White Shirt Day

For most people, a snow-white shirt is a symbol of purity and celebration—but the meaning behind celebrating February 11 is quite different. National White Shirt Day was created to commemorate the end of the historic Flint Sit-down Strike, which forced auto industry leaders to respect employees and improve working conditions.

History

In the early 20th century, the Stock Market crash triggered the Great Depression. Car factory owners laid off workers and then rehired them under worse conditions and for lower wages.

In 1935, the first trade unions began to form, but they were still too weak to bring about real change. In 1936, workers at the GM plant in Flint, Michigan, demanded either the plant’s closure or an end to the hiring of workers under harsher post-crisis terms. The owners ignored the picketers, so the employees blocked the body shop and staged a sit-in, occupying the building for 44 days.

This protest became known as the Flint Sit-down Strike. The workers’ actions brought about significant changes, strengthening the United Automobile Workers (UAW) and forcing plant owners to listen to employee demands.

One strike slogan was, “Bosses should be as clean as workers’ shirts,” since only supervisors—who were not subject to layoffs—were allowed to wear white shirts. The workers, in solidarity, wore white shirts as a symbol of their protest. This gesture inspired the creation of National White Shirt Day, which was first celebrated in 1948 on February 11.

How to Take Part

National White Shirt Day is a great opportunity to learn more about the history of trade unions and to consider their impact at your workplace.

Large-scale events are held in cities where General Motors operates.

Support auto industry workers by posting on social media with #NationalWhiteShirtDay.

When is White Shirt Day in 2026?

White Shirt Day is observed on February 11 each year.

Observations