A 1938 labor protest in Hilo, Hawaii turned violent when police fired on 200 unarmed multiethnic workers, injuring 50 in a landmark labor rights confrontation.
Key Facts
- Date
- 1 August 1938
- Protesters gathered
- 200 unarmed workers
- Police officers deployed
- Over 70
- Injuries
- 50 demonstrators hospitalized
- Strike start date
- 4 February 1938
- Lead union organizer
- Harry Kamoku, longshoreman
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Workers from multiple ethnicities and unions, including the International Longshoremen's and Warehousemen's Union, united to challenge the Inter-Island Steam Navigation Company. Led by Harry Kamoku, they demanded equal wages with West Coast workers and union shop recognition. Strikes began on 4 February 1938 after longstanding labor grievances went unresolved.
On 1 August 1938, approximately 200 multiethnic workers gathered at Hilo Harbor to protest the arrival of the SS Waialeale. When they refused orders to disband, more than 70 police officers deployed tear gas, fire hoses, and riot guns against the unarmed crowd, wounding 50 protesters in what became known as the Hilo Massacre or Bloody Monday.
Fifty protesters were injured and required hospitalization, though no deaths were recorded. The violent suppression of the multiethnic, multi-union coalition drew public attention to labor conditions in Hawaii and the use of force against workers peacefully exercising their right to protest, contributing to the broader labor rights movement in the territory.