Longshoremen in all ports of the West Coast walked out, and in Seattle, the Masters, Mates, and Pilots Union refused to handle cargoes as the shipping companies began recruiting University of Washington students as strikebreakers.

As the proposal was debated, the new mayor declared a "State of Emergency" on June 14[5] and forced the police to mobilize to open the ports, which led to a standoff with the protestors.

Mayor Smith vowed to intervene on June 20th as The Seattle Post Intelligencer headlined "POLICE WILL OPEN PORTS TODAY!".

[5] Strikers were outraged by Mayor Smith's betrayal of a promise to remain neutral and reinstated the embargo on Alaska Cargo.

[7] [8] Seattle Police armed themselves with Tommy Guns and gas grenades to defend Piers 90 and 91, while strikers lay down on train tracks to idle the docks.

The 1934 waterfront strike ended with a union victory and spurred passage of federal laws ensuring workers' right to organize and bargain collectively.

The couple were both injured in a serious boat explosion while aboard the El Philern II in Bull Harbor, British Columbia, on July 22, 1960.