The Waterfront Labor Squeeze
A standoff at the Seattle docks over shipping contracts and idle labor leaves the local waterfront in turmoil.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The members of town's labor unions state that the firm who has contracted several ships and which they have been a mainstay for, has kept a large body of men out of work, while they work men in the service of the firm. The firm, a contracting company, has begun to take men into their own hands and deny the union labor. Now the firm has begun to work an outside crew, which has caused the strike here, as a local team shows the shippers that the shipping firm is trying to cut their pay. The union has requested that the firm sign a contract to ensure their future, and that the firm adhere to their terms for all work. The situation is a standoff, as neither side will blink.
“The union has requested that the firm sign a contract to ensure their future, and that the firm adhere to their terms for all work. The situation is a standoff, as neither side will blink.”
This 1887 report on labor tensions, contract disputes, and the usage of 'outside' crews to break local bargaining power captures a century-old anxiety about the commodification of the Seattle waterfront that remains central to modern labor struggles at the Port of Seattle.
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