On April 1934, Pollock became a leader in the bitter and violent strike by automobile parts workers at the Electric Auto-Lite plant in Toledo. Pollock and fellow League organizer Ted Selander essentially ran the strike along with AWP leader Louis Budenz. They helped plan mass marches which forced the plant to close. When a local court judge issued an injunction limiting the number of picketers, Pollock and Selander wrote a letter to the judge declaring that the Lucas County Unemployed League would "deliberately and specifically violate the injunction enjoining us from sympathetically picketing peacefully in support of the striking auto workers' federal union." Pollock was arrested and convicted for picketing in violation of the court injunction on May 7, but his sentence was suspended. He was arrested again on May 11, but released by the court without any decision in his case. The strike erupted in rioting on May 23. Pollock played a significant, but minor part in the negotiations which helped end the strike on June 2, 1934. After the strike, Pollock lost his job and was blacklisted for his activities on behalf of the union.