May 9, 1934: 90 years ago, May 9 1934, 15,000 West Coast longshoremen walked off their [...]

90 years ago, May 9 1934, 15,000 West Coast longshoremen walked off their jobs to demand closed shops and union-controlled hiring halls. Locally, the strike would last into the summer, eventually culminating in the 4-day San Francisco General Strike

The next day, clashes broke out as bosses used armored cars to bring in strikebreakers. The following months saw violence escalate, as workers were beaten and killed, and meeting halls (particularly those associated with the Communist Party) were trashed and closed by police

Throughout the strike, militant rank-and-file workers in the International Longshoremen’s Association & the International Brotherhood of Teamsters refused the settlements their leaders negotiated for them (in the case of the Teamsters, voting to strike over leadership objections)

Workers affiliated with the Communist Party played an important role in the strike, as members of both the ILA and the CP’s own union, the Maritime Workers Industrial Union. Though small, the MWIU did much to radicalize and unite workers on the San Francisco waterfront

On July 5th, police shot 2 workers to death while trying to reopen the port, triggering the San Francisco General Strike, during which nearly all work in the city ceased for four days. The General Strike is still regarded as a high-water mark in the class struggle in the Bay Area

The General Strike won the longshoremen a raise and their demand for a union hiring hall, and laid the groundwork for the formation of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, who would become a significant local power and a crucial ally in a number progressive struggles