1938 Maryland crab pickers strike

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1938 Maryland crab pickers strike
Shiloh United Methodist Church, Crisfield, Maryland 03.jpg
State historical marker commemorating the strike
DateApril 6, 1938 (1938-04-06) – May 10, 1938 (1938-05-10)
Location
Maryland, United States
Caused byWage reduction
Goals
  • No reduction in wages
  • Union recognition
Resulted inUnion Victory:
  • Restoration of previous higher wage
  • Formal recognition of CIO Cannery Union
Parties
  • Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) Cannery Union
  • Cannery workers
  • Crab pickers
  • Crab packing companies
Number
600 Strikers

The 1938 Maryland crab pickers strike was a significant labor action in Crisfield, Maryland, where approximately 600 predominantly African American women protested wage cuts and demanded union recognition. This five-week strike highlighted the critical role of Black women in the seafood industry and their fight for fair labor practices.

Contents

Background

Crisfield, often referred to as the "Crab Capital of the World," was a hub for crab processing on the Eastern Shore in the early 20th century. [1] [2] [3] The city's economy heavily relied on the labor of African American women who worked long hours picking crab meat for minimal wages. [1] In 1938, Crisfield alone produced 13% of Maryland's hard crab catch, amounting to over 25,000 barrels, each weighing about 100 pounds. [4] [2]

On April 4, 1938, crab packing companies in Crisfield announced a wage reduction for crab pickers from 35 cents to 25 cents per gallon of crab meat. [5] [4] This decision came at a time when the community was already suffering from high unemployment due to the Great Depression and recent factory closures. The wage cut significantly impacted the livelihoods of the workers, prompting immediate action. [5] [6]

The Strike

On April 6, 1938, approximately 600 crab pickers, predominantly African American women, initiated a strike against the wage reduction and sought recognition of their union, the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) Cannery Union. [7] [3] The strike effectively halted crab processing at over 15 seafood plants in Crisfield, drawing attention to the workers' grievances. [5] [8]

During the strike, the workers faced significant opposition from white residents in the town, including vigilante violence. [4] [9] Homes of strike leaders were invaded, food deliveries to families were blocked, and a union organizer's car was overturned and burned in front of Shiloh United Methodist Church, which served as a meeting place for the strikers. [1] [10] [2] Crisfield Sheriff William Dryden said he and his deputies were out of town during the car burning and did not make any arrests upon their return. A mob of approximately 150 to 200 white men also forced the federal mediator, Stanley White, out of the town. [11] They briefly detained him and threw firecrackers at White before he agreed to leave the area. During this period, hotels refused accommodations to organizers, local stores cut off credit to the strikers, and vigilantes stopped vehicles driving into Crisfield and demanded that occupants state their business. [12] [13]

Governor of Maryland Harry Nice requested Major Elmer Munshower, commander of the Maryland State Police, to go to Crisfield and "report the true facts" of the situation to him. He later deployed state troops to stop the mob violence. He also asked his commissioner of labor, A. Stengle Marine, to attempt a negotiated settlement between the striking women and the crab packing companies. [12] [14]

On May 3, a group of the striking women met with Senator Robert La Follette, Labor department officials, and other federal representatives to discuss a solution to poor working conditions and the violence directed toward the strike organizers and leaders. The same day, the women filed charges that eleven Crisfield packing companies were violating the 1935 National Labor Relations Act. [12] [15]

Resolution and impact

Photo display of news clippings from the strike, 2024 Shiloh United Methodist Church, Crisfield, Maryland 05.jpg
Photo display of news clippings from the strike, 2024

After five weeks of protest, the packing companies conceded on May 10, 1938, signing an agreement at the home of Commissioner Marine, restoring the wage to 35 cents per gallon and officially recognizing the CIO Cannery Union as the workers' bargaining agent. [16] [17] [18]

This victory was a pivotal moment for labor rights, particularly for African American women in the seafood industry, and led to the growth of the National Cannery Union among African Americans in the East Coast and South. [19] [1] [20] The agreement was also among the first large seafood worker contracts on the East Coast. [12] [21]

Legacy

The 1938 crab pickers strike underscored the essential contributions of African American women to the seafood industry and their determination to achieve fair labor practices. [19] [22] [6] In recognition of this event, a Maryland state historical marker was unveiled on May 10, 2024, near Shiloh United Methodist Church in Crisfield, commemorating the courage and resilience of the strikers. [1] [2] [23]

A photo exhibit of the strike is located at the J. Millard Tawes Historical Museum. The strike remains a significant example of collective action against labor injustices and highlights the critical role of African American women in labor history. [19] [20] [24]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Historical Marker Honoring African American Women Who Organized 1938 Crab Pickers Strike Unveiled in Somerset County". roads.maryland.gov. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Walburn Viviano, Meg (2024-05-14). "Crisfield's 1938 Crab Picker Strike Remembered with New Historical Marker". Chesapeake Bay Magazine. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
  3. 1 2 "Crab Pickers Strike Marker". VisitMaryland.org. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
  4. 1 2 3 Wennersten, John R. (2021-09-21). Strange Fruit: Racism and Community Life in the Chesapeake—1850 to the Present. New Acdemia+ORM. ISBN   979-8-9875893-1-1.
  5. 1 2 3 Stephens, Deanne Love (2021-06-04). The Mississippi Gulf Coast Seafood Industry: A People's History. Univ. Press of Mississippi. ISBN   978-1-4968-3358-7.
  6. 1 2 "Black Women Workers in the Twentieth Century - ProQuest". www.proquest.com. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
  7. ↑ Cuker, Benjamin E. (2020-08-10). Diet for a Sustainable Ecosystem: The Science for Recovering the Health of the Chesapeake Bay and its People. Springer Nature. ISBN   978-3-030-45481-4.
  8. ↑ The Woman Worker: The Women's Bureau News Letter. United States Department of Labor. 1938.
  9. ↑ "1938 Crab Picker Strike by African American Women Memorialized in Crisfield". Delmarva Public Media. 2024-05-15. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
  10. ↑ Eternal Vigilance!: The Story of Civil Liberty, 1937-1938. American Civil Liberties Union. 1938.
  11. ↑ "Troopers Halt Crisfield Mob". Baltimore Afro-American . April 30, 1938.
  12. 1 2 3 4 "600 Black Women Stand Strong: The 1938 Crab Pickers Strike". Washington Area Spark. 2012-12-05. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
  13. ↑ Duffield, Bill (2024-07-16). "Black women crab pickers risked it all in 1938. Maryland finally recognizes them". Center Maryland. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
  14. ↑ Tkacik, Christina (2022-05-16). "As Maryland crab houses face labor shortage, Black crab pickers recall legacy of struggle and dedication on the Eastern Shore". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
  15. ↑ "The Smith Island Crab Coop: Women's Work in the Chesapeake Bay - ProQuest". www.proquest.com. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
  16. ↑ Labor Standards. U.S. Department of Labor, Division of Labor Standards. 1938.
  17. ↑ Annual Report of the Commissioner of Labor and Statistics of Maryland. State of Maryland. 1939.
  18. ↑ Kobell, Rona (2024-07-16). "Black women crab pickers risked it all in 1938. Maryland finally recognizes them". The Baltimore Banner. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
  19. 1 2 3 McConnell-Sidorick, Sharon (2017-02-23). Silk Stockings and Socialism: Philadelphia's Radical Hosiery Workers from the Jazz Age to the New Deal. UNC Press Books. ISBN   978-1-4696-3296-4.
  20. 1 2 "Historical marker wanted to remember the 1938 crab pickers' strike in Crisfield". Bay to Bay News. 2022-06-06. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
  21. ↑ Skotnes, Andor (2013). A New Deal for All?: Race and Class Struggles in Depression-Era Baltimore. Duke University Press. ISBN   978-0-8223-5347-8.
  22. ↑ Feltault, Kelly (2005). ""We're Our Own Boss": Gendered Class-Consciousness and White Privilege among Hooper's Island Crab Pickers". Anthropology of Work Review. 26 (1): 1–13. doi:10.1525/awr.2005.26.1.1. ISSN   1548-1417.
  23. ↑ Miller, Lauren (2024-05-10). "Remembering Courage: Crisfield's Historic Crab Picker Strike of 1938". WBOC TV. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
  24. ↑ "Remembering Courage: Crisfield's Historic Crab Picker Strike of 1938". WBOC TV. 2024-05-10. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
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