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" 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, ILWU Local 13
Submitted by: Harry Bridges Institute