Spinach & Kings

One noon last week some 1,800 passengers, including J. P. Morgan and James W. Gerard, special representative for President Roosevelt, were aboard the regal Queen Mary about to sail from Manhattan to attend the Coronation of the world's greatest surviving King, George VI. At sailing time, however, it looked as if a petty king of U. S. labor were going to have the best of puissant George VI, for the Coronation-bound passengers were aboard ship but their Coronation costumes were dock-bound by a strike of some 300 baggage wallopers called out by President Joseph P. Ryan of the International Longshoremen's Association.

The trouble between Mr. Ryan and British Royalty was over the question of longshoremen in Canada. I.L.A. has had unions at Halifax and St. John's, but not since 1903 has it had any organization at Montreal. The National Independent Longshoremen's Union handled Cunard White Star Line's loadings in Montreal.

With the rise of C.I.O., Mr. Ryan, a supporter of the A.F. of L., was fearful that the Independent Union would tie up with John L. Lewis. Hence his sudden edict: Cunard White Star must use I.L.A. men in Montreal or I.L.A. men would not serve its ships in the U. S.

With the cream of its Coronation passenger crop aboard the Queen Mary, Cunard White Star acted quickly. A telephone call to Montreal, and Independent Union longshoremen were shooed off the Alaunia and the Andania loading there. Mr. Ryan called off his strike and within a few minutes 1,800 happy travelers were bound for the Coronation. Within two hours Independent Union men were back at work on the Alaunia and Andania, and I.L.A. was again out on strike in Manhattan. A serious strike was threatened with Cunard White Star (and also Furness-Withy Lines) caught between the millstones of warring Labor factions. In two days, however, it was all over: the Independent Union agreed to join Mr. Ryan's I.L.A.*

A continent divided this scene from another, more ominous inter-union struggle. Stockton, Calif., about 150 miles from the sea but connected with San Francisco Bay by a deep water channel, cans and ships the fruits and vegetables of the fertile San Joaquin Valley. Fortnight ago the Agricultural Workers Union called a strike in four of Stockton's largest canneries, demanding better pay, shorter hours. The Agricultural Workers Union belongs to the A.F. of L. but the strike was ordered by Stockton's Central Labor Council which is controlled by the I.L.A. On the Pacific Coast, however, Joseph P. Ryan has no control over I.L.A. Its leadership there belongs to Harry Bridges who is an ally of the C.I.O. Thus the Stockton strike was an attempt of Radical Harry Bridges to extend his labor leadership back from San Francisco's waterfront. At Stockton his sphere of influence collided with that of the Coast's other big labor leader, David Beck, vice president of the A.F. of L.'s Teamsters Union and the kingpin of labor in Seattle, where he boasts of having organized "everything on wheels" including automobile salesmen.

Encouraged by some employers who welcome him as an antidote to Radical Harry Bridges, Dave Beck has invaded California, has organized teamsters even in the neighborhood of open-shop Los Angeles.

While he has been carrying the war to Bridges in Los Angeles and San Francisco, Bridges has been in Seattle, carrying the war to Beck. Around San Francisco Bay they joined battle for control of the Warehousemen's Union. By A.F. of L. orders Teamsters were told to ignore I.L.A. pickets at warehouses. The Oakland Teamsters Local refused to do so fortnight ago and its officers were ousted by orders from above.

At Stockton, Harry Bridges and the I.L.A. deliberately took on Dave Beck, the A.F. of L. and California's businessmen, all of them resolved to stop the spread of Mr. Bridges' influence inland.

The I.L.A. backing the cannery strike, shut down the entire port of Stockton. Dave Beck swore his teamsters would move the cargo. It did not move, however, even by rail, for warehousemen refused to help load it.

Trouble came when Sheriff Harvey Odell of San Joaquin deputized 1,000 Stockton businessmen, armed them with pick handles and put them under the leadership of Colonel Walter Garrison, president of the reactionary Associated Farmers of California. Police and deputies surrounded the canneries as preparations were made to reopen them. Signal for battle was the shout of "Here she comes!" raised by a crowd of pickets.

Careening down Waterloo Road to the Stockton Food Products Co. came a truckful of spinach. As it slowed to enter the gates, strikers leaped upon it, tore off ropes, tossed crates of spinach into the street. Others dragged Tony Machado, the driver, from his mesh-protected cab. Police rushed to his rescue throwing gas grenades. The strikers fell back coughing, charged again. Behind a barricade surrounding the cannery deputies opened fire with riot guns. In the first fusillade, Striker Bill Tucker went down with a face and chestful of birdshot (see cut). The battle raged back and forth. Fourteen automobiles full of deputies arrived and were met by a barrage of rocks that broke their windows. Wounded men fell on every side. A would-be good Samaritan, Elmo Botkin, rushed in bearing a first aid kit, was promptly felled by a picket with a baseball bat, received an apology when he came to, was hospitalized. A short distance from the heart of the strife a peddler placidly sold ice cream bricks to the combatants. One striker went into combat eating ice cream with his left hand, swinging a club with his right. The riot lasted for an hour and a half. Finally a union leader rushed to a sound truck, and proposed a truce: the canneries would stay closed for the day if the pickets would disperse. They did, but some 50 men were injured, including John Drake, expected to die of head wounds, two others in danger of losing eyes, many peppered with slugs.

Governor Merriam refused to issue a call for National Guardsmen but the State Legislature authorized a committee of five to act as mediators.

*Hard-shelled Joe Ryan's inter-union wars threatened another serious strike before the week was out. His union served an ultimatum demanding jurisdiction over the contract loading of all railroad freight for lighterage about New York Harbor. The Brotherhood of Railway & Steamship Clerks which had controlled part of this work promptly countered with a set of demands upon the railroads, threatened a strike of 25,000 freight and express handlers, ticket sellers and railway station employes that would tie up railroad service in the whole New York City area. A serious strike depriving 7,000,000 people of many things far more essential than Coronation costumes was averted at the last minute when President Roosevelt appointed a special mediation board. Under the Railway Labor Act this automatically postponed the strike for at least 30 days.

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