Not with a smile

My upcoming column this week in the Smyrna AM addresses the issue of the UAW trying for a third time to unionize the Nissan workers. While I was looking at some old articles online about Smyrna, the union, and Nissan, I came across one that surprised me a good deal.

I was not even living in the state when Nissan came to Smyrna the 1980's. At the time Smyrna only had a census population of 8,839 in 1980. In 2010 the census was at 39,974, so we can easily say it is now 40k plus. That means most of Smyrna was even living here during the ground breaking in 1981.

That also means that so many people cannot know about how troubled that simple ceremony was, and it was not a happy time. The Herald Journal newspaper, and I'm not sure where it is from, goes into detail about the rock throwing, the need for hospital visits, the vandalism and the request by the Smyrna police for extra reinforcements from the county, the state, and even a helicopter flying over head.

Datsun later became Nissan.
Click image for larger version

It is so easy to forget how things went down in the beginning. History is often overlooked and forgotten, even relatively recent history. I read this article and thought the readers of This is Smyrna might find it interesting as most here are post-Nissan residents.