9.4 DRUM, Demands 1969

Teaching Labor's Story

9.4 DRUM, Demands 1969

Photo: DRUM flyer for wildcat strike and rally. 1969. The wildcat strike, a strike undertaken by union workers without union authorization, became DRUM’s tool for addressing the grievances Black workers faced in Detroit’s factories. Source: Kenneth V. and Sheila M. Cockrel Collection, Box 6, folder 24. Courtesy of Walter P. Reuther Library, Wayne State University.

All autoworkers on the Dodge assembly line were represented by United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 3, but some workers, particularly Black workers, did not feel equally protected and supported by their union. In 1969 a group of these autoworkers joined with community activists to form the Dodge Revolutionary Union Movement (DRUM). This is one of the first list of demands DRUM issued to Dodge management.

For Students: Primary Source
For Teachers: Teaching Guide

Primary Source (pdf link)

Teaching Guide (pdf link)