Today in Labor History May 20, 1938: 500 unemployed workers began a sit-down strike in the Hotel Georgia, in Vancouver, British Columbia. Unemployed men had been drifting to British Columbia during the Depression because of the milder climate and relatively better pay in the forestry camps. In early ’38, the government had cut grants to the provinces. As a result, many of the relief camps shut down and jobs dried up. In response, protesters occupied the Hotel George, the Vancouver Art Gallery and the main post office beginning on May 20. They were led by communist organizers. The owner of the hotel refused to call the cops, fearing major property damage in the melee that would ensue. So, he bribed the men to leave. However, those in the post office and art gallery remained for weeks.
The conflict culminated on Bloody Sunday (June 19), when undercover Mounties brutally beat strikers in their attempt to evict them. 42 people were hospitalized, five of whom were cops. One striker lost an eye. Those who evaded arrest, along with onlookers and supporters on the outside, then marched to the East End, smashing windows. They caused $35,000 damage.