As a possible strike by the International Longshoremen’s Association looms over U.S. East and Gulf Coast ports, here are five port strikes from around the globe that have made history.
1. West Coast Longshore Strike (1934)
The West Coast Longshore Strike (also known by several other names) began on May 9, 1934, and involved longshore workers on the U.S. West Coast.
One of the most significant labor actions in U.S. history, the 83-day strike initially saw over 12,000 longshoremen – joined by other craft workers in the maritime industries – go on strike and refuse to handle what they deemed unfair waterfront cargo.
Rod Palmquist summarizes the strike in the University of Washington’s Waterfront History Project published under the college’s Civil Rights & Labor Consortium.
“By the end of July 1934, the labor unrest in Western U.S. ports claimed eight lives and hundreds of injuries, engulfed the city of San Francisco in an ‘insurrection’ and ‘revolt against government’ with 130,000 workers out on strike, and almost set off subsequent general sympathy strikes in Portland and Seattle,” Palmquist wrote. “In the Port of Seattle specifically, only one ship managed to leave the harbor during the whole 83 days that maritime workers were on strike.”
The strike helped establish the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and forced employers to recognize the union, improving working conditions and wages. It also led to a two-decade rivalry between the ILWU and the Teamsters following a brief alliance between the two unions during the strike.
2. Waterfront Dispute (1951)
New Zealand’s Waterfront Dispute involved dockworkers protesting wage cuts and poor working conditions.
The dispute lasted 151 days and was one of the largest and most dramatic industrial disputes in New Zealand’s history. At its peak, 22,000 waterside workers (wharfies) and other unionists were off the job during a time when the country’s population was just under 2 million.
Despite this, only 8% of the country’s union members took part in the dispute and the other 200,000 continued working. A historical account of the strike published online by the New Zealand government states that the dispute took place in a climate of Cold War suspicion.
“The opposing sides denounced each other as Nazis, Commies, traitors and terrorists,” New Zealand History states. “It polarised politics and split the union movement, leaving a bitter legacy that lingers to this day. The combatants could not even agree on what to call the dispute – the employers and government described it as a strike, but to the waterside workers it was a lockout.”
The government took strong action to break the strike by employing military forces to enact anti-union measures. On several occasions, unionist street protests were broken up by police. This culminated in an incident dubbed “Bloody Friday” – when police violently dispersed up to 1,000 marchers in Queen Street, injuring over 20.
Eventually, after a five-month struggle, the unionists conceded defeat on July 15, 1951.
3. Hong Kong Dockworkers Strike (2013)
This 40-day strike involved 450 dockworkers in Hong Kong Kwai Chung Containers Port fighting for better wages and improved working conditions.
In a feature story for the strike’s 10th anniversary, The Diplomat reported that the dockworkers were facing the richest man in Asia, billionaire business tycoon Li Ka-shing.
“The dockers’ strike shed a light on corporate monopoly, a deep-rooted problem that resonated with the majority of the public and effectively generated widespread popular support, with nearly 9 million Hong Kong dollars in public contributions to their strike fund,” The Diplomat article states.
In a May update that year, American Shipper reported the number of workers on strike had risen to 530.
The strike ended with a wage increase of nearly 10% for the workers. It also raised awareness about labor rights in Hong Kong, with widespread public support for the workers’ demands.
4. London Dock Strike (1889)
Following a disagreement over the amount of “plus” payment due to dockworkers who unloaded the Lady Armstrong cargo ship in the South-West India Dock, a dockworkers’ union was formed at the Port of London on Aug. 13, 1889.
Encyclopedia Britannica recounts that on Aug. 20, the entire Port of London was closed and strikers held orderly processions throughout London. On Aug. 29, a crisis caused by the shortage of strike relief funds was averted when nearly 30,000 pounds in financial support was organized in Australia and quickly paid to the strikers.
The dockworkers were able to bring employers to the negotiating table on Sept. 5, and an agreement was reached five days later with their “dockers’ tanner” (a pay rate of sixpence per hour) and most other demands conceded. The dockworkers resumed work on Sept. 16.
This strike success inspired the formation of many new labor unions and boosted membership for existing unions. It also marked the birth of New Unionism in Britain.
5. Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach Strike (2012)
This weeklong strike by ILWU members began on Nov. 27, 2012, when clerical workers represented by the union set up pickets at the APM Terminals Pier 400 facility in the Port of Los Angeles.
While those workers did office work for the terminal, other ILWU longshoremen and clerks working for other units honored the picket line, bringing terminal operations to a halt. By the next day, the strike had crippled the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, spreading from one to 10 terminals in the two ports and 600 clerical workers on strike.
During the height of the strike, Bloomberg reported that the striking clerks cost the U.S. $1 billion per day. Late on Dec. 4, both sides agreed to a new tentative contract, which would be set to last until 2016.
A brief scare in February 2013 saw the tentative contract rejected by the union. However, a continued strike action was averted later that month when the union voted to approve the new contract between the clerks and employers.