FLINT, MI -- One of the last surviving Sit-Down strikers that pushed General Motors to step up to the bargaining table will be laid to rest this week.

Richard Wiecorek died Saturday, Feb. 27 at Regency at Grand Blanc in Grand Blanc Township. He was 99 years old.

Wiecorek had worked at the company's Fisher 1 plant on Saginaw Street for around one year when the strike started at Fisher 2 on Dec. 30, 1936.

The strike began when about 50 men on the body line at Fisher 2 sat down, protesting the transfer of three inspectors who refused to quit the union, according to Flint Journal records.

As the strike dragged on for more than one month, the 20-year-old Wiecorek came down with pneumonia and missed a week of the 44-day strike that ended on Feb. 11, 1937, with the UAW receiving collective bargaining rights from the automotive giant.

"I'm a union man, and that's it," he said in a February 2011 Flint Journal article. "With the union ... you have no fear for being laid-off or fired. You felt some security. You could buy something on time."

"I don't see how people can work without a union," said Wiecorek.

He took to Lansing in December 2012, when Michigan was voting on becoming the 24th right-to-work state in the country that bars unions from requiring workers to pay dues or fees as a condition of employment.

"With right to work, what I do understand, I don't like," said Wiecorek in a December 2012 Flint Journal article. "The union, they do some things wrong, but they do a lot of things right."

Adeline Cox, Wiecorek's daughter, couldn't recall when her dad took more than a week off during the 51 years he worked in the auto industry before retiring in 1986 other than when his father John died.

In the downtime he did take, Cox remembered her father taking in a few games at the old Tigers Stadium and rides up north on cars he worked on, including a 1979 Buick LeSabre which he held in high esteem, and a 1985 Buick LeSabre Wiecorek bought brand new off the line at Fisher Body prior to his retirement.

He became a regular at events later on in life honoring the strike, including White Shirt Day and Labor Day ceremonies, with people offering a handshake and thanks for his efforts.

Cox said her father was never boastful of the attention he received during events, but it provided her a better understanding about the impact he had on making Flint the Vehicle City.

"I thought it was big time," she laughed. Cox believes her father was the last Sit-Down striker to have died, but she was not 100 percent certain of the claim.

Wiecorek kept some plaques from work, including one of himself polishing a part from the line. He kept the piece hung up on the wall at home as a reminder of days gone by at the shop.

"He just liked working," Cox said. "I think he felt thankful for the job."

Richard Wiecorek is survived by daughter Adeline D. Cox; grandchildren, Keith (Bridget) Cox and Richard "Rick" Wiecorek; step-granddaughter, Paula March; great grandchildren, Corbin G. Cox, Courtney and Crystal Wiecorek; and many nieces, nephews and friends.

He was preceded in death by his wife Anna; son, Richard; parents, John and Frances Wiecorek and two brothers and two sisters.

Visitation for Wiecorek is set from 1 p.m.-4 p.m. and 6 p.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday, March 1 at Swartz Funeral Home, 1225 W. Hill Road. A funeral service has been scheduled for 11 a.m. Wednesday, March 2 at the funeral home.

The family has asked contributions be made to the Disabled Veterans of America in lieu of flowers.