Background Los Angeles Times bombing

1 background

1.1 strike against american bridge co.
1.2 dynamite campaign
1.3 los angeles strike

background

the iron workers union formed in 1896. work seasonal , iron workers unskilled, union remained weak, , of industry remained unorganized until 1902. year, union won strike against american bridge company, subsidiary of newly formed u.s. steel corporation. american bridge dominant company in iron industry, , within year iron workers union had not organized every united states iron manufacturer, had won signed contracts including union shop clauses. mcnamara brothers irish american trade unionists. john (known j.j.) , younger brother james (known j.b.) both active in international association of bridge , structural iron workers (the iron workers).

strike against american bridge co.

james (left) , john mcnamara

in 1903, officials of u.s. steel , american bridge company founded national erectors association, coalition of steel , iron industry employers. primary goal of national erectors association promote open shop , assist employers in breaking unions in industries. employers used labor spies, agents provocateurs, private detective agencies, , strike breakers engage in campaign of union busting. local, state, , federal law enforcement agencies cooperated in campaign, used violence against union members. hard pressed open shop campaign, iron workers reacted electing militant frank m. ryan president , john j. mcnamara secretary-treasurer in 1905. in 1906, iron workers struck @ american bridge in attempt retain contract. however, open shop movement significant success. 1910, u.s. steel had succeeded in driving unions out of plants. unions in other iron manufacturing companies vanished. iron workers held on (though strike @ american bridge continued).

dynamite campaign

desperate union officials turned violence counter setbacks had suffered. beginning in late 1906, national , local officials of iron workers launched dynamiting campaign. goal of campaign bring companies bargaining table, , not destroy plants or kill people. between 1906 , 1911, iron workers blew 110 iron works, though few thousand dollars in damages done. national erectors association aware responsible bombings, since herbert s. hockin, member of iron workers executive board, paid spy.

los angeles strike

los angeles employers had been resisting unionization half century. harrison gray otis, publisher of los angeles times, vehemently anti-union. otis first joined , seized control of local merchants association in 1896, renaming merchants , manufacturers association (colloquially known m&m), , using , newspaper s large circulation spearhead 20-year campaign end city s few remaining unions. without unions keep wages high, open shop employers in los angeles able undermine wage standards set in heavily unionized san francisco. unions in san francisco feared employers in city begin pressing wage cuts , start open shop drive of own. solution saw re-unionize los angeles.

the san francisco unions relied heavily on iron workers, 1 of few strong unions remaining in los angeles. unionization campaign began in spring of 1910. on june 1, 1910, 1,500 iron workers struck iron manufacturers in city win $0.50 hour minimum wage ($11.89 in 2011 dollars) , overtime pay. m&m raised $350,000 ($8.3 million in 2011 dollars) break strike. superior court judge issued series of injunctions banned picketing. on july 15, los angeles city council unanimously enacted ordinance banning picketing , speaking in public streets in loud or unusual tone , penalty of 50 days in jail or $100 fine or both. union members refused obey injunctions or ordinance, , 472 strikers arrested. strike, however, proved effective: september, 13 new unions had formed, increasing union membership in city 60 percent.