Region News

From www.uaw.org
For Release: Friday, June 04, 2004
UAW Mourns the Death of Victor Reuther
UAW President Ron Gettelfinger issued the following statement today on the passing of Victor Reuther on June 3, 2004

“The entire UAW community is saddened by the loss of Victor Reuther, a pioneer of our union whose passion for social justice and talent as an orator energized and mobilized early sit-down strikers. Victor and his brothers – Walter, UAW president from 1946-1970 and Roy, the union’s legislative director – played a pivotal role in the birth and growth of the UAW.

“The Reuther brothers grew up in a tradition of trade union, political and social activism. Their father, Valentine Reuther, a steel and brewery worker, was a trade union leader in Wheeling, West Virginia.”

“Victor Reuther began working in the auto industry on the assembly line of the Kelsey Hayes Wheel Company. A member of UAW Local 174, he was a strike leader during UAW campaigns in Flint and Detroit, which played a key role in establishing the right of workers to bargain with auto industry employers.

“Victor went on to serve the UAW, the U.S. labor movement and the international labor movement in a variety of ways. As director of the UAW Education Department, he helped UAW members throughout the United States and Canada become leaders in their local unions and communities.

“Victor’s dedication to the rights of working men and women, however, reached far beyond the borders of North America. He served as European representative of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO), and became CIO director of International Affairs, and then served as director of International Affairs for the UAW.

“As director of International Affairs for the UAW, he forged lasting relationships with trade unionists from all over the world. Victor’s vision of international solidarity across borders and across cultures remains an essential principle of our union – and an essential principle for working people everywhere.

“During his years as a trade union activist, Victor displayed great personal courage and endured great personal risk for the right of workers to organize. He faced tear gas and billy clubs during the UAW organizational campaigns of the 1930s, and was a victim of an assassination attempt in 1949.

“Victor lost his right eye in that attack. But he never lost his vision of a better world or his determination to join with others to make that vision a reality. His example and his accomplishments continue to inspire the men and women of the UAW today – and will continue to inspire future generations.”