{"product_id":"midnight-in-vehicle-city-general-motors-flint-and-the-strike-that-created-the-middle-class-hardcover","title":"Midnight in Vehicle City: General Motors, Flint, and the Strike That Created the Middle Class - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eEdward McClelland\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWinner of the 2021 Midland Authors Book Award in History \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn a time of great inequality and a gutted middle class, the dramatic story of \"the strike heard around the world\" is a testament to what workers can gain when they stand up for their rights. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe tumultuous Flint sit-down strike of 1936-1937 was the birth of the United Auto Workers, which set the standard for wages in every industry. \u003ci\u003eMidnight in Vehicle City\u003c\/i\u003e tells the gripping story of how workers defeated General Motors, the largest industrial corporation in the world. Their victory ushered in the golden age of the American middle class and created a new kind of America, one in which every worker had a right to a share of the company's wealth. The causes for which the strikers sat down--collective bargaining, secure retirement, better wages--enjoyed a half century of success. But now, the middle class is disappearing and economic inequality is at its highest since before the New Deal. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eJournalist and historian Edward McClelland brings the action-packed events of the strike back to life--through the voices of those who lived it. In vivid play-by-plays, McClelland narrates the dramatic scenes including of the takeovers of GM plants; violent showdowns between picketers and the police; Michigan governor Frank Murphy's activation of the National Guard; the actions of the militaristic Women's Emergency Brigade who carried billy clubs and vowed to protect strikers from police; and tense negotiations between labor leader John L. Lewis, GM chairman Alfred P. Sloan, and labor secretary Frances Perkins. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe epic tale of the strike and its lasting legacy shows why the middle class is one of the greatest inventions of the 20th century and will guide our understanding of what we will lose if we don't revive it.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eEdward McClelland\u003c\/b\u003e is a journalist, a historian, and an author born and raised in Lansing, Michigan. His work has been published in numerous places, including the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/i\u003e, and the Chicago Reader, and on \u003ci\u003eSalon\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eSlate\u003c\/i\u003e. He is the author of several books, including \u003ci\u003eYoung Mr. Obama: Chicago and the Making of a Black President\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eNothin' but Blue Skies: The Heyday\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eHard Times and Hopes of America's Industrial Heartland\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eHow to Speak Midwestern\u003c\/i\u003e. Connect with him online at edwardmcclelland.com and @TedMcClelland on Twitter.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 232\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.1 x 8.4 x 5.4 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e February 02, 2021\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51768811225376,"sku":"9780807039670","price":27.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/0b3862758cb8fc32433316c9e6487025.webp?v=1780337857","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/midnight-in-vehicle-city-general-motors-flint-and-the-strike-that-created-the-middle-class-hardcover","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}