Lumber mill employees entering the yards at St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. are happy to return to work today after the end of the strike that paralyzed activity for the past 13 weeks. The workers just voted positively on an agreement submitted by 22 Tacoma mill owners. The agreement called for a 50 cent minimum wage, a 40 hour work week, 8 hour day, time and 1/2 for overtime, reemployment of striking employees and recognition of the union. The vote on the agreement was 1391 to 97. (T. Times 8/5/1935, pg. 1)
Labor unions--Tacoma; Lumber & Sawmill Workers Local 2633 (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Strikes--Tacoma--1930-1940; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma);
A returning lumber mill employee proudly wears his Union button on his hat after the settlement of a strike that lasted 13 weeks. The agreement called for a 50 cent minimum wage, a 40 hour work week, 8 hour day, time and 1/2 for overtime, reemployment of striking employees and recognition of the union. The vote on the agreement was 1391 to 97. (T. Times 8/5/1935, pg. 1)
Labor unions--Tacoma; Lumber & Sawmill Workers Local 2633 (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Strikes--Tacoma--1930-1940; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma);
Members of the 161st Infantry of the Washington National Guard, bayonets ready, attempt to control the crowd of striking lumber mill workers and supporters gathering at the intersection of 11th & A streets to oppose the Guard's presence and the City Council's rule requiring all gatherings to have a permit from the council. The National Guard arrived in Tacoma June 23rd, 1935 to protect workers returning to the mills on the Tideflats. Violence against the strikebreakers was common. On July 12, 1935, the confrontation erupted into a 4 1/2 hour battle on the streets of Tacoma. (TDL 7/13/1935, pg 1) TPL-8787
Labor unions--Tacoma; Lumber & Sawmill Workers Local 2633 (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Strikes--Tacoma--1930-1940; Demonstrations--Tacoma--1930-1940; Washington National Guard, 161st Infantry (Wash.);
Using tear gas and fixed bayonets, the Washington National Guard confronted a crowd of approximately 500 striking lumber mill workers and their supporters at the corner of South 11th and A Streets on July 12, 1935. The National Guard had been called out by Governor Clarence Martin to protect the replacement workers who had been hired to help break the strike. The gas was largely ineffectual, with protestors flinging the canisters back at the Guard. One gas bomb picked up by strikers was thrown into a Guard truck and caused other bombs to explode, setting the truck on fire. The truck was destroyed before the fire department could reach it through the crowds. (TDL 7/13/1935, pg 1) TPL-8772
Labor unions--Tacoma; Lumber & Sawmill Workers Local 2633 (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Strikes--Tacoma--1930-1940; Demonstrations--Tacoma--1930-1940; Washington National Guard, 161st Infantry (Wash.);
National Guard members were called out to keep the peace in Tacoma at the beginning of a bloody clash with 500 lumber mill strikers and sympathizers that started around 4p.m. on July 12, 1935 at the intersection of 11th & A, the entrance to the 11th Street Bridge. Guardsmen were stationed at 11th & A to protect strikebreakers as they crossed the 11th Street Bridge on their way home from work at the mills on the Tideflats. They also prevented the labor demonstrators from crossing the bridge to the Tideflats. The confrontation concluded 4 1/2 hours later when the guard had pushed the angry crowd up the hill on 11th to Yakima where it dispersed. The lumber and sawmill workers strike began on May 6, 1935 and was settled early in August of the same year with victory for the workers. The National Guard was deployed to Tacoma on June 23, 1935 to preserve the peace and was involved in many skirmishes. (TDL 7/13/1935, pg. 1)
Labor unions--Tacoma; Lumber & Sawmill Workers Local 2633 (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Strikes--Tacoma--1930-1940; Demonstrations--Tacoma--1930-1940; Washington National Guard (Tacoma);
Members of the 161st Infantry of the Washington National Guard stand head to head with striking timber and sawmill workers waving the American flag and demonstrating opposition to the presence of the Guard. The Guard had been called out three weeks prior to protect strikebreakers as they crossed the bridges to the Tideflats to work. This confrontation erupted into a full scale battle with Guards using tear gas, nausea bombs, night sticks and bayonets to control the crowd. TPL-425 (TDL 7/13/1935, pg 1)
Labor unions--Tacoma; Lumber & Sawmill Workers Local 2633 (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Strikes--Tacoma--1930-1940; Demonstrations--Tacoma--1930-1940; Washington National Guard, 161st Infantry (Wash.);
Members of the Washington National Guard used tear gas freely in an attempt to disperse the crowd of lumber mill strikers and their supporters during this July 12, 1935 melee near the intersection of 11th and A Streets. The Guard had arrived in Tacoma to protect strikebreakers attempting to open the mills on the Tideflats. The strike was particularly violent with those workers that opposed the strike suffering bombed cars and homes. TPL-426 (TDL 7/13/1935, pg 1)
Labor unions--Tacoma; Lumber & Sawmill Workers Local 2633 (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Strikes--Tacoma--1930-1940; Demonstrations--Tacoma--1930-1940; Washington National Guard, 161st Infantry (Wash.);
On July 12, 1935, traffic stopped as the Washington National Guard and striking mill and timber workers met in a bloody battle that began at 11th and A St, and ended with cracked heads and numerous arrests. The problem was made worse by hundreds of curious onlookers. Guardsmen in gas masks used tear and ammonia gas bombs to control the crowd. The gas was largely ineffectual, as the demonstrators picked up the bombs and hurled them back at the guardsmen. The National Guard formed lines shoulder to shoulder and pushed the crowd up the hill to Yakima, where it dispersed. (TDL 7/13/1935, pg 1) TPL-8771
Labor unions--Tacoma; Lumber & Sawmill Workers Local 2633 (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Strikes--Tacoma--1930-1940; Demonstrations--Tacoma--1930-1940; Washington National Guard (Tacoma);
Tacoma Mailer's Union #54, 15th Annual Banquet held at "The Firs". Union members and their spouses look up at the camera from long banquet tables. Elaborate decorations hang from the ceiling. The Firs was located two miles south of the Roy "Y" on Mountain Highway in the Loveland area. It was built in 1922 by Irv and Lacy Ball of vertical log construction, and served as an inn, restaurant and cabaret. It catered primarily to banquets and private parties. It was destroyed in 1974 by fire and never rebuilt.
Tacoma Mailer's Union #54 (Tacoma); Banquets--Spanaway--1930-1940; Firs (Spanaway); Labor unions--Tacoma--1930-1940;
ca. ,1925. In 1925, the building at 1221-23 Pacific Ave. housed the 4 L Hall, home to the "Loyal Legion of Loggers & Lumbermen." The National Department Store was located at 1223 Pacific and sold camping and outdoor goods, as well as shoes and furnishings. The store is littered with signs advertising a "going out of business" sale. The address also included 113-23 So. 13th St. This structure, originally built for the National Bank of Commerce, was remodeled in 1922 for the 4-L's, apparently including the removal of several upper floors. The building was later demolished. (WSHS)
Loyal Legion of Loggers & Lumbermen (Tacoma); National Department Store (Tacoma);
