Radio Curious discusses âBrothers on the Lineâ a film about the Reuther brothers who unionized the auto industry and galvanized the middle class. Their descendant Sasha Reuther made the film and is our guest on Radio Curious.
Barry Vogel, Attorney and Counselor is the Host and Producer of Radio Curious. Christina Aanestad and Yuko Kodama are the Assistant Producers.
As we all know every action has an equal and opposite reaction. The reaction, however is not necessarily equal in time or unity. Itâs often spread over time with serial impacts.
In this edition of Radio Curious we focus on the treatment of workers in the automobile industry in the United States beginning in the early years of the 20th century. The story is portrayed in âBrothers on the Line,â a film about Walter, Ray and Victor Reuther, three brothers from West Virginia who organized the United Auto Workers Union beginning in the 1920's. With access to the National Archives, the Wayne State University Labor History Library and family records, Sasha Reuther, Victorâs grandson, directed the film. It chronicles the working conditions and the successful strikes at the big three auto plants in Michigan; the political power of the United Auto Workers Union, and its involvement in the civil rights movement. It also explains why Detroit, Michigan became the richest city in the United States in the 1950's.
Sasha Reuther and I visited by phone from his office in New York City on May 7, 2012. We began when I asked him what happened once the automobile became a useful, if not necessary tool of life.
The book that Sasha Reuther recommends is âU.A.W. and the Heyday of American Liberalism, 1945 -1968,â by Kevin Boyle.
Radio Curious is a half-hour, weekly, long-form interview program, now in it's 26th year. We interview people on a curiously wide variety of topics about life and ideas. Our website is www.radiocurious.org. If your station airs Radio Curious please let us know curious@radiocurious.org, we will add you to our list of syndicate stations. We also welcome questions, feedback and program ideas. Radio Curious 280 N. Oak St. Ukiah, Ca 95482. (707) 462-6541.
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