Genora Albro was born on April20, 1913. She grew up in
Flint, Michigan, and went to
Flint Central High School. She married Kermit Johnson, who then was a factory worker at
General Motors, in 1930. Worker complaints at the time included soaring temperatures in the factory, threats of being fired, long shifts, and
sexual harassment of women. On the night of January11, 1937, Dollinger organized the Emergency Brigade to protect strikers inside the factory, Liz Svoboda states that the all-female Emergency Brigade "immediately distinguished itself as an organization of women uninterested in domestic responsibilities", and adds that Genora "said that she would not use the word women in the title of the brigade lest someone thought they were there to feed and cloth[e], not fight in the streets. The women of the EB carried bats, cudgels, chains, and whips under long winter coats. They wore matching red berets and armbands to stand out in crowds and promote solidarity". The strike "crippled" GM, and the company's eventual settlement was considered a critical victory for the
United Auto Workers labor union. Later investigation by Senator
Estes Kefauver determined that corporate leaders hired the
Mafia to attack Dollinger along with other UAW officials. ==Death and legacy==