November 5 is the anniversary of The Everett Massacre in 1916. The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), which is still a currently existing labour union with the dream of one big union for all workers, was met with gunfire from the Everett Police upon trying to land in the city to attend a protest, leaving over a dozen dead, and dozens more wounded. It was the largest massacre of white people in the state.

The story starts with the industrial oligarchs of the day, who primarily ran lumber and shingle mills. Forcing their workers to work long hours in dangerous conditions, it was reported that you could identify a shingle weaver by his missing fingers. Cedar Asthma was common. Industrial accidents were rampant. Of course, this sets the stage for a union. And unionise they did.

Earlier in the year, the International Shingle Weaver’s Union (ISWU) went on strike, demanding higher pay, an eight hour work day, and better working conditions. Eager to garner support from the members of the ISWU, the IWW showed up to offer support. Although somewhat tolerant of labour unions in general, the oligarchs really didn’t like the IWW. Their egalitarian views and socialist rhetoric were too much for them. So they did what they always do. Spread lies and villify them. The IWW responded by playing up the image, and acting like the spooky spectre haunting the town. They launched a campaign of public protest, where they would speak on street corners and the picket lines. The oligarchs of course responded by restricting speech on major streets, and banning IWW members from the town. When that didn’t work, they just started beating them.

On November 5, all of this came to a head. The IWW planned a public demonstration on a spot commonly used by street speakers in the day. Over 200 members got on board steamships in Seattle and headed for Everett. The police claimed that a group of armed anarchists were coming to burn the town. They rounded up a posse of about 200 to meet them at the dock. After telling them that they couldn’t dock, someone started shooting, and the gunfight broke out. The national guard was called in, and 74 IWW members were arrested. The courts blamed the IWW exclusively for the violence.

Ultimately however, these were white people and amazingly, their trial was almost fair. Only one person was charged, a union member thought to have killed one of the policemen. The evidence quickly fell apart, and it was obvious that he was killed by his own people. He was acquitted. The incident became so taboo afterward that the local library would deny kids from checking out the book on the subject. It was a century later before a marker was erected to remember the day at all. The IWW later had this to say:

“Was our fight worthwhile? Well we organized the lumber workers in the woods, won improved living conditions there, and was able to make working conditions somewhat safer for the loggers. Perhaps more lives were saved that year of 1917 than were lost in the Everett Massacre.”

The IWW has outlived the lumber mills, and is still “100 percent opposed to capitalism”.