Friday June 11

Midnight
UAW-CIO of Pontiac order a "labor holiday" and ask for men to go to Monroe. Monroe feels the UAW-CIO are bent on reprisals for breaking up the picket line. Afternoon shift Newton workers remain in the plant at midnight. Too many rumors. With the midnight shift there are over 500.

12:16 a.m.
Bulletin from the Associated Press says that Local 169 UAW in Pontiac is organizing a march on Monroe. Governor Murphy calls Chief Fisher and tells him that the UAW are mobilizing all over the state and there looks like trouble. Legionnaires, Special Police are now armed by the city.

12:30 a.m.
City Police, Special Police and Legionaries are mobilized to guard and blockade Elm Avenue and N. Monroe Street, then Front Street. They would alternate between Monroe and Front all night. 50 are manning this location. State Police are not in evident. Some are only answering routine night calls.

1:30 a.m.
First cars show up in Monroe from Pontiac, escorted out of Monroe. All cars were stopped and thoroughly searched. Any objections or "made an uncomplimentary remark" were meet with fists. 200 cars containing UAW members from Oakland County stop on Telegraph Road by Ready Roads and line both sides of the road. Await further instructions.

2:25 a.m.
UAW president Martin calls the Flat Rock Post of the State Police and asks them to tell the 200 cars to go back to Pontiac. (The Police do not. They are not notified through proper channels and not ordered to do so.) Additional UAW cars begin to stage on Auburn Avenue in Pontiac for the formal drive to Monroe.

4:00 a.m.
With information about the 200 cars on Telegraph, City parks 3 trucks across Monroe Street allowing only a width of one car to pass through. Weapons are found in one car. Occupants are from the Fisher Body plant in Flint.

4:30 a.m.
Martin calls State Police again asking them to turn the cars back. They do. They find 3-4 men in each car and when told that Martin has instructed them to go back, the occupants were noticeably relieved.

5:00 a.m.
Mayor Knaggs orders an official Police investigation of the McDonald beating. Before daybreak, Martin travels to Pontiac from Detroit after being requested to the Fisher plant by the plant manager after UAW members dump a non-union worker up to is feet into a 40 gallon vat of a tar-like substance for not joining their union.

While in Pontiac, he persuades the local not to send members to Monroe. He sends a delegation of 25 to persuade the members around Monroe to return to Pontiac. The sole purpose of the 'labor holiday' is to send all the men to Monroe. He calls it off. By daybreak, six cars from Oakland County have been impounded, with 20 UAW members in jail. Another CIO member was in jail for having an illegal iron ring. 2 men were in jail awaiting further investigation for being 'in the wrong place at the wrong time.' Neither believed connected with the events in Monroe.

Morning
Calm returns with daylight. Shift change at Newton steel plant with no problems. Martin returns to Detroit. Only the Fisher plant remains closed. Governor Murphy asks the UAW not to have any reprisals against Monroe. Workers at Pittsburgh Steel vote overwhelmingly for the CIO. Cars are no longer stopped entering Monroe.

Noon
McDonald reported in fair condition in the Women's and Children's Hospital in Toledo. Injuries to nose and face.

Afternoon
UAW Martin calls for a mass protest in Monroe Sunday afternoon. Mayor Knaggs questions the wisdom of the mass meeting, but believes in free speech and free assembly so will permit it as long as the site is well removed from the picket area. Governor Murphy agrees. Union leaders say it will be 'peaceful' The Governor says, "There won't be any trouble in Monroe, we will see to that."