On this day, 24 October 1892, up to 3,000 workers in New Orleans from three racially integrated unions – the Teamsters, the Scalesmen, and the Packers – went on strike for a 10-hour work day, overtime pay, and the preferential union shop.
The employers’ Board of Trade, with the local newspapers, tried to spread racist lies to tear the workers apart, but the Black and white workers stood united.
Workers in other unions wanted to give their support and on 8 November a general strike began with 25,000-30,000 workers from 46 different unions taking part – a huge portion of the city’s workforce. They had demands including union recognition, closed shops, shorter hours, and increased wages. The city was paralysed as streetcars, natural gas, electricity, food and beverage delivery, construction, printing, street cleaning, manufacturing, and even fire-fighting services ground to a halt.
Again the press tried to break the workers across racial lines with lies about Black strikers assaulting white women and children and wanting to take over the city, but again the workers maintained their interracial solidarity. Failing to bring in a sufficient number of scabs, the Board of Trade convinced a racist Democratic Governor to send in the state militia. However, when they came, the city was so quiet that they left on 11 November. Still, the threat of violence forced the union leaders to seek a quick end to the struggle.
The strike ended with only partial victory; the settlement included a 10-hour day, overtime pay, and for some unions, increased pay, but not union recognition.
Pictured: dock workers in New Orleans at rest, 1902 https://www.facebook.com/workingclasshistory/photos/a.296224173896073/2117767338408405/?type=3