“West Coast Longshore Strikes, 1923 and 1935,” The Canadian Encyclopedia (Edmonton: Hurtig, 1988), 200 words.
West Coast Longshore Strikes, 1923 and 1935 On 8 Oct 1923 the 1400 members of the International Longshoremen’s Assn (ILA) in Vancouver struck for higher wages. The Shipping Federation imported strikebreakers, housed in the CPR ship Empress of Japan, while an armed launch and 350 armed men guarded the waterfront. The longshoremen gave up on Dec 10. Refusing further dealings with the ILA, the Shipping Federation took over the dispatch of the work force, formerly controlled by the union, and set up a company union, the Vancouver and District Waterfront Workers Assn. This evolved into a genuine union, and on 4 June 1935 became involved in the strike-lockout of 1935, resulting from union struggles to regain control of dispatch and to unite with other longshoremen in the region. The conflict led to the “Battle of the Ballentyne Pier” on June 18, when mounted police charged 1000 longshoremen. Following the imprisonment of union leaders, the strike ended on Dec 9.
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