Dangerous strike on the Saint John waterfront in 1949

Although business is keeping me very busy this month, a friendly email today reminded me that I have been neglecting Lost Valley readers. So in addition to today's article I updated the July 23rd article which included an interesting old photograph of Saint John longshoremen on parade.

THE 1949 SEAMEN'S STRIKE:
While I do have additional information on the infamous Seamen's Strike of 1949 I did not plan to revisit the topic unless I had some reader feedback. Labour historian and former Labour Council president George Vair has responded, providing details on the how longshoremen attempted to prevent ships from taking on crews of strike breakers. I am pleased to share George's contribution.

This was the photo originally discussed in my blog of July 23, 2008 - entitled "Mystery Photo - Saint John Port Strike" (archived here). In the foreground is Frank Crilley, whose story is told below by George Vair.

"Hi Ron: The picture of the Longshoremen is the 1949 Seamen's strike, with Frank Crilley standing with one hand in his pocket and his hat in the other hand. The Canadian Seamen's Union went on strike to protest their deplorable working conditions. The strike spread across the world. Scabs were brought in and the longshoremen refused to load the ships. Hundreds of unions supported the strikers and sixty percent of worldwide shipping was affected. The Canadian government supported the ship owners and brought in the Seamen's International Union (SIU) to break the strike. Hard-core gangster Hal Banks led the American Union. Aided by the police, truckloads of armed scabs invaded the ships with guns, bicycle chains and baseball bats. In Saint John, the longshoremen refused to load three vessels that had been taken over by the scabs. However, the International Longshoremen's Union supported the SIU and ordered the men to load the ships. After three days, the Local 273 president, Edward Charlton, led a group of longshoremen over the picket line and loaded the ships. Frank Crilley and others refused to report to work and continued the picket line. Crilley was a checker and secretary of ILA Local 1571. The International Union ordered the local to expel Crilley from membership. When the local refused to expel Crilley, the International Union revoked their charter. The International then issued a new charter for the checkers, Local 1764, and refused membership to Crilley and some other members who continued to support the CSU. Crilley was then blackballed on the waterfront. The ship owners and the government labelled the CSU union leaders as communists and were successful in destroying the CSU.

I am attaching another picture taken on the Saint John waterfront at the same time. It shows brave members of the CSU setting up a picket line while police get ready to escort scabs onto the ships. The scabs are in the transport truck in the left of the picture."

A photo taken on Pier 9 in West Saint John, April 28, 1949 during the bitter Seamen's strike which created havoc in U.S. , British and Canadian ports. Here we see CSU pickets trying to prevent SIU strike-breakers from servicing three vessels in port - the COTTRELL, the FEDERAL TRADER and the OTTAWA VALLEY. Upwards of fifty policemen can be counted in this photo, the RCMP contingent wearing Canadian army helmets. Force was deployed to protect a shift of SIU "scabs" who were concealed in the truck moving across the tracks from the left. Nine CSU members were injured in the ensuing clash, but no policemen. The scabs had been flown in, landing at Pennfield Ridge, the former RCAF airstrip and transported in four yellow moving vans leased from a local company. [George Vair photo]

Steel helmeted Mounties on the Saint John waterfront, April 28, 1949. A closeup made from George's photo.

"With regards to books on Saint John labour history, I authored a book on Saint John unions during the 1975-76 wage control period. The title of the book is The Struggle Against Wage Controls -The Saint John Story I have attached a notice on where the book can be purchased. All the best, and keep up the good work. George Vair

P.S. I will try to get more info on the picture eg: who is the guy in the cowboy boots?"

AGAINST THE TIDE - ISBN 0-919396-49-6 was published in 1986 by Progress Books, Toronto. ("Progress Books" was the publishing arm of the Communist Party of Canada.)The book has a few pages detailing the violent labour confrontation in Saint John which played out in Apr.-May, 1949, and also has two photos of pickets in Halifax. Green has a labour background and was a civic politician here in Vancouver. His book cites the "St. John Telegram Journal" [sic] as a news source.

What would have happened in the event of a riot or even a charge against police lines? In 1949 the Saint John Police Department had no special training in riot control, which necessitated calling in the RCMP. As local constables had no tear gas they were issued only hardwood axe handles which caused injuries. Fortunately the actual casualties were kept to nine beaten port workers. I am reminded that the S.J. police did possess a small number of Lanchester submachineguns, (above) the gift of a British vessel which refitted in the port during WW2. In 1981, if memory serves, I lent a hand to Bob Elliott of the N.B.M in setting up a display of small arms at the museum. My reward was a chance to closely examine one of those ex-SJPD Lanchester's, as well as common arms like the MP40 and BREN.

The port strike was an important event which impacted the lives of many families in the North End. One figure whom I have always been interested in was Comrade Eddie Reid, the Business Agent for the Canadian Seamen's Union in Saint John. Mr. Reid was an underground member of the Communist Party in an era (the Cold War was beginning) when C.P. membership could be dangerous to your health. If any older Saint John resident has preserved material on Reid's life, I would be interested in doing an article on him.