The life of San Diego’s tuna canners in the 1920s and 1930s was grueling. Primarily Italian and Portuguese immigrants, they worked long days with one short break at rates as low as 33 cents an hour. Each cannery had a wharf jutting out into the sea where boats would unload their haul. Because there was no telling when a fresh load would arrive, workers had to be “on call” 24 hours a day. Read more about how the tuna industry exploited its workers in Tazia and Gemma (see NOVELS).
