Eighty years later

Thursday evening, professors Lisa Fine and John Beck will detail the little-known story of the massive Labor Holiday that suddenly shut down nearly all of Lansing on June 7, 1937. On May 21 of that year, workers at the Capital City Wrecking Company went on strike. On June 1, an Ingham County judge granted an injunction, which strikers largely ignored. In response, the local Ingham County sheriff arrested the wife of strike leader Lester Washburn in the middle of the night. Her husband, who was out of town, returned later in the morning to find his children at home alone and his wife in jail. In response to this event, local union leaders called for a general strike, which ended up involving several thousand people. The city was virtually shut down as cars were parked across major streets and stores closed.