Today in Labor History May 29, 1941: Animators working for Walt Disney begin a five-week strike for recognition of their union, the Screen Cartoonists’ Guild. Disney’s initial response was to fire them. However, the union held fast and ultimately prevailed, winning union recognition. Still, dozens of Disney’s best animators left for good, joining other studios or, as in the case of Hank Ketchum (creator of Dennis the Menace), starting their own studio, United Productions. At the time of the strike, the Disney animators were working on Dumbo. The clowns in the film were a caricature of strikers, when they “hit the big boss for a raise.”
