The UAW Strike Brought Back Militancy and Won What Seemed “Impossible”

The United Auto Workers’ 46-day strike was meant to be a historic return, a path forward by embracing the union’s militant roots.

The name alone made that clear: UAW leaders called it “The Stand Up Strike,” a reference to the historic 1936 sit-down strike at a General Motors plant in Flint, Michigan, that helped create the modern labor movement. The goals were similarly bold this time. The union was not only trying to win a record contract for members, but also signal to workers throughout the country that there is still strength in numbers and claims that labor’s best days…