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THE YEAR 1933 In the year, 1933, the depression that began in
1929 hit the nation with full impact. West Coast longshoremen, who had
long suffered their own special kind of depression, had only deeper
woes. Genuine union organization became a matter of living or dying and
they had only misery to lose. For one hundred years, American labor
unions were crushed as a regular order of business. But, there was more
than a mere stirring among these longshoremen. Out of this era came an
upsurge of union spirit rarely seen in the history of the labor
movement. Prior to 1934, labor relations on the waterfront
were not those of employer and employee, but of masters and slaves. The
men were basically unorganized and members of the employer controlled
blue book union. Some men worked far beyond their strength in order to
support their families; others were unable to get enough work to support
themselves. Longshoremen were hired on the docks; and the Embarcadero in
San Francisco was termed "The Slave Mart". Men would hang
around all day, many times in the rain, and then received two or three
hours work in the late afternoon if they received anything at all. The
speed up system prevailed and after a man deposited a load he was
supposed to run back for the next one. Men literally dropped dead of
heart failure under the strain and others worked themselves to the point
of continuous exhaustion. Safety was non-existent. Loads were limited
only by the capacity of the boards, nets and the boom that lifted them.
Accidents of the most horrible nature were commonplace. But these were the favored few- men who were chosen
first when jobs were given out and were sometimes required to work up to
30 hours at a time without sleep. They were the men adversity had
transformed into 'yes' men and the 'me too boss' type of worker. They
paid kickbacks to the hiring boss for the privilege of working
themselves to death white the majority were reduced to casual workers. A
longshoreman's weekly average in San Pedro was $10.45. Usually a day was
spent going from dock to dock to collect their pay. One must understand that these men were largely
first or second-generation immigrants, hard workingmen who were
accustomed to the sting of oppression's whip. But even these iron-willed
workers could not continue under such harsh conditions. Early in June of 1933, the movement to organize a
coast wide rank and file controlled union was put into motion. Months of
negotiations with the employers and their Marine Services Bureau proved
fruitless. Finally on May 9, 1934, the longshoremen on the West Coast,
in unison, struck for recognition of their union, the rank and file
control of hiring, a wage increase, and a general improvement of
conditions. By May 11,1934, 1900-miles of Pacific Coast line from Canada
to Mexico was tied-up. Almost immediately the striking longshoremen were
under attack. Skirmishes up and down the Coast were almost a daily
occurrence. As they sought in concert to better their conditions,
political hands turned against them. Blacklists, arrests, beatings/and
police bullets were common. The ship owners spread falsehoods and
propaganda through the media. But the carefully coordinated coastwise
strike machinery prevented the kind of divisive employer tactics that
had wiped out the longshore locals one by one between 1919 and 1923. Their game did not work because the rank and file
had its eye on the ball and would not be diverted. The people in the
communities generally supported the strikers and many merchants carried
these men and their families through the 81 -day strike. On May 15, 1934, the first serious clash occurred.
300 pickets marched down the Wilmington- San Pedro Road and down Neptune
to the Grace Line stockade at Berth 145, where a ship was being unloaded
by scabs. They were met by hundreds of police, armed guards and
strikebreakers. It was not long before the guards fired tear gas into
the crowd. As the strikers broke through the barricade they were met by
a hail of gunfire from the combined forces. Seven longshoremen were
shot, 2 mortally. Scores were injured but no police or strikebreakers
were shot. Shooting and beatings escalated up and down the
Coast and finally culminated with the Bloody Thursday massacre in San
Francisco. The Mayor stated the port would be opened at 8:00 A.M.
Thursday, July 5, 1934. As the picket lines formed at the Embarcadero
that morning they were met by nearly 800 policemen hefting riot sticks,
sawed-off shot guns and tear gas grenades. At 8:00 A.M. promptly, the
police went into action, hurling tear gas into the crowd. What followed
was hand-to-hand combat that left the street littered with fallen
bodies. The strikers retreated up into the city and back to
the Union Hall on Stuart Street where the hottest battle took place.
Scores were gassed, clubbed and shot.
Two longshoremen were killed and over 100 were hospitalized; A
far larger number were injured but escaped or were carried away by
friends since going to the hospital meant an automatic arrest. Many innocent by-standers were injured by policemen
and in support of the longshoremen, the citizens of San Francisco staged
a three-day general strike whereas commerce came to a complete halt.
This action forced a settlement through the President's Mediation Board
and the majority of the Union's demands were met; Today, we honor our Brothers up and down the coast
who made the supreme sacrifice in our behalf! Nicholas Brodoise and
Howard Sperry, San Francisco; Shelvy Daffron, H. Holland and B.
Lindberg, Seattle, Washington; Richard Parker and John Knudson, San
Pedro. They were told they were revolutionist and
revolutionists they were because they dreamed of improvements. Such
improvements as equal opportunity of earnings fair hiring without
kickbacks, decent wages and shorter hours, vacations, holidays, health
and dental care, pensions and job security, to walk like a man with
dignity in the community and in front of the boss. This is not the end. The pursuit of happiness is
without end. The revolutionary dreams of today will be the realities of
tomorrow, to be succeeded by more dreams and more realities. The motion
of the I.L.W.U. is forward!! (Facts and accounts gathered from the ILWU Library;
The Big Strike by Mike Quinn and The ILWU Story.) Written by: Charlie Enstedt, Local 13 opeiu #537 / Ip |
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