American Labor

anything is possible

Today is THE best day for us to recognize the American heroes who have never been on a battlefield but have provided us with the things we have need to maintain our freedom. The workers who create and build the stuff that is essential to Victory.

I’m going to focus on one place and time, the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard in the Port of Baltimore from 1940 to 1944 because it’s the example I know the best. In 1940 Bethlehem Steel had a small workforce capable of ship building and a limited physical capability in Sparrows Point, near Ft. McHenry.

In a short time it ramped up to 35,000 people who were trained to build Liberty Ships and they built a shipyard capable of constructing over a dozen ships at a time. (one of the “whirly cranes” seen above is in the collection at the Baltimore Museum of Industry).

There were no computers to help do anything. The first Liberty Ship, the Patrick Henry took about 8 months to build. Within 6 months, 40 days was the average build time, with some getting down to about 20 days. Now, this was 3 shifts a day, every day of Union Labor.

The imperative to ramp up so quickly was because Nazi U-Boats were sinking our existing cargo ships by the dozens. Wolf Packs roamed off of our coast around the ports and shipping lanes…Cape Hatteras became a killing zone.

Jobs that were traditionally white male jobs became integrated and gender did not matter. For the first time in America, Black women were building metal steam ships…welding…riveting…whatever job was needed.

Beth-Fairfield set a world record for the number of ships built of one hull design, 384 in about just 4 years. That record stands. Here’s some of the laborers…

Building big metal ships, was no longer just white mans work. Necessity was the mother of invention.

My grandmother christened the last one. The SS Samar 80 years ago this October. At this point, Labor Day of 1944, the keel had not yet been laid.

Thanks to all. Our ancestors proved what is possible when labor and owners/management have a common goal and work together.

To our future.

Happy Labor Day to all…Let’s picnic together and enjoy this day that our ancestors created 80 years ago to honor the labor that built this nation.

Thanks and cheers….