Coast Seamen's Union
Named in 20 stories. Back to all names
- Sep 29, 1887The Great Crew Shortage of 1887Facing a labor scarcity and rising costs, Seattle ship owners considered an radical, cost-cutting plan to import crews from the East Coast.Seattle, WA
- Dec 23, 1887Seattle Sailors Defy Shipowners in 1887 Union StandoffWhen the Coast Seamen's Union descended on the barkentine George Perkins to pull sailors from their posts, it sparked a tense confrontation that threatened to shut down local shipping.Seattle, WA
- May 27, 1888Riot in Port Townsend: Citizens vs. Sailors on the Verge of ViolenceA tense standoff erupts as local citizens arm themselves to prevent Coast Seamen's Union members from boarding the steamer Sumatra, leading to arrests and imminent bloodshed.Port Townsend, WA
- Jul 7, 1888The Waterfront Cold War: Seattle's 1888 Seamen's StrikeTensions boil over on the Puget Sound as sailors fight a planned wage reduction, leading to a massive standoff in Port Townsend.Port Townsend, WA
- Jan 3, 1891The Sea-Law Rebellion: How Seattle Sailors Won Their FreedomTen seamen who fled the ship Alex Gibson were ordered held by a commissioner, but a sharp legal maneuver centered on maritime labor law secured their release.Seattle, WA
- Apr 8, 1892A Final Port of CallWhen a lonely sailor died in a local hospital, the Coast Seamen's Union ensured his burial reflected his true brotherhood, not a stranger's fate.Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Seattle, WA
- Jul 3, 1892Longshoremen Win 17-Minute Pioneer Place Tug-of-WarThousands pack Pioneer Place to watch a grueling seventeen-minute battle of strength between Seattle’s longshoremen and sailors.Pioneer Square, Seattle, WA
- Jul 26, 1892The Battle for the Bark ElsinoreStriking sailors trail a tugboat in a high-stakes effort to prevent non-union labor from shipping out.Seattle, WA
- Mar 6, 1893The Tragedy at the Tide FlatsA missing man is found dead in the bay, ending a days-long search in the southern waterfront.Jackson Street, Seattle, WA
- Mar 23, 1893Union Seamen Defeated at Port TownsendA bitter strike of sailors on the Puget Sound ends in failure after boarding house tactics and non-union labor break the blockade.Port Townsend, WA
- Mar 27, 1893The Shipping Union’s Legal AmbushSailors' union activists attempt to use state court writs to challenge the legality of non-union, foreign-recruited crews aboard a ship in Port Townsend.Port Townsend, WA
- Jul 4, 1893Seattle Celebrates the Great Northern ArrivalThousands flock to Pioneer Place for the opening of the Mineral Palace, marking the completion of the railway and the Fourth of July.Pioneer Square, Seattle, WA
- Jul 4, 1893The Tug-of-War at the Pioneer Square CelebrationA grueling contest of strength between Coast Seamen and Longshoremen turns the Fourth of July into a high-stakes spectacle.Pioneer Square, Seattle, WA
- Aug 12, 1893Union and Non-Union Seamen Clash at Port TownsendA saloon becomes a battleground as a labor dispute over shipping jobs descends into a violent, armed confrontation.Port Townsend, WA
- Oct 13, 1893The Seamen's Union and the Dynamite ScareA wave of paranoia hits the Pacific Coast as authorities hunt for a fugitive sailor linked to a fatal San Francisco bombing.Port Townsend, WA
- Jan 24, 1894Workers Denounce 'Grave Yard' Shift ExploitationA group of laborers describe the harsh conditions and broken promises of the municipal work gangs during a period of widespread unemployment.Commercial Street, Seattle, WA
- May 23, 1894A Cry for Help, Then Two Arms Above the Tide FlatsFred Wyott borrowed his roommate's boat for an evening fishing trip near Commercial and Charles streets. Neighbors heard him cry out but could not reach him in time.Seattle, WA
- Sep 4, 1894The Day Seattle Shut Down: Sailors, Longshoremen and the First Labor DayBanks, courts and public offices closed for the first time in the city's history, 2,500 people packed Pioneer Place for a 36-minute tug-of-war, and a labor orator told the crowd that good wages are the engine of everyone's prosperity.Seattle, WA
- May 23, 1895Shanghaied in Tacoma: How a Sailor-Crimping Ring Hijacked a Ship's CrewAffidavits from the Coast Seamen's Union describe a brazen scheme to force a captain to hire a crew through boarding-house bosses—then leave the sailors to pay.Port of Tacoma, Tacoma, WA
- May 25, 1895Shipped Out by Force: The Sailor Who Wouldn't SignA Tacoma saloonkeeper lured three men to a vessel and kept them aboard against their will — now the seamen's union demands justice.Old Town, Tacoma, WA