Bloody Friday (Minneapolis)

Bloody Friday is the name of an event which occurred in Minneapolis, Minnesota on July 20, 1934, when police shot at truck drivers injuring 67 picketers and killing strikers John Belor and Henry Ness. This was one incident in the Minneapolis general strike of 1934, beginning May 20 and ending on August 22.

During the Great Depression work for drivers of the Minneapolis was sporadic. Because of the poor economic conditions of the time people wouldn’t order coal unless serious weather was coming. As a result, coal workers would only find work when the weather was severe for 20-30 cents per hour, often for long shifts that could last until midnight. Under the leadership of Vincent Dunne and Carl Skoglund, the coal workers organize and joined Local 574 of the Teamsters Union. After coal operators failed to recognize Local 574’s bargaining rights, the union and seven hundred members went on strike on February 7, 1934. The strike lasted three days after operators agreed to negotiate wages and working conditions with union officials who represented some, but not all, of their employees. After this success Dunne and Skoglund looked to build on the momentum of the previous strike by focusing on the city’s market district and its major employers, who dealt in mostly perishable produce. They targeted eleven market district firms, demanding closed shops and an average wage of $27.50 per week, with extra pay for overtime work. To combat the union the eleven market district firms formed an informal committee, back by the anti-union Citizens' Alliance, representing 166 local businesses that had truck driver employees in an attempt to broaden the conflict. Local 574 eventually gave up its demand for closed shops but the business committee refused to negotiate. Frustrated with the lack of progress the union called for another strike that would see clashes between the unions and police.

On Friday July 20, police cordoned off an area on Third Street North in front of the Slocum Bergren Company as two trucks loaded merchandise at the company’s dock and drove off under police escort. A third truck followed by twelve squad cars carrying shotgun armed policemen turned onto Third Street North and was cut off by another truck carrying picketers. The strikers plowed through the cordon and drive directly into the front of the truck. The police reacted and opened fire on the truck. By the end of it 67 strikers had been wounded, two of which, John Belor and Henry Ness, later died.

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