At the end of World War I[1] longshoremen in the United States were either unorganized or represented by company unions. Conditions were brutal: long hours, unreasonably heavy loads and subjective hiring practices.
Harry Bridges was an Australian merchant marine who came to San Francisco in 1920 and became a longshoreman. Refusing to become a member of the company union, Bridges joined the San Francisco branch of the fledgling International Longshoremen Association (ILA), ultimately becoming its leading voice. Because of this he was blacklisted from working on the docks. But the ILA gained momentum in 1933 when the National Industrial Recovery Act gave workers the right to unionize. The ILA began distributing a newsletter, The Waterfront Worker, printing accounts of the grueling work pace, abusive bosses, and unsafe working conditions. Bridges led a successful five day strike against Matson Shipping[2] that resulted in the rehiring of four longshoremen who had been fired for wearing ILA buttons. In 1934, along with activists in the other major West Coast ports, Bridges organized a coast-wide strike. On May 9th, 12,000 longshoremen walked off the job. Sailors joined them two days later, and within a week no ships were sailing in or out of the Pacific seaboard.
On Tuesday July 3rd, police assisted strike breakers in reopening the San Francisco port. Acrimony between the strikers and the police grew as the day progressed. July 4th was a national holiday but, on July 5th, now known as Bloody Thursday, police again aided strikebreakers in trucking cargo through the picket line. That afternoon, police and strikers clashed at ILA offices at Steuart and Mission. Police used tear gas and ultimately began firing directly into the crowd. Two men were killed and 67 were wounded.
On July 9th, thousands of strikers, along with their families and sympathizers, marched down Market Street[2A] in a funeral procession for the two men killed. This led to local unions voting for a general strike in support of the longshoremen. The general strike lasted for four days and crippled the City. On July 16th, Mayor Angelo Rossi declared a State of Emergency and Governor Frank Merriam deployed The National Guard. On July 19th the General Strike Committee and the ILA, over Bridges’ strong objections, agreed to arbitration. General strike workers returned to work the next day, with longshoremen returning to work the following week.
On October 12, 1934 the arbitration ruling was announced. The West Coast longshoremen unionized, got a raise and a 6 hour day/30 hour work week, and were given the power to hire.
In 1937 Bridges established the International Longshoremen and Warehouse Union (ILWU) to include all dock workers, which he led for the next forty years. He was featured on the cover of Time Magazine but was hated by local businessmen. It was rumored that these businessmen considered hiring a hit man to get rid of Bridges; however, they ultimately opted to get Bridges deported instead. In 1939 the House of Un-American Activites (HUAC)[3] held a hearing at the Angel Island Immigration Station[4], where Bridges was accused of being a Communist. He was acquitted when no evidence was presented to show that he was affiliated with a Communist organization. In 1945, when Bridges became a naturalized citizen, he was tried and convicted for lying on his application about having ties to the Communist Party. His lawyer was also imprisioned for alleging government corruption. The case was appealed, and in 1953 Bridges was released from prison when the Supreme Court overturned the decision.
Harry Bridges died in San Francisco on March 30, 1990 at age 88. On July 28, 2001 the City dedicated the plaza that separates the Ferry Building[5] from Market Street as the Harry Bridges Plaza (a popular skateboarding hangout). The two 65-foot concrete light cannons in this plaza were designed by the ROMA Design Group and can project beams of light into the sky, though they are rarely used.
All West Coast ports close every July 5th to commemorate the loss of life during the 1934 Longshoremen’s Strike.
[1] World War I: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=4079
[2] Matson Shipping: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=3803
[2A] Market Street: story coming July 26th [3] HUAC: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=4996[4] Angel Island: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=3487
[5] Ferry Building: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=5219
