Local 600 currently has about 15,000 full-time active members. The Ford and ACH sectors have more than 9,500 members, SeverStal North America more than 2,200 members, Health Care about 1,250, Parts Suppliers 700, and Trucking 100. Additionally, Local 600 has about 18,000 retirees, making it the largest Retiree Chapter in the country.

Local 600 is led by elected, full-time officers. They are:

President, Bernie Ricke

1^st Vice President, Marvin Shine

Recording Secretary, Al Murlone

Financial Secretary, Dave Russell

The Local also maintains a full-time servicing staff, secretarial help, and maintenance personnel.

The following list provides the names, responsibilities, and phone numbers of the Local staff:

MAIN OFFICE NUMBER (313) 842-5350

LOCAL 600 FAX - 313-842-6149

BENEFITS FAX - 313-842-3373

The Retirees’ Chapter holds its monthly membership meetings on the fourth Sunday of the month at 10:00a.m., except during the months of December, January, and February.

At Severstal North America, the fifth largest steel company in the country, we make steel that is used in auto production at Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors, as well as steel that is sold on the open market to many smaller manufacturers. We also have the largest steel galvanizing plant in the world - Double Eagle.

In our Health Care sector, we provide health care services in medical facilities, dental clinics, vision centers, nursing homes, etc. In addition to representing all of the RN’s in all of Ford and Visteon Plants in Michigan, we also represent members such as janitors, secretaries, LPN’s, RN’s, therapists, marketing personnel, etc. in medical facilities throughout Southeast Michigan.

HISTORY*

Local 600 was born out of the struggle to organize the Ford Motor Company by the UAW. The struggle had not been easy. Ford was the last of the Big Three to succumb to the organizing efforts. Henry Ford had said that labor organizers were the worst thing that had ever walked the face of the earth, and that he would never recognize the UAW or any other union.

In the long and difficult struggle with the Ford Motor Company, there were two pivotal incidents that are famous in labor history. The first was the Hunger March, and the second was the Battle of the Overpass.

The Hunger March occurred on March 7, 1932, in the throes of the Great Depression, when about 3,500 men, women, and children gathered at the Fort St. drawbridge over the Rouge River to march on the Ford Motor Company to demand jobs and unemployment benefits. At the Dearborn City limits, the marchers were met by the Dearborn Police and the Ford Service Department, and they were violently attacked, in freezing weather, with water hoses and bullets.

Dozens were beaten in the unprovoked attack and five of the marchers were killed. A memorial funeral service was held in downtown Detroit and an estimated 65, 000 people marched down Woodward Avenue to honor these heroes of the labor movement - Joe York, Coleman Leny, Joesph DiBlasio, Curtis William, and Joe Russell. Four of them were then buried in Woodmere Cemetery in the shadows of the Rouge Plant.

In March, 1992, a special 60^th Anniversary Ceremony was held at the cemetery, and finally, Curtis William, whose ashes had been scattered over Detroit, was able to "join" his comrades. The headstones for their graves were bought by the Local 600 Retirees’ Chapter and read "They gave their lives for the Union."

The Battle of the Overpass occurred on May 26, 1937, Walter Reuther and other labor organizers attempted to leaflet the plant on the Overpass at Gate 4. They were met by Harry Bennett’s dreaded Ford Service Department, led by notorious gangster Angelo Caruso, and were viciously beaten in an unprovoked attack. Dozens were beaten in this violent attack, one of whom was later to die as a result of his injuries.

Steve Babson, noted Wayne State University labor historian, states that the Battle of the Overpass was a pivotal turning point in the drive to organize the Ford Motor Company, because it very clearly demonstrated that something had gone quite wrong at the Ford Motor Company, and that Henry Ford was no longer the kindly, gentleman engineer that he was portrayed to be, but rather that he was tolerating a degree of illegal violence that the public was previously unaware of.

On August 25, 1938, the UAW issued a Charter establishing Local 600. On April 2, 1941, a massive strike was called against the Ford Motor Company. On April 11^th, 1941, a reluctant, defeated Henry Ford agreed to an NLRB recognition election. A month later, in the NLRB vote, the UAW-CIO received 70% of the vote to the UAW-AFL’s 28%, and thus was certified to be the workers’ sole representative.

On June 20, 1941, after many years of struggle, the UAW signed the first contract with the Ford Motor Company, and thus took a big step toward achieving dignity and economic justice for its members.

* For additional historical information about Local 600, see the video, "Local 600: A History to be  Proud of, A Tradition to Carry On," and the book Talking Union - both are available at the Local for the cost of $6.00 and $10.00 respectively.