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I Break Strikes: The Technique of Pearl L. Bergoff
A comprehensive survey of strike-breaking by professional strikebreakers, this book reviews the bloody history of industrial warfare through the master "Most of this book is devoted to the career, the personality, the achievements and the methods of Pearl L. Bergoff, who has been for so many years a dominant factor in the business of strike-breaking that he has won himself such titles as "King of the Strike-Breakers" and "Red Demon." Tracing his career from boyhood, "it describes his early tryouts in strike-breaking, his forming of a gang of followers, their growth and organization into a well-disciplined army, his methods and achievements in the smashing of strikes and the consequent piling up of much gold" (New York Times).
Hardcover
First published February 1, 1974
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November 15, 2016
We have all heard of the strike-breaking techniques used by factory owners during the rise of the labor unions (1880s-1930s). But how many of us realized that strike breaking was actually a "profession" and that companies existed that factories could hire to break strikes?
I recently read a book on muckraking journalism in the US and one of the excerpts lead to this book. Pearl (his mother wanted a girl) L. Bergoff was the King of the Strikebreakers during the 1920s and '30s. He was known as the Red Demon (for his red hair and his methods of breaking strikes). Although the book appears to be about Bergoff only, it is actually a "history" of the strikebreaking companies of the time.
These companies kept their ears to the ground (actually had employees to read the labor newspapers) for hints of upcoming strikes. Then the owner would send an "advertisement" to the factory/company owner mentioning a possible upcoming strike and how his company was in the best position to a) ensure it never happened or b) break it when it came.
For these purposes, the strikebreakers employed several levels of employees. First were the spies who were sent into a company well in advance of any possible strike to become members of the unions and keep their fingers on the pulse. Sometimes these spies actually became leaders of their union!!!!! (One actually changed sides after having worked with the unions for so long.)
Next came the "nobles." Nobles served several purposes. They were the guards who manned the gates to keep strikers out. They also "supervised" the actual men used as strike breakers. And they served as recruiters when a stike was imminent.
Finally came the "finks." These were the poor, everyday men who were actually placed in the factory as "workers." Most of the time they had no idea what they had been hired to do and, obviously, no experience in that type of work.
Company owners could choose which type they wanted to use. Most would hire spies just to see what their laborers were thinking. (Far be it from them to actually hold meetings where employees could speak their minds.) If, however, an actual strike came, then the other two levels were employed.
Strike-breaking companies got paid whether they broke the strike or not. Pretty nifty deal. They recruited in immigrant neighborhoods, low class neighborhoods and even by newspaper ad. They had to mention a trade or skill of some sort in an ad, but they would be as vague as possible. "People wanted who know machines....." That type of thing. Pay was usually said to be $2 or $3 a day, but the noble got his cut, the man who "protected" your blanket and spot to sleep got a cut, you get the picture.
The actual workers were not usually told what they would be doing until they were actually on-site. They had been promised good permanent jobs and transporation to the work site. Most of them, when they discovered they were strike breakers, would ask to leave. This is where the nobles came in handy - they "persuaded" the men not to leave.
Some of the workers were actually constant employees who enjoyed breaking strikes. They used it as a way to rob and steal. If they were being sent from New York City to a small town in Ohio and the train made a layover in another small town, they would take whatever wasn't nailed down. This also happened on the job site. Two finks who were driving a truck for a fur company made off with $30,000 worth of furs.
Techniques for breaking strikes mostly involved violence. Nobles might get themselves "hired" as deputies by the local police force and use their power to bash heads and shoot strikers. They might work to provoke violence from the strikers to be able to unleash their own violence. But the overwhelming number of nobles preferred to take things in their own hands and use every underhanded, violent way of breaking a stike that they could.
Factories weren't the only place for strike breakers. The most popular strikes were the streetcar or subway strikes. Because men were hired that couldn't drive a trolley, there were lots of accidents. Some killed pedestrians; some killed passengers; and some actually killed the strike breakers.
This is fascinating reading. It was published in 1935 so it has the wry style of that time. Many times you can tell the writer is tongue-in-cheek, but it seems so serious.
Get it if you can. It's a fascinating look at the other side of the labor movement.
P.S. Finks were men brought in to break a strike. Scabs were the employees who stayed on the job and didn't strike.
I recently read a book on muckraking journalism in the US and one of the excerpts lead to this book. Pearl (his mother wanted a girl) L. Bergoff was the King of the Strikebreakers during the 1920s and '30s. He was known as the Red Demon (for his red hair and his methods of breaking strikes). Although the book appears to be about Bergoff only, it is actually a "history" of the strikebreaking companies of the time.
These companies kept their ears to the ground (actually had employees to read the labor newspapers) for hints of upcoming strikes. Then the owner would send an "advertisement" to the factory/company owner mentioning a possible upcoming strike and how his company was in the best position to a) ensure it never happened or b) break it when it came.
For these purposes, the strikebreakers employed several levels of employees. First were the spies who were sent into a company well in advance of any possible strike to become members of the unions and keep their fingers on the pulse. Sometimes these spies actually became leaders of their union!!!!! (One actually changed sides after having worked with the unions for so long.)
Next came the "nobles." Nobles served several purposes. They were the guards who manned the gates to keep strikers out. They also "supervised" the actual men used as strike breakers. And they served as recruiters when a stike was imminent.
Finally came the "finks." These were the poor, everyday men who were actually placed in the factory as "workers." Most of the time they had no idea what they had been hired to do and, obviously, no experience in that type of work.
Company owners could choose which type they wanted to use. Most would hire spies just to see what their laborers were thinking. (Far be it from them to actually hold meetings where employees could speak their minds.) If, however, an actual strike came, then the other two levels were employed.
Strike-breaking companies got paid whether they broke the strike or not. Pretty nifty deal. They recruited in immigrant neighborhoods, low class neighborhoods and even by newspaper ad. They had to mention a trade or skill of some sort in an ad, but they would be as vague as possible. "People wanted who know machines....." That type of thing. Pay was usually said to be $2 or $3 a day, but the noble got his cut, the man who "protected" your blanket and spot to sleep got a cut, you get the picture.
The actual workers were not usually told what they would be doing until they were actually on-site. They had been promised good permanent jobs and transporation to the work site. Most of them, when they discovered they were strike breakers, would ask to leave. This is where the nobles came in handy - they "persuaded" the men not to leave.
Some of the workers were actually constant employees who enjoyed breaking strikes. They used it as a way to rob and steal. If they were being sent from New York City to a small town in Ohio and the train made a layover in another small town, they would take whatever wasn't nailed down. This also happened on the job site. Two finks who were driving a truck for a fur company made off with $30,000 worth of furs.
Techniques for breaking strikes mostly involved violence. Nobles might get themselves "hired" as deputies by the local police force and use their power to bash heads and shoot strikers. They might work to provoke violence from the strikers to be able to unleash their own violence. But the overwhelming number of nobles preferred to take things in their own hands and use every underhanded, violent way of breaking a stike that they could.
Factories weren't the only place for strike breakers. The most popular strikes were the streetcar or subway strikes. Because men were hired that couldn't drive a trolley, there were lots of accidents. Some killed pedestrians; some killed passengers; and some actually killed the strike breakers.
This is fascinating reading. It was published in 1935 so it has the wry style of that time. Many times you can tell the writer is tongue-in-cheek, but it seems so serious.
Get it if you can. It's a fascinating look at the other side of the labor movement.
P.S. Finks were men brought in to break a strike. Scabs were the employees who stayed on the job and didn't strike.
Displaying 1 of 1 review