International Longshore and Warehouse Union, Local 19 (Seattle) records, approximately 1918-1970

Overview of the Collection

Creator
International Longshoremen's and Warehousemen's Union. Local 19 (Seattle, Wash.)
Title
International Longshore and Warehouse Union, Local 19 (Seattle) records
Dates
approximately 1918-1970 (inclusive)
1930-1960 (bulk)
Quantity
1.74 cubic feet (3 boxes)
Collection Number
6459
Summary
Records of a Seattle labor union representing port and waterfront workers
Repository
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu
Access Restrictions

Access to portions of the collection is restricted. Contact University of Washington Libraries Special Collections for details.

Request at UW

Languages
English

Historical NoteReturn to Top

The first longshore union in Seattle was founded on June 12, 1886 as the Stevedores, Longshoremen and Riggers Union. In 1900, Seattle longshore workers formed the Seattle Longshoremen Mutual Benefit Association which was affiliated with the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) and the American Federation of Labor. This local became ILA, Local 163. In 1903, James Madsen organized another union representing Seattle longshoremen, Seattle International Longshoremen, Marine and Transport Workers' Association, Local 486. This union failed to gain substantial members, and veteran longshoremen created another union representing Seattle longshoremen, the ILMTA Local 552. The WCLU and the AFL tried to amalgamate these two unions but the conflict between the parties continued. Between 1904 and 1907, Seattle longshore workers were split into these two competing unions, ILA Local 552 and Local 1 of the Pacific Coast Federation of Longshoremen of the Pacific. The two groups reunited in 1909 as local 38-12 of the ILA. In 1915, the West Coast Employers’ Association established the Federation of Waterfront Employers’ Unions to drive workers away from the ILA. During this time, the ILA also came into competition with the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and worked to drive out radicalism from its ranks.

In 1916, members of the ILA went on strike to demand high wages and an end to the open shop system. This was the first coast-wide longshore strike on the West Coast, as thousands of longshore workers from Bellingham to San Diego walked off the job. A tentative agreement was reached that was approved by ILA locals in California but rejected by Seattle and Tacoma. Despite not having coast-wide agreement, longshore workers in San Francisco returned to work, causing the strike to crumble. The 1916 strike became a major defeat for the ILA, as the union lost control of hiring halls and waterfront employers began a campaign to drive out the union’s remaining presence.

In the aftermath of the 1916 strike, Waterfront Employers Association (WEA) under the leadership of Frank Foisie created their own hiring halls, known as “fink halls,” that discriminated against union members and Black workers. The use of Black workers as scabs during the 1916 strike, who were subsequently fired, led ILA 38-12 to become the first integrated longshore local on the Pacific coast. During this time, the IWW grew in popularity on the waterfront and gradually took control of the ILA. The shortage of workers on the waterfront caused by World War I allowed the ILA to retake control of the hiring hall. After the war, workers in local 38-12 took part in the 1919 Seattle General Strike and refused to load weapons to be sent to the Russian White Army against the Bolsheviks. The failure of the Seattle General Strike, however, caused the IWW to decline amidst increased repression, and the WEA was able to reinstitute fink halls after another failed strike in Seattle in 1920. The ILA’s presence on the waterfront entered a decade-long decline, so that by 1929 there were only 24 members left in local 38-12.

As the ILA declined in the 1920’s, the US Communist Party (CPUSA) began an intervention into waterfront labor organizing. CPUSA originally sought to unite all waterfront workers into a “red union,” the Maritime Workers Industrial Union (MWIU) but pivoted in 1933 towards a strategy of rebuilding the ILA. CPUSA and former MWIU members, including Harry Bridges, joined the ILA and formed the Albion Hall Group in San Francisco whose mouthpiece, the Waterfront Worker , called for and publicized labor actions.

Pressure from the Albion Hall Group caused conservative ILA leadership to adopt bolder demands, including control over hiring halls, higher wages, and coast-wide bargaining. After being rejected by employers, ILA members on the West Coast voted to strike in February 1934. The strike was delayed following the creation of a government mediation board by Franklin Roosevelt, but the strike commenced on May 9, 1934. In Seattle, longshore workers were able to win the support of other unions on the waterfront, including the Teamsters, in spite of the opposition from then local 566 president Dave Beck. Violence broke out between striking workers and scabs and their police escorts, who attempted to open the ports by force. In San Francisco, the murder of two longshore workers by police during an attempt to open the port by force became known as “Bloody Thursday.” The strike came to an end after both employers and the ILA agreed to allow government arbitration in contract negotiations. Roosevelt’s mediation board’s main concession gave the union control of hiring halls, ending the fink hall system. Longshore workers returned to work on July 31.

Following the 1934 strike, longshore locals on the west coast became the Pacific Coast District of the ILA and frequently clashed with conservative ILA leadership on the East Coast. Under the leadership of Harry Bridges, who had been elected president of the Pacific Coast District in 1936, the Pacific Coast District broke with the ILA and craft unionist American Federation of Labor (AFL) and became the International Longshore and Warehouse Union in 1937. The new ILWU quickly affiliated with the Committee for Industrial Organization (CIO).

Under Bridges’ leadership, the ILWU went on strike again in 1948 following the passage of the Taft-Hartley Act and employer attempts to reestablish the fink hall system. Bridges also negotiated the Mechanization and Modernization Agreement of 1960 that created three classes of longshore workers amidst lowering employment rates due to new technologies at ports. Following Nixon’s announcement of wage freezes, the ILWU went on strike again in 1971, shutting down all 56 West Coast ports from Canada to San Diego for 130 days, the longest strike in the union’s history. This strike was successful in winning higher wages and a lower retirement age.

A major blow to Local 19 came in 1982 when Sea-Land decided not to renew its contract in Seattle and instead signed a contract with the Port of Tacoma. This has been a continued trend, with commerce at the Port of Seattle continuing to decline, while the Port of Tacoma has experienced increased commercial development.

Sources: ILWU Local 19 website https://www.ilwu19.com/history/100years.htm?

Seattle Waterfront Workers History Project https://depts.washington.edu/dock/timeline.shtml

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

This collection contains membership meeting minutes, roll book, correspondence, notes, a scrapbook from 1948 Longshore Strike, materials from Waterfront Employer Association president Frank Foisie, records from the International Longshore Benevolent Association, and a photograph of the casket of Gordon J. Kelly Longshoremen’s Association of Vancouver (ILA Local 38-52).

Other Descriptive InformationReturn to Top

Forms part of the Labor Archives of Washington.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

Restrictions may exist on copying, quotation, or publication. Contact Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries for details. ILWU Local 19 grants UW Libraries nonexclusive, royalty-free, irrevocable license to exercise and to allow others to exercise all rights under copyright.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

Organized into 2 accessions.

  • Accession No. 6459-001, International Longshore and Warehouse Union, Local 19 (Seattle) records, approximately 1918-1970 (bulk 1930-1960)
  • Accession No. 6459-002, International Longshore and Warehouse Union, Local 19 (Seattle) records, 1938-1942

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

 

Accession No. 6459-001: International Longshore and Warehouse Union, Local 19 (Seattle) records, approximately 1918-1970 (bulk 1930-1960)Return to Top

1.51 cubic feet (2 boxes)

Scope and Content: This accession contains membership meeting minutes, correspondence by the president and secretary treasurer and the Longshore Relations Committee, a scrapbook from 1948 Longshore Strike, materials from Waterfront Employer Association president Frank Foisie, records from the International Longshore Benevolent Association, and a photograph of the casket of Gordon J. Kelly Longshoremen’s Association of Vancouver (ILA Local 38-52).

Arrangement: Arranged in 8 series.
  • SERIES 1, MEMBERSHIP MEETING MINUTES, 1918-1954
  • SERIES 2, NUMERICAL RECORD OF 1948 STRIKE, 1948-1949
  • SERIES 3, PRESIDENT AND SECRETARY-TREASURER LETTERS, 1950-1956
  • SERIES 4, LETTER BOOK, 1955-1970
  • SERIES 5, LONGSHORE RELATIONS COMMITTEE CORRESPONDENCE, 1942, 1946-1947
  • SERIES 6, FRANK FOISIE MATERIALS, 1920-1921
  • SERIES 7, PHOTOGRAPH, 1918
  • SERIES 8, INTERNATIONAL LONGSHORE BENEVOLENT ASSOCIATION LEDGER BOOK, 1947-1949

Restrictions on Access: Access restricted: For terms of access, contact University of Washington Libraries Special Collections. Records restricted until March 2, 2030 without written permission of ILWU Local 19 president. Collection will be open to all researchers in 2030.

Restrictions on Use: Restrictions may exist on copying, quotation, or publication. Contact Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries for details. ILWU Local 19 grants UW Libraries nonexclusive, royalty-free, irrevocable license to exercise and to allow others to exercise all rights under copyright.

Acquisition Info: Donated by Justin Hirsch with approval of ILWU Local 19 President Harold Ugles, January 2023.

Processing Info: Processed by Hel Klavin, David Kreiss-Tomkins, and Carly Stewart in 2023. Final arrangement confirmed by Eulalie Mattheiu.

Container(s) Description Dates
SERIES 1: MEMBERSHIP MEETING MINUTES
1918-1954
Box/Folder Accession
1/1 6459-001
Membership Meeting Minutes
July 2, 1918-June 3, 1919
1/2 6459-001
Membership Meeting Minutes
Scope and Content: Last full entry listed as "April 16, 1930" is probably a typo for "April 16, 1931"
February 26, 1923-April 30, 1931
1/3 6459-001
Membership Meeting Minutes
May 7, 1931-March 22, 1934
2/1 6459-001
Membership Meeting Minutes
November 17, 1949-December 16, 1954
SERIES 2: NUMERICAL RECORD OF 1948 STRIKE
1948-1949
Box/Folder Accession
1/4 6459-001
Numerical record of 1948 strike
Scope and Content: Record book with names of picketers and number of pickets attended.Stragglers listed on page 179.
1948-1949
SERIES 3: PRESIDENT AND SECRETARY-TREASURER LETTERS
1950-1956
Box/Folder Accession
1/5 6459-001
President and Secretary Treasurer Letters
Scope and Content: Correspondence between president Charles Appel and:Victor RodriguesAlaska Terminal & Stevedoring Co.Alaska Steamship CompanySenator Magnuson, re: navy personnel; senate bills 3427 and 3428Rep. Don Magnuson, re: HR 9317Coast Labor Relations Comm., re: lignasan-treated lumberre: make-up gang policyRep. Pelly, regarding Cabaret taxCol. John Grinstead, re: Dew Line vessel loadingPacific Maritime Ass.Senator Henry JacksonAmerican Arbitration AssociationWarehouseman's Local 117Port Manager Howard Burke, re: potholesSeattle Mayor Clinton, re: parking metersCorrespondence between sec-tre George Oldham and:Senator MagnusonWebb Parker, City of Seattle, re: Lander Street foot bridge
1950-1956
SERIES 4: LETTER BOOK
1955-1970
Box/Folder Accession
1/6 6459-001
Letter Book (1 of 2)
Scope and Content: Correspondence on pensions (with Seattle Pensioners' Club), health benefits, "right to work" legislation, state legislative report
1955-1970
1/7 6459-001
Letter Book (2 of 2)
Scope and Content: Correspondence on pensions, health benefits, and "right to work" legislation
1955-1970
SERIES 5: LONGSHORE RELATIONS COMMITTEE CORRESPONDENCE
1942, 1946-1947
Box/Folder Accession
1/8 6459-001
Longshore Relations Committee Correspondence
Scope and Content: Records of grievances against longshore workers
1942, 1946-1947
SERIES 6: FRANK FOISIE MATERIALS
1920-1921
Box/Folder Accession
1/9 6459-001
Frank Foisie Materials
1920-1921
SERIES 7: PHOTOGRAPH
November 13, 1918
Box/Folder Accession
2/2 6459-001
Photograph of Casket of Gordon J Kelly, Longshoremen’s Association of Vancouver (ILA Local 38-52)
November 13, 1918
SERIES 8: INTERNATIONAL LONGSHORE BENEVOLENT ASSOCIATION LEDGER BOOK
1947-1949
Box/Folder Accession
1/10 6459-001
International Longshore Benevolent Association
Scope and Content: Ledger book, 1948-1949, with sections for Strike, Assets, Liabilities, and Income. Two-page document, June 30, 1947 with debit and credit columns.
1947-1949

Accession No. 6459-002: International Longshore and Warehouse Union, Local 19 (Seattle) records, 1938-1942Return to Top

0.23 cubic feet (1 box)

Scope and Content: International Longshoremen's and Warehousemen's Union, Local 19 (Seattle) roll book, 1938-1942, including loose correspondence, notes, and ILWU Local 19 outgoing correspondence, 1942.

Restrictions on Access: No restrictions on access.

Restrictions on Use: Restrictions may exist on copying, quotation, or publication. Contact Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries for details.

Acquisition Info: Donated as part of a larger collection of research materials by historian in Ronald Magden in 2018. This was removed during processing to Local 19's organizational records to better reflect the provenance of the materials. Magden most likely got them either directly from Local 19, the Pensioners' Club, or former Local 19 President Shaun Maloney.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder Accession
1/1 6459-002
Outgoing Correspondence
1942
1/2 6459-002
Roll Book
includes 1 bound volume
Scope and Content: Includes loose correspondence, notes
1938-1942

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Personal Papers/Corporate Records (University of Washington)

Other Creators

  • Corporate Names
    • Labor Archives of Washington (University of Washington) (host institution)