During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, factory workers including those who worked for all three major rubber makers in Akron, Ohio

Akron, Ohio

Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...

 faced poor working conditions, low wages, and benefits close none. These conditions resulted in workers establishing the United Rubber Workers in 1935, who organized the fist major strike

Strike action

Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...

 in the Akron Rubber Industry. The workers resorted to using long picket lines and “sit-down” strike, this prevented the companies from hiring "scab" workers which would interfere with getting their demands met. Factory management was reluctant to use physical force because of the possibility of damage to plant property. The then Akron mayor, Lee D. Schroy, attempted use police force to put and end to the strike, but officers refused to do so when they confronted the thousands of organized workers. The strike was successful in getting Goodyear

Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company was founded in 1898 by Frank Seiberling. Goodyear manufactures tires for automobiles, commercial trucks, light trucks, SUVs, race cars, airplanes, farm equipment and heavy earth-mover machinery....

to negotiate better contracts for the worker with the United Rubber Workers.