A festival of the history of labor through film and the arts is underway this month in San Francisco.
This month LaborFest, established in 1994 to institutionalize the history and culture of working people in an annual labor cultural, film and arts festival, is underway in San Francisco. It begins every July 5th, which is the anniversary of the 1934 “Bloody Thursday” event. This year is the 75th anniversary of the San Francisco West Coast Waterfront Strike. The strike lasted eighty-three days, triggered by sailors and a four-day general strike in San Francisco, and ultimately led to the unionization of all of the West Coast ports of the United States. The first battle between unionists and police began Tuesday, July 3, 1934. There was a lull during the July 4 holiday when no freight was moved, but disturbances picked up again Thursday, July 5, 1934 – the violence was such that it became known as "Bloody Thursday."
Sometimes with all the labor laws that exist today, it’s hard for some to see the need for a strong labor union role in the workplace. Child labor happens overseas, not here. Safety regulations abound in California. There are rumblings about the role of unions in the downfall of the American auto industry. However, history tells us that many of the protections in place today are a result of union activity. Unions have sometimes been seen as originating in the guilds of medieval Europe. The modern labor union can be traced from the eighteenth century, where the rapid expansion of industrial society drew women, children, rural workers, and immigrants to the work force in larger numbers and in new roles. With the atrocities many workers faced in the distant past there is little doubt that labor unions played a necessary role in granting workers’ certain rights and safety regulations.
Hopefully, 75 years later, as workplace issues evolve, so does the role of the labor union – and the employer. Humans truly are the most valuable resource in an organization and should be treated as such. Employers and labor work in a more collaborative and less bloody fashion in today’s world.
The Planning committee of LaborFest is composed of unionists and unorganized workers, cultural workers and supporters of labor education and history.
For more information about LaborFest: http://www.laborfest.net/index.html
For more information about Bloody Thursday: http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist/thursday.html
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