Detroit Free Press

Action Coalition of Strikers Records

drice — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 12:09:15 -0500

The Action Coalition of Strikers (ACOS) was a rank-and-file group of strikers and their families who were active during the Detroit Newspaper Strike. Representing reporters, editors, pressmen, and truck drivers, the coalition opposed the newspaper union leadership and their proposed back-to-work offer and instead pressed forward with a campaign to fight to restore all lost jobs. They sponsored peaceful and disciplined mass demonstrations in support of the strikers, and published the weekly Detroit Sunday Journal from 1995-1999, selling copies throughout metro Detroit. They sought to win the broader labor movement’s participation in their struggle, and did enjoy continued support from other local and regional labor unions.

The records document the coalition’s activities from 1994-2001. Particular focus is given to the strikers' fight against replacement workers in an effort to bring economic, political and moral pressure on the newspaper companies (Gannett and Knight-Ridder) involved in the labor dispute. The records document ACOS strike participation through correspondence, court rulings, evidence of strikers' activities, publications, news clippings, and visual materials such as buttons, stickers, posters, and photographs.

Ellen Creager Papers

drice — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 14:40:38 -0500

Ellen Creager (b. 1956), a Detroit Free Press reporter, first joined the press as a copy editor in 1983 after earning her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Michigan State University; ultimately she was promoted to the position of general assignment reporter in the Features Department. The Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News employees engaged in a strike against Gannett and Knight-Ridder newspaper chains beginning in July of 1995. Creager was working part-time when the strike began because she had four young children at home. Full-time reporters were called back to work after the strike effectively ended in February of 1997 with the unions' unconditional offer to return, but Creager's part-time position had been eliminated. In early 1998, Creager applied to return as a full-time reporter when a position opened in the Features Department; she returned to work nearly three years after the strike began. As of 2012, Creager continues as a reporter for the Features Department at the Detroit Free Press.

The Ellen Creager Papers document the strike from its beginning on July 13, 1995 until December, 1996, before the unions voted to return to work. Materials include news clippings, strike handbills and flyers, publication copies of The Detroit Sunday Journal and The Alliance, interview notes, correspondence, and hand-made picket signs.

Nancy E. Dunn Papers

drice — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 16:41:54 -0500

Nancy E. Dunn, a Detroit Free Press copy editor and journalist, was heavily involved during the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News newspaper strike in the 1990s. Dunn not only participated on the picket line, but also acted as a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Council of Newspaper Unions. The Nancy E. Dunn Papers document the strike/lockout from its inception in July 1995 through December 2000. Documents include administrative and audiovisual materials that reflect the strikers’ activities. These consist of court documents, correspondence, labor issues, status reports, newspaper clippings, and associated labor unions.

Newspaper Guild Local 22: Detroit Records

drice — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 11:55:21 -0500

The Newspaper Guild, a national organization, initially began with the intent to be a professional organization more than a union. As such, the 1933 founders chose to call the group a “guild.” The Newspaper Guild Local 22 was an early local, established in 1934. Organizers were successful in establishing this local in Detroit by using sit-down strikes across the entire state. The Detroit Times and the Detroit Free Press were first to win bargaining recognition: The Times was first certified 1938 and the Free Press in 1939. Some members from the Detroit News enlisted but the News largely avoided organization by matching fringe and pay gains as the Times and Free Press won them through negotiations. When the Guild affiliated with the CIO in 1937, many members dropped out of the guild because they did not want to be part of a union. In the next thirty years the local saw its membership fluctuate. UAW and Michigan Catholic publishing employees swelled the ranks in the 1940s, but later the guild lost 400 members when the News bought the Times in 1959. Employees from the Pontiac Press, Royal Oak Daily Tribune, and Macomb Daily joined the guild in the 1960s and 1970s, but simultaneously Oakland Press and Mellus members left after lengthy strikes in the 1970s. The local also dealt with upheaval in the newspaper business during a downturn in the late 1980s. Most significantly, the News and Free Press filed a joint operations agreement, sharing space and equipment to ease some of the financial burden.

Part 1 of the Detroit Newspaper Guild papers reflect the local's activities and organization, as well as include documentation of the American Newspaper Guild.

Part 2 consist of materials related to the organization and activities of the local in Detroit. The bulk of the collection consists of papers from the daily operation of the guild, including board and general meetings, contracts, elections, bargaining and negotiations, Page One events, and locally held national conventions. Other widely covered topics include strikes and lockouts and the Joint Operations Agreement. Strike and lockout materials begin with the strike and lockout in 1962 and ending with the 1995 Detroit Newspapers strike. Joint Operations materials cover all facets of the agreement between the Detroit News and
Free Press from the late 1980s.

Ralph Orr Papers

aorchard — Mon, 24 Apr 2017 12:10:19 -0400

Ralph Orr was the labor writer for the Detroit Free Press, a position he held until his retirement in 1985. Two of his primary focuses over the years were the UAW and the Teamsters, particularly the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa, for which he became the journalistic voice of authority. The materials in Ralph Orr Papers are primarily Orr's research materials on Hoffa and his disappearance, including interview transcripts, notes, clippings, and correspondence as well as drafts of Orr's articles. The collection also contains 5 audio cassettes, three of which feature Orr on the radio program, "Spotlight on the News."

Thomas Bernick Papers

aorchard — Mon, 16 Feb 2015 15:09:42 -0500

Thomas Bernick was a journalist and active protester of The Detroit Newspaper Strike, which began on July 13, 1995 and lasted until 2000. An estimated 2,000 to 2,500 workers from six local unions joined the strike and participated in the lengthy battle against the Detroit News and the Detroit Free Press in the courtroom. Battle outside the courtroom took place as well, with protesters making numerous reports of violence by a private security firm and the Sterling Heights Police Department. Journalists fought back by creating their own paper in 1996, the Detroit Sunday Journal. The Journal achieved a circulation of 300,000 in its first year and was widely hailed for reporting throughout its run, which ended in 1999.

In 1997, the unions ordered an unconditional return to work, but the newspapers chose to keep their replacement workers on staff, stating they would only hire strikers as positions opened up. The strike finally came to an end in 2000, but many of the strikers did not return to work for the newspapers, and the circulation of both the Detroit News and the Detroit Free Press was greatly reduced from that of the 1980s and early 1990s.

The Thomas Bernick Papers contains court documents, meeting materials, photocopies of articles about the strike, and a full series of the Alliance Strike Bulletin, a newspaper run by the Metropolitan Council of Newspaper Unions. Additionally, this collection holds correspondence, circulation numbers, strike-related periodicals, and meeting materials for the Workers Justice Committee, as well as many of the flyers and pamphlets distributed throughout the strike, both for and against it.

Exhibit Announcement: Tony Spina Photographs from the 1967 Civil Unrest

eclemens — Tue, 25 Apr 2017 19:18:44 -0400

Visit the Reuther Library's Woodcock Wing gallery now through winter 2017 for an exhibition of previously unpublished photographs of Detroit's 1967 Civil Unrest by preeminent photojournalist, Tony Spina. read more »

On Display: Michigan Labor Actions case exhibit

eclemens — Fri, 06 Jun 2025 09:33:21 -0400

Michigan Labor Actions case exhibit
February 10, 2025 – July 3, 2025

Come by the library and explore our latest case exhibit, Michigan Labor Actions. This display features photographs, ephemera, and artifacts from our collections that highlight key collective actions in Michigan’s labor history. Events showcased include the Copper Country Strike (1913), Studebaker Strike (1913), Ford Hunger March (1932), Flint Sit-Down Strike (1937), UFW Grape Boycotts (1970s), D.R.U.M. Wildcat Strikes (1970s), P.A.T.C.O. Strike (1981), and the Detroit Newspaper Strike (1995–1997). read more »

Stories from the Collections: The last portraits of Jimmy Hoffa

eclemens — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 15:30:32 -0400

On the morning of July 30, 1975, Tony Spina, the Chief Photographer for the Detroit Free Press, had no idea that a routine assignment would connect him to one of the defining mysteries of the late 20th century: the disappearance of former Teamsters president Jimmy Hoffa. read more »

"Last Pictures of Jimmy Hoffa," proof sheet, 1975

eclemens — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 14:31:09 -0400

Negatives taken by Free Press photographer Tony Spina of Jimmy Hoffa on the morning of Hoffa's disappearance.

(32615) Newspaper strike picket line

gstrassel — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 16:14:50 -0500

New Voice rally with Sweeney and Teamsters at the Detroit Free Press strike in the spring of 1995.

SEIU Local 79 members picketing the Detroit Free Press in downtown Detroit.

(32616) Newspaper strike picket line

gstrassel — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 16:21:19 -0500

John Sweeney picketing the Detroit Free Press in downtown Detroit with members of the Newspaper Guild of Detroit Local 22, SEIU Local 79, and Teamsters Local 372 in 1995.

(32617) New Voice rally

gstrassel — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 16:27:47 -0500

New Voice rally with Sweeney and Teamsters at Detroit Free Press strike, 1995.

John Sweeney addressing demonstrators in support of striking Detroit News and Detroit Free Press employees in Detroit, Michigan.

(32618) New Voice rally

gstrassel — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 16:31:20 -0500

New Voice rally with Sweeney and Teamsters at Detroit Free Press strike, 1995.

Richard Trumka, Linda Chavez-Thompson, and John Sweeney walking with Detroit newspaper strikers.

(32619) New Voice rally

gstrassel — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 16:34:07 -0500

New Voice rally with Sweeney and Teamsters at Detroit Free Press strike, 1995.

Richard Trumka, Linda Chavez-Thompson, and John Sweeney walking with Detroit newspaper strikers.

(32620) New Voice rally

gstrassel — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 16:37:04 -0500

New Voice rally with Sweeney and Teamsters at Detroit Free Press strike, 1995.

Richard Trumka addressing demonstrators in support of striking Detroit News and Detroit Free Press employees.

(32621) New Voice rally

gstrassel — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 16:40:09 -0500

New Voice rally with Sweeney and Teamsters at Detroit Free Press strike, 1995.

Filmmaker Michael Moore at newspaper strike demonstration.

(32622) New Voice rally

gstrassel — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 16:43:27 -0500

New Voice rally with Sweeney and Teamsters at Detroit Free Press strike, 1995.

John Sweeney addressing demonstrators in support of striking Detroit News and Detroit Free Press employees.

(35774) Riots, Rebellions, 12th Street, 1967

eclemens — Tue, 09 May 2017 13:22:07 -0400

Keeping their distance, police attempt to disperse crowds on 12th Street during the first day of the civil unrest.

Image courtesy of the Tony Spina Photographs.

(35775) Riots, Rebellions, 12th Street, 1967

eclemens — Tue, 09 May 2017 13:22:07 -0400

Crowds fill Detroit's 12th Street during the first day of the Civil Unrest.

Image Courtesy of the Tony Spina Photographs.

(35776) Riots, Rebellions, 12th Streets, 1967

eclemens — Tue, 09 May 2017 13:22:07 -0400

A group of men and children run down 12th Street during the first day of the civil unrest.

Image Courtesy of the Tony Spina Photographs.

(35777) Riots, Rebellions, National Guard, Patrols, 1967

eclemens — Tue, 09 May 2017 13:22:07 -0400

National Guardsmen move in formation as they accompany police officers on patrol near Linwood Street.

Image Courtesy of the Tony Spina Photographs.

(35780) Riots, Rebellions, Police, Neighborhood Patrols, 1967