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The 1936 ''Seattle Post-Intelligencer'' Strike was a
labor strike Strike action, also called labor strike, labour strike, or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became common during the I ...
that took place between August 19 and November 29, 1936. It started as the result of two senior staff members being fired after forming an alliance and joining
The Newspaper Guild The NewsGuild-CWA is a labor union founded by newspaper journalists in 1933. In addition to improving wages and working conditions, its constitution says its purpose is to fight for honesty in journalism and the news industry's business practice ...
. The strike halted production of the newspaper for the duration of the strike. The strike ended with a formal recognition of The Newspaper Guild.


Background

The owner of the ''
Seattle Post-Intelligencer The ''Seattle Post-Intelligencer'' (popularly known as the ''Seattle P-I'', the ''Post-Intelligencer'', or simply the ''P-I'') is an online newspaper and former print newspaper based in Seattle, Washington (state), Washington, United States. Th ...
'' was
William Randolph Hearst William Randolph Hearst Sr. (; April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American businessman, newspaper publisher, and politician known for developing the nation's largest newspaper chain and media company, Hearst Communications. His flamboya ...
, who by the 1920s controlled newspapers that were read by a quarter of all Americans. He also owned an International News Service and six magazines including ''
Cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Food and drink * Cosmopolitan (cocktail), also known as a "Cosmo" History * Rootless cosmopolitan, a Soviet derogatory epithet during Joseph Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign of 1949–1953 Hotels and resorts * Cosmopoli ...
'' and ''
Good Housekeeping ''Good Housekeeping'' is an American women's magazine featuring articles about women's interests, product testing by The Good Housekeeping Institute, recipes, diet, and health, as well as literary articles. It is well known for the "Good Hous ...
''. He later owned a television newsreel and film company and once considered running for the
President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal gove ...
. Hearst is credited as a founder of
yellow journalism Yellow journalism and yellow press are American terms for journalism and associated newspapers that present little or no legitimate, well-researched news while instead using eye-catching headlines for increased sales. Techniques may include ...
by utilizing sensationalism or crude exaggeration in his publications. The most famous example of Hearst's yellow journalism was prior to the
Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (cl ...
. He consistently published articles about ongoing conflicts between the Spanish and the Cuban Revolutionaries, often over-exaggerating events that transpired or fabricating events altogether, which was credited for laying the groundwork for the Spanish–American War by angering the American people. Hearst's "combat dispatches" turned out to be correspondents at luxury hotel resorts whose sources were their own imaginations. During
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
, the city of Seattle produced one-fifth of the United States wartime ship tonnage. A shipyard strike in 1919 brought national attention to Seattle when workers went on strike to keep their high wartime wages, which led to a
general strike A general strike refers to a strike action in which participants cease all economic activity, such as working, to strengthen the bargaining position of a trade union or achieve a common social or political goal. They are organised by large coa ...
during February 6–10, the longest in American history. The strike fueled American fears of radical and socialist values, and gave Seattle a reputation of being at the heart of
political radicalism Radical politics denotes the intent to transform or replace the principles of a society or political system, often through social change, structural change, revolution or radical reform. The process of adopting radical views is termed radica ...
. During the Great Depression, " Hoovervilles" started popping up around the city where nearly 1,000 unemployed residents would gather to stay in shacks at the empty shipyard south of Pioneer Square.
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
created an economic revival for companies like
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, which increased employment by more than 1,200. The American Newspaper Guild was founded in 1933 and led by a columnist named
Heywood Broun Heywood Campbell Broun Jr. (; December 7, 1888 – December 18, 1939) was an American journalist. He worked as a sportswriter, newspaper columnist, and editor in New York City. He founded the American Newspaper Guild, later known as The Newspape ...
. It was founded because traditional independent editorial workers were upset with their pay. The Guild became affiliated with the
American Federation of Labor The American Federation of Labor (A.F. of L.) was a national federation of labor unions in the United States that continues today as the AFL-CIO. It was founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions eager to provide mutua ...
in 1936 and the Congress of Industrial Unions in 1937, two of the largest labor organizations in America.


Strike

In August 1936, thirty-five of the approximately seventy employees from the ''Seattle Post-Intelligencer'' went on strike. Employees who went on strike were members of the
American Newspaper Guild The NewsGuild-CWA is a labor union founded by newspaper journalists in 1933. In addition to improving wages and working conditions, its constitution says its purpose is to fight for honesty in journalism and the news industry's business practice ...
. Management at the paper found that a few of the veteran members of their staff had joined the Newspaper Guild union and were fired as a result. The strike stopped publication of the newspaper from August 20 to November 29. Three members of the Newspaper Guild were among the most highly active during the strike: Everhardt Armstrong, Richard "Dick" Seller, and Frank Lynch. Armstrong gained a lot of hostility from management at the paper largely because he was a respected and experienced reporter who showed sympathy for causes of labor. Seller was a younger reporter who, shortly after getting married became reassigned to the "night police beat". This assignment was typically given to young and single reporters who were somewhat carefree. Seller joined the strike with the Newspaper Guild later and ended up becoming the president of the Guild's Seattle chapter. Lynch was the chief photographer for the ''Seattle Post-Intelligencer,'' whose department was seen as being disorganized and was fired once the management from the Hearst Corporation discovered he was a member of the American Newspaper Guild Union.
David Beck David Beck (or Beek; May 25, 1621December 20, 1656), was a Dutch Golden Age portrait painter. Biography Beck was born in Delft, and was named after his uncle, a well-known poet from Arnhem.Teamsters The International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), also known as the Teamsters Union, is a labor union in the United States and Canada. Formed in 1903 by the merger of The Team Drivers International Union and The Teamsters National Union, the u ...
and had responsibilities all along the
Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...
and
British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...
, and later the entire West Coast. Strikers picketed outside the ''Seattle Post-Intelligencer'' and garnered attention from workers in the surrounding area. One group of those workers came from the waterfront and joined in the picket lines surrounding the building. Beck and the Teamsters then decided to refuse to drive past the picket lines, preventing the newspapers from being delivered. William Hearst became more willing to make a deal with the union strikers once the pro-labor
Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
won a landslide re-election as U.S. president on November 3. A tentative agreement was reached and the ''P-I'' employees returned to work. Shortly after the end of the strike, Hearst hired Roosevelt's son-in-law, John Boettiger, as the paper's publisher. David Beck was the person who brokered the deal between the two sides, as the most influential member of the Seattle Central Labor Council. This victory allowed Beck to increase his influence and to gain a strong reputation as Seattle's premier labor leader. Beck also used this to help him in becoming the president of the
International Brotherhood of Teamsters The International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), also known as the Teamsters Union, is a labor union in the United States and Canada. Formed in 1903 by the merger of The Team Drivers International Union and The Teamsters National Union, the ...
and to serve as chair of the UW Board of Regents. During the strike, the employees of the ''Post-Intelligencer'' printed a separate paper of their own, ''The Guild Daily''. It came to print on August 14, 1936, and sold 20,000 copies on its first day. By the end of its run, it had more than 60,000 readers. The news it covered included the strike, world news, and local sports news.


Impact

The 1936 strike against the ''Seattle P-I'' was the first time in Seattle history that a newspaper staff went on strike. This was the first successful strike for the Newspaper Guild and one of the first instances of white-collar workers holding a successful strike, while building a reputation that Washington State laborers had power.


References

{{DISPLAYTITLE:1936 ''Seattle Post-Intelligencer'' strike 1936 in Washington (state) 1936 labor disputes and strikes Newspaper labor disputes in the United States Labor disputes in Washington (state) History of Seattle August 1936 events September 1936 events October 1936 events November 1936 events Mass media in Seattle