Kent Union Organizes 8 New Plants Publication: United Automobile Worker Dateline: Kent, Ohio Date: 1 September 1936 Subject: Labor Topic: United Automobile Workers

Kent, Ohio, Sept. 1—Outstanding successes in the organization drive of the United Automobile Workers are being recorded by the Kent unionists, where the membership has been increased from 750 to 1900 since the South Bens Convention in May.

At that time only two plants were organized in Kent and vicinity, but since then the number has been increased to ten including in all at present the following plants: Twin Coach, Lamson and Sessions, Darwall Inc., Loeblein Inc., Hercules Motors, Davey Compressor, Herman Machine, Gougler Machine, A. C. Williams and one plant at Massilon.

The other plants are located in Kent, Ravenna and Canton, two of them being owned by Governor Martin L. Davey.

Six of these shops are 100% organized, Special Organizer Dick Coleman reports. He also states that eight more shops in this locality are being worked on now. Also a drive is on at the Hercules Motors at Canton to complete organization there. 1600 employees are hired in this plant. A District Council is being set up to unify this work.

The great victory in the famous Black and Decker strike in Kent two months ago has created tremendous sentiment for unionization, Coleman states. It is recalled that the militancy of the strikers (who were greatly aided by our auto unionists) turned back an attack of gas and guns by company thugs and forced their arrest and shipment out of the city.

A great impetus was also given for the Farmer-Labor Party, Coleman says, and he is certain that President Wilmer Tate of the Akron C. L. U. who is running for Congressman on that ticket (the “Akron” district includes Kent) will get the united backing of Kent labor.