Like many another labor dispute, the row on the California docks started over a seemingly small matter. At issue were the bargaining rights of nine "walking bosses" (stevedore foremen) of the Luckenbach Steamship Co., oldest U.S. shipping line and second largest intercoastal carrier. But as seven ships tied up at San Francisco docks and two in Los Angeles, the crews walked off. Luckenbach's California service, which carries some 90,000 tons of cargo a month, was paralyzed.
The Luckenbach line decided on drastic action. It announced that intercoastal service would be suspended, Luckenbach's coastal...