On this day in Labor History the year was 1938.
At 8:30 in the morning union members gathered at the port in Hilo, Hawaii.
They were there to protest the docking of a ship with non-union workers, the SS Waialeale.
The workers came from many unions, including the International Longshoremen and Warehousemen.
1938 was an intensive year for organizing on the Hawaiian docks.
Estimates of the crowd of workers gathering that day were as many as 800.
The workers chanted "The more we get together, together, together; The more we get together, the better we'll be!"
They were met by the police who used tear gas, firehoses, bayonets and bullets to break up the peaceful demonstration.
Harry Kamoku, a Chinese-Hawaiian labor leader, recounted what he saw. Saying, “They shot us down like a herd of sheep. We didn't have a chance. The firing kept up for about five minutes. They just kept on pumping buckshot and bullets into our bodies. They shot men in the back as they ran. They shot men who were trying to help wounded comrades and women.”
Fifty people were injured due to this brutality. Fortunately no one lost their life..
The events at Hilo became a rallying cry for workers throughout the islands.
Joe Kealalio, a longshoreman from Honolulu recalled, “Now these guys would come down from Hilo, and they would mingle around here, and they would talk to us.”
They shared what they witnessed that day on the docks, and then challenged the Honolulu workers to join the fight.
The workers from Hilo said “The Honolulu port has to organize. We can’t do it alone.”
The University of Hawaii’s Center for Labor Education and Research has developed a documentary about the events at Hilo as part of their “Rice and Roses” series.
Listen to our clips at www.LaborHistoryin2.com
Labor History in 2:00 brought to you by the Illinois Labor History Society and The Rick Smith Show