This insightful report, authored by Annika Tuohey, an undergraduate senior majoring in History, delves into the 1936 Pacific Coast Maritime Workers' Strike. Less recognized than its 1934 predecessor, the 1936 strike had a profound impact on the labor movement in the U.S. It was pivotal in securing safer working conditions and better wages for maritime workers while solidifying the power of unions (ILWU) along the West Coast. Tuohey examines how the strike, despite its nonviolent nature, played an important role in reshaping the maritime labor landscape and inspiring future labor movements across various industries. Tuohey is now a Research Associate with the Racial Restrictive Covenants Project.
"The 1936 Pacific Coast Maritime Workers’ Strike was a pivotal moment in American labor history and a critical step towards securing fair treatment for workers. Unlike the prior 1934 West Coast Waterfront Strike, which was marked by acts of violence and the deadly Bloody Thursday, the 1936 strike was surprisingly nonviolent, and rather both parties relied on the media to make their cases to the public and the Roosevelt administration. After a 99-day struggle, maritime unions walked away from the strike with a number of gains, including preferential employment, safer working conditions, and the establishment of a Labor Relations Committee at each port.
But without a doubt, the most important result of the 1936 strike was the creation of the ILWU. For nearly ninety years that union has maintained the solidarity and reputation that Harry Bridges tried to instill from the beginning. Today the ILWU represents approximately 42,000 members divided into over sixty local unions located in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, and Hawaii. A model of democratic unionism, it continues to win the best contracts and conditions for its members, while proclaiming and acting on a commitment to progressive values and social change. Its website explains that commitment: “The history of the ILWU, the record of its origins and traditions, is about workers who built a union that is democratic, militant and dedicated to the idea that solidarity with other workers and other unions is the key to achieving economic security and a peaceful world.”