Q. Ballantyne Pier

Category: Sites from the 'Labour, Work and Working People' booklet

On June 8, 1935, during the “bloodiest hours in waterfront history,” organizaed longshoremen participating in a peaceful protest march volleyed rocks in self-defense as city police fired on them. At least 128 suffered injuries and one dies as mounted and motorcycle police used tear gas and batons to disperse the crowd and then scoured the neighbourhood for those who escaped. Police even lobbed tear gas through the windows of the first aid station that the Women's Auxiliary of the Lonshoremen's union had set up in their hall to treat the injured strikers. Some of the longshoremen soon left to join the in-progress On-to-Ottawa Trek while others continued to fight the powerful Shipping Federation. Arrests, blacklisting, scabbing and harassment ultimately broke the strike and union by December. Some strikers were sent to prison, sentenced to 3 years and 5 lashes. Many longshoremen later fought in the Spanish Civil War and a few of the men returned to the waterfront in later years. Despite early setbacks, the longshoremen's union was finally established as one of the strongest unions in B.C.

Greater background and context can be found here.