Seattle Post-Intelligencer news staff strikes on August 19, 1936.

  • By HistoryLink Staff
  • Posted 1/01/1999
  • HistoryLink.org Essay 2519
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On August 19, 1936, 35 news staff employees of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer strike the Hearst-owned newspaper. The strikers are members of the fledgling American Newspaper Guild. They stay out until November 29, 1936, and with the help of Teamsters leader Dave Beck (1894-1993), win the strike.

The newspaper had about 70 employees on the news staff, including reporters, library employees, and employees in the home economics department. The strikers were members of the fledgling American Newspaper Guild led by the nationally famous journalist Heywood Broun.

The strike protested arbitrary dismissals and assignment changes and other "efficiency" moves by the newspaper. It got the support and solidarity of other unions, including the Teamsters led by Dave Beck (1894-1993), and was one of the first significant and successful strikes by white-collar workers in the United States.


Sources:

William E. Ames and Roger A. Simpson, Unionism or Hearst: the Seattle Post-Intelligencer Strike of 1936 (Seattle: Pacific Northwest Labor History Association, 1978).


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