From WOOD COUNTY PARK DISTRICT
The fifth installment of the Great Depression Lecture Series will be held Wednesday, May 6, from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Wood County Museum, 13660 County Home Road, Bowling Green.
This month’s talk is “Strike! Workers, Unions, and the Labor Movement in Town and Country,” presented by Chase Fleece, historic agricultural specialist at the Wood County Park District.
The talk focuses on Toledo in turmoil in 1934 when workers at the Auto Lite factory engaged in a strike to secure increased wages and benefits. The strike brought the city to a standstill.
The possibility of continued violence, many feared, loomed on the horizon following the deployment of the National Guard. Even federal authorities watched the event closely, prepared to intervene if necessary. Yet unionization efforts in northwest Ohio were not unique. Instead, workers across the country demanded the increased compensation they believed they were owed.
In the lecture, Fleece will discuss the labor movement and its far-reaching implications.
The program is part of the America 250 celebration in Wood County. For more information or to register, visit https://reservations.woodcountyparkdistrict.org/programs/10823/.
