The Auto-Lite Strike Begins

On This Day | Posted by: Tedd Long | 04/02/2026

1934: A strike is called by the secretly organized Automobile Workers Federal Union Local 18384, American Federation of Labor, which became the United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 12, against the Electric Auto-Lite company of Toledo. Anti-unionism, broken pledges by management, and the fact that management took advantage of the Depression's high unemployment to decrease wages were listed as reasons for the strike.