By the mid-1880s, Seattle had grown from a tiny settlement to a bustling trade center due in large part to the transcontinental rail lines and transoceanic water routes that met along its central waterfront. Work at the waterfront in the era before containerized shipping was labor intensive, requiring careful balancing and weight management within ship holds and complex teams of workers to clear and load cargo. Despite their strategic role in dock work, there were so many workers seeking employment that employers were able to reduce pay rates and lower standards and working conditions. In 1886 a group of Seattle dock workers formed the Stevedores, Longshoremen and Riggers Union of Seattle. Although that organization only lasted about 10 years, it was an important predecessor to the current Local 19, Seattle's chapter of the International Longshoremen's & Warehousemen's Union (ILWU).

In this image Martin Jugum, Harry Bridges, and William H. Forester (left to right) chat together at an event held to celebrate the 100th anniversary of unionism for Seattle dock workers. Mr. Jugum and Mr. Forester are both retired longshoremen, and Mr. Bridges (1901-1990) was president of the ILWU for 42 years until his retirement in 1977.

Caption information source: "News," The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, June 13, 1986, p. A10.
Caption information source: "Waterfront Workers History Project: Longshore Workers and Their Unions," retrieved from http://depts.washington.edu/dock/longshore_intro.shtml
Caption information source: "Port of Seattle, Founding of," by Kit Oldham, HistoryLink.org Essay 1003.
Caption information also derived from captions written by Post-Intelligencer staff and attached to the back of the photograph.