White Shirt Day

A snow-white shirt for most people is a symbol of purity and celebration, but the idea of celebrating February 11 is quite different. National White Shirt Day was established to mark the end of the Flint strike, which forced industrialists to respect employees and improve working conditions.

History

At the beginning of the 20th century, there was a collapse of the Stock Market, which marked the beginning of the Great Depression. Owners of car factories began to lay off employees and then rehire them, but working conditions became much worse, and wages decreased significantly.

In 1935, the first trade unions appeared, but they were still too weak. In 1936, employees of the plant in Flint (Michigan), part of the GM Corporation, demanded either the complete closure of the plant or the cessation of hiring workers under more stringent conditions than before the crisis. The owners did not respond to the pickets. Employees blocked the body shop, preventing workers from entering it, and sat in the building for 44 days.

Their protest went down in history as the Flint Sit-down Strike. The actions of the workers led to significant changes and helped the United Automobile Workers (UAW) strengthen its position and force the owners to heed the workers’ demands.

One of the slogans read, “Bosses should be as clean as workers’ shirts.” After all, white shirts were allowed to be worn only by the heads of shops and shifts who were not subject to layoffs. The workers dressed in snow-white shirts, which became a symbol of the strike. Subsequently, this expression inspired the creation of the National White Shirt Day holiday. It was first in 1948 on February 11.

How to celebrate

This is an excellent occasion to learn more about the history of trade unions and to evaluate their work in your company.

On this day, large-scale events are held in all cities where branches of the famous General Motors Corporation operate.

You can support the workers of the automotive industry by launching publications on social networks with #NationalWhiteShirtDay.

When is White Shirt Day in 2025?

White Shirt Day is observed on February 11 each year.

Observations