Nathan Everett

In the fall of 1967, I was part of a Methodist Youth tour to Detroit, Michigan. There had been riots in Detroit that summer and in places you could, at least figuratively, still see smoke rising. Part of the tour included visiting the United Auto Workers (UAW) headquarters and hearing Walter Reuther talk about organized labor’s planned redevelopment of inner city slums.

My dad worked for Studebaker Corp. in South Bend, Indiana for nearly 20 years before the company closed its doors for good in 1963. My memories of the union were not positive. They involved my dad standing on picket lines and bringing home government surplus food because he was on strike. I remember sitting in the barbershop on a Saturday morning as his fellow-employees openly declared that they hadn’t voted for any strike and didn’t know anyone who did. My opinion of the union was that they drove companies out of business and weren’t there to help the unemployed who were left behind.

There was a question and answer period after Reuther’s talk and I stood to try to pin the closure of Studebaker on the union. I didn’t get very far. Mr. Reuther gave what appeared to be a stock answer to a different question. Even the other kids at my table were offering me sympathy on being dismissed so easily. One also offered me a postcard and pen so I could write down my question in advance. I was far better prepared the next time I rose to ask my question.

“Mr. Reuther, I regret that I don’t have your years of fast-talking experience,” I began.

“I wish I had my experience and your years,” he quipped back.

I couldn’t blame him for that. I was wishing I had my years and his experience, too. I managed to get the rest of the question out, concluding with my accusation, “Isn’t it true that the union drove Studebaker out of business by making continued, unreasonable demands?”

The answer, once again, didn’t really satisfy me, or my friends. Though I didn’t think at the time to try to write down the answer, we were left with the impression that workers couldn’t really grasp all the issues in contract negotiations and needed to trust union management to make the right decisions for them.

When I told my dad about my short-lived confrontation, he didn’t have a lot to say. But years later I heard him retelling the story to others with a real note of pride in his voice. I also took the time to learn about the incredible contributions that Walter Reuther made to fair labor practices, civil rights, and the Democratic Party, and gained some perspective on the complexities of labor negotiations. But what can I say? When you are 18, you already have all the answers.