The strike lasted until 1941, when Kohler Company suddenly 'settled' to participate in government war contracts during WWII.
Gary C. KleinSheboygan Press
KOHLER – Two men were killed and more than 40 were injured when special Kohler deputies tried to break up a coal car blockade on the 11th day of the 1934 Kohler strike, according to the July 28, 1934, edition of the Sheboygan Press.
The deaths happened when the special deputies broke through the strike line.
The dead men were Lee Wakefield, 25, and Henry Engelmann, 27. The Press reported Wakefield had a rifle bullet through his chest that was removed from the back and Engelmann was shot through his back and abdomen. According to the Wakefield family, Lee Wakefield was employed by Leverenz Shoe Company and was an innocent spectator at the strike location.
Other striker injuries ranged from bruises to broken bones to gunshot wounds, the Press reported.
In the 1930s, because of the Great Depression, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in his first 100 days created New Deal legislation that included the federal National Industrial Recovery Act. The legislation made it easier for employees to win labor representation, according to Wisconsin Labor History.
Kohler employees received their charter for their union with the American Federation of Labor in August 1933. Kohler responded by creating the Kohler Workers Association a month later.
The strike started in mid-July 1934 because of a representation battle between the workers Federal Labor Union No. 18545 and the Kohler Company's created rival union, the Kohler Workers Association. The rival union was one of the many ways Kohler used to delay negotiating with the employees at the time. Well-known labor negotiator Father J.W. McGuire was called in to help settle the dispute.
Following the deaths of the two strikers, reactions were swift.
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Both sides called for state troops to be summoned, the Press reported. The 105th Cavalry was called in after Sheriff ErnestZehms dispatched the following telegram to Gov. Albert Schmedeman:
"I hereby notify you that armed rioters, resisting execution of the laws of this state and of the United States, have destroyed property, injured people and assaulted offices of the law in and about Kohler, an incorporated village in the county of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and they are continuing to do so.
"The situation has developed beyond the power of myself and the local authorities to control. I, the sheriff of Sheboygan County, do therefore make application for the support and assistance of the National Guard, or such part thereof as you may deem necessary, together with other aid and assistance as the state may be able to render the enforcement of the law. Action is urgent."
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The Press reported that the Friday, July 27, 1934, battle happened so quickly it was confusing to strikers because of the firing of tear gas bombs, blank cartridges and actual bullets. The Press reported many were not aware where the shooting actually took place. It was reported the shootings took place on the village's north side around 9 p.m.
The sounds of breaking glass at the Kohler plant were said to have started the event. Every window in the south foundry was shattered. The crowd then headed north toward the employment building, which also housed the Kohler clinic. The smashed employment building windows also damaged the clinic. Then, the crowd went to the Kohler office building, hurling stones and rocks at the nearby pumping house with little effect. Street lamps were smashed with rocks. Many windows were smashed during the disturbance, including those of the main Kohler office complex.
The following Monday, July 30, 1934, the funeral was held for Henry Engelmann in Sheboygan. Lines stretched down the center of Eighth Street to Ballhorn Funeral Chapels for Engelmann.
The next day, July 31, 1934, throngs of people arrived for an outdoor funeral at Moose Park for Lee Wakefield. Wakefield's casket was viewed by thousands during the event.
Later that year in September, the Press reported seven doctors testified at the inquest held for Wakefield. A few days later, separate juries determined no one person could be attributed for the deaths of both Wakefield and Engelmann, the Press reported.
According to Wisconsin Labor History, the strike carried on until 1941, when the Kohler Company suddenly “settled” because the company wanted to participate in the government war contracts during World War II.
It would not be the last strike at Kohler during the 20th century. A strike 20 years down the road in 1954 would become known as one of the longest in the history of organized labor.
Gary C. Klein can be reached at 920-453-5149 orgklein@gannett.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at@leicaman99. Check out his other work atwww.sheboyganpress.com/staff/4383066002/gary-c-klein/.
