Laborfest East Bay: Oakland 1946 General Strike Walk

This year's Laborfest is dedicated to the memory of the life of Val Schaaf, a participant in and supporter of the 1946 Oakland general strike.
With Karin Hart of the Labor Studies Program at Laney College and Gifford Hartman of the Flying Picket Historical Society. This walk will revisit the sites of Oakland's "Work Holiday" that began spontaneously with rank-and-file solidarity with the striking ­ mostly women ­ retail clerks at Kahn's and Hastings department store whose picket line was being broken by police scabherding. Within 24 hours, it involved over 100,000 workers and shut down nearly all commerce in the East Bay for 54 hours. In 1946 there were 6 general strikes across the U.S.; that year set the all-time record year for strikes and work stoppages. The Oakland "Work Holiday" was the last general strike to ever occur in the U.S. and the walk and history talk will attempt to keep alive the memory of this tradition of community-wide working class solidarity. There will be a reception after the walk at the Niebyl-Proctor Library at 6501 Telegraph Ave. (at Alcatraz), in Oakland. Sponsored by Laney College Labor Studies (510-464-3210) and the Flying Picket Historical Society (415-751-1572).