Battle of Ballantyne Pier facts for kids
The Battle of Ballantyne Pier was a big fight that happened in Ballantyne Pier in Vancouver, British Columbia, in June 1935. It was during a strike by dockworkers. These workers, called longshoremen, load and unload ships. The pier was owned by the government. This event was part of many strikes happening on the West Coast of North America during the Great Depression. It helped workers gain the right to negotiate together for better conditions. It also led to the rise of the ILWU union later on.
The story of this strike goes back to 1912. That's when the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) started organizing dockworkers in Canada. They worked with the Lumber Handlers' Union in Vancouver. These unions went against the Shipping Federation, which was a group of employers. Over the next few years, workers won several strikes and got better wages.
By 1923, the Shipping Federation wanted to stop the ILA's power. A strike began in October 1923. About 1400 men joined picket lines at the Vancouver waterfront. But the Shipping Federation was ready. They had 350 men with shotguns on a nearby ship. These armed men scared the strikers. Also, many non-union workers kept loading and unloading ships. This made the strike fail after two months.
The 1923 strike broke the ILA union. A new group, the Vancouver and District Waterfront Workers' Association (VDWWA), took its place. At first, the bosses set up the VDWWA as a "company union." This meant it was controlled by the employers. But the VDWWA soon started to challenge the Shipping Federation. By 1935, the VDWWA had organized workers in almost every port in British Columbia.
The Shipping Federation then started another major strike in the spring of 1935. They locked out 50 dockworkers at the port in Powell River. A "lockout" is when employers stop workers from coming to work to force them to agree to terms.
This strike quickly grew. Other dockworkers in the region joined in. Workers in Vancouver refused to unload ships coming from Powell River. So, 900 workers in Vancouver were also locked out. Dockworkers in Seattle, across the border, also refused to unload ships from Vancouver and Powell River that had non-union workers.
Why the Strike Happened
The Vancouver and District Waterfront Workers' Association (VDWWA) was formed after a big dockworkers' strike failed in 1923. It replaced an older union. Later, in the 1930s, some organizers with the Workers' Unity League (WUL) gained control of the VDWWA. They turned it into a strong union that wanted to strike.
A strike, which was really a lockout, began on May 27, 1935. This happened even though the union and the Shipping Federation of British Columbia had reached an agreement. But the workers felt the agreement was unfair.
A main issue for the longshoremen was how work was given out. Before the 1923 strike, the union decided which work groups would load and unload ships. But after 1923, the Shipping Federation took over this job. Workers said the Federation treated them unfairly. They claimed the Federation would not give work to those who supported an independent union. This made jobs very uncertain.
When the union decided to take over assigning work groups again, the Federation said it broke their agreement. They then locked out the longshoremen. The Federation brought in replacement workers, often called "scabs" by the strikers. They also hired hundreds of special police officers to break the strike.
Tensions Rise
Around the same time, in April 1935, nearly 2000 unemployed men came to Vancouver. These men were protesting the bad conditions in federal "relief camps." These camps were set up by the government to help with unemployment during the Great Depression. The men in these camps were also organized by the Workers' Unity League.
Communist leaders tried to combine these two strikes. They hoped to start a "general strike," where many different types of workers would stop working. The Shipping Federation and the police knew about this plan. They worried it was an attempt to start a revolution. So, when the dockworkers' strike began, there was already a lot of tension.
Historians agree that both strikes were for good reasons. The relief camps had terrible conditions. Dockworkers faced unfair work rules. But the authorities prepared for a revolution. Police from all levels, including special officers, were ready. These special officers trained at the Beatty Street Drill Hall. A group called the Citizens' League of British Columbia, funded by the Shipping Federation, helped organize them. Even military units were ready to be called in.
The plan to combine the strikes and start a general strike mostly failed. The relief camp strikers left Vancouver in June 1935. They began the On-to-Ottawa Trek to take their complaints to the capital city. Still, the authorities kept linking the dockworkers' strike to revolution. They might have been worried by a big dockworkers' strike in the United States the year before. That strike had stopped most shipping and led to a bloody general strike in San Francisco.
The Battle at the Pier
On June 18, 1935, about 1000 protesters marched towards the Heatley Street entrance of Ballantyne Pier. This group included striking dockworkers and their supporters. Non-union workers were unloading ships at the pier.
Unlike earlier strikes, dockworkers were not allowed to picket the docks. Picket lines are used to discourage strikebreakers. The workers said they were going to the pier to talk to the non-union workers. They were led by Victoria Cross winner Mickey O'Rourke and other World War I veterans. They marched behind a Union Jack flag, which was a powerful symbol.
At the pier entrance, they met Chief Constable Colonel W. W. Foster. He warned the protesters they could not go forward. When the protesters refused to turn back, the police guarding the pier attacked them with clubs.
Within minutes, more police joined the fight. Besides the Vancouver police, officers from the British Columbia Provincial Police and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police joined in. They had been hiding behind boxcars. The police chased the crowd, hitting people with clubs even as they ran away. They also fired tear gas. Many protesters fought back, throwing rocks and other things at the police. Others who were attacked were just trying to escape.
The fight lasted for three hours. It spread into the nearby neighborhoods. Several people, both police and protesters, were hurt and taken to the hospital. One person watching was injured in the legs by a police shotgun.
Police also raided the offices of communist organizers and the dockworkers' union. They shot tear gas through the windows to force people out before entering. Strike supporters set up a temporary hospital at the Ukrainian Hall. The police did the same for their injured at the Coroner's Court. In total, 28 out of 60 injured people went to the hospital. 24 men were arrested. The mayor, Gerry McGeer, said that striking dockworkers would no longer get relief payments for themselves or their families.
What Happened Next
The Battle of Ballantyne Pier was a very violent event in Vancouver that year. But it was not the revolution the police had feared. It was also a turning point for the dockworkers' strike. The strike continued until December, but it lost its strong and hopeful spirit after the battle.
However, dockworkers kept fighting for the right to form their own independent union and to control how work was given out. They finally succeeded ten years later, in 1937. That's when they formed the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), Local 500.
The Battle of Ballantyne Pier was part of a strong, and sometimes fearful, reaction against Communists and the workers' movements they led. People's opinions started to turn against the government of R. B. Bennett. Many felt his government handled these events badly. This helped lead to Bennett's defeat in the 1935 Canadian federal election that same year.
While machine guns were not used, tear gas was used for the first time in Vancouver policing that day. Another big clash between unemployed people and the police happened in 1938. Relief camp workers returned to the city. They were violently forced out of the Post Office using tear gas and police clubs.
|
