One of the most famous strikes in San Francisco is the 1934 General Strike.

Prior to the 1934 San Francisco General Strike workers were assigned jobs through the “shape-up” – a large crowd of longshore workers begging for jobs from gang bosses each morning. The workers never knew if they’d have jobs from one day to the next, bribery for work was rampant, and anyone who complained about the brutal working conditions soon found themselves blacklisted.

In 1933, the longshoremen had organized a new union, the International Longshoremen's Association Local 38-79 (which later became the International Longshoremen's and Warehousemen's Union, or ILWU), and began to push back. By May 1934 they went on strike across the Pacific Coast and were quickly joined by their fellow maritime workers. San Francisco became the center of the struggle, led by the fiery rank-and-file activist Harry Bridges. When the ship owners tried to force open the city’s port in early July using strikebreakers escorted by police, the violence escalated and two workers were shot and killed by police. A massive funeral procession was held for the two men, and the unions called for a general strike, shutting down the city from July 16th to July 19th.

This led to an agreement between the waterfront employers and maritime workers to settle the dispute through arbitration, which ultimately resulted in a clear victory for the longshoremen. In addition to coast-wide union recognition and a 30-hour work week, a union-run hiring hall was established which finally ended the hated shape-up.

The 1934 San Francisco General Strike was a pivotal moment in the city’s history, inspiring a wave of labor organizing that dramatically increased the city’s union membership by the end of the decade and solidifying San Francisco’s reputation as a union town.

Below is an International Longshoremen's Association Local 38-79 picket card from the 1934 San Francisco General Strike. This card was punched each time the member participated in picket duty. Proof of participation on the picket line was often required to receive strike pay. This card indicates that the striker had their card punched almost 30 times, indicating they were on the picket line for many days.

Questions

How important is it for workers to show up for duty on the picket line?
This card was saved even after the strike ended. What might that say about how this worker felt about the strike, and their participation in it?

ILA Local 38-79 Picket Card, 1934. EPH San Francisco Maritime and General Strike, 1934, Labor Archives Research Center, San Francisco State University,