Mohawk Valley formula
| Company type | Company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Manufacturing |
| Headquarters | Ilion , United States |
Key people | James Rand, Jr. (president during 1936–1937) |
The Mohawk Valley formula refers to a strikebreaking method credited to James Rand, Jr., who was the president of the Remington Rand company during the 1936–1937 Remington Rand strike in Ilion, New York.
This tactic includes undermining union leadership, using police forces and vigilantes to intimidate picketers, creating "loyal employee" groups aimed at swaying public sentiment, securing workplaces against disruption, hiring replacement laborers, and threatening to shut down operations if work does not recommence.
The strikes were forcefully suppressed by Remington Rand, as upheld by a decision from the National Labor Relations Board. This formula is also associated with strikebreaker Pearl Bergoff and his so-called "Bergoff technique." Both Rand and Bergoff encountered federal charges due to their involvement.
Noam Chomsky characterizes this formula as a transition from overt violent tactics to a more "scientific" propaganda strategy. It positions management as embodying "Americanism" while depicting labor activism as unpatriotic, encouraging workers to support management as an expression of national loyalty.
Elements of the formula
Outlined by the National Labor Relations Board:
- Discredit union officials by branding them as "agitators" and falsely portraying strikers as a small faction through foremen-controlled voting; assemble local commercial stakeholders into a "Citizens' Committee".
- Invoke appeals to "law and order" to legitimize deploying legal authorities and police against strikers while disregarding workers' equal protections.
- Conduct large public gatherings to mobilize community opposition and reinforce the Citizens' Committee.
- Deploy an extensive police force—including local officers, state police, vigilantes, and special deputies—to intimidate striking workers.
- Establish a controlled "back-to-work" group composed of loyal employees aimed at undermining striker morale.
- Announce a plant reopening date based on requests from this controlled group once sufficient replacement laborers are prepared.
- Organize a high-profile plant reopening escorted by armed law enforcement personnel to maximize psychological pressure.
- Maintain ongoing intimidation through visible shows of force, which may include barricading facilities.
- Finalize with media coverage portraying the plant as fully operational and depicting strikers as a disruptive minority, signaling the strike’s failure.
A more comprehensive description was published in The Nation in 1937.