LaborFest this year is commemorating the 90th anniversary of the historic San Francisco General Strike and the West Coast Maritime Strike in 1934. This strike not only won a union hiring hall for the longshore workers but also led to hundreds of thousands of workers joining unions not just San Francisco but in Northern California. Another general strike as well took place by Teamsters in Minneapolis in the same year that was successful in organizing thousands of Teamsters.

The last general strike in the US was in 1946 when workers in Oakland went on strike to support 400 striking women department workers at Hastings & Kahn. This rich history will be an important part of LaborFest in walks and education programs.