Feinsinger played a critical role in settling a pineapple strike by Hawaiian workers which began on July 11, 1947. Although the strike only lasted five days, the workers were represented by the relatively militant International Longshore and Warehouse Union—which threatened to close all ports in Hawaii in support of the sugar workers. A lengthy strike would have broken the fragile Hawaiian economy, which was heavily dependent on large shipments of food, fuel and other supplies in order to sustain the large military and civilian defense presence on the island. As Feinsinger himself noted: