Unions in the United States have been fighting to preserve fairness and dignity in the workplace since the late 18th century. Unions are responsible for many of the conditions and job protections we expect today, including the 40-hour work week, the eight-hour day, overtime wage premiums, rest periods, occupational safety, employee benefits and child labor laws. Many craft unions also maintain quality-training facilities and sponsor State Certified Apprenticeship Programs, at no cost to taxpayers.

Tracing its roots back to the National Labor Union and the Knights of Labor, the American Federation of Labor created a national organization of skilled worker unions in 1886. In March 1904, The United Association of Plumbers and Steamfitters granted a charter to Eureka-area artisans, one of the earliest on the West Coast. A year later, the Industrial Workers of the World organized, representing workers throughout the United States, but after World War I, it ceased to be a factor in organized labor. The Congress of Industrial Organizations was created in 1938. A merger of the two national labor federations into the AFL-CIO occurred in 1955. It remains active today.

This area is rich in labor history. Sacrifices of past generations helped shape our community and deserve recognition. One such incident was the 1935 Holmes-Eureka Mill Massacre at the site of the Bayshore Mall.

In May of that year, the lumber workers’ union made its last unsuccessful effort to meet with mill owners, seeking a reduction of work hours from six 10-hour days to a 48-hour week, and an increase in wages from 35 cents to 50 cents per hour. One thousand men went on strike. One day in June, my grandfather, August Kuschnereit, a union man, told my grandmother there was trouble on the picket line at the Holmes-Eureka Mill and some people were shot.

The Eureka Standard newspaper on June 24, 1935, detailed the story: “On the morning of June 21, 1935, around 200 picketers stood at the gate, ready to confront strikebreakers. The police arrived and shots were fired into the ground. The picket captain told picketers to disband and as they were leaving, police opened fire on the crowd with tear gas canisters. A canister struck a woman in the back and knocked her to the ground. Thinking she was wounded by a shotgun, the crowd rushed to help her. The police and a Holmes-Eureka employee with a submachine gun opened fire. When the shooting stopped, one union man lay dead, two others lay mortally wounded, and at least six others received gunshot wounds. Many injured left the scene to avoid arrest. The Governor called the National Guard and roadblocks were set up at Orick and Scotia to prevent union activists from entering. Three days later, over 1,500 people attended a funeral procession for the fallen.”

Labor struggles continue today. Anti-union rhetoric calls labor leaders “union bosses” when, in fact, they are union members chosen by their peers to represent and serve the membership. Union business managers and representatives make far less than CEOs of most corporations. Another cliché is that “all the union wants is your dues.” In reality, “non-union dues” (the difference between union and non-union wages and benefits) are usually much higher than union dues. Department of Labor statistics verify that in areas of strong union presence, wages are higher for non-represented employees as well, serving to improve the economy for the whole community.

Unions are nonprofit, member-run organizations. Memberships are a cross section of differing social and political beliefs. Members unite under a common goal to obtain and maintain living wages, benefits, hours, market share and working conditions, in exchange for a productive day’s work, a commitment to continuing education and a mutual respect for their employers.

Thanks to public libraries and the Internet, one can learn about labor history. And remember, it is because of unions we have eight hours for work, eight hours for rest and eight hours for what you will.

(Sid Berg is a business representative for Plumbers & Steamfitters Local 290. His e-mail address is sid@ua290.org.)