The Union Hall is the Administrative and Social Center for the River Laborers. It serves the thousands of stevedores, porters, and haulers who move the city's trade. It offers a Hiring Hall where daily labor contracts are distributed, a Pension Fund for injured workers, and a massive, low-cost Common Mess that serves hot soup and hard bread to union members. This is a massive, three-story stone and timber building that exudes a sense of weathered, blue-collar strength. A large, heavy iron sculpture of a clenched hand holding a shipping hook is mounted above the main entrance.
