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Genora Johnson Dollinger

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Genora Johnson Dollinger
Born
Genora Albro

(1913-04-20)April 20, 1913
Kalamazoo, Michigan
DiedOctober 11, 1995(1995-10-11) (aged 82)
Los Angeles, California
Other namesJoan of Arc of Labor
Known forUnion organizing
Spouse
Kermit Johnson
​
(m. 1930)​
Children2[1]

Genora Johnson Dollinger (April 20, 1913 – October 11, 1995) was an American union organizer and labor activist, best known for helping to organize the Flint sit-down strike in December 1936. Dollinger organized both the Women's Auxiliary and the Women's Emergency Brigade in the strike, who victory helped United Auto Workers in labor fights across the country. Dollinger was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame in 1994.

Life and work

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Genora Albro was born on April 20, 1913.[2][3] She grew up in Flint, Michigan and attended Flint Central High School.[4] She married her first husband, Kermit Johnson, a factory worker at General Motors in 1930.[2] Soon after having her first child, she contracted tuberculosis, and during her recovery in the hospital, she read up on worker's rights and socialism.[4] In 1931, she and Johnson went on to form the Socialist Party of Flint.[2]

While there was a women's auxiliary whose duties included cooking and delivering massive meals, the Emergency Brigade (EB) immediately distinguished itself as an organization of women uninterested in domestic responsibilities. Genora said that she would not use the word women in the title of the brigade lest someone thought they were there to feed and cloth, not fight in the streets. The women of the EB carried bats, cudgels, chains, and whips under long winter coats. They wore matching red berets and armbands to stand out in crowds and promote solidarity.[4]

Dollinger helped organize the Flint sit-down strike, which ran from 1936 through 1937 in response to poor working conditions at the GM plant.[5] Worker complaints at the time included soaring temperatures in the factory, threats of being fired, long shifts, and sexual harassment of women.[3] During the strike, Dollinger organized the Women's Auxiliary, which provided food and childcare to families of the striking workers.[6]

On the night of January 11, 1937, Dollinger organized the Emergency Brigade to protect strikers inside the factory,[4] enabling a takeover of the plant for 10 days.[7] Dollinger had to be "dragged from the protests", earning her the nickname "Joan of Arc of Labor".[8] The strike "crippled" GM, and the company's eventual settlement was considered a critical victory for the United Auto Workers labor union.[6]

After the strike, Dollinger was unable to find work due to being blacklisted. She moved to Detroit, taking a job at the Briggs Manufacturing Company and became Chief Steward of an all-women's chapter of the local UAW union.[3] Dollinger was the victim of battery, having been beaten with a lead pipe one night in her home.[9] Later investigation by Senator Estes Kefauver determined that corporate leaders hired the Mafia to attack Dollinger along with other UAW officials.[9]

Dollinger ran for the United States Senate in 1948, becoming the first women in Michigan to do so.[5] She served as the development director of the Michigan American Civil Liberties Union in the 1960s.[10]

Death and legacy

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Dollinger died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on October 11, 1995.[10]

Dollinger was featured into the 1979 documentary With Babies and Banners: Story of the Women's Emergency Brigade.[11] She also appeared in the BBC documentary The Great Sitdown Strike.[10]

Dollinger was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame in 1994.[9]

References

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  1. ^ "Dollinger, Genora (Johnson) (audio interview #3 of 8)". The California State University. September 22, 2020. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c Genora and Sol Dollinger Collection (PDF) (Report). Wayne State University. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Marquis, Colleen A. "The Joan of Arc of Labor". GeneseeHistory.org. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d Svoboda, Liz (March 19, 2024). "Flint Women's History Month - Genora Johnson Dollinger". University of Michigan–Flint. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  5. ^ a b Doud, Katherine (October 19, 1994). "'You would have done the same'". The Kalamazoo Gazette. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Saxon, Wolfgang (October 14, 1995). "Genora Dollinger, 82; Aided Nascent U.A.W." The New York Times. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  7. ^ Wendland, Wendy (October 13, 1994). "Genora Dollinger inducted into Hall of Fame for leadership in Sit-Down Strike of 1936-37". The Flint Journal. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  8. ^ Hanna-Attisha, Mona (February 5, 2019). What the Eyes Don't See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City. Random House Publishing Group. p. 123. ISBN 9780399590856. Retrieved February 26, 2025.
  9. ^ a b c "Genora Johnson Dollinger". Michigan Women's Hall of Fame. October 24, 2024. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  10. ^ a b c Oliver, Myrna (October 14, 1995). "Genora Johnson Dollinger; Pioneer Auto Union Leader". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  11. ^ Warga, Wayne (April 23, 1979). "Labor Leader Recalls Life in Documentary". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
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