Honoring Harry
Bridges
 |
| Renee
Dunn, Port of San Francisco Public Relations head, and ardent
Port critic, City and County of San Francisco Supervisor Aaron
Peskin, make nice. |
September, Labor Day, and the dedication
of Harry Bridges Plaza at the foot of San Francisco’s Market Street:
three good reasons to show up on a Saturday morning in August and watch
the goings-on from the corner of Mission and the Embarcadero.
My perch is the sidewalk in front of the
Audiffred Building. An historic marker set in the concrete by the front
door tells us that the famed labor leader kept his office on the second
floor, and that it was from here that he directed the famous
Longshoremen’s General Strike that culminated in Bloody Thursday and
the securing of labor rights for waterfront workers.
 |
| The
colorful insignia of Longshoremen on proud display. |
The marker also tells us that the
Audiffred Building was the only structure in this part of town to
survive the fires the engulfed the area in the wake of the 1906
Earthquake. Apparently, the buildings’ owners offered the firefighters
battling the blazes a firehouse full of liquor if they could save the
building. They did.
