Vice President, United Auto Workers

Irving Bluestone

Irving Julius Bluestone (1917–2007) was chief negotiator for almost a half a million workers at General Motors in the 1970s, and an advocate of worker participation in management. He became a protege of Walter Reuther in 1946. Mr. Bluestone was vice president of the UAW’s General Motors department from 1970 to 1980.

In addition to leading GM negotiations, he led strikes at individual plants. Irv Bluestone was the early advocate in the UAW of what the industry called Quality of Worklife programs, in which workers were involved in discussing workplace rules and improving the cars.

Interviewed by Tom Downs
81 minutes, April 22, 1995