By John Hanson, July 18, 2015
I am John Hanson. In 1934 my father, John Hanson, served on the strike committee known as the “Committee of One Hundred.” He drove a coal truck and participated in all of the local 574 strike events that year, including “Bloody Friday.” My uncle, Francis Hanson, joined as a roving picket.
I learned about the strikes from my father. For some reason, he wanted me to know. First I will tell you briefly about my father. He grew up on a farm in southwestern Minnesota. A quiet introvert by nature, he could be personable, friendly and kind. He always wanted to help those who struggled. Mostly, he worked hard for the causes he believed in and sometimes in order to do so he used his dry sense of humor. Some say I inherited his humor. He spoke to me about the strikes of 1934, but he talked more about the situation that surrounded those times than his own involvement. He sought no credit for himself. I hope in telling you about the movement, the events, the people, and the depth of its organization, I do justice to my father’s beliefs in the cause of labor and what unions can do to help better the lives of the common worker.
THE EVENT
On the 20th of July, 1934, a significant labor event occurred right here. Police gunned down unarmed heroes of the movement with police specials, shotguns, and Thomson machine guns, killing two men, Henry Ness and John Belor, wounding 65 others involved in the strike, and 7 bystanders. The Governor’s commission determined that the armed police officers shot, killed and wounded the unarmed without just cause. They shot some while they assisted the fallen. Many were shot in the back.
Bryan D. Palmer writes in his book, Revolutionary Teamsters, “a subsequent inquiry into the events … unequivocally states that ‘ Police took direct aim at the pickets and fired to kill; physical safety of police was at no time endangered; no weapons were in the possession of pickets in the truck; at no time did pickets attack the police, and it was obvious that pickets came unprepared for such an attack; the truck movement in question was not a serious attempt to move merchandise, but a plant arranged by the police.” Today we gather to honor those heroes and the many union supporters of that year; heroes that deserve our recognition; heroes that deserve these moments of our time to reflect on this great achievement in advancing the lives of the ordinary worker.
My father told me that on Bloody Friday, a group of strikers and he rode on the back of a truck. After some commotion, the driver stopped the vehicle and some of the men jumped off to proceed on foot. Then the driver continued around a corner. In the telling my father’s anger surfaced as he recalled and described what happened next to his good friend, Bernie Koski. “The bastards shot him in the back.” At the heat of the day as the temperature rose toward the high 90’s, so did the tempers. But the strikers kept their cool. My dad soon learned that the police shot others too. Other supporters and he hurried to pick up the wounded and brought them to the union infirmary which is the destination they preferred. Some were taken to the hospital, but did not want to be transported there because the police were on hand to interrogate those who suffered.
Henry Ness, a 40 year old father with four children, died on July 21st and was the first to give his life for this cause. (The cover on the plaque bears his last words.) After his death the Union leaders made a firm decision not to escalate the violence and even disarmed some men who wanted to fight back with weapons. Instead they joined in planning a mass funeral march after a private family service for Henry Ness. None knew what the turn-out would be, but on July 24th, four days after Bloody Friday, about 100,000 came to pay respects. The photos from that day are evidence alone of the thousands who marched in the funeral procession and stood on the streets in silence as the procession moved through the streets. My father used the word “silence” to describe this funeral procession – only the sounds of marching feet and the hum of motor vehicles could be heard. No one spoke. Tears streamed down the supporters faces. We can imagine the grief, shock, disbelief, sadness, and anger that gripped everyone. They must have feared what the next day would bring. The union provided its own marshals to assist with order and traffic. No police showed up. Again on August 4th after a small private funeral, thousands lined the streets of Minneapolis for the funeral procession of John Belor who died on August 1st.
In respect for the silence that surrounded the crowds, I am asking that we take a few moments now to quiet ourselves as we pay our respects to those pioneers of the labor movement here in Minneapolis.
This watershed moment marked the beginning of the end of the power of business to stop the union. Teamsters Local 574 defeated the businesses, their Citizen’s Alliance, the mayor, the police, the hired thugs and the scabs. The strike gave birth to Minneapolis as a union town and the Teamsters quickly became the union for local and over-the-road truckers and workers involved in their industry.
The People
How did my father describe the men and women of the labor movement in 1934? Many moved to the cities from farms in the 1920’s and 1930’s, had families, and served in World War I, the Great War. Many only had 8th grade educations and took work as ordinary blue-collar workers in order to support their families. The unemployed joined their ranks. All of these people came from many different political views, but they joined hands in solidarity to help each other and lift up those in need. My dad told me, “I didn’t agree with some of the political views on The Committee of One Hundred, but I set those aside for the cause that mattered – the rights of the every-day worker. We respected each other and held good personal relationships.”
The Organization
We can marvel at the depth of the organization of those involved in the early labor strikes. This well-disciplined organization supporting brave, radical ideas blossomed into a great megaphone for the rights of workers – a loudspeaker that could no longer be silenced or bullied. These ordinary men and women achieved an extraordinary result through activist, creative, democratic ideals. Led by inspired leaders, the Committee of One Hundred met regularly to approve the activities of the movement and after the meeting ended, each member guided the tasks of the day. The involvement included pickets at the central warehouses, roving pickets, drivers, newspaper editors for “The Organizer,” distributors, food preparers, infirmary assistants, nurses, doctors, lawyers, mechanics, delivery crews, messengers, phone booth callers, telephone clerks, secretarial staff, and farmers. Women who worked in the business offices provided tips to the committee on the movements of scab trucks and their business leaders. The well-run Women’s Auxiliary participated in all facets of the strike including marching on City Hall. I recall that my father chuckled about the effect of the women who marched. He said, “I think the mayor feared the women most.”
In the end, other unions in the Twin Cities honored the strike and provided their support. We don’t know the names of all the supporters and their descendants, but I wish they could all be here, even if it were 100,000 strong.
Today
Today certain politicians and business leaders criticize the labor movement and build their platforms on misleading assertions. They claim labor union members get more benefits than employees without unions and thus the entire labor movement is unfair and discriminatory. Think about that faulty logic. They don’t say all employees should have more benefits. They say no employees deserve protected benefits but are left to the whims of employers and businesses. We know that can’t be trusted; statistics show today workers’ share of wealth is decreasing while businesses and owner’s wealth increases.
As I close, my father’s labor ideals and principles come to mind.
1. Get involved.
2. Start small.
3. Talk to others at coffee, at lunch, or with a drink.
4. Speak out with social media: Facebook, twitter, tumbler, snapchat.
5. Foster good relationships with other workers.
6. Be kind to one another. We don’t know the struggles they face.
7. Be an activist, don’t back down.
8. Be firm about the cause of the worker.
9. Organize all workers.
10. Have a solid plan.
11. Stick together.
For the sake of the heroes of 1934, whom we honor here today, let’s
join hands and hearts in seeking a better America and a better world for all
workers. One word captures it all. Join me in repeating it. “Solidarity, solidarity,
solidarity.”
