Victor George Reuther was born on January 1, 1912, and died on June 3, 2004. He was an important international labor organizer. He was one of three Reuther brothers, Walter and Roy, who worked together in the U.S. labor movement for their entire lives. His older brother, Walter, became the president of the United Auto Workers union (UAW). Victor worked as the head of the UAW’s Education Department and organized labor groups around the world. He supported social democracy.

Early years

He was born in Wheeling, West Virginia, the son of Anna Stocker and Valentine Reuther, a socialist who worked in a brewery and had moved to the United States from Germany. His father supported labor unions and was a friend of Eugene Debs, a man who ran for president as a socialist. He began his college education as a freshman at West Virginia University in Morgantown.

Later, with the help of his brother Walter, he enrolled at what is now called Wayne State University. After that, he joined Walter on a long trip to Europe and Asia, where the brothers worked at the Gorky Automotive Plant. The Reuthers were later put on a list and forced to leave the Soviet Union after leading a strike to demand safer working conditions.

Returning to the United States in 1936, Victor worked at the Kelsey-Hayes Wheel Company in Flint, Michigan. There, he began organizing workers to form a union that would later become the UAW. He supported the 1936 General Motors Strike, where he stood up to police working for the company, who used billy clubs and tear gas. He became well-known for driving through Flint in a car with a loudspeaker on the roof, speaking to workers who had taken over the factories. At the time, he was 24 years old.

Workers at General Motors in Flint took action, and the strike spread to over 100 other factories. During the strike, 90% of General Motors' production stopped because workers and parts were no longer available.

The strike ended in February 1937, with many improvements for workers. However, Victor had to leave Flint with his wife, Sophie (the union's first female organizer), to avoid being arrested by a judge who worked for General Motors.

He and Sophie went to Anderson, Indiana, to help workers in another strike. There, they faced challenges from violent groups, corrupt police, and officials who worked for companies trying to stop the union.

World War II

On December 7, 1941, the United States joined World War II, and many American workers shifted their jobs to produce materials needed for the war. Walter Reuther noticed that large companies were wasting resources and spending too much money on profitable military contracts. He traveled to Washington, D.C., and told members of the Roosevelt (New Deal) Democratic Party about unused machines and buildings that could be used for wartime production. This led to stricter rules about how, when, and where the government could give money to private companies for war-related work.

Postwar

After the war, Reuther went to Germany and helped reorganize its labor unions. For the rest of his life, he remained a strong supporter of the union movement in Germany and other parts of Europe.

In 1947, his brother Walter was chosen as the president of the UAW. Soon after, Victor became the head of the union's Education Department. He strongly supported the inclusion of women, minorities, and young people in leadership roles within the union. Reuther believed that providing education to regular workers would improve workplaces and help future generations of workers.

In 1949, Victor began getting calls from the Detroit Police Department about complaints from neighbors about his dogs barking. When he checked on the dog, a car parked near his house drove away. After the police gave him a "last warning," he gave the dog to friends. On May 24, 1949, while reading a newspaper, a person with a shotgun fired through a closed window, hitting Reuther in the face and upper body. In the hospital, Reuther told his surgeon, "Take my eye, or my arm or leg, but spare my tongue. I've got a living to make." He lost an eye and partial use of one arm but survived. The attacker was never caught. Although the Detroit police had descriptions from witnesses, they did not find the person responsible. A neighbor provided details about the shooter, but police ignored him and he later received anonymous phone calls telling him to stop talking. Earlier, in April 1948, Victor's brother Walter survived an attack when a shotgun was fired through his kitchen window. Walter turned toward his wife at the moment, so the shot hit his arm instead of his chest or heart. That crime was also never solved.

Later life

Reuther got better after someone tried to hurt him and kept leading the union's Education Department for several more years. He later became the UAW's International Director. He worked with labor groups in many European countries and was well known in Canada. His brother, Walter, died in a plane crash in 1970. In 1973, Victor chose to retire and write his memoir, "The Brothers Reuther and the Story of the UAW," which was published in 1976.

He kept speaking at union meetings and earned respect for his strong belief that workers should always improve their pay and working conditions. When the UAW and the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) separated in the mid-1980s, he supported the goals of Canadian workers. He believed the UAW had given too many concessions to U.S. companies and thought the Canadian union would set a good example for the U.S. union. He stayed active even as he grew older and died in Washington at the age of 92.

Archives

His life and roles in the United Automobile Workers are recorded in several collections of documents at the Walter P. Reuther Library. These collections include personal items, such as letters and notes, as well as official documents related to his work in different UAW departments. Researchers are encouraged to visit the library's website to learn more about these collections.