Walter Reuther (1907–70,) fully Walter Philip Reuther, was an American leader of organized labor and civil rights activist. He built United Automobile Workers (UAW) into one of the most progressive labor unions in American history.
Born in Wheeling, West Virginia, Reuther worked for Ford and the USSR before founding the UAW union in 1935.
Reuther organized the automobile workers into what later became the largest union globally and fought against communist influence in trade unionism. He viewed labor movements not as narrow special interest groups but as instruments to advance social justice and human rights in democratic societies.
Reuther was president of the UAW 1946–70 and of the Congress of Industrial Organizations from 1952 until 1955 when it merged with the American Federation of Labor. Reuther’s negotiating skills helped win many bargaining gains for the UAW, including annual raises for productivity, cost-of-living increases, supplementary unemployment benefits, early retirement options, and health and welfare benefits.
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Walter Reuther
If you’re not big enough to lose, you’re not big enough to win.
—Walter Reuther
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