Germain Bulcke | |
|---|---|
 Bulckec. 1940 | |
| Second Vice President of theInternational Longshore and Warehouse Union | |
| In office June 14, 1947 – October 18, 1960 | |
| President | Harry Bridges |
| Preceded by | Mike Johnson |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Member of the California Fish and Game Commission | |
| In office September 15, 1939 – January 15, 1944 | |
| Appointed by | Culbert Olson |
| Preceded by | E. C. Moore |
| Succeeded by | Dom Civitello |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1902-05-18)May 18, 1902 West Flanders, Belgium |
| Died | April 6, 1994(1994-04-06) (aged 91) Santa Rosa, California, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Other political affiliations | Progressive(1948) |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children |
|
| Occupation | Labor leader |
Germain Julien Bulcke[1] (May 18, 1902 – April 6, 1994)[2] was aBelgian-American longshore worker fromSan Francisco and leader in theInternational Longshore and Warehouse Union.[3]
Germain (Jerry) Bulcke was born inBelgium and moved to the United States as a child. He began working on the waterfront in the 1920s when the union wascompany controlled (known as the "blue book" union).[4][5] During the1934 West Coast Waterfront Strike, Bulcke served as apicket captain and witnessed the murders of longshore workers Nick Bordoise and Howard Sperry by police that became the impetus for theSan Francisco General Strike.[4] Bulcke also recounted that he carried another worker who had been wounded in the shootout to safety.[4][6][7]
After the 1934 strike, Bulcke rose to prominence in the union. Though never a member of theCommunist Party, Bulcke aligned himself withHarry Bridges and the left wing of the union and was often involved in factional fights. In the 1930s, he protested theReichstag Fire that led to the rise ofAdolf Hitler inGermany and opposed US involvement inWorld War II until 1941. He was also active in the Harry Bridges Defense Committee during Bridges' deportation trials.[4]
In 1939, Bulcke was appointed to theCalifornia Fish and Game Commission by governorCulbert Olson,[8] serving until 1944.[9] Olson had previously tried to appoint him to theSan Francisco Harbor Commission, but the nomination was rejected by theState Senate.[10] During the1940 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Bulcke joined a left-wing slate pledged to lieutenant governorEllis E. Patterson for president.[11] They opposed incumbentFranklin D. Roosevelt on the grounds he was focusing too much onforeign affairs and not enough ondomestic unemployment.[12] The Patterson slate lost to Roosevelt's by a margin of fifteen to one.[13] Bulcke later supported former vice presidentHenry A. Wallace in the1948 presidential election, serving as chairman of theSan Francisco CountyProgressive Central Committee[14] and as a candidate forpresidential elector.[15]
In 1938, Bulcke was elected president of ILWULocal 10 (San Francisco Bay Area).[16] He served as president for most of the 1940s, including during World War II. In 1947, he was elected international vice president (also known as second vice president),[17] which he held until 1960.[4][18][19] In 1960, Bulcke became the ILWU-PMA arbitrator for southern California. He held this position until his retirement in 1966.[19][20][7][21]
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)| International | |
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