Description
Contains a transcribed copy of Lucille Kendall's
1980 interview with arbitrator Sam Kagel documenting his role in San Francisco labor
relations in the 1930s and 1940s, especially during the 1934 waterfront and general
strike and the 1937 hotel strike.
Background
As an employee of the Pacific Coast Labor Bureau, arbitrator, and lawyer, Sam Kagel
played a significant role in Bay Area labor relations for 75 years. Born in San
Francisco in 1909 to Russian Jewish immigrants, Kagel attended the University of
California, Berkeley, where he studied economics. In 1932, he went to work for the
Pacific Coast Labor Bureau, a firm that provided economic and legal counsel to labor
unions, particularly during collective bargaining disputes. As an employee of the
Pacific Coast Labor Bureau, Kagel played a pivotal role in the 1934 waterfront and
general strike in San Francisco, serving on the Waterfront Strike Committee and the
General Strike Committee. In the aftermath of the strike, he represented workers --
including the longshoremen -- in arbitration. Around 1936, he helped organize the
Newspaper Guild of Northern California. During the San Francisco hotel strike of
1937, Kagel and the Pacific Coast Labor Bureau represented the Hotel &
Restaurant Employees and Bartenders International Union, playing a vital role in
pre-strike talks and post-strike negotiations. From 1948 to 2002, Kagel served as
chief arbitrator between the International Longshoremen's and Warehousmen's Union
(ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association. Kagel died in 2007.
Extent
1 folder
(0.1 Linear feet)
Restrictions
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Availability
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