1 - American Memory

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THE 1949 HAWAII DOCK STRIKE
The International Longshoremen's and Warehousemen's Union (ILWTJ) struck
seven Hawaii stevedoring companies on May 1, 1949, when deadloclced tallts on
a wage reopener could not be resolved. Jlilitary shipping was exempted by the
union and special ships carrying food were also allowed to unload, but otherwise
the islands' docks were effectively closed. Hawaii's Governor seized the docks
under a special dock seizure law passed by an emergency session of the Terri-
torial Legislature, but little traffic could be resumed. The strike ended October
2.'5, 1949. and the Governor returned the dock.s to the companies following a wage
agreement.
THE 19B2 SAILOBS' STRIKE
The Sailors Union of the Pacific struck the Pacific Maritime Association
(PMA), which represents West Coast shipping companies, on May 24, 1952,
after contract negotiations broke down. The settlement didn't come until July
29—66 days later. This was followed by additional brief work stoppages by
other shipboard unions which had been bargaining with the PMA but had waited
until the Sailors' settlement.
THE 1962 WEST COAST MARITIME STRIKE
The three unlicensed .seamen's unions—Sailors Union of the Pacific, Marine
Firemen's Union, and the Marine Cooks and Stewards Union—struck the Pacific
Maritime A.ssociation on March 16,1962. They had failed to reach agreement after
negotiating for seven months.
The merchant fleet of 120 ships operated by member companies of the PMA
was idled for 27 days until the Taft-Hartley injunction invoked by President
Kennedy sent the seamen back to work. Agreements were reached during the
80-day cooling-off period.
THE 1966 AIRLINE STRIKE
The Machinists Union struck five trunk airlines—Eastern, Northwest, Trans
World, United, and National—on .Tuly 8, 1966, after lengthy negotiations failed
to bring agreement. An estimated 4,100 flights and 150,000 travelers were aCfected
daily by the strike. The airlines estimated their daily revenue loss at more than
$7 million.
United and Northwest airlines, two of the three scheduled U.S. carriers that
.served Hawaii at that time, normally operated a combined total of around 15
round trip flights daily between Hawaii and the Mainland, with an average
combined load of 2.300 passengers. The 43-day strike, which ended on August 19,
cost the Hawaiian economy some $13.5 million, including the loss of 40,000
potential visitors. Hotels in Walkiki rejwrted that occupancy rates were down
10 percent due to the strike. Obviously some hotels were hit harder than others,
and these suffered severe financial strain. The two interisland air carriers re-
ported their jiassenger load down substantially during the strike.
THE 1B71 WEST COAST DOCK STRIKE
The ILWU struck the Pacific Maritime Association, representing West Coast
stevedoring companies, on ,Tuly 1, 1971, closing down docks all along the coasts
of California. Oregon, Washington, and Alaska. Lengthy negotiations had
failed to resolve disputed contract Issues, chief of which was a jurisdictlonal
dispute between the ILWU and the Teamsters Union.
As the strike wound up its third month, there was no progress. On October 6.
1971, President Nixon intervened by invoking the Taft-Hartley Act and asking
the courts for an injunction. The Injunction sent longshoremen on the West Coast
hack to work on October 9 for an 80-day cooling-off jwriod. There were hardly
any negotiations during the interim, however, and when the injunction expired
in December, West Coast longshoremen rejected the employers' final offer and re-
sumed the strike on January 17,1972, after a holiday grace period.
Meanwhile, on the East Coast, the International Longshoremen's Association
struck on October 1,1971, closing all Atlantic and Gulf ports until President Nixon
again invoked Taft-Hartley on November 26.
Agreement on the West Coa.st strike was finally reached on February 18, 1972.
This agreement, which took so long to negotiate, will expire on June 30. 1973.