Irving Bluestone
Encyclopedia
Irving Julius Bluestone was chief negotiator for almost a half a million workers at General Motors
in the 1970s, and an advocate of worker participation in management. He was born in Brooklyn, New York to Herman and Rebecca Chasman Bluestone, Lithuanian Jewish emigrants.
Intending to teach, he graduated from City College in 1937 with a degree in German literature. He spent a year at the University of Bern in Switzerland
, where he bought a bicycle for $2 and toured Europe. He became aware of the Nazi terror when a priest to whom he had shown a letter of introduction refused to speak to Bluestone, a Jew, reportedly out of fear of Nazi reprisal. "I became convinced", Bluestone would state in 1970, "that only a strong labor movement can preserve democracy. The first thing that Hitler did was to destroy the labor parties in Germany."
Mr. Bluestone returned to the United States, landing a job at a GM plant in Harrison, New Jersey
and plunging into union activities. He became a protégé of Walter Reuther
in 1946. Bluestone was vice president of the UAW's General Motors department from 1970 to 1980. In addition to leading GM negotiations, he led strikes at individual plants. Bluestone was "the early advocate in the UAW" of what the industry called Quality of Worklife programs, in which workers were involved in "discussing workplace rules and improving the cars".
After retiring, Irving Bluestone taught industrial relations at Wayne State University
in Detroit.
He died on November 17, 2007 of heart failure at his home in Brookline, Massachusetts
, aged 90, survived by three children and four grandchildren. His wife of 61 years, Zelda Fitch Bluestone, died in 2001.
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
in the 1970s, and an advocate of worker participation in management. He was born in Brooklyn, New York to Herman and Rebecca Chasman Bluestone, Lithuanian Jewish emigrants.
Intending to teach, he graduated from City College in 1937 with a degree in German literature. He spent a year at the University of Bern in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, where he bought a bicycle for $2 and toured Europe. He became aware of the Nazi terror when a priest to whom he had shown a letter of introduction refused to speak to Bluestone, a Jew, reportedly out of fear of Nazi reprisal. "I became convinced", Bluestone would state in 1970, "that only a strong labor movement can preserve democracy. The first thing that Hitler did was to destroy the labor parties in Germany."
Mr. Bluestone returned to the United States, landing a job at a GM plant in Harrison, New Jersey
Harrison, New Jersey
Harrison is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town's population was 13,620. The town is a suburb of the nearby city of Newark, New Jersey.-Geography:Harrison is located at ....
and plunging into union activities. He became a protégé of Walter Reuther
Walter Reuther
Walter Philip Reuther was an American labor union leader, who made the United Automobile Workers a major force not only in the auto industry but also in the Democratic Party in the mid 20th century...
in 1946. Bluestone was vice president of the UAW's General Motors department from 1970 to 1980. In addition to leading GM negotiations, he led strikes at individual plants. Bluestone was "the early advocate in the UAW" of what the industry called Quality of Worklife programs, in which workers were involved in "discussing workplace rules and improving the cars".
After retiring, Irving Bluestone taught industrial relations at Wayne State University
Wayne State University
Wayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...
in Detroit.
He died on November 17, 2007 of heart failure at his home in Brookline, Massachusetts
Brookline, Massachusetts
Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, which borders on the cities of Boston and Newton. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 58,732.-Etymology:...
, aged 90, survived by three children and four grandchildren. His wife of 61 years, Zelda Fitch Bluestone, died in 2001.