The Strike of 1934

The mills in Porterdale were involved in the General Textile Strike of 1934, the largest strike in US history, which stretched from Maine to the deep south. Historians have written extensively about the general conditions surrounding the strike, but we have only fragmentary information about what happened in Porterdale. Below is a brief summary of historians’ accounts of the overall nationwide strike situation along with some additional details on events in Georgia. Following that is what we have been able to collect about events in Porterdale. We would welcome any additional information you might be able to provide about the strike.

The National and State Scene as Described by Historians

Seeds of the strikes were sown in the 1920’s, when mill owners began to cut costs by reducing wages, running mills ‘round the clock, and making workers work harder for their pay. Systems of basing individual pay on production were instituted, and production goals were set so high that only the best workers could meet production targets. These changes were called the “stretch-out” by the workers. The early walkouts took place in the Carolinas in 1929 and 1930. They were generally unsuccessful, but created the spark for later events. The most infamous event of the period was the murder, in Gastonia, NC, of Ella May Wiggins, creator of protest songs against the way workers were being treated.

The 1932 election of Franklin Roosevelt, and his “New Deal” appeared to offer some hope to the workers. In 1933, the National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA) set up a board which was supposed to insure fairer treatment for textile workers. The board, however, was controlled by the mill owners, and had just the opposite effect – making things even worse for the workers. Unrest began again in 1934. The United Textile Workers of America (UTWA) began serious efforts to organize the workers, sending “Flying Squadrons” of union organizers and mill workers from town to town to organize the mills. The number of union members increased some six fold.

Strikes began in earnest on Labor Day, 1934. At the peak, somewhere between 400,000 and half a million workers were on strike. The strike was marked by violence, even fatalities. The National Guard was called out in several states. The resistance of the mill owners, the presence of troops, and the need to earn money for food eventually drove many of the strikers to return to the mills. President Roosevelt did not act to support the workers. He appointed a board to deal with the issues of the strike and asked that the strikers return to work. The UTWA called off the strike on Sept. 22, claiming victory. The strike was, in fact, an unmitigated disaster for the workers. Many unionists were fired and working conditions often became worse than before. The effect was so devastating that workers would not even speak of the strike for many years thereafter.

In those years, winning the Democratic Primary was tantamount to winning the election in Georgia. The Democratic Primary was scheduled for Sept. 12th, right in the middle of the strike. Eugene “Gene” Talmadge was running for re-election. To get the support of the workers he pledged “I will never use the troops to break up a strike.” On the same night his re-election was assured, he called out Georgia’s entire National Guard, ordering them to arrest picketers and get the mills running again. Strikers, were beaten, bayoneted, arrested, held in detention camps, and at least one worker was killed. These actions played a large part in breaking the strikes in Georgia.

(There is considerably more detailed information on the nationwide and statewide aspects of the strike to be found on the internet.)

The Strike in Porterdale

Only fragmentary information is available on events in Porterdale. Sources include "Diary of a Cotton Mill Girl" by Lucille Ivey Shaw, The Covington News, brief mentions in the accounts of the historians, and a few personal recollections of residents. We would welcome any additional information on events in Porterdale.

The Covington News (during the strike, September 7, 1934)): “All three mills are shut down after operating with only a small work force … of some 1800 workers normally employed. ….The first real injuries of the strike were reported … when three men were said to be shot when police attempted to break through the picketers’ lines. ….. None of the injuries were serious.” Other accounts refer to seventeen arrests and fire hoses being turned on the strikers.

Per the Shaw book and other recollections, at some point the company brought in strike-breakers, toughs who were active in combating the strikers. These people were called by the very pejorative term then (and even now) in use - “wops”. (The word’s origin goes back to the days of calling immigrants who arrived With Out Papers by that term.)

As noted above, the Governor called out the National Guard, and they were sent to Porterdale. The Covington News reported the following (dated September 21, 1934).

“Approximately 1200 Employees have returned to work at Porterdale.

With the calling out of State Troops to this section of the state Monday, the war front between strikers and mill officials has quieted down to a great extent and many have returned to work with the protection of troopers.”

According to Shaw and others, the strike was very divisive and had drastic consequences for many of the strikers. During the strike, The Bibb delivered food to families who did not go out on strike. Once the strike was over, many strikers were fired and forced to move out of town. Many people who had once been friends were friends no longer. If Porterdale followed the national pattern, the remaining workers were probably worse off after the strike than before. (We have no specific information on this.) It was a sad time for Porterdale, the South, and the Nation.

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