The Seattle ILA leadership opposed the strike, and stood aside while strikebreakers worked the port. Thus the killing of the two San Francisco strikers aroused a massive outpouring of sympathy with the strikers. why the employers hysteria? The bolshevized socialism of the thirties rarely was successful in penetrating the rank-and-file of the workers movements and the new unions, never in the long run. [43] The Alameda County Central Labor Council in Oakland considered the same action. The picketers pulled back, unwilling to take on armed soldiers in an uneven fight, and trucks and trains began moving without interference. The Bridges story is well-known. [52], The strike lasted four days. The union negotiated a groundbreaking agreement in 1960 that permitted the extensive mechanization of the docks, significantly reducing the number of longshore workers in return for generous job guarantees and benefits for those displaced by the changes. Gender Pay Gap, It was, however, more far-seeing than the industrialists, who, in any event, opposed it all, that is, the unions, the New Deal, the reorganization of American capitalism. While ZipRecruiter is seeing hourly wages as high as $61.78 and as low as $8.89, the majority of Longshoremen wages currently range between $15.14 (25th percentile) to $30.77 (75th percentile) across the United States. 1935 ILA charters Puget Sound Walking Bosses as Local 38-114. San Francisco and its waterfront is a place that welcomes everyone, celebrates diversity, and measures its success by how its services and governance champion equity. Contact Info ILWU Local 63 In protest of the Iraq War, the ILWU encouraged longshore workers to "shut down all West Coast ports" by walking off the job on May 1, 2008, to "make May Day a 'No Peace, No Work' holiday." Teamsters followed suit in Seattle, Oakland and Los Angeles; with that the prospect of success with strikebreakers vanished. The strikers charged the police lines, only to be driven back by tear-gas and then live ammunition. Organized by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), the strike peaked with the death of two workers on "Bloody Thursday" and the San Francisco General Strike which stopped all work in the major port city for four days and led ultimately to the settlement of the West Coast Longshoremen's Strike. The Division is governed by the LongshoreCaucus, a representative body of longshore workers,clerks and foremen elected by the membership. The Coast Longshore Division of the ILWU forms the core of the union and is comprised of 30 locals, divided among longshore workers, clerks and foremen. [7], The Communist Party had also been active in the area in the late 1920s, seeking to organize all categories of maritime workers into a single union, the Marine Workers Industrial Union (MWIU), as part of the drive during the Third Period to create revolutionary unions. And, they occupy, still, a strategic, highly sensitive position in the worlds commerce, a link in a multinational chain that promises its customers not just transportation, but fast, on time delivery. His entangled, problematic relationship with the Communist Party often defined him, fairly and unfairly. Visit the Harbor Worksource Center in Downtown San Pedro for more information. Hobsbawn, is filled with dramatic events and personalitiesgreat triumphs as well as tragic defeats the longshoremen are powerful workers. The 1934 longshoremens strike was a display of this, and it was above all a great triumph. Properly understood, the San Francisco General Strike and the uprising on the Pacific Coast needs placing in this history, but also in the tradition of syndicalism, that is, the tradition of direct action, mass movements, immigrant strikes, labor wars and rank-and-file rebellions that have repeatedly exploded the conservatism and complaisance of this country. [15] On the 17th the police arrested more than 300 "radicals, subversives, and communists" while systematically smashing furniture and equipment of organizations related to the strike; the same day, General Hugh S. Johnson as head of the National Recovery Administration spoke at UC Berkeley to denounce the general strike as "a menace to the government". The Central Labor Council passed a resolution condemning communists among the maritime strikers. [20] The employers recruited strikebreakers, housing them on moored ships or in walled compounds and bringing them to and from work under police protection. Could more have been won? The employers shall be free to select their men. The press proclaimed victory and announced the strike over. Profits depended, they explained, on the fast turn-around, but the sea, the tides, and traffic limited planning. [67] Longshoremen also began dictating other terms, fining members who worked more than the ceiling of 120 hours per month, filing charges against a gang boss for "slandering colored brothers" and forcing employers to fire strikebreakers. Non-union truck drivers joined the first day; the movie theaters and night clubs closed down. But above all they demanded the abolition of the hated shape-up and its replacement with a union hiring hall. [10] Harry Bridges, an Australian-born sailor who became a longshoreman after coming to the United States, was repeatedly accused[further explanation needed] for his acknowledged Communist party membership. While food deliveries continued with the permission of the strike committee, many small businesses closed, posting signs in support of the strikers. Bloody Thursday 1934: The Strike that Shook San Francisco and Rocked Longshore Program | U.S. Department of Labor - DOL The 1934 West Coast Waterfront Strike (also known as the 1934 West Coast Longshoremen's Strike, as well as a number of variations on these names) lasted 83 days, and began on May 9, 1934 when longshoremen in every US West Coast port walked out. On the Wednesday, Teamsters packed the Dreamland Auditorium; they ridiculed their president, Michael Casey and chanted, Bridges! Then, on the 28th he announced an agreement, signed by his Pacific Coast officers: disputes over wages and hours would be sent to arbitration. There was little to celebrate. He has not received anything since. [5] Their largest strike, the 1923 San Pedro Maritime Strike, bottled up shipping in that harbor, but was crushed by a combination of injunctions, mass arrests and vigilantism by the American Legion. [3][4] The union has been described as "the aristocrat of the working class" and their members "lords of the docks" for their high pay and power over a choke point of the global economy.[5][3]. [28] By the end of May, Dave Beck, president of the Seattle Teamsters, and Mike Casey, president of those in San Francisco, thought the maritime strike had lasted too long. Box 839, Moorpark, CA 93020. In 1933, however, Bridges was still an independent or independent enough not to join the red Maritime Workers International Union (MWIU). California Longshoreman Describes Record Port Backlog - Business Insider The organization continued to negotiate agreements, with less strife than in the 1930s and 1940s, and Bridges continued to be reelected without serious opposition. Casual longshore workers are the grunts of the local waterfront. They are nearly always employed as part of a labor union, and gaining membership in this union is the crucial step in order to become a longshoreman. Opportunities for All (OFA) provides access to career exploration and workforce development forSan Franciscos youth and young adults. Photo: San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library, Bloody Thursday 1934: The Strike that Shook San Francisco and Rocked the Pacific Coast. Salary ranges can vary widely depending on many important factors, including education, certifications, additional skills, the number of years you have spent in your profession. West Coast dockworkers, members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), face a contract battle this year amid supply chain issues related to the ongoing COVID-19 . Those it did not win outright it gained through hundreds of job actions after the strikers returned to work, as the union gradually wrested control over the pace of work and the employer's power to hire and fire from the shipping and stevedoring companies through the mechanism of hiring halls. [6][7] Union members also engaged in a number of sympathy strikes in support of other maritime unions' demands. [77], Bloody Thursday, a documentary film that told the story of the strike, was broadcast on PBS stations across the nation and was awarded a Los Angeles Area Emmy for best historical film in 2010. One of its jobs is to meet before contract negotiations and develop a list of contract demands and improvements. Wednesday was the Fourth of July; the Association paused, fearing what might happen to the mobs of spectators celebrating along the Embarcadero. Workers providing COVID-19 testing; workers that perform critical clinical research . Over the weekend, the bodies of the two strikers killed lay in state at ILA headquarters where thousands filed by to see and honor them. As of Feb 23, 2023, the average hourly pay for a Longshoremen in the United States is $26.34 an hour. William Crocker, the San Francisco banker was jubilant, Labor is licked. The longshoremen had opposed arbitration; they had little faith in the National Longshoremens Board. 1934 West Coast waterfront strike - Wikipedia Posted: (4 days ago)WebThe International Longshoremen's Association is the largest union of maritime workers in North America, representing upwards of 65,000 longshoremen on the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, Great Lakes, major U.S. Job Description Ilaunion.org JobsView All Jobs STEADY JOB POSTINGS ILWU Local 63 2. Tramp-tram-tramp, grave and grim, on they came, there seemed to be no end to the procession, There was no break in the march; there was no halting or hesitation. That same day, sailors and firemen voted to strike and they were followed by cooks and stewards, then masters, mates and pilots, thus making it a maritime strike. Records Clerk. They returned the tear gas canisters. Longshoremen in San Francisco, then the major port on the coast, were required to go through a hiring hall operated by a company union, known as the "blue book" system for the color of the union's membership book. Briefly, he was a member of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW); by the 1930s he was known as a plain speaking, militant who consistently championed the cause of the rank-and-file longshoremen. was it a communist strike? Longshoremen Hiring List | Now Hiring - CareHealthJobs A number of former IWW members and other militants, such as Harry Bridges, an Australian-born sailor who became a longshoreman after coming to the United States, soon joined the International Longshoremen's Association, when passage of the National Industrial Recovery Act in 1933 led to an explosion in union membership in the ILA among West Coast longshoremen. ILWU members in Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles will remember the 1934 strikers at ceremonies on Saturday, July 5, 2014. is this of any relevance today? [35] As spectators watched from Rincon Hill, the police shot tear gas canisters into the crowd, then followed with a charge by mounted police. Saturdays, Sunday and legal holidays were made overtime days. Local 13. What began as an isolated longshoremen's dispute developed in the spring and summer of 1934 into one of the most sweeping and violent industrial conflicts of the Great Depression. Other Employment | Employment | Port of Los Angeles The Roosevelt administration believed that the chaos of the industrial system had to be reined in, regulated. Your email address will not be published. Today containerized cargo travels across the seas on great ships, then across continents on computer-guided, satellite tracks intermodal rail bridges. An ILWU spokesman said workers were not prepared to become involved because of safety issues related to the size of the demonstration and the heavy police presence. And neither were the other strikes of 1934 revolutionary strikes, even those led by revolutionaries. The San Francisco and Alameda County Central Labor Councils voted to call a general strike in support of the longshoremen, shutting down much of San Francisco and the Bay Area for four days, ending with the union's agreement to arbitrate the remaining issues in dispute. Victory. Roosevelt rejected the suggestion. The employers offered to arbitrate the dispute, but insisted that the union agree to an open shop as a condition of any agreement to arbitrate. By this time even the Teamsters had voted to return. [8] As the union extended membership to more and more workers during the war, it would experience incredible growth. Dockworkers, also known as longshoremen and women, are employed by the International Warehouse and Longshore Union (ILWU). [8] However, "black union members were a minuscule group within the ILWU [leadership] hierarchy", with the few exceptions concentrated in the Oakland locale, which had an even larger black membership than San Francisco. See user submitted job responsibilities for Longshoreman. Harbor Worksource Center 222 West 6th Street, Suite 410 San Pedro, CA 90731 (310) 732-5700 Payroll 310-847-1618. The Council then created a committee of 25 to organize and lead the strike, but comprised of conservatives, all people who had opposed the strike. The Family Dog was a loose collective of free spirits managed by Chet Helms, a contemporary of Bill Graham, who put on rock dances here as well as at other venues. The Family Dog put on concerts here in 1965 featuring The Jefferson Airplane, The Charlatans, The Great Society, Lovin Spoonful and others. Possibly, the strike marked just a first stage of the 1930s rebellion. [20], In 2014, when the Pacific Maritime Association reported that the nationwide average ILWU union member earned $147,000, the Seattle Times found that in 2013 "longshore employees" earned an average of $85,000 in Seattle and $114,000 in Tacoma, while "clerks" earned an average of $153,000 in Seattle and $159,000 in Tacoma, and "foremen" in Seattle and Tacoma averaged $204,000. The International Fishermen and Allied Workers of America joined with the union in the 1950s. They wanted union representation. In the years before the war, they fought incessantly; they detached themselves from the New York gangsters who ran the ILA. Many considered it a defeat. [15] Other eyewitness accounts claim that police officers started shooting in the direction of the strikers, provoking strikers to defend themselves. Day/Night Early; Nightside Final; After hours of wrangling the motion was put: This convention requests all unions which have voted in favor of a general strike to walk out Monday at 8 a.m. and also requests all those unions which have not voted to hold meetings immediately and take action. It passed: 63 in favor, 3 opposed, 49 not voting. The ILWU rejoined the AFLCIO in 1988, and disaffiliated with it in 2013. [61], General Hugh S. Johnson, then head of the National Recovery Administration, gave a speech urging responsible labor leaders to "run these subversive influences out from its ranks like rats". The complete list of California's essential workers - KTVU FOX 2 The additional longshore work produced by the Vietnam War allowed Bridges to meet the challenge by opening up more jobs and making determined efforts to recruit black applicants. [73] The ISU acquired similar authority over hiring, despite the philosophical objection of the union's own officers to hiring halls. If you are using a screen reader or other auxiliary aid and are having problems using this website, please call 866.445.9828 for assistance. The strike would last 83 days. The Northwest Seaport Alliance, Danny Wan, Executive DirectorPort of Oakland, Curtis Robinhold, Executive DirectorPort of Portland, Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress, COVID-19 Pandemic, a Year of Record Highs and Devastating Lows. According to some witnesses, a group of strikers first surrounded a police car and attempted to tip it over, prompting the police to fire shotguns in the air, and then revolvers at the crowd. The agreement, however, highlighted the lesser status that less senior members, known as "B-men," enjoyed. It was established in 1937, after the historic 1934 General Strike and after voting to disaffiliate from the International Longshoremens Association (ILA). "[46] After dozens of Bay Area unions voted for a general strike over the next few days, the San Francisco Labor Council voted on July 14 to call a general strike. They wanted union representation. The strike was not a communist strike, a handful of party members notwithstanding, although cults of Bridges, the union and leadership have distorted this history, exaggerating triumphs and disguising failings. When 500 strikers attacked and tried to set fire to a ship housing strikebreakers in San Pedro, police unsuccessfully tried to stop them with tear gas, then shot into the crowd, killing strikers Dick Parker and John Knudsen. The average Longshoreman salary in San Francisco, CA is $74,578 as of February 27, 2023, but the salary range typically falls between $67,271 and $82,409. [55] When the Labor Council voted to terminate the general strike it also recommended that the unions accept arbitration of all disputed issues. Facilities host training sessions for longshore workers, clerks, and casuals in skills necessary to complete jobs in a productive, safe manner. 7/15/1976 Hot Tuna 2/8/1969 Tim Buckley 2/1/1969 Steve Miller Band 11/4/1968 Grateful Dead 4/9/1967 Big Brother & the Holding Company 3/31/1967 Quicksilver Messenger Service 9/3/1966 Them 10/24/1965 The Charlatans, Longshoremens Hall 400 North Point Street San Francisco CA 94133 415 776-8100, Your email address will not be published. Bridges would become president of the San Francisco ILA in 1935; he helped lead the West Coast longshoremen into the International Longshore and Warehouse Union in 1937, became its first president as well as West Coast chairman of the Congress of Industrial Organizations. Nonetheless, he believes his lottery victory is " a godsend.". Eligiblestudents are encouraged to apply. The Inlandboatmen's Union, whose members operate tugs, barges, passenger ferries and other vessels on the West Coast, and who had formerly been part of the Seafarers International Union of North America, merged with the ILWU in 1980. The longshoremens strike was, however, a radical strike, a very radical strike, a mass strike led by rank-and-file workers, relying, as they so often have, on themselves alone. September 21, 1937 Several picturesque islandsAlcatraz, Treasure Island and the adjacent Yerba Buena Island, and small portions of Alameda Island, Red Rock Island, and Angel Islandare part of the city. . [17] When the conservative ILA leadership negotiated a weak "gentlemen's agreement" with the employers that had been brokered by the mediation board created by the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Bridges led the membership in rejecting it. Longshore Updates. 58, No. [15][73], Sam Kagel, the last surviving member of the original union steering committee, died on May 21, 2007 at the age of 98. The Longshore Contract that resulted from 2002 negotiations expired on July 1, 2008. [70] While the award put the operation of the hall in the hands of a committee of union and employer representatives, the union was given the power to select the dispatcher. The Association formed a trucking company, assembling a fleet of trucks and hiring warehouses, then hiring employees. Almost all else was closed. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1934_West_Coast_waterfront_strike&oldid=1139063938. The struggle, then, had just begun. Offices San Francisco, Los Angeles / Long Beach . Salary range for a Longshoreman $53,657 to $65,734 View average salary for the United States Adjust salary by state Average salary for Longshoreman jobs Read more related jobs [60] A police spokesperson suggested that "maybe the Communists staged the raids themselves for publicity". [4][22][23] In March 2020, the judge reduced the amount to $19 million. Rangers900 3 yr. ago. The ILWU retained San Francisco-based law firm of Gladstein, Andersen, Leonard & Sibbett in its first decades. [22] Strikers also succeeded in slowing down or stopping the movement of goods by rail out of the ports. He is the author ofLabors Civil War in California, (PM Press, 2012 (second edition, revised and expanded), editor of Waterfront Workers, New Perspectives on Race and Class (Illinois, 1998), His latest book is a collection of the writings of Edward Thompson, E.P. San Francisco Steady Skilled Men 196 San Francisco Bay Area Crane Board 198 San Francisco Utility Man/Lift Drivers 198 San Francisco Local 10 Day and Night . [39], Under orders from California Governor Frank Merriam, the California National Guard moved in that evening to patrol the waterfront. The ILWU Coast Longshore Division and its 30 locals in 29 ports from San Diego, California to Bellingham, Washington are working determinedly to navigate this complex and challenging moment on behalf of the more than 20,000 ILWU workers risking their lives to support the economy and ensure the movement of essential goods needed to fight the pandemic. One of the men, Howard Sperry, a striking longshoreman, later died of his wounds. [14], In August 2013, the ILWU disaffiliated from the American Federation of Labor - Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO).
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