Battle of the Overpass
The Battle of the Overpass was an attack by Ford Motor Company against the United Auto Workers (UAW) on May 26, 1937, at the River Rouge complex in Dearborn, Michigan. The UAW had recently organized workers at Ford's competitors, and planned to hand out leaflets at an overpass leading to the plant's main gate in view of many of the 90,000 employees. Before the UAW organizers could begin, they were attacked by Ford's "quasi-military" security service and the Dearborn police.
| Battle of the Overpass | |||
|---|---|---|---|
The confrontation began on the overpass, between Ford Service Department (left) and UAW organizers (right), with Walter Reuther fifth from the left and Richard Frankensteen sixth. | |||
| Date | May 26, 1937 | ||
| Location | 42.3076°N 83.1558°W | ||
| Goals | Distribution of leaflets promoting union membership to plant workers | ||
| Parties | |||
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| Lead figures | |||
| Casualties | |||
| Death(s) | 0 | ||
| Injuries | 16 | ||
In the aftermath, Ford Motor Company attempted to control the narrative by destroying news photographs onsite. The surviving photographs were published nationally as evidence of Ford's brutality, helping to turn public perception in favor of the union.
The incident was preceded by the 1932 Ford Hunger March, in which hunger marchers were attacked with gunfire from the Miller Road pedestrian overpasses. The site of that attack remained an entrance to the Rouge plant, and the overpass bears the logo of the United Auto Workers in addition to Ford's.