On this Labor Day, it is good time to recall the demise of Midwest manufacturing. A prime example would be the International Harvester Company.
The biggest part of International Harvester's business for decades was medium and heavy- duty trucks. Other products included agricultural machinery, earth-moving equipment for the construction industry, and turbine-driven compressors, generators and pumps for the energy business
After a 172 day strike in 1979-80, they encountered economic difficulties and cut back their manufacturing.
In 1982 the company sold most of its construction equipment business.
In 1985 they disposed most of their farm equipment line to Tenneco Inc. Under the terms of the sale, they had to change their name to Navistar International Corporation.
One of Harvester's plants was in Richmond, Indiana. Due in part to the strike, the Richmond factories were closed. Today they are used as warehouses for other manufacturers.
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