DERBY – The 1936 Remington-Rand strike in Middletown, a pivotal event in modern labor history, will be the subject of a talk by labor history specialist Anson Smith May 2 at the Derby Neck Library. “The strike saw the company introduce a draconian strikebreaking plan called the Mohawk Valley Formula, which used a combination of traditional bare-knuckle strikebreaking tactics and emerging science of propaganda to break the strike,” Smith said. “It also saw a small-business association, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), pick up the plan, and introduce it nationally. In the hands of others, it would leave many dead and wounded in its wake.” NAM would use the formula’s use of propaganda as the model for a national effort to battle unions; the National Labor Relations Act, and the New Deal itself, Smith said. That battle, as evidenced by Republican assault on unions in recent years, Romney-Ryan campaign and recent attacks on Social Security by both parties, continues today, he said. Smith, public relations coordinator for Housatonic Community College, is a former news reporter who has taught history and journalism.at HCC. He also serves as statewide Political Action Committee Chairman for the Congress of Connecticut Community Colleges, a faculty and professional staff union, and is a member of both its executive board and legislative affairs committee. He also serves on the executive board of the Greater New Haven Labor History Association. A Wallingford resident, Smith has done extensive research on the subject. The talk will begin at 6:30 p.m. The library is located at 307 Hawthorne Ave Derby, CT.
