1934 West Coast Waterfront Strike
The 1934 West Coast waterfront strike was the longshore and maritime strike that began on May 9, 1934, shut down ports along the US Pacific coast, and led to jointly run hiring halls with union dispatchers and the later founding of the ILWU.
What happened and why it matters
The 1934 strike set the labor model of West Coast ports, and its legacy explains why port labor talks still matter to every importer using Los Angeles, Long Beach, Oakland, or Seattle. Longshoremen struck to end the shape-up, in which foremen picked workers each morning, and to win a union hiring hall, higher pay, and shorter hours. On Bloody Thursday, July 5, police killed two men in San Francisco, and a general strike followed. An October 1934 arbitration award created jointly run hiring halls with union dispatchers. The ILWU, formed in 1937, still negotiates the coastwide longshore contract.