1937 Memorial Day Massacre
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| 1937 Memorial Day Massacre | |
|---|---|
| Title | Memorial Day Massacre |
| Date | May 30, 1937 |
| Location | Chicago, Cook County |
| Side1 | Amalgamated Clothing Workers, SWOC, CIO, Teamsters |
| Side2 | Chicago Police Department, Chicago Police command |
| Leadfigures1 | A. Philip Randolph, John L. Lewis, Philip Murray |
| Leadfigures2 | Edward J. Kelly, Frank J. Corr, Richard J. Daley |
| Casualties | 10 killed, 90+ wounded |
1937 Memorial Day Massacre The Memorial Day Massacre of May 30, 1937 was a deadly confrontation between striking industrial workers and law enforcement in Chicago, Illinois. A march organized by labor organizations protesting for union recognition at the Republic Steel South Chicago plant ended with police opening fire on demonstrators, leading to multiple deaths, hundreds injured, and national attention that affected labor relations in the United States. The incident became a pivotal moment in the consolidation of industrial unionism and the political careers and policies of labor leaders, municipal officials, and federal actors.
Background
In the mid-1930s the rise of the Congress of Industrial Organizations challenged the established American Federation of Labor in nationwide drives to organize mass-production industries such as steel, automobile, and meatpacking. The Steel Workers Organizing Committee campaign targeted firms like U.S. Steel and Republic Steel, while labor coalitions included the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America and local unions aligned with figures such as John L. Lewis, Philip Murray, and A. Philip Randolph. The political environment included New Deal institutions like the National Labor Relations Board created under the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 and executive actors in the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration who sought to expand collective bargaining rights. In Chicago, municipal politics involved Edward J. Kelly and the Cook County Democratic Party, with local policing under the Chicago Police Department facing frequent confrontations with organized labor and ethnic communities represented by groups such as the Congress of Neighborhoods and various craft unions. The steel industry’s regional disputes echoed nationwide clashes at sites such as the Little Steel strike and paralleled episodes like the Homestead Strike and the Pullman Strike in their violence and state involvement.
The Memorial Day Massacre (May 30, 1937)
On May 30, 1937, a demonstration of roughly several hundred to thousands of protesters marched toward the Republic Steel plant in the South Deering neighborhood. The marchers included members and supporters of the SWOC, the Amalgamated Clothing Workers, the Communist Party USA, the Socialist Party of America, and local trade councils allied with national leaders such as John L. Lewis and A. Philip Randolph. The demonstration encountered a line of officers from the Chicago Police Department and deputies associated with Cook County; municipal leaders like Edward J. Kelly and law enforcement commanders including Frank J. Corr coordinated a heavy police presence. Eyewitnesses—reported by labor journalists from outlets tied to the New Masses and mainstream correspondents from the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Daily News—described police using batons, mounted units, and firearms. Confrontations at the plant gates escalated into a volley of police gunfire; marchers sought shelter in yards and alleys near industrial sites, including facilities owned by Republic Steel, while union stewards and organizers tried to manage the crowd.
Casualties and Immediate Aftermath
Police gunfire and baton charges resulted in ten civilians dead and over ninety injured; among the dead were workers associated with unions and local lodges. Ambulance services coordinated with hospitals including Michael Reese Hospital and St. Bernard Hospital to treat the wounded, while coroners and medical examiners in Cook County documented ballistic wounds and blunt-force trauma. The immediate aftermath saw arrests of demonstrators, claims of provocation by police, and denials by municipal officials including Edward J. Kelly and law enforcement spokesmen. Labor organizations such as the Congress of Industrial Organizations and the Amalgamated Clothing Workers issued statements condemning the shootings, while national political figures in the Franklin D. Roosevelt orbit, along with congressional members from Illinois and labor-friendly legislators, called for inquiries. Newspapers including the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch provided extensive coverage, framing the episode within the broader dispute known nationally as the Little Steel strike.
Legal Actions and Investigations
In the weeks and months after the shootings, formal investigations were demanded by union leaders and sympathetic politicians, prompting inquiries by the Cook County State’s Attorney and pressure on federal agencies such as the National Labor Relations Board to examine unfair labor practice claims against steel firms like Republic Steel. Victims’ families pursued civil suits alleging wrongful death and assault, while police officers involved claimed self-defense. The House Committee on Labor and other congressional panels received testimony from union officials, police commanders, and eyewitnesses, and legal counsel for labor groups cited precedents from cases argued before the United States Court of Appeals and petitions to the Supreme Court of the United States in related labor jurisprudence. Grand jury actions in Cook County ultimately declined to indict officers on homicide charges, while civil litigation produced settlements and judgments in some cases.
Labor Movement Impact and Political Repercussions
The massacre energized organizing drives by the Congress of Industrial Organizations, helping to galvanize public sympathy and unify disparate unions including the UE and the United Auto Workers in broader solidarity. Strategic leaders such as John L. Lewis and Philip Murray leveraged public outrage to press for wider recognition campaigns against companies like Republic Steel and Bethlehem Steel. The episode influenced municipal politics in Chicago and contributed to debates within the Democratic Party between New Deal liberals and conservative machine allies, affecting figures connected to the Cook County Democratic Organization and future politicians such as Richard J. Daley. The use of police force against labor became a touchstone in labor law reform discussions, shaping later interventions by the National Labor Relations Board and legislative advocacy by organizations like the American Federation of Labor and the CIO Political Action Committee.
Memory, Commemoration, and Historical Legacy
Commemorations by unions and labor historians preserved the memory of the dead through annual memorials, plaques near industrial sites in South Chicago, and writings by scholars affiliated with institutions such as the New School for Social Research and the University of Illinois Chicago. The massacre entered cultural histories alongside events like the Haymarket affair and the Ludlow Massacre in narratives about labor conflict; it was recounted in labor newspapers, biographies of leaders like A. Philip Randolph and John L. Lewis, and studies published by presses including University of Chicago Press and Oxford University Press. Contemporary historians assess the incident in works on the New Deal, industrial relations, and policing, connecting it to debates over civil liberties, policing tactics, and the consolidation of industrial unionism. Monuments, oral histories archived at institutions such as the Chicago History Museum and the Library of Congress, and union archives ensure that the event remains a subject of public memory and scholarly inquiry.