Oahu Sugar Strike of 1920

The Oahu Sugar Strike of 1920 was a multiracial strike in Hawaii of two unions the Filipino American Filipino Labor Union and the Japanese American Federation of the Japanese Labor. Involving 8,300 workers, with 150 people losing their lives it was one of the deadliest demonstrations in 20th century Hawaii.

Background

Prior to the 1920 strike, when one ethnic group went on strikes the other groups worked as strikebreakers, leading to a strike’s failure. Prior to the strike fieldworkers were paid wages that met the poverty line. With the start World War I supplies directed to the war effort drove up living expenses and with the wages remaining the same put much of the plantation work force in to destitution which lingered after the war ended. After years of organizing, the Filipino Labor Union and the Federation of the Japanese Labor united the Filipinos and Japanese groups. The unions brought their demands to the Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association on December 4, 1919. The demands were pay raises from $0.77 to a $1.25 for males and $0.58 to $0.90 per day and paid maternal leave for females. Initially the planters refused demands and expected to out last the strike.

Strike

The strike began for Filipinos and other Hispanics^{[clarification needed]} on January 20, 1920, and Japanese officially joined on February 1 (although many Japanese independently joined earlier). The strike involved 8,300 workers spanning six plantations.

Evictions

In retaliatory action against the strike the plantations evicted picketers and their families from plantation housing. A total of 12,020 people were evicted. The evicted took shelter in homes of strike sympathizers, hotels, tents, empty buildings and factories as well as Buddhists and Shinto churches, but Christian clergy had been prominent opponents of the strike and turned away homeless picketer and family from lodging in Christian churches. The Board of Health re-evicted 300 Filipinos that had taken up residence in a brewery at Kakaako and moved into tents

Financial difficulties

Another dilemma was finances for food. The Japanese union’s approach was to build up a reserve for the Japanese picketers and their families; this fund held $900,000. The Filipino union’s approach was to be sustained by donations from Filipinos working on other plantations not affected by the strike. In less than a month, the Filipinos were desperately low on funding and on the verge of starvation. If the Filipinos were to return to work the strike would collapse. The Japanese union used their reserves to sustain the Filipino picketers, averting a collapse of the strike.

Flu

During the strike the Spanish Flu hit Hawaii. 1,056 Japanese fell ill by the flu of which 55 died. 1,440 Filipinos fell ill and 95 died during the world-wide epidemic.^[1] Picketers directed the blame toward the plantations for the evictions early in the strike causing them to live in crowded living quarters.

March

The Federation of the Japanese Labor arranged a protest march with 3,000 participants on April 3 and when down King street.

End

The strike had taken a toll on both sides; 1,000 strikers had gone back to work and more than 2,000 strikebreakers were hired. The HSPA lost $12,000,000 in potential income. The strike lasted until July 1, more than half a year, when a compromise was reached at the Alexander Young Building which included a 50% pay raise and more benefits.

Aftermath

Although the strike was successful, the “Japanese Problem” and the “Filipino Problem” was exposed as a larger issue than the Planters realized.

References

1. ^ Working in Hawaii by Edward D. Beechert