Boot Biters

23. 1973 Cologne, Germany Ford Guest Worker Strike


Listen Later

Yay it's our first listener recommended strike! Today we're learning about the 1973 wildcat strike that broke out at a Ford plant in Cologne, Germany when predominantly Turkish guest workers stood up for their unjustly fired colleagues and walked out. There are a lot of interesting parallels to US migrant worker policy to talk about. While this one got shut down violently by police, it gained a lot of national attention, changed the way management engaged with its workforce going forward, and forced German industry and society to reckon with its problematic attitudes toward guest workers. Let's dive in!

Find Boot Biters - A Labor History Podcast online:

  • Website and Transcripts: https://rss.com/podcasts/boot-biters/
  • You can also listen to the pod on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocketcasts or anywhere you get your podcasts!
  • Instagram and TikTok: @bootbiterspod
  • BlueSky: @bootbiterspod.bsky.social

Support the podcast, get access to the Water Cooler monthly bonus episodes, and check out resources used in episodes for further reading (resources are publicly available): patreon.com/BootBiters

Credits: Creator, Host, Social Media, Art, Music, General Chaos Sower: Dakota Saunders

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Boot BitersBy Dakota S.