While the deaths at the hands of police on ‘Bloody Thursday’ of Howard Sperry and Nick Bordise helped to force the issue with labor bureaucrats for a general strike in support of the area’s port workers, the region’s rank-and-file, as described below, was eager for the fight. On the eve of San Francisco’s great 1934 General Strike, the Communist Party’s Western Worker reports thousands of workers in various sectors walking out before the July 17, 8 a.m. start time and the Party issues it’s strike statement.

‘Strike! All Out! Stand Firm!’ from Western Worker. Vol. 3 No. 31. July 23, 1931.

Workers of the West!

Statement of the District Communist Party

Trade Unionist—Unorganized Workers—Labor’s Sympathizers

This is a great day for Labor. Today we show that we will not be silent while our fellow workers are, one section at a time, broken by the bosses. All workers of the West Coast should FOLLOW ‘FRISCO and STRIKE IN UNITED RANKS. A GENERAL STRIKE of the entire West Coast will once and for all establish the rights of the workingman.

This is a fight to victory! We must make it a strong fight. Here are some suggestions:

1. FIGHT FOR RANK AND FILE CONTROL. The Central Labor Council in San Francisco put a phoney one over on us when they ordered the local unions, on ONE DAY’S notice, to appoint 5 members each to constitute the CENTRAL GENERAL STRIKE COMMITTEE. The old-time officials mostly appointed reactionary elements who supported Vandeleur, Deal & Co. This crowd fought the strike from the first–naturally they accepted the nominations only in order to disorganize the strike and lose it. Vandeleur had the gall to appoint McLaughlin on the Strike Committee although only a few minutes previous McLaughlin had been booed down while making an attack on the Strike movement and on the militants. The Teamsters’ delegates violated the men’s instruction and voted against the strike. INSIST ON ELECTING THE FIVE IN YOUR OWN LOCAL. ELECT LIVE WIRES–ESPECIALLY MILITANT FIGHTERS. The Vandeleur-Deal-Kidwell leadership is the sell-out crowd. You can remove them and elect militant leaders only through electing militant representatives from your local.

2. NO PASSIVITY. This strike is the biggest fight in the labor movement. It is not a vacation. Everyone must be a soldier in labor’s ranks. Stick to your work on the picket lines, and in the committees.

3. ROOSEVELT MAY COME HERE. Whether he personally comes, or his National Longshoremen’s Board asks again, DON’T YIELD TO ARBITRATION. There is only one way to win this strike–that is, to make it unprofitable for the bosses. When they find that they cannot bully us into submission they will grant the demands.

4. SPREAD THE STRIKE. Send committees to other towns in Northern California. East Bay is coming out, Contra Costa is preparing to come out. Keep on spreading the strike. Reach into every shop and place of work in the city and help the workers join the strike.

5. UNORGANIZED ORGANIZED! Form strike committee in your shops. Get in touch with the Western Worker, 37 Grove St., or the Trade Union Unity League at 741 Valencia St., or the Central Strike Committee at the Labor Temple. The independent unions affiliated with the Trade Union Unity League have not been seated by the Central General Strike Committee. These will soon be formed into a center of their own to support the strike. All must, however, fight for admission into the Central General Strike Committee so that more effective unity can be maintained among all workers.

6. A GENERAL STRIKE SHOULD STOP PROFITS, BUT SHOULD NOT MAKE THE WORKERS AND THE POOR SUFFER. Organize committees to fight profiteering, to ensure proper food supply to the needy and to spread the strike.

7. MAKE SAN FRANCISCO AND BAY AREA 100 PER CENT UNION. This is our chance to organize everybody into trade unions. EVERY TOWN A MILITANT UNION TOWN. No worker must stay unorganized.

8. BEWARE OF PROVOCATIONS! The police and armed thugs will try to provoke bloody attacks. Stand firm and disciplined against them. Stool-pigeons may appear and under the pretense of wanting to help the strike urge you to use dynamite and other explosives. Beware of such elements! Fight in disciplined mass ranks. Report suspicious advice to your picket captains and union officers in the Central and local Union Strike Committees. Beware of people who want you to fight Communists or workers of any other belief. Stick together. No splitting. One common enemy–the bosses!

There is a sentiment amongst many workers to the effect that they recognize that only the Militants and the Communists are giving proper and honest leadership to this struggle. But many workers think that this is not an opportune time to line up with the Communist Party. This is a mistaken idea. You can strengthen this strike and win through strengthening the ranks of the Militant workers, especially by JOINING THE COMMUNIST PARTY. Make the militant sentiment more effective through better organization. You can do this by joining the Communist Party. Because our Party is under constant attack we take measures when necessary to protect our members from becoming known. Therefore don’t hesitate to join on this account. Come in and talk it over with us.

EVERYBODY–PUT YOUR SHOULDER TO THE WHEEL! BREAK THE SHIPOWNERS DICTATORSHIP IN SAN FRANCISCO! LET’S FIGHT ON TO VICTORY!

-DISTRICT COMMITTEE COMMUNIST PARTY.

STRIKERS WILL REJECT MOVE TO ARBITRATE

Roosevelt Reported on Way to S.F. to Make Try Personally

STRIKERS!

All locals are to meet and elect five delegates to the General Strike Committee, which meets at the Labor Temple at 10 a.m. Monday.

Elect rank and file workers, not paid officials. This is the only way to insure rank and file control and that the strike will not be sold out.

Independent Unions! Unorganized and workers on SERA projects! Get in touch with the Western Worker office at 37 Grove St., or Trade Union Unity League at 741 Valencia St. A meeting place and organizational assistance will be provided.

SAN FRANCISCO. The most far-reaching general strike the United States ever saw, begins in San Francisco Monday at 8:00 a.m. Not a single establishment in the city will move, not a street car, bus, taxi or truck–everything will be at a standstill–no one is to work!

The call for a general strike was issued at a conference of five delegates from each local union, held on Saturday at the Labor Temple. There were only three dissenting votes against a strike. But even these were of unions which had either already struck or voted to come out any way. The Oakland General Strike is scheduled to begin Tuesday at 8:00 a.m. and Contra Costa is certain to follow.

WHEN THE STRIKE TAKES COMPLETE EFFECT AT LEAST 125,000 WORKERS WILL BE OUT!

In the meantime comes the report that Roosevelt instead of going to Hawaii is on his way to San Francisco to intervene personally and is expected on Tuesday morning. It is quite certain that he will try to convince the striking marine workers to accept arbitration, as his Board headed by Archbishop Hanna was working under his direct guidance and instructions. But with the General Strike taking such a complete hold, the long-shoremen are determined more than ever to hold out for their own hiring hall and settlement for the seamen as well, before they return.

Market Street Railway Out.

Long before the strike is to take effect, thousands threw down their tools Is and walked out. Amng those to decide to come out irrespective of the action are the Labor Council are the Market street Railway workers. They came out 100% on Sunday at 2:00 a.m. and not a numbered car was running on Sunday. The workers presented demands of their own and have dealt a decisive blow to the company union which held them in subjection until recently. President Kahn of the company stated previously that “only 30% of the workers” belong to Local 1004. THE MUNICIPAL RAILWAY WORKERS ARE EXPECTED TO JOIN ALTHO VAN DELEUR IS DOING EVERYTHING IN HS POWER TO HOLD THEM BACK.

The General Strike call was a tremendous impetus to organization and improvement of working conditions and many unions have taken advantage of present situation to make demands of their own while on strike.

Fakers Take Offices.

Despite the fact that the S.F. Labor Council did not want to officially call the strike, its officials arranged the General Strike conference to be composed of appointed representatives–5 from each local. Through this conference they’ve placed themselves in command, taking all the offices. Vandeleur was made chairman and Kidwell of the Bakery Wagon Drivers, secretary. Although the conference was composed of mostly officials, Harry Bridges, nominated by the militants for vice-chairman was defeated by only a small margin by Deal of the Ferry Boatmen, affiliated with the ISU. Deal insists that his union will not be effected by a strike.

Appoint Committee.

Following the decision to call a strike, Vandeleur appointed a committee of 25. But while he took care to appoint virtually all such as fought the calling of a strike to the bitter end, he would not dare leave off Harry Bridges, militant chairman of the marine strikers.

So raw was the procedure that Vandeleur was forced to agree that this was only a temporary committee and re-elections will be permitted at a conference of all unions on MONDAY AT TEN. There are to be five delegates from each. Unions are to hold meetings and elect them. Such as have not yet taken a strike vote were instructed to do so.

The Communist Party in its statement to the workers, calls for election of militants and not paid officials, so that a strike leadership can be elected such as will not sell-out.

The indignation of the workers is especially aroused at the brazenness of Vandeleur in appointing McLaughlin, and Casey of the Teamsters on the executive committee, although they were repudiated by their members, and had fought against a strike to the very last.

Rossi–Fascist.

Taking a page from the Seattle Strike, when Mayor Ole Hanson let loose, a reign of terror, chiefly aimed at the Communists, Mayor Rossi, in a vicious radio speech virtually promised martial law. Five hundred additional police are to be brought in. Governor Merriam, presently representing a political machine at odds with Rossi’s, insists that Rossi must first request troops before they are sent in, or if martial law is to be extended to the entire city.

Information is leaking out although not yet reliably confirmed, that Chief of Police, Quinn is having a hard time to get the 500 additional police; as most of those on the eligible civil list refuse to accept for the dirty business.

That plots are in preparation to frame attacks against Communists, is clear from the wide publicity given to alleged stories of “five hundred Communists marching on San Francisco from Seattle and that they are to blow up bridges on the way”. Another was of a general strike call to all agricultural workers to make the food situation more acute. The Communist Party in its statement warns its members and all workers to be careful against these attempts to break the strike through a “red-scare” or provocations into bloody attacks and encouraging dynamiting. These, the Party points out, could only be the acts of stool-pigeons and agents of the Industrial Association.

The lies against the Communists emanate from the same Clarence S. Morrill, of the State Criminal Identification Bureau, who is now notorious for his sensational lies every time there is a struggle in which the Party is active.

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., July 14. Slowly but surely, Bay Region industry is becoming paralyzed even before the official call for the general strike has been issued, as locals continue pulling their workers out. By Sunday evening unions affecting at least 25,000 workers are scheduled to be out on strike over riding the Central Labor Council’s effort to hold them back. Those in addition to all the maritime workers, now effect the teamsters, butchers and slaughter house workers, all culinary crafts, cleaners and dyers, taxi drivers, laundry workers, ice wagon drivers, machinists, shipyard workers, and others.

The election of the “Strategy Committee” by the Labor Council only succeeded in postponing he general strike call, but the Teamsters coming out was the beginning of an avalanche that literally snowed under the labor fakers of San Francisco.

The Teamsters started the “ball rolling” in a most dramatic manner, when at their meeting last Wednesday evening they voted unanimously to come out next morning. Casey and McLaughlin, old fakers who have dominated over them for years, threatened them with loss of $10.00 a week benefits, that sympathy strikes are not constitutional, but of no vail. The men denounced them in a most unceremonious manner. Although the officials did every things in their power to prevent Bridges appearance at the meeting, the demand of the workers finally gained admission for him and he was met with a tremendous ovation.

When the workers filed out of the meeting they were met by hundreds of longshoremen and seamen, waiting outside, and the most unusual scenes of solidarity; embracing and cheering occurred.

Following the coming out of the teamsters, the Taxi Drivers after hearing a stirring speech by Bridges on Thursday evening came out as one at five next morning. Wholesale butchers followed, retail butchers and the rest.

Every Union For.

Since its election the so-called “Strategy Committee of 7″ tried every possible scheme to offset the struggle, but when they lost control of the situation, called a meeting of representatives of all unions on Friday afternoon. The result of the meeting was only to postpone action to the next day, Saturday morning, at which time a conference with five from each union was scheduled to decide finally. Since not single union voted against the general strike, there was no doubt about the result. However, the conference was composed almost entirely of handpicked delegates, mostly of local executive committee members, as there was no possibility for local unions to arrange meetings over night.

The Labor Council at its meeting on Friday, refused to take definite action on the calling of a strike, but left it in the hands of the meeting called next morning The Council did not dare to flatly refuse to call a general strike, stating however that “It will co-operate in bringing about peace.”

Green Wires.

A telegram from Wm. Green, president of the American Federation of Labor, was read at the Council, in which he warns against the calling of a General Strike on the grounds that it is against the constitution of the A.F. of L. for Central. Labor Councils to call any strikes. He further warned that the council must neither countenance nor favor such a strike. Similar strikebreaking telegrams were sent to the other Labor Councils on the Coast. But while the old reactionaries used the ruling to assist them installing or disorganizing the general strike movement, the union members paid no attention to it, as is evident by reports of the delegates.

Typical of the attitude among the rank and file towards the Labor Council was the report of the delegate of the ice wagon drivers who said, “We held a meeting and voted for a General Strike. When called by the Labor Council. But things are traveling fast, so we held another meeting Thursday and decided to abide by the Strategy Committee, but we are STRIKING TOMORROW NIGHT.”

Delegates of culinary unions embracing 5,000 workers reported that no restaurants will be considered fair after Sunday, as they are all going out. The Laundry workers with 1200 members reported coming out Saturday. Laundry drivers are likewise coming out. In all, unions with a membership of ten thousand more reported coming out before Monday.

The auto mechanics seemed to have touched the spirit now prevailing among the workers in the city, reporting that they are for a general strike, and since in a general strike workers of a strike committee will have to police the city, they offer their services free for any mechanical repairs which will be needed on workers’ police cars.

The Labor Council showed its hands at an earlier stage of the meeting last Friday, when a resolution proposed by the Marine strikers came before it. The resolution called for a condemnation of Mayor Rossi as responsible for the murders on “Bloody Thursday”. Immediately all the officials of the Council and the members of the now called “Tragedy Committee” took the floor for an amendment to refer to the executive. One delegate pointed out that in the Council it is a tradition that referring means pigeon-holing it. The arguments of the fakers were chiefly that you can’t call a man a murderer before you give him a hearing. Kidwell argued that it will hurt civil service favors from the administration. Among the most ardent to refer were Haggerty, who works for the city.

The few progressive-minded delegates in the Council took the floor and pointed out that week before a similar resolution condemning Merriam was adopted, although the Governor was not present, yet Rossi who was even more directly involved in the murders, was doubted. But there was little use trying to convince the old reactionary machine and the amendment was carried.

Many remarks were heard among the workers jamming the rear of the hall, that they would not do a thing which may hurt the Rossi political machine which the Council officials endorsed.

Since the Teamsters came out, the city was gradually preparing for the General Strike, with only the rich complaining of any inconvenience. But it is the same rich who have precautioned adequate food and other supplies for themselves or left town. Housewives of workers have been buying as much as possible but many living from hand to mouth could not do so. A strike committee according to the Communist Party’s statement, which seriously wants to win the fight, will organize a proper distribution of food without discrimination, and stop all profiteering.

The capitalist press has devoted its chief publicity to whip ping up a food shortage scare, hoping in that way to confuse many and win them against the strikers. But the spirit of almost the entire population as reported from neighborhoods is remarkable and is 100% behind the strikers, considering the in convenience will be nothing compared to the issues at stake.

Western Worker was the publication of the Communist Party in the western United States, focused on the Pacific Coast, from 1933 until 1937. Originally published twice monthly in San Francisco, it grew to a weekly, then a twice-weekly and then merged with the Party’s Daily Worker on the West Coast to form the People’s Daily World which published until 1957. Its issues contain a wealth of information on Communist activity and cultural events in the west of those years.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/westernworker/1934/v3-n27-31-jul-1934.pdf