The Rouge River complex was made famous in labor history as the site of the Battle of the Overpass. The Battle of the Overpass was an incident on May 26, 1937, in which labor organizers from the United Auto Workers, UAW (including Walter Reuther) clashed with Ford Motor Company security forces under the command of Harry Bennett. His forces were determined to break up the UAW at the River Rouge Plant complex in Dearborn, Metro-Detroit, Michigan. The headlines of the beaten and bloodied union leaders tipped public opinion toward the UAW and eventually Ford Motor Company had to come to the bargaining table. S258