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June 3, 2016 | NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
Labor 100 Years Ago — June 3, 1916
A look back at the front page stories of the Oregon Labor Press June 3, 1916. A digital version of the front page can be seen at www.nwlaborpress.org/100yearsago
*OCEAN AND RIVER SHIPPING TIED UP
There’s a little trouble along the waterfront of the Pa-
cific Coast just now. It all came about because the men
employed in handling the cargoes wanted a little more
money.
It’s a strange condition of affairs in the minds of
some people that believe in “free and independent”
*
workmen and all the rest of the rot that goes with non-
union labor, that a few thousand men can effectually
tie up the shipping of the entire Pacific Coast, as has
been done in this case.
The ship owners set a price for hauling freight and
passengers, and if the public don’t pay it, the ship own-
ers don’t operate the ships and shipping is tied up.
But, of course, that is different. Somehow or other
the man who owns the ship seems to have a God-given
right to do as he pleases.
So when the men who work for the ship owners con-
clude they want a larger share of the money they earn,
the ship owner ties his vessel
up and calls for the police to
“protect his property,” while he
scurries around to fill the
places of the strikers with men
who are “free and independ-
ent” and therefore ready to as-
sist the boss to starve some
men into a frame of mind
where they will in turn be
ready to take the places of the
strikebreakers.
According to reports there
are about 15,000 men directly
involved.
The difficulty in Portland is
over the wages of the river
steamboat men who ask for a
raise in wages of $10 per
month, which amounts to
about 35 cents per day per
man. In addition they want one
day’s rest in seven and some
other minor adjustments of
working conditions.
Charles Bennett, representa-
tive of the River Steamboat
Men’s Union, says: “We have
the situation well in hand and
expect to win. Our men are
standing firm because they be-
lieve that our demands are just
and that eventually the vessel
owners will realize the fairness
of the demands. We don’t want
any violence and are not advo-
cating it. We think when the
public understands the condi-
tions under which we work
they will be on our side.”
According to newspaper re-
ports the tie-up all along the
Coast is complete. About 300
men are out in Astoria, 5,000
in San Francisco, about 6,000
on Puget Sound, 1,500 at San
Pedro and a number of others
at minor ports.
The strikers will have the
solid support of the organized
labor movement and we hope
for a speedy settlement.