Few industries were spared in the strike wave. Among the in dustries in which strikes occurred were the automobile, news paper, lumber, maritime, motor transport, steel, textile, automobile parts, rubber, and hosiery industries.
The maritime strike in 1936, which began on the Pacific coast with 37,00o seamen and longshoremen, tied up water transporta tion for several months and spread to the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. This strike was not violent as was the San Francisco strike in 1934, and resulted, among other gains, in the unions maintain ing control of the hiring halls. In 1937, 48,000 auto workers struck in 18 plants and gained recognition for the United Auto Workers union. This strike was followed by large strikes of 63,000 and io,000 and spread to the related farm equipment, auto parts, and repair shop industries. After "big" steel recognized the steel workers' union in 1937, "little" steel resisted, and the strikes in that sector of the steel industry spread over seven States, result ing in a great deal of violence. The largest strikes in 1938 were the relatively brief strike of 21,000 hosiery workers of Philadel phia, New York, and New Jersey in February, and the strike of 18,000 workers in the motor-hauling industry of New York city and New Jersey in September. Lesser strikes occurred in the textile and automobile parts industries.
The "sit-down" strike increased markedly in 1937, and as a re sult received much comment. It increased from 48 in 1936 to 477 in 1937, and fell again in 1938 to 52. Characteristically a strike against specific grievances, as it was in 1936 and 1938, it was used more often as a strike for recognition for the first time in 1937. Its preference by labour was short-lived, for it could be criticized too easily as an invasion of private property.
Both sectors of the labour movement conducted numerous strikes since the split which began late in 1935. The American Federation of Labor conducted more strikes in 1937 and 1938 (3,686), than did the Congress of Industrial Organizations (2,946). More members from the latter organization were involved in these strikes than were members from the former. (S. PE.) BIBLIOGRAPHY.—Monthly Labor Review, (July 1934, May 1937, May 1938 and May 1939) ; also "Strikes in the U.S.," Bulletin No. 65, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; Ethelbert Stewart, A Docu mentary History of the Early Organizations of Printers, U.S. Bureau of Labor, Bulletin No. 61, 1905: John R. Commons and Associates, History of Labour in the U.S.; Selig Perlman, History of Trade Union ism in the U.S.; Selig Perlman and Philip Taft, History of Labor in the U.S., 1896-1932, Vol. IV, Labor Movements.