Waves of Biracial Cooperation & Discrimination at the Port of Orleans, 1962-1982

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Chapter three “Waves of Biracial Cooperation and Discrimination” problematizes the conventional southern labor narrative which suggests that black union leaders sought integration as a means of obtaining fair employment practices. Along the Port of Orleans, the segregated tradition of black and white longshoremen dated back almost a century and defined the terms of workplace democracy at the waterfront. From 1962-1965, the all-black Local 1419 and all-white Local 1418 of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) collaborated in four strikes to acquire increased wages and better fringe benefits. Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act brought an end to decades of biracial cooperation as both black and white longshoremen resisted the notion of integration. Title VII prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. The law also prohibits segregated union locals. The 1964 Civil Rights Act presented both opportunities and challenges for Local 1419, which struggled for better jobs but were steadfast in their attempts to stay ‘separate but empowered.’ This chapter chronicles both the militancy of the biracial alliance at the New Orleans waterfront as well as the extensive legal struggles that followed the longshoremen’s resistance to desegregation amid filing discrimination complaints.

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