event became known as the “Battle of the Overpass.” As Detroit News photographs from the event made a sensation, the UAW organizing campaign became stronger, culminating in a 1941 strike that resulted in the first Ford union contract. The Miller Road overpass has since been rebuilt and now bears both Ford’s name and the UAW’s logo.

If you’re in the vicinity of Hart Plaza, you’ll see the artwork named Transcending. The largest monument to workers on the continent, Transcending’s two 63-foot steel arcs tower over the plaza, with a gap between them as a symbol of labor’s unfinished work. Walk along a spiral path at the sculpture’s base past engraved tiles and 14 boulders adorned by reliefs depicting the history and accomplishments of the labor movement. Nearby is the Martin Luther King, Jr. statue, commemorating the 1963 Detroit Walk to Freedom, a precursor to the March on Washington, where King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech for the first time. King had close ties with unions like the UAW, and one of his famous quotes was “All labor has dignity.” Across the plaza sits a tribute to the Underground Railroad called Gateway to Freedom. Hart Plaza has hosted rallies and protests as well as concerts and festivals. After you’ve taken in the meaning of the monuments, stroll along the beautifully renovated riverfront.

The UAW was the first major labor union to place its official archives at Wayne State University, and when they donated money for a new building, it was named in honor of their famed leader: the Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs. It opened in 1975 and contains the largest collection of labor history records in North America. Archives are the documents created by organizations or individuals during their work or personal lives - things like letters, business memos, hand-written notes, and photographs. Add them together and they tell the story of the working class, the rank-and-file, union leaders, and community organizers. Items from the collections have been used for books, podcasts, documentaries, and feature films. Beyond the UAW, researchers will find records from unions representing government employees, farm workers, electrical workers, teachers, journalists, and more, along with related organizations and individuals. First-floor exhibits are open to the public, Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm. Individuals interested in conducting research can visit the Reading Room Monday through Friday. No appointment is necessary, but it is always a good idea to contact an archivist for help locating your interests within the many thousands of boxes.

This list is just a sampling of Detroit’s incredible labor history. For more, check out the Michigan Labor History Society, which offers free tours, and the Motor Cities National Heritage Area, which tells the stories of the auto industry across the region.