Walter Reuther

Walter Reuther - was an American labor union leader, who made the United Automobile Workers a major force not only in the auto industry but also in the Democratic Party in the mid 20th century. He was a socialist in the early 1930s; he became a leading liberal and supporter of the New Deal coalition.

In late 1945, Walter Reuther of the United Auto Workers (UAW) challenged General Motors in a fundamental way. He aimed at nothing less than a reshaped, high-employment economy. To jump start it, he demanded a 30 percent wage hike with no price increase for GM cars, and when General Motors said no, it couldn't afford that, Walter Reuther demanded that the company "open the books".