At the age of fifteen, Harry Bridges (1901-1990) got his first job as a sailor, a job he was devoted to for the rest of his life. He grew up in a middle class British family which had emigrated to Australia. He worked briefly for his father, a realtor, but gave up the family business to work on a ship. He later began organizing with the Marine Workers Industrial Union. In July of 1934, Bridges helped lead the infamous San Francisco General Strike in which 130,000 workers struck. He helped to organize the CIO-affiliated International Longshoremen's and Warehousemen's Union which split from the more conservative International Longshoremen�s Association. In 1972, he and the ILWA won a 130 day strike. He was accused by the government of communist activities. He was harassed by the FBI and threatened with deportation. Throughout his trials and after, he retained the support of the ILWA members and continued to be an uncompromising champion of the cause of labor.