Solidarity Stories

An Oral History of the ILWU

By Harvey Schwartz

PUBLISHED: June 2009
SUBJECT LISTING: History / Western History
BIBLIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION: 352 Pages, 6 x 9 in, 50 illus.
ISBN: 9780295988832
Publisher: University of Washington Press

Format:

Hardcover
- Paperback

$105.00

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Description

Authors & Contributors

Abbreviations

Introduction

1. Longshore: The San Francisco Bay Area

Harry Bridges: The Beginning of the Union, 1924-1933

Harry Bridges: The Coming of the Big Strike, 1933-1934

Harry Bridges: Victory in 1934

Sam Kagel: Union Advocate, 1934

Bill Chester: Civil Rights Leader

Cleophas Williams: African American President

Whitey Kelm: Red-Hot Union Man

Sam Kagel: Coast Arbitrator, 1948-1999

Herb Mills: The Asbestos War, 1972-1978

2. Longshore: The Los Angeles and Long Beach Harbors

Rough Conditions Before the Union, 1923-1934

Conflict and Triumph, 1934

The Mexican American Struggle, 1934-1960

Walter Williams: Fighter for African American Equality, 1943-1970

Two White Guys Oppose Discrimination, 1937-1949

Bill Ward: Sixty-five Years with the Union

3. Longshore, Shipboard, and Bookstores: The Pacific Northwest and Canada

Marvin Ricks: The 1934 Strike in Portland

Union Struggles in North Bend and Coos Bay, Oregon, 1920-1940

Valerie Taylor: Auxiliary President, 1949-1973

Jerry Tyler: Seattle Activist

Phil Lelli: Longtime Tacoma Leader

Ike Morrow: Tacoma's Soul Train Engineer

Defeat and Victory in Canada, 1935-1966

The Inlandboatmen's Union Joins the ILWU, 1978-1987

Mary Winzig: The Powell's Books Organizing Drive, 1998-2000

4. Warehouse and Cotton Compress: California

The "March Inland" in the San Francisco Bay Area, 1934-1938

Sam Kagel: Representing the Union, 1934-1939

Brother Hackett: Rank-and-File Activist, 1936-1939

Billie Roberts Hendricks: Union Pioneer, 1936-1951

Making It Work in Southern California, 1936-1950

Unionists Fight for Racial Justice, 1942-1960

LeRoy King: The Equal Rights Struggle and Labor Politics

Cotton Compress in the Central Valley, 1937-1938

The ILWU Enters the Valley, 1951-1952

5. Agriculture: Hawaii

Carl Damaso: Union Herald, 1930-1940

Jack Hall: Islands Organizer, 1934-1951

Louis Goldblatt: The ILWU Takes Root, 1943-1946

Frank Thompson: Field Organizer, 1944-1946

Louis Goldblatt: Cold War Battles, 1947-1960

The New Union and the Island of Lanai, 1946-1947

Victory at Lanai in 1951

Ah Quon McElrath: Union Social Worker

Abba Ramos: Filipino Activist, 1946-1959

6. Politics: The Old Left

Keith Eickman: Idealism and Disappointment

Jack Olsen: Activist and Educator

Don Watson: Union Stalwart

Epilogue: "An Injury to One Is an Injury to All"

Harry Bridges and Bill Moyers: An Old Slogan

Notes

Glossary

A Note on Sources

Further Reading

Index

Reviews

"The book is accessible and would be excellent for classroom use. The rich narratives of waterfront work, democratic unionism, and interracial organization in Solidarity Stories will make the book interesting to a wide range of readers."

- Jess Rigelhaupt, Oral History Review

"An accessible and engaging account of one of the most progressive and democratic unions in the American labour movement and the men and women who worked along the North American west coast and in Hawaii throughout much of the twentieth century."

- Left History

"Frst person narratives that are sometimes enlightening, often inspiring, and always genuine."

- Labor Studies Journal

"What emerges most clearly is the loyalty and pride of ILWU members and the enormous impact the union had on the lives of American workers—in wages and pensions, yes, but also by giving workers a voice in their workplaces and a sense of dignity, power, and respect."

- The Western History Quarterly

"…this is a study that encapsulates organizational endeavor, the day-to-day humiliations that provided a fertile soil for organization, and how the union stood tall for racial integration and fairness. Above all, it is a story of success, a success that can be measured by what happens to longshoremen after they retire."

- International Journal of Maritime History

"In showcasing these personal historical vignettes, Schwartz reinforces how oral history can be used to enrich traditional historical scholarship and highlights another way in which Solidarity Stories is a useful resource for public historians."

- The Public Historian

"This book is a welcome addition to the labor history of the West."

- Oregon Historical Quarterly

"What does labor solidarity mean? This book tells us. These oral histories are a great starting point for anyone trying to understand how unions, when inspired and led by working people themselves, can help to improve the human condition."

- Michael Honey, Tacoma News-Tribune

"Solidarity Stories is a remarkable achievement. Workers give gripping testimony about the conditions they hoped to change, and explain how they did it. We hear how the union was organized and how it functioned, from those who built it. We see the crucial role strikes and democracy played in that process. And Schwartz is unafraid to look at the politics of the union's leaders, including activists and black workers fighting racism."

- Dispatcher

"Those seeking first-person accounts of key people and incidents in the organization's making will be delighted by the vivid recollections it collects."

- Oregon Historical Quarterly

"There appear to be three overarching themes in the oral history testamony: first, the union's long record of success in winning good wages, benefits, and job security for its membership; second, the left-wing politics of many of the union's leaders; and finally, a strong and consistent commitment to racial equality. . . . What gives the book its undeniable power is the colloquial eloquence of the rank-and-file voices that fill its pages."

- Bruce Nelson, Labour/Le Travail