Media
Issue Date
1939-05-19
Volume
1
Issue Number
10
Plaintext
The Seafarers' Log
Seafarers' International Union of North America
OffwialOrgan of the Atlantic, Gulf and Great Lakes Seamen
BROTHERHOOD
OF THE
SEA
VOL. I NEW YORK, N. Y., FRIDAY, MAY 19, 1939
• 416 NO. 10
VOTE ON STRIKE AND AGREEIWENT ON
EASTERN STEAMSHIP COMPANY VESSELS
LIE GIVEN TO STATEMENTS
PUBUSHED IN I.W. W. PAPER
McKay and Lauritano Refute Slanderous
Accusations in Wobbly Sheet
LEGAL ACTION THREATENED
never stoop so low as to ship
scabs. liowever, McKay and Lau
ritano and some of the members
have taken up the matter, and the
following will give a good idea of
their reactions to these rotten, ly
ing cliarges.
McKAY'S STATEMKNT
Baltimore, May 8—An article in
the May 6 issue of the "Industrial
Worker," ofllcial publication of the
IWW, accuses the SIU in general,
and myself, among others, in par
ticular, of "sending scabs to
struck tankers." To the many
seamen in all unions who have
known and worked with me for
{Continued on page 2)
UKES HEADQUARTERS MAKES
ORGANIZATIONAL PROGRESS
New Contracis Improve Working and
Living Conditions and Overtime
GOVERNMENT FORCES OPEN SHOP
Detroit, May 9—Four more agreements were signed be
tween the Seafarers' International Union and the Lake ship
ping operators, in Chicago, last we<ikend. Tommy Thomp
son, new Chairman of the SIU Emergency Board here, left
Detroit last Friday to cinch up negotiations, and sign the
contracts. Two lines, the Roose^
velt, and the Grand Rapids, oper
ate for the excursion trade. Un
ion conditions were extended to
these companies, and will be en
forced for the short season they
operate. These two lines run pas
senger boats only. The other two
contracts cover sand boats.
Conditions Improved
All contracts signed by the SIU,
bring shipping through the Union
Hall. They mark the beginning of
a great march here on the open
shoppers and the fink hall opera
tors. The Union Hall has again
made its appearance on the
Lakes, and seamen here are be
ginning to see how it operates,
i •
V.J : ' •
and the protection it affords.
The new contracts provide for
overtime, — something unknown
until this season. The overtime
rate has been set at seventyfive
cents per hour. The day's work
shall begin,, in port, hereafter, at
8:00 A.M.. and end at 5:00 P.M.
Beforev these new contracts went
into effect, the work day was any
eight hours in twentyfour. This
was the prevailing practice
throughout the entire shipping In
dustry on the Lakes. It excluded
the possibility of any overtime
payment. Now that this is ended
in at least a section of the indus
{Continued on page 4)
The blTiciul organ of the IWW, the "Industrial Worker,"
in its May 6 issue, comes riglit outin black and white and
deliberately accuses the SIU and the ILA of helping to break
theianker strike. I'lte story, carrying a New York date line,
is headed "ILA and SIU of NA Break Tank Ship Strike,"
and goes on to say that "Joe Ryan and his International
Longshoremen's Association, and the Seafarers' International
Union of North America are both actively engaged in sup
plying nrnbs ill Ihe lank shii) strike." That this statement is
a deliberate lie, goes without saying, but we cannot allow
it to go unchallenged.
They openly accuse McKay and
Lauritano, Agents in Baltimore
and Jacksonville respectively, of
shipping finks. Where they ac
quired this wealth of information
we don't know, and we'd like to
suggest to the editorial staff that
they check up on the facts before
they publish them.
We don't feel that It is neces
sary to take up the cudgels in de
fense of McKay or Lauritano, as
anyone wiio knows either of them
will al.so know that such an ac
cusation is phoney, and without
any foundation in fact. They are
both known to be militant, ag
gressive Union men who . would
Action Is Cited
In discussing the pioblems of
new agreements witli a large per
centage of our members, it is be
coming increasingly obvious that
the selfappointed spokesmen on
certain ships are either lacking in
the elementary knowledge of
Union principles, or they are de
liberately misleading their bro
ther members for their own selfish
gain.
The basic principles of Union
ism are wages and hours, the
right of collective bargaining, and
resultant' job security.
If we are to take a negative po
siticn on any nf v»i«i issues,
we shall be guilty of antiUnion
activities that strike at the very
foundation of our Union, and
tends to awaken the position of
organized labor as a whole. We
cannot proceed on the assumption
that we are a law unto ourselves—
on the contraiy—we should al
ways be mindful that much de
pends on the way in which we,
as Union' men, guard, and there
fore guide, our destinies.
Repeatedly, the statement has
been made by the members of one
department that the problems of
the other two departments are of
no concern to their own depart
ment'. Hence, they reason, they
should fight their own battles.
Nothing could be further from the
truth! THE PROBLEM OP ONE
DEPARTMENT IS THE CON
CERN OP ALL DEPARTMENTS.
Indirectly, we are all affected by
any precedent set, as all depart
ments will be manuevered to con
form if it be found to be advan
tageous, and to defeat, if other
wise.
There is a community interest
that we cannot deny, and should
stand ready to take cohesive ac
tion any time necessary. The
leadership of your Union, as now
constituted, deserves full and com
plete confidence, and are always
mindful of your good and welfare.
They will not lead, or ask you to
support any action that could be
construed as detrimental; and any
group or clique that takes unau
thorized action will be doing so
at great riik of injuring the pro
gram of the Union, and will be
thoroughly examined before given
any support.
DIRECT ACTION SHOULD
NOT BE TAKEN UNTIL A PULL
AND COMPLETE DISCUSSION
OP THE PROBLEM HAS TAKEN
PLACE, AND ALL OTHER
MEANS EXHAUSTED. IF WE
ARE THEN FORCED TO TAKE
ACTION, WE EXPECT E'VERY
MAN TO DO HIS DUTY AS A
GOOD UNION MAN!
H. Gulnfer
COMPANY STILL REFUSES TO
GRANT DEMANDS OF UNION
Possibility of Strike Action Shows
Necessity of Complete Unity
ABIDE BY RULE OF MAJORITY!
Ask tor the Union' Isabel
Buy Union Made Goods
The cre\v.s on the ships of the Ea.stern Steamship CQ., are
now in the prncess of voting on the acceptance or rejection
of the proposed agreement, and also on the question of strik
ing these ships in the event that they turn, down this agree
ment.
The ships are being voted as rapidly as possible, but, of
course, the final result is as yet unknown. The voting should
be completed early next '.veek.
Whatever the outcome is, it is up to each and eveiy mera^
her concerned to abide by the rule of the majority. The bal
loting is secret, as provided by^
the Constitution — allowing all
members complete democratic ex
pression.
Crews Represented
Last week, there was distribut
ed on the Eastern ships a mimeo
graphed bulletin, giving a list of
the demands we had made of this
company, and which they had re
fused to concede. The proposed
agreement indicates just how far
the ESSCO was willing to go with
our Negotiating Committee, and
they absolutely refused to con
cede another point. Do not over
ship's crews were also called In
ship's crews weer also called in
on the negotiations, and were
given ample opportunity to pre
sent their demands or sugges
tions. In other words, the Nego
tiating Committee used every pos
sible means to gain all conces
sions asked for.
Possibility of Strike
The ESSCO officials still reiter
ate that if they are forced to
grant any increase in wages or
overtime they will have to tie
their ships up. At this time, it is
difficult to figure out whether or
not they wjll resort to such a
drastic measure in the event a
strike is called.
However, if a strike is called,
and it is quite possible that one
will be. It will be up to every
member on the _ Eastern ships to
pile off and hit the picket line.
Conversely, If the majority of the
men on these ships vote against
a strike, it will be up to all hands
to continue to sail the ships. The
Seafarers' International Union is
not going to be run by any minor
ity group!
Cooperation Lacking
At this time, it must be said
that some of the members on the
ESSCO ships have shown a de>
cided distlnterest in even voting
on the agreement, or the ques
tion of striking! Thig complete
lack of cooperation certainly is
not conducive to obtaining accu
rate results, nor does it help the
situation in any way at all. The
crew of one ship took action in
Boston the other day, without
even waiting to learn the wishes
of the rest of the membership
concerned! A move of this sort
could very easily sabotage the
whole thing. The crew of this
ship paid no attention whatsoever
to the bulletin issued from Head
quarters, in which it was plainly
stated "MEMBERS ARE CAU
TIONED THAT NO ACTION
SHOULD BE TAKEN DURING
THIS PERIOD OF VOTING ON
THE AGREEMENT, AS THE EN
TIRE SITUATION IS DEPEND
ENT UPON THE WISHES OP
JHE MAJORITY OP THE MEM
BERSHIP CONCERNED." 'Why
should the crew of any one ship
take it upon themselves to dic
tate to the others what course of
action to follow?
Any accusation of a "sellout"
from any of the members of this
ship are entirely out of line, and
uncalled for. THE MEMBER
SHIP OF THE SIU IS NOT GO
FNG TO EE SOLD OUT BY ANY
OF THE OFFICIALS, OR BY
ANY SHIPS' CREWS EITHER!
Majority Rules
Let's get together on this
thing, and go about it in the
right way. Let every man cast
his ballot, and then abide by the
wish of the majority. After all,
the majority vote is the only
measure of democratic expression,
and should be abided by at aU
times.
As soon as the balloting is com
pleted, a statement will be issued
by headquarters, giving the result
of the vote. Then, whatever ac
tion is necessary will be taken.
AS HAS BEEN SAID BEFORE,
IT IS UP TO THE MEN ON THE
SHIPS TO FIGHT FOR THEIR
CONDITIONS: — AND IT MUST
BE DONE THROUGH UNIFIED
ACTION!
Company Does About Pace
A couple of weeks ago, when
the crews of the Acadia and Robt.
E. Lee took job action In New
York, the ESSCO officials were
more than willing to listen to
reason, and pleaded for an exten
sion of time so that they might
{Continued on page 2)
• •
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FridflyjMay 19, 19^
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Publiolied by the
Seafarers^ Interriiitional Union
of North America
Affiliated with the American Federation of Labor
HARRY LUNDEBERG, Acting President
11 Steuart Street, San Francisco, Calif.
Atlantic District
HEADQUARTERS
New York .* 2 Stone Street
BRANCHES
Boston 1 Rowea Wharf
Providence ,.465 So. Main Street
Philadelphia . 6 NortR 6th Street
Baltimore 212 East Pratt Street
Norfolk 307'Eafit Main Street
San Juan, Puerto Rico 55 Tetuan Street
Gulf District
HEADQUARTERS
New Orleans 309 Chartres Street
BRANCHES
Savannah 218 East Bay Street
Jacksonville 136 Bay Street
Miami ..809 N. E. First Avenue
Tampa ; 206 Franklin Street
Mobile .....55 So. Conception Street
Houston 1712 78th Street
Great Lakes District
HEADQUARTERS
Detroit 1038 Third Street
ADDRESS ALL CORRESPONDENCE CONCERNING THIS
PUBLICATION TO:
"THE SEAFARERS' LOG"
P. O. Box 522, CHiurch St. Annex, New York, N. Y.
ON THE HONOR ROLL
(Donations to Seafarers' Log)
G. Rohring $
G. A. Owens .50
! A. Harvisoii .., .50
, L. D. Loach .50
Wmi Buie .50
T.L.Taylor 1.00
V. Neyola .50
W.Le Bon, No. 1481 .50
Donald Watts, No. 8265 >...... .50
J. C. Kirby, No. 2865 .50'
Deck Dept., S8 Ha.stings 5.00
Three Fruit Ships
Take Full Grews
Shipping Good in
New Orleans
New Orleans, May 8—This Week
we furni.shed three full crews to
fruit boats. We will get a vote
on them, and attempt to be certi
fied, so that we can gain an agree
ment. Shipped one full crew for
the Bull Line. Was able to get
twenty of our members shipped on
two Isthmian Line ships in port
over the weekend. We .siteuld be
about ready for a vote on these
ships now. In tlie last three
months, every Isthmian Line .ship,
with but one e.xception, that
passed through here, had been
lined up fairly solid. Our records
.ill "v*! show that' about twothird.s of the
unlicensed personnel are carrying
lY SIU books.
• V' Shipping Good
A \ Shipping, as you can see, is ex
®cellent here. We have shipped
many West Coast fiiemen and
sailors on Gulf ships. After all,
it is better to ship oui West Cofist
brothers than fo have them crack
NMU men over. Right now, we
'"aeed a few West Coast Firemen
and SUP members to fill inter
coastal jobs. Quite a few of our
IWest Coast brothers, approving of
the action that is going on here,
and liking a good scrap, have
transferred their books. If the
comicals run true to form, they
will try to pass motions on the
coast to suspend these guys for 99
years..
L
AGREEMENT
• (Continued from patje 1)
negotiate a satisfactory agree
ment. The extension was granted,
and as soon as negotiations were
resumed, they immediately chang
ed their tune, and flatly refused
to make any of the requested con
cessions. Why did the Eastern
company make such an abrupt
about face? Perhaps they felt
that they had reason to believe
that the crews on their ships
would vote in favor of any sort
of an agreement. Who gave them
this assurance? Certainly not the
Seafarers' International Union!
Are these ships so loaded with
company stooges that the com
pany knows what is going on at
all times? We certainly hope
that the militant Union men are
in the majority on . these ships,
and that they know how to take
care of these compauy stoOges!
REMEMBER, _ IF THE MAJ
ORITY OF THE MEMBERSHIP
ON THE EASTERN SHIPS
VOTE IN FAVOR OF STRIKE
ACTION, THEN THE UNION
EXPECTS EVERY MAN TO DO
HIS PART, AND PILE OFF
THESE SCOWS! ON THE
OTHER HAND, IF THE MAJOR
ITY VOTE AGAINST A STRIKE,
THEIR WISHES WILL HAVE
TO BE RESPECTED.
liN ANY EVENT, WHICHEVER
WAY THE ISSUE GOES, LET'S
GET TOGETHER AND PRE
SENT A SOLIDLY UNITED
FRONT, AND ELIMINATE ANY
INTERNAL FRICTION OR DIS
SENSION!
STATEMENTS IN IWW PAPER
(Contwued from page 1)
years, I need not state that such
an accusation is a vicious lie, but
as a matter of general information
I would like to outline the atti
tude of the SIU and myself in
this presaat tanker strike.
Cooperation
Tlie Branch itself, of course,
went on record solidly at a busi
ness meeting prior to the actual
calling of tlie strike, to respect
the picket lines of th^ NMU, and
to support, in any way possible,
NMU's attempts to obtain Union
Hall sliipping in the taiiker lines
concerned. I .sincerely believe that
it is this cotyiGrafion shown and
offered between theSIU and the
N.VIU that caused the "Wobbly"
masterminds to print their perfi
dious article.
If there is one thing more than
another that the IWW hates, it is
any show of unity or cooperation
that might work to the advantage
of all concerned. The business of
the IWW is disruption. They fat
ten like buzzards on the trials and
tribulations of the workingman in
his attempts to better himself by
unity, and their slanderous and
ridiculous article is notliing else
but an attempt to break down the
cooperative spirit shown by the
two unions—SIU and NMU—in
As soon as I heard that this
finkherder (Fred Engelhouser)
was attempting to ship finks, the
NMU and the SIU immediately
threw a picket line around his
place, and it still remains there
at present. Furthermore, from the
education I got from belonging to
that organization some time back,
and was later expelled for trying
to better conditions of seamen in
this port, the education I did get
was not to fink or scab on anyone
—and I learned that long ago.
I am kept pretty busy down
here taking care of my East and
West Coast ships, let alone taking
care of somebody else's business,
i stiii say that my record as a
Union man is spotless, and the
guy, or guys who inaerted that ar
ticle in the "Industrial Worker"
is a damned liar, and I stand at
any time to back these words up.
This must be a commy move to
discredit the good work I have
been doing here in Jacksonville.
Fred Lauritano
the present strike, and have them
at each other's throats again.
Have Picket Line Passes
The flisf woek of thr ?ti"ll'G hcrc,
the area around the waterfront
was literally over run with scab
herders, and the fact that today
there isn't one of these gentry
within a mile of this Branch's
office is due to "the fact that I
personally led a team in a little
baseball practice, and ran up a
nice score. Myself and the patrol
men have picket line passes issued
by Paddy Whalen, allowing us to
reacli oui own ships In the yards,
G,c. Would Paddy have issued
tliese passes if he thought for a
moment that we are scabbing on
him? The NMU strike bulletin re"
fcently stated that I "had never
shipped a fink," and when they
said that, they said the truth:—I
never have and never will.
Intent Obvious
Of course, every seaman fami
liar with the situation knows the
why of the IWW article. . The
MTWIU 510 thought that when
they opened their socaTled office
on Broadway they were in for
good pickings during the present
strike, but all we ever see hang
ing around there is a couple of
"smokehounds," acting' on fhe
well known bird.sofafeather prin
ciple.
In conclusion, might I point out
the whole general rottenness and
corruption that peeks out from
every line of the Industrial
Worker. They claim, vociferous
ly, that they are all for the work
ingman, but if their business is
slandering and villifying the Un
ion who, first and foremost in
any field of labor, have done more
for their members, then it is
fairly fevident to anyone not an
absolute moron, that the IWW Is
all for the employer. We can just
imagine the tanker company
Bossfes chortling with glee over
that article! If they had paid out
five thousand dollars for it, It
would have been worth It! As a
matter of fact,—perhaps they did!
Wm. McKay, Agent
TyAUKITANO'S REPLY
Jacksonville, May 8—I defy the
whole membership of the IWW te
prove that I ever attempted to
ship finks, or, did ship finks to
the Benjamin Brewstei, or any
other tauker " which wag on strike
in the Port of Jacksonville.
By.
SUP Member Defends
Lauritano
New York City.
May H, 1939.
TO THE SEAFARERS' LOG
Dear Brothers:
Relative to the article appear
in the May 6 issue of tlie Indus
trial Worker, regarding the al
leged shipping of finks by Fred
Lauritano, SIU Agent in the Port
or Jacksonville, Fla., I wish to
state that I arrived in Jackson
ville shortly after the tanker
strike started, and am in a posi
tion to know something of, the ac
tivities in that port.
I was personally in the com
pany of Lauritano every day
while I was on the beach there,
and I can definitely testify to the
fact that he was very active in
preventing the shipping of finks,
and it was chiefly through his ef
forts that a picket line was thrown
around the crimp joint run by
Ered Engelhouser, a notorious
Bcabherder well known to all sea
men.
It was also, through his efforts,
and through the local AFL Coun
cil, that a "boycott was declared
against all ESSO products. Lauri
tano explained to these people
that the tanker strike was a legi
timate fight against the bosses,
and that it was worthy of the sup
port of all organized Labor, and
that the SIU is backing it with
everything they have.
On several occasions, Brother
Lauritano, in company with W. C.
Meriweather, a SUP member, and
myself, visited the NMU Hall in
Jacksonville, and discussed the
strike pro and con with the mem
bers there. And, on occasion, the
NMU members visited the SIU
Hall, and were shown tlieir own
bulletins posted in plain sight, on
the board there.
It is the contention of this
writer that this attack on a good
rank and file Union man Is noth
ing more than the work of some
disgruntled individual with a per
sonal grudge.
It is also with regret that I now
find whatvwhat was once one pf
the most progressive Union^apers
in the field, is now being used as
a slander sheet, printing unsub
stantiated information.
In conclusion, I would like to
remind the writer of tlie article
that Brother Lauritano learned
his Unionism in the IWW, and
ftiat he is still a booster of their
principles.
Yours for the solidarity of La
bor,
J. pooley, SUP No. 1934
NMU Not Bothering
Finks in Tampa
Miami, Fla., May 17—The port
of Miami is seeing plenty of ac
tion. In the past week we have
bad to use direct action on the
P & O ships. Firemen blowing
tubes is overtime, oilers getting
overtime for everything after 5:00
P.M. and before 8:00 A.M., except
ing for oiling auxiliaries. Stew
ard's department on an eight Iiour
day in port, and anything over
four hours on Saturday is over
time. New mattresses and springs
ordered for all ships. Fortyfive
cup. dripolators, electric, for the
ferries, Fresh milk on all ships,
ice cream whenever in port, two
meats on the table, 36inch lockers
for tlie SS Florida, also tie floors
in the batli rooms and toilets.
Quarters have been reconditioned,
and are now fairly liveable.
t^he boys realize how muchthe
companies have been cheating
them in the past, and that their
wive, and children CAN'T EAT
TIME OFF!
No NMU Pickets
The Standard Oil had a tanker
in here this week, and we spent
the night watching developments.
The only noticeable development
wa s the fact that the NMU Or,
ganlzer would not consent to his
membership picketing or working
the scabs over. We can see his
slant on this, inasmuch as several
days ago he spent considerable
time in the Standard Oil Com
pany's offivc iti Fyri LaudErdaiO.
At 11:00 P.M. we met a couple
of finks in a beer joint in the city.
They were very brave. It must
be because they know that the
policy of the NMU delegate here
is to get statements out of scabs
as to why they are scabs. At one
to four o'clock this morning the
finks had a glorious time in a
beer joint outside tlie dock. There
were no police in evidence, but
there was a squad car (we found
out later was NMU) parked
twenty feet from us, and having
a glorious time drinking also.
SIU Won't Butt In
• We, of the SIU here in this
Branch, felt that inasmuch as the
NMU officialdom seems to be sanc
tioning the finlcs and fishing, that
SIU men should not bptt in!
It is a noticeable fact that the
NMU working class of Union men
who would like to go to sea for
a living, and send the pantspress
ers back to pants pressing, are
very, very disgusted. One of our
members who just came off a ship,
upon walking into tlie Hall and
seeing a bunch of NMU men
standing outside, thought the
joint was being picketed; so we
had to inform the brother that it
was not a picket line, but a bunch
of HonesttoGod sailormen trying
to stick with sailormen, and in
vestigation just what the SIU is.
Where Pie Is
Yesterday, some fink made a
mistake and called our Hall, tell ,
ing us there was an opening on
the SS Iroquois as telephone op
erator, and he would pay forty
bucks cash right now, and give
the Agent half his first month's
pay. It Is remarkable, although
not very'surprising to see how the
pie cards are able to keep the pon
ies running, the doggies barking,
and the girls all smiles. The SIU
Agent here has been wondering
whether he had lost his, sex ap •
peal, or what it was. j
The NMU organizer has yet tq
give the membership of the NMU
here a meeting. They asked for
one last Monday, which he re
fused. We used to see him gallop
ing around, but now we can't even
find his hole!
J. Gunnison, Agent
'• mm i:, iii.v,
I
http://www.pdfcompressor.org/buy.html
Friday, May 19,1939 . / THE SEAFARERS' LOG
• r
HERE and THERE in the GULF
NEWS/roTO NEW ORLEANS
New Orleans Reports Suit
Tankers StWI Sailing
SIU and SUP Crews Refuse^'Hot Oil"
While NMU Committee Deals
With Maritime Labor Board
TOP FRACTION PLOTTING
New Orleans, May 8_The ap
pointed tanker strike Policy Com
mittee of the NMU went on
record to strike the Standard Oil.
Then, when the men walked off
the ships, they went on record to
take bunkers, load the tanks, and
carry Standard Oil case products
on their freighters. They cannot
take a chance on breaking their
precious freighter agreements, so
they have told their members on
these ships that they must fink on
their brothers pounding the
bricks!
Ships Refuse "Hot Oil"
Thursday, May 4. the crew of
the SS COLABEE, UNDER
AGREEMENT WITH THE SIU,
REFUSED TO TAKE BUNKERS
AT STANDARD OIL DOCKS IN
GALVESTON. The ship, needless
to say, shifted, and took bunkers
from another dock. Sunday morn
ing. the SUWIED, SISTER SHIP
ALSO UNDER AGREEMENT,
REFUSED TO TAKE STAND
ARD OIL BUNKERS HERE,
"WITH THE SAME RESULTS.
Today, the F. J. LUCKENBACH
and the LENA LUCKENBACH
ARE IN THE SAME PREDICA
MENT. CREWS OF BOTH VES
SELS REFUSED TO TAKE
' "HOT" BUNKERS!
WHEN IN HELL IS THE NMU
GOING TO WAKE UP AND FIND
OUT THAT THEY MUST POL
LOW GENUINE UNION PRINCI
Pii'ES BEFORE THE WORKERS
WILL BELIEVE IN THEIR PRO
GRAM?
Committee Deals With Labor
Board
The Policy Committee is also
dealing with the phoney Maritime
Labor Board, which was set up by
an Act of Congress to investigate
the maritime industry, and make
recommendations to Congress in
1940. Their reeommendations are
to cover ways and means to st.a
bilize the maritime industry,
THEIR IDEA OF STABILIZING
THE MARITIME INDUSTRY IS
COMPULSORY ARBITRATION,—
SOMEWHA" SIMLIAR TO THE
RAILWAY LABOR ACT! Any
how, the three guys on this board
will be out of a jobunless such
an act is set up. Bear in mind
that their salary is $10,'000 a
year, and you will have an idea
of the efforts they will make to
get such legislation passed.
Holler for Arhitratloii
Louie Block, Harry Bridges'
Number One stooge, is the West
Coast representative for this out
fit, Every time the Maritime
Labor Board enters a dispute, the
commies yell, "Arbitrate!" Re
member the picket line recently
placed oh the Matson docks by
the Maritime Federation, and the
mad scramble of the cooks and
firemen back to the ship when
; Louie Block entered the picture,
i^elling, "Arbitration!"? A Mari
l|me Labor Board report, showing
|rbitration every time they enter
Je picture, will look damned
food on paper, when placed be
fore Congress. After alh Con
gress does not like direct action,
nor anyone who advocates It.
One a.dditionaI reason the com
mies collaborate with this Board
is found when you consider that
such a permanent board to ad
minister a compulsory mediation
act, would provide some field rep
resentatives' jobs. The Mariner's'
Club members got ail the jobs
available from the Maritime Com
mission, so the commies figured
to cooperate, and get all avail
able jobs from this phoney outfit.
Tankers Sailing
The tankers are sailing in and
out of the Mississippi without be
ing held up. The only sign of a
strike is a two man picket line
around the Standard Gil filling
stations. The members are plenty
burned up. but, after all, they
cannot buck the established ma
chine! We p.re backipg the mem
bers on strike financially and
morally. In Jachsonyille, we have
a joint picket line against Fred
Eugiehouser, notorious scab
herder!
On Friday, April 28, I spoke at
a regular joint meeting of the
NMU in New Orleans. I informed
them that we are supporting
them, and gave them the score as
I saw it. Told them why the
SUP had an International Char
ter, Explained our program, and
went Into detail regarding the
method of carrying it out. When
I finished, the NMU gave us a
big hand The applause, of
course, was for the program and
policies as laid out by the SUP,
and adopted by the International.
Comrats Plotting
While we are supporting the
NMU in their tanker fight, the
top faction in New York is plot
ting with the top faction of the
West Coast committees to legislate
us out of existence with the Wall
gren Bill. ^Biting the hand that
feeds you is not new for the top
faction of the NMU. What we
cannot" understand is how their
membership can take such a
stand. When the commies get
through sellirig the seamen out to
the Standard Oil, these guys will
probably wake up.
The NMU informs their mem
bers that Sinclair, Gulf, Kellogg
and Pennsylvania Shipping have
signed agreements. That's a
damned lie! Only SinciaTr has
signed. Standard Oil is attempt
ing to get one of their ships
alongside the Sinclair docks in
Houston, so as to tie up Sinclair,
and get them in line. JOE CUR
RAN HAS INSISTED THAT,
GNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES,
ARE SINCLAIR SHIPS OR RE
FINERY WORKERS TO BE IN
VOLVED. WHERE IS THE CIO
SUPPORT THE SEAMEN WERE
SUPPOSED TO HAVE?
Steady as she goes,
Roland Dean
P&O Ships Show
Great improvement
Seafrain OfRcers
Chisel on Oveptime
New Orleans, May 8—Conditions
and overtime have been improved
considerably on the P&O ships.
We have a clause in the tempor
ary working agreement providing
for overtime on Saturday after
noons. Sundays and holidays.
There is no .specification stating
that this overtime is to be'paid
only in port, although the com
pany will squawk their heads off,
the fact remains that overtime is
to be paid for any work performed
on Saturday afternoons, Sundays
or holidays.
The company, no doubt, will re
gret having signed such a clause,
but, of course, for a good substan
tial increase in wages the guys
will probably go for the regular
overtime clause in all West Coast
agreements.
Letters from delegates on tliese
sfiips show that the carferries are
living up to the Seatrain agree
ment, which is the best agreement
ever signed on this coast. Under
an agreement forced out of the
company by job action, we are go
ing to have a vote on these ships
to determine who is going to be
the caliCcUvfe biigiiiiiiig repre
sentative. The result of the vote
is a foregone conclusion,and will
be 100 percent SIU! |
Chiseling on Oveitiino
The engineers and mates on the
Seatrains are trying to chisel the
crew out of their overtime. They
ar trying to tell the crew that the
agreement does not give them all
the overtime they have been
claiming. This Is a direct lie,
spread because of jealousy of a
few mates and engineers. They
signed an agreement under which
they can not collect overtime. In
view of the fact that the SIU
stayed out on strike two weeks
after our beef was won, to back
these donkeys up, this is a
phoney stand they are taking.
The crew did not pay any atten
tion to them, however, and
claimed their overtime, which
was collected when the last ship
hit here.
These outside interests trying fo
disrupt our organization had bet
ter be careful, or some of our guys
will read the riot act to tlrem.
*
Bange Line Agrceineiit
The Range Line agreement' is
another good one recently signed
by the SIU. The watch on deck
between eight and five are paid
seventy cents per hour for handl
ing strong backs and hatches.
Waieh below, and watch on deck,
after 5:00 P.M. and before 8:00
A.M. are paid $1.05 per hour for
doing this work. Saturday after
noons, Sundays and holidays are
also $1.05 per hour for all hands
doing this work. Superphosphate
overtime clause for cleaning holds
means all phosphates.
On sailing day, watches to be
set on the eight bells preceding
the sailing liour, but not later
than noon. Very simple. If a
ship sails at 8:00 A.M., the 8 to 12
watch Is the only watch who has
to work eight hours for that day.
The other two watches only have
to put in one fourhour watch for
the day because after watches are
set, any work perfomied by othw
than the watch on deck is over
time.
The one weakness in the entire
• agreement comes from duties of
the oilers in port. This was not
HAPPENINGS in MOBILE
Action of Collier
Crew Sabotaged
Poor Conditions on
Wm. C. Atwater
Mobile, Ala., May 9—On Satur
day last, the Wm. C. Atwater. a
collier from Boston, was in this
port, and was contacted by the
delegates here, and they founr^
that the black gang on there were
all ready to go to town for fresh
milk. The only member of the
deck crew that could be contact
ed was the deck delegate. He was
more than willing to go along
with the rest of the crew and get
it. The Skipper was ashore, and
could not be reached from 10:30
A.M. until around 3:00 P.M.
When he at last showed up, he
came to the ship in a car with
the Bos'n and a couple of the
sailors. The score was explained
to them, and the Bos'n said,
"Hell! we can't get milk, but if
thoy put it on there, I'll drink it!"
After considerable discussion, the
Skipp^ said, "If it's the custom
on other ships to have milk, then
I want my crew to have it too.
I'll put a cow aboard, if they
want it!" They didn't want any
cow,—just fresh milk.
Ship Sails
The Skipper then went aboard
the ship, and very soon he came
out of his room and said, "I've
been rolled,—there is no money
in the safe!" Naturally, the dele
gates thought of the old jingle
about the cupboard being bare,
and they asked the crew, "Well
boys, are you ready to go
ashore?" The black gang was, but
the Master sang out, "Let go!",
and the ship sailed.
THIS IS A HELL OF A STATE
OF AFFAIRS. WHEN ALL MEM
BERS OF SHIP'S CREWS REAL
IZE THAT THIS UNION OPER
ATES FOR THE BENEFIT" OF
ALL MEMBERS, WHETHER IN
BOSTOr^OR MOBILE, THEN,
AND ONLY THEN WILL WE BE
GOING TO TOWN IN THE
RIGHT MANNER!
Poor, Gondii tons
Regarding this special tub; if
the members aboard there were
afraid of their jobs, let me state
that it would be impossible to get
a crew for her in this port, be
cause any man that went aboard
and saw the messroom would not
turn to. If she is an example of
what colliers are, then it's far
past time that they were put in
shape, because she was absolutely
putrid! One member of the crew
said that she is a better ship
than the rest. If this is so, then
Lord deliver us from the I'est of
them!
Regarding the usual ships in
and out of here,—everything was
lovely. On the De Soto, the crew
collected two hours overtime be
cause "the ship didn't sail at the
time marked on the board. This
is the first time that this has
been collected, and is quite likely
to be the last for some time, be
cause since the rule went into ef
fect, it's surprising how close the
board is to being right!
A. W. Armstrong, SUP No. 2983
covered properly, but we will
have a clarification within two
weeks. So. if the Chief tries to
get you to dd other than your cus
tomary duties, mark it down as
overtiiTkp;—we will collect it!
Garge Line Beef
Straightened Out
Mobile, Ala., May 5—Now the
latest thing in the Gulf is the
barge lines tienp. Already the
operators are wanting crews from
the SIU Halls, and they are all
getting the same answer: "No
smoke!"
Yestei day on the Jacob Lucken
bach, theie were two barges
brought alongside the ship to be
discharged. The crew called me,
and wanted to know tiie score, and
I was as much in the dark as
they wei e. Upon inquiring around,
we found that these barges were
loaded in Birmingport about
three weeks ago, so the cargo was
not hot, and that a CIO tug boat
crew had broiiglit her alongside
the Jacob.
Conlei >\ith IBU
The deck delegate. Kaiser, and
myself went to tlie IBU Hall, and
had one of the representatives
come aboard the ship and explain
the setup. After hearing all sides
that we could, it was decided that
the cargo was not "hot," and
and iherefore, it was all O.K.
Contacted Ed Rhone, the local
ILA Business Agent, and he said
that he was instructed to work
tlie cargo in tlie barges. So all
that' we can do is go ahead and
work the cargo.
APL AVil! Coopeiate
It seems to me that once again
we find the CIO wanting the West
Coast to pull their eggs from the
baskets.
Time should tell, and when the
members of the CIO realize that
the members of the SIU and the
SUP, plus all AFL members, will
go down the line on a legitimate
strike, but don't want' to be put
out on any limb, and then saw
themselves off; then, and only
then will we be in a position to
really get together and make
every move count, instead of stay
ing awake niglits to get ahead of
each other.
A. W. Armstrong, SUP No. 29^
Members Back
Lauritano
Jacksonville, Fla., May 9 Slan
der, lies, misleading propaganda,
anything to discourage the good
work and progress that is being
made for the seamen's benefit in
Jacksonville. This is the barrage
of lies that is being hurled by a
clique who are disguising them
selves as advocates of Industrial
Unionism.
Their attempt in trying to sab
otage any progress of the Agent
in Jax will be a hard task, and
we must say that the membership
sailing out of this port, are 100
percent behind their Agent. We
say that since Agent Lauritano
has been here, shipping has picked
up 100 percent, and all of us have
been given a square deal. So, it's
perfectly clear why someone is
trying to sabotage, and discredit
any progress being made here.
We stand ready, at all times, to
back our Agent in anything which
may arise.
Antone De Costa, iNo. 36 Gulf
R. W. Wheeler, No. 60, Gulf
E. F. Squires, No. 3120, Atlantic
1
J
Mi
• ;• > 'i
111
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THE SEAFARER S ' LOG Friday, May 19, 1939
NEWS VIEWS /row the LAKES
• ^4.: r
BUFFALO
10 Exchange Street
MILWAUKEE
730 S. Second Street
DETROIT
1038 Third Street
CLEAVE L AND
1426 Third SU'eet
CHICAGO
8101/C, N. Clark Stseet
LAKES PROGRESS
If"FB':
, .4 • :
VrrF'
(Continned from page l)
try. Ships under contract to the
SIU will pay overtime for all
work after 5:00 P,M., and before
8:00 X.M.
More Overtime
Not so long ago, all work cam4
in the regular line of duty. There
was no overtime, no penalty time.
" man could be put on any job,
and It was considered part of his
regular work. The new contracts
call for the overtime rate of sev
entyfive cents per hour for clean
ing bilges and deep tanks, whether
this work is done on or off watch.
Coalpassers, and firemen will be
paid seventyfive cents per hour,
in the future, for any work done
in the engine room. Their job Is
in the fire room, and when fire
men are called In the engine
room to clean, or do any other
extra work, they will be paid for
it Wheelmen and watch men
haveregular duties, but operating
elevators for loading and unload
ing autos Is not part of their
work. They will be paid overtime
for running these elevators,
whether the work is done on or
off watch.
These new gains can be pro
tected, and extended, only If the
Union hiring hall Is maintained.
Without strict enforcement of the
closed shop, and smooth operation
of the Union hiring hall, all gains,
and working conditions remain
on paper.
• Brother Joliaiiseii's Work
Appreciated
The four new contracts signed
Bi'other Thompson last week,
marked a continuation of the
good work begun here by Rang
vald Johansen. Brother Johansen
was forced to resign from his post
as Emergency Board Chairman
because of Illness. He was active
on the Lakes during the Spring
months. While he was here, he
succeeded in transfering the
membership of the defunct ISU
into the newly establi.shed Sea
farers' International Union of
North America. He established
friendly and cooperative relations
with the Teamsters' and Long
shoremens' unions in this area.
He brought a number of lines
under contract to the Seafarers'
International Union In the short
time he was here. And today, the
Seafarers' International on 'the
Lakes has more members than all
the Lakes' union together could
boast of at the end of the season
last year.
Union members apperciate the
job Brother Johansen did, and
hope that he will soon be well
again, and able to join the fight
for a militant Union of all sea
men—the Seafarers' International
Union of North America.
include the D & C Lines, operat
ing passenger ships and autoear
riers between Detroit and Cleve
land, and the C & B Lines, run
ning the same type of vessels be
tween Cleveland and Buffalo.
Other outfits under contract to the
SllJ operate sand boats ?or the
most part.
Ships that are being put in cdm
misaion, l(|je all men from the
Hall. This is in accordance with
the terms of the contracts which
the SIU Is signing. The basic
rate of pay for standby work has
been set at sevent.vfive cents per
hour.
Present Status of SIU on Lakes
_ 'Organizing on the Lakes Is
fought every step of the way by
the Lake Carriers Aasnciatlon,
This organization of the employ
ers has successfully maintained
open shop conditions for the past
thirty years. In the face of this
opposition by the biggest opera
tors here, the SIU organizational
drive has progressed at an even
tempo. Independent companies
and operators have been signed
up. At present, the SIU holds
eleven such contracts, covering
thirtyfive ships. New branches of
the Union have been opened as
the Union gains new members.
The dues paying members have
increased by fiftyfold since the
jmginning of the season.
. Ck)mpanles under contract to us
Govcrniiient Enforces Open .Shop
Railway car ferries, operating
on the Detroit River, between
here and Windsor. Canada, have
long been under contract to AF
unions. These ferries are owned
and operated by the Pere Mar
quette, and Wabash Railway Co
The vast majority of the men
working in those seatrains hav
transferred their old books to the
Seafarers' International Union
The same situation prevails In
ships of this type running on Lake
Michigan.
Since the National Railway act
was revised In 19,34, organizations
representing men in these ships
ha^ beeii subjected to govern
ment supervision and Interfer
ence. Some of the car ferry em
ployees are supposed to be sub
ject to the provisions of the Na
tional Railway Act. That was the
predecessor of the Copeland Act,
It applies to the railway Industry,
and has enmeshed the unions In
so much government red tape
that a closed shop Is impossible.
Mediation ITniiecessary
We are faced with this fact In
only a small portion of the marl
time industiy.—ferry boats, sea
trains, and the like that come
under the jurisdiction of the act.
We can see from this what is In
store for all American seamen. If
the same provisions are extended
to cover the entire merchant
marine, through the Copeland
Act, and its administrators on the
Maritime Commission. Govern
ment mediation of this sort means
the open shop; It means no Union
hiring hall,—a return to the fink
hall.
Because the government en
forces Its open shop conditions in
these boats, the National Marl
time Union Is trying to utilize this
in order to gain partial recogni
tion for Itself. The NMU has cen
tered Its activities on these Qar
Ferries, hoping to find a perma
nent base for further organlza
tlonal work. These Car Ferries
are important In the life of any
Union here, because they are
among the few ships that run the
year around.
Waterfront Support
The disruptive activities of the
NMU have gained nothing for the
Union men. The Seafarers' Inter
national is the only union that
can protect the men on the Fer
ries who are still allowed to join
a union free from gbvernment In
terference. There is good reason
to believe that the SIU will force
the Railway Companies to boost
conditions in the Car Ferries. We
not only have the support of the
American Federation ef Labor,
which controls the Waterfront
through the Teamsters and Dockr
workers' Unions, but have also
succeeded in winning the sympa
thy and cooperation of the Rail
way Brotherhood.
The Railway Brotherhoods are
Progress Reported
By Buffalo Branch
Buffalo, N. Y., May 2—The
Crystai Transportation Co., oper
ating the Canadiana from Buffalo
to Crystal Beach, Ontario, refused
to sign the agreement for the com
ing settson with the SIU. AH de
mands were met with the excep
tion of the demand for a raise in
pay for fitting out work: for O.S.
from sixtyfive to seventyfive
cents per hour, ana the A.B.'s
from seventy to seventyfive cents.
The membership in Buffalo voted
to instruct the organizer and the
agent to tell the company to sign
the agreement as presented—or
else! Well, the "else" took place
Monday morning: nobody turned
to!
Raise Justified
The demand for the raise is a
just one, and flie same moiiey is
paid by all other companies for
similar work. The company, of
course, gave the old song and
dance that they are losing money.
The ships may not clear expenses
as far as fares are concerned, but
the bar, the slot machines, and
all the other chiseling schemes
connecied wiih beaches and excur=
sion boats make plenty. Besides,
the patrons are mostly all work
ing men, and therefore, the more
reason for decent pay.
The proposed agreement, of
course, provides for shipping out
of the Hall, aod the usual clauses
that go with a closed shop. Or
ganized labor has pledged its sup
port, so the men are confident".
Stewards tioing Along
Mr. "Seaduck," who wouldn't
go along with the new setup, and
started in business for himself, is
not making much headway In Buf
falo. With the help of the ILA,
we took all tlie ships out ot Buf
falo away from him. It is our
firm belief that the Stewards and
Cooks would have flnallj^ come
along with us anyway, without
the help of the ILA, but It sped
things up considerably. The TLA
promised us all the help they'can
give us to organize the seamen,
as did many other Unions. And
the AFL Director here in Buffalo,
brother Cunningham, gives us all
the help he possibly can.
So it appears that, through sys
tematic hard work, we can, and
will establish a strong Great
Lakes District of the SIU.
Member Clarifies
Lakes SituatlGn
Detroit, Mich.—In view of the
extremely conflicting reports le
gaiaing the situation on the Great
Lakes which have emanated fiom
various souices. particularly tlie
"Pileit," a brief resume of the
ditllcultiGs encountered and the
piogiess accomplished would be
quite in order for the membei
sliip's infoimation. To explode the
false claims of progress made by
Hie NMU with their enormous
head start would be quite a waste
of time.
Meetings Well Attended
As is pretty well known, the
spirit of unionism had been mori
bund for years on the Lakes and
even the universal drift towards
organization caused by tlie NRA
in 1934 affected this district less
than any where else. However, a
new spirit has arrived; seamen on
the Lakes are coming to realize
that the gains they have accom
plished can only be retained by a
militant union. Union meetings
are now well attended and a spirit
of interest and miltancy Is being
manifested by all departments.
Great progress in the matter ot'
contracts and conditions have
bCGii "ccomplishef! by the new ov
ganlzers, Rangvald Johansen and
R. D. Thompson. The main stumbl
block to a more solid organization
Is presented by the phoney Lake
Sliippiiig Thru Halls
A s^udy of the demand in wage,,
increases presented by us to the
Ohio Tankers, Inc., reveals how
far we have progressed; a basic
increase of $5.00 over and above
the NMU manning Scale and
$30.00 above the Lake Carriers
Association scales will be noticed.
A strict observance of rotary ship
ping through tiu hall, hitherto
unknown on the Lakes, is furtlier'
evidence of the rapid progress of
real unionism here. Sliippiag con
tinues slow here buf the settle
ment of tl\e coal strike promises
a marked pickup in the near fu
ture. Some of the passengw boats
are preparing to sail and more
will follow shortly. In conclusiori
I wish to state that despite tlie
sabotaging lies of the commisar
stooges It will be evident from
the foregoing that real progress
has been made and it is our con
fident hope that next season the
entire Lakes will be united under
the banner of the Seafarers' In
ternational Union of North Ame
rica.
Louis Gordon, SIU Deck 926
LAURITANO'S LETTER
Carriers' Association. Strange to
J. Johannessen, SUP No. 30S2
say the NMU present little or no
opposition whatsover. If only
Ralph Rogers and his commissar
stooges would take the trouble to
ascertain a few elementary facts
before printing their lies in the
"Pilate" they would save t^m
selves a lot of future trouble In
recanting their wild assertions
and would probably save them
selves a future "purge."
Pending Contracts
To enumerate some of the gains
already accomplished, we have
thirteen signed, sealed and deliv
ered contracts. New contracts,
with rosy prospects of signing,
are being presented to the follow
ing companies: NlcholsonEcorse
and TriState Steamship Co., The
Ohio Tankers Inc., of Cleveland
and the Jupiter Steamship Co. In
addition to the foregoing, the rail
road carferries, passenger ships
and auto carriers are 100% or
ganized. The seamen on those
ships realize tijat the promises of
shipowners are poor substitutes
for the backing of a strong, mili
tant Union.
Letter to Industrial Worker
The following copy of a letter
una iEcciVvd fi'Siii jHCke>4>nvi|ig
Agent Fred Lauritano, with a re
quest that it be printed in the
LOG:
Editor, Industrial Worker,
222 N. Halstea<l St.,
Chicago, 111.
Fellow Worker:
I am asking you for a retraction
of a statement which appeared In
the Industrial Worker dated May
6, 1939.
My record as a Union man is
open to anyone who is In doubt,
and my record In the IWW, of
which I was a member for five
years or more. Is spotless. I was
expelled from the JWW last Fall
because I am holding down the
position of SIU Agent in the port
oif Jacksonville, Fia., for the bet
terment of conditions regarding
the seamen. Nobody can ever ac
cuse Fred Lauritano, Agent, port
of Jacksonville, of being Instru
mental in shipping scabs aboard
the Benjamin Brewster. I defy
anyone to prove it, and kindly In
form the writer of the article that
if there isn't a retraction in' the
next issue of the Industrial
Worker, I will be forced to start
legal proceedings against your pa
per.
Yours truly,
Fred Lauritano
holding their convention next
week in Cleveland, Ohio. The or
ganizational drive of tfie Seafar
ers' should receive 100 percent en
dorsement at the convention.
Many of the delegates there will
be familiar with the work that
has been done here by our repre
sentatives. Their support will
help us to victory against the Car
Ferry operators.
To Organize More Sand Boats
In the Detroit area we are now
concentrating on two independent
lines operating sand* boats out of
this port. We expect to extend
Union agreements and Union con
dttions to all vessels of tRis type
operated by independent outfits.
The two companies we. are after
now employ about three hundred
men, many ot whom have already
signed pledges with the SIU.
Others have taken out their books,
and are organizing on the job.
One of the ships was under con
tract to the old SIU last year.
SIU Halls oh Lakes
Gradually the Seafarers' Inter
national Union is spreading its In
fluence to all Lakes ports. Before
the season ends, Lakes seamen
may see an organization setiin
such as has not been revived since
the crushing defeat of the unions
at the hands of the openshoppers
in 1909.
"Kie SIU now maintains branches
in the following ports: Detroit,
Milwaukee, Cleveland, Buffalo,
and Chicago. The representatives
in these ports are, respectively, R,
D. Thompson, Emergency Board
Chairman; Prank Sullivan, Benny
Norton, Johan Johannessen and
James Hayman.
This information should be
clipped out by ail Lakes seamen.
At the top of this page you will
find the addresses of the Union
Halls in these ports. There you
can get full information about the
Seafarers' International Union;
how it operates, and the protec
tion it affords.
Strong Ties With Other Workers
The further expansion of the
Seafarers' International on the
Lakes is assured by the support
we are receiving from the other
unions In the industry. Every
thing on the front is controlled
by afllliates of the American Fed
eration of Labor.
Freight shipped In Lake vessels
is brought to the docks by ILA
men. Sand and gravel is loaded
by AFL Hoisting Engineers. These
gre the three imions that" operate
on the Lakes front. In the near
future we hope to further cement
our solidarity with them by form
ing Maritime Councils for joint
action against the most powerful
of the employers' groups.
f1
Si
li'h
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Seafarers' International Union of North America
OffwialOrgan of the Atlantic, Gulf and Great Lakes Seamen
BROTHERHOOD
OF THE
SEA
VOL. I NEW YORK, N. Y., FRIDAY, MAY 19, 1939
• 416 NO. 10
VOTE ON STRIKE AND AGREEIWENT ON
EASTERN STEAMSHIP COMPANY VESSELS
LIE GIVEN TO STATEMENTS
PUBUSHED IN I.W. W. PAPER
McKay and Lauritano Refute Slanderous
Accusations in Wobbly Sheet
LEGAL ACTION THREATENED
never stoop so low as to ship
scabs. liowever, McKay and Lau
ritano and some of the members
have taken up the matter, and the
following will give a good idea of
their reactions to these rotten, ly
ing cliarges.
McKAY'S STATEMKNT
Baltimore, May 8—An article in
the May 6 issue of the "Industrial
Worker," ofllcial publication of the
IWW, accuses the SIU in general,
and myself, among others, in par
ticular, of "sending scabs to
struck tankers." To the many
seamen in all unions who have
known and worked with me for
{Continued on page 2)
UKES HEADQUARTERS MAKES
ORGANIZATIONAL PROGRESS
New Contracis Improve Working and
Living Conditions and Overtime
GOVERNMENT FORCES OPEN SHOP
Detroit, May 9—Four more agreements were signed be
tween the Seafarers' International Union and the Lake ship
ping operators, in Chicago, last we<ikend. Tommy Thomp
son, new Chairman of the SIU Emergency Board here, left
Detroit last Friday to cinch up negotiations, and sign the
contracts. Two lines, the Roose^
velt, and the Grand Rapids, oper
ate for the excursion trade. Un
ion conditions were extended to
these companies, and will be en
forced for the short season they
operate. These two lines run pas
senger boats only. The other two
contracts cover sand boats.
Conditions Improved
All contracts signed by the SIU,
bring shipping through the Union
Hall. They mark the beginning of
a great march here on the open
shoppers and the fink hall opera
tors. The Union Hall has again
made its appearance on the
Lakes, and seamen here are be
ginning to see how it operates,
i •
V.J : ' •
and the protection it affords.
The new contracts provide for
overtime, — something unknown
until this season. The overtime
rate has been set at seventyfive
cents per hour. The day's work
shall begin,, in port, hereafter, at
8:00 A.M.. and end at 5:00 P.M.
Beforev these new contracts went
into effect, the work day was any
eight hours in twentyfour. This
was the prevailing practice
throughout the entire shipping In
dustry on the Lakes. It excluded
the possibility of any overtime
payment. Now that this is ended
in at least a section of the indus
{Continued on page 4)
The blTiciul organ of the IWW, the "Industrial Worker,"
in its May 6 issue, comes riglit outin black and white and
deliberately accuses the SIU and the ILA of helping to break
theianker strike. I'lte story, carrying a New York date line,
is headed "ILA and SIU of NA Break Tank Ship Strike,"
and goes on to say that "Joe Ryan and his International
Longshoremen's Association, and the Seafarers' International
Union of North America are both actively engaged in sup
plying nrnbs ill Ihe lank shii) strike." That this statement is
a deliberate lie, goes without saying, but we cannot allow
it to go unchallenged.
They openly accuse McKay and
Lauritano, Agents in Baltimore
and Jacksonville respectively, of
shipping finks. Where they ac
quired this wealth of information
we don't know, and we'd like to
suggest to the editorial staff that
they check up on the facts before
they publish them.
We don't feel that It is neces
sary to take up the cudgels in de
fense of McKay or Lauritano, as
anyone wiio knows either of them
will al.so know that such an ac
cusation is phoney, and without
any foundation in fact. They are
both known to be militant, ag
gressive Union men who . would
Action Is Cited
In discussing the pioblems of
new agreements witli a large per
centage of our members, it is be
coming increasingly obvious that
the selfappointed spokesmen on
certain ships are either lacking in
the elementary knowledge of
Union principles, or they are de
liberately misleading their bro
ther members for their own selfish
gain.
The basic principles of Union
ism are wages and hours, the
right of collective bargaining, and
resultant' job security.
If we are to take a negative po
siticn on any nf v»i«i issues,
we shall be guilty of antiUnion
activities that strike at the very
foundation of our Union, and
tends to awaken the position of
organized labor as a whole. We
cannot proceed on the assumption
that we are a law unto ourselves—
on the contraiy—we should al
ways be mindful that much de
pends on the way in which we,
as Union' men, guard, and there
fore guide, our destinies.
Repeatedly, the statement has
been made by the members of one
department that the problems of
the other two departments are of
no concern to their own depart
ment'. Hence, they reason, they
should fight their own battles.
Nothing could be further from the
truth! THE PROBLEM OP ONE
DEPARTMENT IS THE CON
CERN OP ALL DEPARTMENTS.
Indirectly, we are all affected by
any precedent set, as all depart
ments will be manuevered to con
form if it be found to be advan
tageous, and to defeat, if other
wise.
There is a community interest
that we cannot deny, and should
stand ready to take cohesive ac
tion any time necessary. The
leadership of your Union, as now
constituted, deserves full and com
plete confidence, and are always
mindful of your good and welfare.
They will not lead, or ask you to
support any action that could be
construed as detrimental; and any
group or clique that takes unau
thorized action will be doing so
at great riik of injuring the pro
gram of the Union, and will be
thoroughly examined before given
any support.
DIRECT ACTION SHOULD
NOT BE TAKEN UNTIL A PULL
AND COMPLETE DISCUSSION
OP THE PROBLEM HAS TAKEN
PLACE, AND ALL OTHER
MEANS EXHAUSTED. IF WE
ARE THEN FORCED TO TAKE
ACTION, WE EXPECT E'VERY
MAN TO DO HIS DUTY AS A
GOOD UNION MAN!
H. Gulnfer
COMPANY STILL REFUSES TO
GRANT DEMANDS OF UNION
Possibility of Strike Action Shows
Necessity of Complete Unity
ABIDE BY RULE OF MAJORITY!
Ask tor the Union' Isabel
Buy Union Made Goods
The cre\v.s on the ships of the Ea.stern Steamship CQ., are
now in the prncess of voting on the acceptance or rejection
of the proposed agreement, and also on the question of strik
ing these ships in the event that they turn, down this agree
ment.
The ships are being voted as rapidly as possible, but, of
course, the final result is as yet unknown. The voting should
be completed early next '.veek.
Whatever the outcome is, it is up to each and eveiy mera^
her concerned to abide by the rule of the majority. The bal
loting is secret, as provided by^
the Constitution — allowing all
members complete democratic ex
pression.
Crews Represented
Last week, there was distribut
ed on the Eastern ships a mimeo
graphed bulletin, giving a list of
the demands we had made of this
company, and which they had re
fused to concede. The proposed
agreement indicates just how far
the ESSCO was willing to go with
our Negotiating Committee, and
they absolutely refused to con
cede another point. Do not over
ship's crews were also called In
ship's crews weer also called in
on the negotiations, and were
given ample opportunity to pre
sent their demands or sugges
tions. In other words, the Nego
tiating Committee used every pos
sible means to gain all conces
sions asked for.
Possibility of Strike
The ESSCO officials still reiter
ate that if they are forced to
grant any increase in wages or
overtime they will have to tie
their ships up. At this time, it is
difficult to figure out whether or
not they wjll resort to such a
drastic measure in the event a
strike is called.
However, if a strike is called,
and it is quite possible that one
will be. It will be up to every
member on the _ Eastern ships to
pile off and hit the picket line.
Conversely, If the majority of the
men on these ships vote against
a strike, it will be up to all hands
to continue to sail the ships. The
Seafarers' International Union is
not going to be run by any minor
ity group!
Cooperation Lacking
At this time, it must be said
that some of the members on the
ESSCO ships have shown a de>
cided distlnterest in even voting
on the agreement, or the ques
tion of striking! Thig complete
lack of cooperation certainly is
not conducive to obtaining accu
rate results, nor does it help the
situation in any way at all. The
crew of one ship took action in
Boston the other day, without
even waiting to learn the wishes
of the rest of the membership
concerned! A move of this sort
could very easily sabotage the
whole thing. The crew of this
ship paid no attention whatsoever
to the bulletin issued from Head
quarters, in which it was plainly
stated "MEMBERS ARE CAU
TIONED THAT NO ACTION
SHOULD BE TAKEN DURING
THIS PERIOD OF VOTING ON
THE AGREEMENT, AS THE EN
TIRE SITUATION IS DEPEND
ENT UPON THE WISHES OP
JHE MAJORITY OP THE MEM
BERSHIP CONCERNED." 'Why
should the crew of any one ship
take it upon themselves to dic
tate to the others what course of
action to follow?
Any accusation of a "sellout"
from any of the members of this
ship are entirely out of line, and
uncalled for. THE MEMBER
SHIP OF THE SIU IS NOT GO
FNG TO EE SOLD OUT BY ANY
OF THE OFFICIALS, OR BY
ANY SHIPS' CREWS EITHER!
Majority Rules
Let's get together on this
thing, and go about it in the
right way. Let every man cast
his ballot, and then abide by the
wish of the majority. After all,
the majority vote is the only
measure of democratic expression,
and should be abided by at aU
times.
As soon as the balloting is com
pleted, a statement will be issued
by headquarters, giving the result
of the vote. Then, whatever ac
tion is necessary will be taken.
AS HAS BEEN SAID BEFORE,
IT IS UP TO THE MEN ON THE
SHIPS TO FIGHT FOR THEIR
CONDITIONS: — AND IT MUST
BE DONE THROUGH UNIFIED
ACTION!
Company Does About Pace
A couple of weeks ago, when
the crews of the Acadia and Robt.
E. Lee took job action In New
York, the ESSCO officials were
more than willing to listen to
reason, and pleaded for an exten
sion of time so that they might
{Continued on page 2)
• •
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FridflyjMay 19, 19^
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Publiolied by the
Seafarers^ Interriiitional Union
of North America
Affiliated with the American Federation of Labor
HARRY LUNDEBERG, Acting President
11 Steuart Street, San Francisco, Calif.
Atlantic District
HEADQUARTERS
New York .* 2 Stone Street
BRANCHES
Boston 1 Rowea Wharf
Providence ,.465 So. Main Street
Philadelphia . 6 NortR 6th Street
Baltimore 212 East Pratt Street
Norfolk 307'Eafit Main Street
San Juan, Puerto Rico 55 Tetuan Street
Gulf District
HEADQUARTERS
New Orleans 309 Chartres Street
BRANCHES
Savannah 218 East Bay Street
Jacksonville 136 Bay Street
Miami ..809 N. E. First Avenue
Tampa ; 206 Franklin Street
Mobile .....55 So. Conception Street
Houston 1712 78th Street
Great Lakes District
HEADQUARTERS
Detroit 1038 Third Street
ADDRESS ALL CORRESPONDENCE CONCERNING THIS
PUBLICATION TO:
"THE SEAFARERS' LOG"
P. O. Box 522, CHiurch St. Annex, New York, N. Y.
ON THE HONOR ROLL
(Donations to Seafarers' Log)
G. Rohring $
G. A. Owens .50
! A. Harvisoii .., .50
, L. D. Loach .50
Wmi Buie .50
T.L.Taylor 1.00
V. Neyola .50
W.Le Bon, No. 1481 .50
Donald Watts, No. 8265 >...... .50
J. C. Kirby, No. 2865 .50'
Deck Dept., S8 Ha.stings 5.00
Three Fruit Ships
Take Full Grews
Shipping Good in
New Orleans
New Orleans, May 8—This Week
we furni.shed three full crews to
fruit boats. We will get a vote
on them, and attempt to be certi
fied, so that we can gain an agree
ment. Shipped one full crew for
the Bull Line. Was able to get
twenty of our members shipped on
two Isthmian Line ships in port
over the weekend. We .siteuld be
about ready for a vote on these
ships now. In tlie last three
months, every Isthmian Line .ship,
with but one e.xception, that
passed through here, had been
lined up fairly solid. Our records
.ill "v*! show that' about twothird.s of the
unlicensed personnel are carrying
lY SIU books.
• V' Shipping Good
A \ Shipping, as you can see, is ex
®cellent here. We have shipped
many West Coast fiiemen and
sailors on Gulf ships. After all,
it is better to ship oui West Cofist
brothers than fo have them crack
NMU men over. Right now, we
'"aeed a few West Coast Firemen
and SUP members to fill inter
coastal jobs. Quite a few of our
IWest Coast brothers, approving of
the action that is going on here,
and liking a good scrap, have
transferred their books. If the
comicals run true to form, they
will try to pass motions on the
coast to suspend these guys for 99
years..
L
AGREEMENT
• (Continued from patje 1)
negotiate a satisfactory agree
ment. The extension was granted,
and as soon as negotiations were
resumed, they immediately chang
ed their tune, and flatly refused
to make any of the requested con
cessions. Why did the Eastern
company make such an abrupt
about face? Perhaps they felt
that they had reason to believe
that the crews on their ships
would vote in favor of any sort
of an agreement. Who gave them
this assurance? Certainly not the
Seafarers' International Union!
Are these ships so loaded with
company stooges that the com
pany knows what is going on at
all times? We certainly hope
that the militant Union men are
in the majority on . these ships,
and that they know how to take
care of these compauy stoOges!
REMEMBER, _ IF THE MAJ
ORITY OF THE MEMBERSHIP
ON THE EASTERN SHIPS
VOTE IN FAVOR OF STRIKE
ACTION, THEN THE UNION
EXPECTS EVERY MAN TO DO
HIS PART, AND PILE OFF
THESE SCOWS! ON THE
OTHER HAND, IF THE MAJOR
ITY VOTE AGAINST A STRIKE,
THEIR WISHES WILL HAVE
TO BE RESPECTED.
liN ANY EVENT, WHICHEVER
WAY THE ISSUE GOES, LET'S
GET TOGETHER AND PRE
SENT A SOLIDLY UNITED
FRONT, AND ELIMINATE ANY
INTERNAL FRICTION OR DIS
SENSION!
STATEMENTS IN IWW PAPER
(Contwued from page 1)
years, I need not state that such
an accusation is a vicious lie, but
as a matter of general information
I would like to outline the atti
tude of the SIU and myself in
this presaat tanker strike.
Cooperation
Tlie Branch itself, of course,
went on record solidly at a busi
ness meeting prior to the actual
calling of tlie strike, to respect
the picket lines of th^ NMU, and
to support, in any way possible,
NMU's attempts to obtain Union
Hall sliipping in the taiiker lines
concerned. I .sincerely believe that
it is this cotyiGrafion shown and
offered between theSIU and the
N.VIU that caused the "Wobbly"
masterminds to print their perfi
dious article.
If there is one thing more than
another that the IWW hates, it is
any show of unity or cooperation
that might work to the advantage
of all concerned. The business of
the IWW is disruption. They fat
ten like buzzards on the trials and
tribulations of the workingman in
his attempts to better himself by
unity, and their slanderous and
ridiculous article is notliing else
but an attempt to break down the
cooperative spirit shown by the
two unions—SIU and NMU—in
As soon as I heard that this
finkherder (Fred Engelhouser)
was attempting to ship finks, the
NMU and the SIU immediately
threw a picket line around his
place, and it still remains there
at present. Furthermore, from the
education I got from belonging to
that organization some time back,
and was later expelled for trying
to better conditions of seamen in
this port, the education I did get
was not to fink or scab on anyone
—and I learned that long ago.
I am kept pretty busy down
here taking care of my East and
West Coast ships, let alone taking
care of somebody else's business,
i stiii say that my record as a
Union man is spotless, and the
guy, or guys who inaerted that ar
ticle in the "Industrial Worker"
is a damned liar, and I stand at
any time to back these words up.
This must be a commy move to
discredit the good work I have
been doing here in Jacksonville.
Fred Lauritano
the present strike, and have them
at each other's throats again.
Have Picket Line Passes
The flisf woek of thr ?ti"ll'G hcrc,
the area around the waterfront
was literally over run with scab
herders, and the fact that today
there isn't one of these gentry
within a mile of this Branch's
office is due to "the fact that I
personally led a team in a little
baseball practice, and ran up a
nice score. Myself and the patrol
men have picket line passes issued
by Paddy Whalen, allowing us to
reacli oui own ships In the yards,
G,c. Would Paddy have issued
tliese passes if he thought for a
moment that we are scabbing on
him? The NMU strike bulletin re"
fcently stated that I "had never
shipped a fink," and when they
said that, they said the truth:—I
never have and never will.
Intent Obvious
Of course, every seaman fami
liar with the situation knows the
why of the IWW article. . The
MTWIU 510 thought that when
they opened their socaTled office
on Broadway they were in for
good pickings during the present
strike, but all we ever see hang
ing around there is a couple of
"smokehounds," acting' on fhe
well known bird.sofafeather prin
ciple.
In conclusion, might I point out
the whole general rottenness and
corruption that peeks out from
every line of the Industrial
Worker. They claim, vociferous
ly, that they are all for the work
ingman, but if their business is
slandering and villifying the Un
ion who, first and foremost in
any field of labor, have done more
for their members, then it is
fairly fevident to anyone not an
absolute moron, that the IWW Is
all for the employer. We can just
imagine the tanker company
Bossfes chortling with glee over
that article! If they had paid out
five thousand dollars for it, It
would have been worth It! As a
matter of fact,—perhaps they did!
Wm. McKay, Agent
TyAUKITANO'S REPLY
Jacksonville, May 8—I defy the
whole membership of the IWW te
prove that I ever attempted to
ship finks, or, did ship finks to
the Benjamin Brewstei, or any
other tauker " which wag on strike
in the Port of Jacksonville.
By.
SUP Member Defends
Lauritano
New York City.
May H, 1939.
TO THE SEAFARERS' LOG
Dear Brothers:
Relative to the article appear
in the May 6 issue of tlie Indus
trial Worker, regarding the al
leged shipping of finks by Fred
Lauritano, SIU Agent in the Port
or Jacksonville, Fla., I wish to
state that I arrived in Jackson
ville shortly after the tanker
strike started, and am in a posi
tion to know something of, the ac
tivities in that port.
I was personally in the com
pany of Lauritano every day
while I was on the beach there,
and I can definitely testify to the
fact that he was very active in
preventing the shipping of finks,
and it was chiefly through his ef
forts that a picket line was thrown
around the crimp joint run by
Ered Engelhouser, a notorious
Bcabherder well known to all sea
men.
It was also, through his efforts,
and through the local AFL Coun
cil, that a "boycott was declared
against all ESSO products. Lauri
tano explained to these people
that the tanker strike was a legi
timate fight against the bosses,
and that it was worthy of the sup
port of all organized Labor, and
that the SIU is backing it with
everything they have.
On several occasions, Brother
Lauritano, in company with W. C.
Meriweather, a SUP member, and
myself, visited the NMU Hall in
Jacksonville, and discussed the
strike pro and con with the mem
bers there. And, on occasion, the
NMU members visited the SIU
Hall, and were shown tlieir own
bulletins posted in plain sight, on
the board there.
It is the contention of this
writer that this attack on a good
rank and file Union man Is noth
ing more than the work of some
disgruntled individual with a per
sonal grudge.
It is also with regret that I now
find whatvwhat was once one pf
the most progressive Union^apers
in the field, is now being used as
a slander sheet, printing unsub
stantiated information.
In conclusion, I would like to
remind the writer of tlie article
that Brother Lauritano learned
his Unionism in the IWW, and
ftiat he is still a booster of their
principles.
Yours for the solidarity of La
bor,
J. pooley, SUP No. 1934
NMU Not Bothering
Finks in Tampa
Miami, Fla., May 17—The port
of Miami is seeing plenty of ac
tion. In the past week we have
bad to use direct action on the
P & O ships. Firemen blowing
tubes is overtime, oilers getting
overtime for everything after 5:00
P.M. and before 8:00 A.M., except
ing for oiling auxiliaries. Stew
ard's department on an eight Iiour
day in port, and anything over
four hours on Saturday is over
time. New mattresses and springs
ordered for all ships. Fortyfive
cup. dripolators, electric, for the
ferries, Fresh milk on all ships,
ice cream whenever in port, two
meats on the table, 36inch lockers
for tlie SS Florida, also tie floors
in the batli rooms and toilets.
Quarters have been reconditioned,
and are now fairly liveable.
t^he boys realize how muchthe
companies have been cheating
them in the past, and that their
wive, and children CAN'T EAT
TIME OFF!
No NMU Pickets
The Standard Oil had a tanker
in here this week, and we spent
the night watching developments.
The only noticeable development
wa s the fact that the NMU Or,
ganlzer would not consent to his
membership picketing or working
the scabs over. We can see his
slant on this, inasmuch as several
days ago he spent considerable
time in the Standard Oil Com
pany's offivc iti Fyri LaudErdaiO.
At 11:00 P.M. we met a couple
of finks in a beer joint in the city.
They were very brave. It must
be because they know that the
policy of the NMU delegate here
is to get statements out of scabs
as to why they are scabs. At one
to four o'clock this morning the
finks had a glorious time in a
beer joint outside tlie dock. There
were no police in evidence, but
there was a squad car (we found
out later was NMU) parked
twenty feet from us, and having
a glorious time drinking also.
SIU Won't Butt In
• We, of the SIU here in this
Branch, felt that inasmuch as the
NMU officialdom seems to be sanc
tioning the finlcs and fishing, that
SIU men should not bptt in!
It is a noticeable fact that the
NMU working class of Union men
who would like to go to sea for
a living, and send the pantspress
ers back to pants pressing, are
very, very disgusted. One of our
members who just came off a ship,
upon walking into tlie Hall and
seeing a bunch of NMU men
standing outside, thought the
joint was being picketed; so we
had to inform the brother that it
was not a picket line, but a bunch
of HonesttoGod sailormen trying
to stick with sailormen, and in
vestigation just what the SIU is.
Where Pie Is
Yesterday, some fink made a
mistake and called our Hall, tell ,
ing us there was an opening on
the SS Iroquois as telephone op
erator, and he would pay forty
bucks cash right now, and give
the Agent half his first month's
pay. It Is remarkable, although
not very'surprising to see how the
pie cards are able to keep the pon
ies running, the doggies barking,
and the girls all smiles. The SIU
Agent here has been wondering
whether he had lost his, sex ap •
peal, or what it was. j
The NMU organizer has yet tq
give the membership of the NMU
here a meeting. They asked for
one last Monday, which he re
fused. We used to see him gallop
ing around, but now we can't even
find his hole!
J. Gunnison, Agent
'• mm i:, iii.v,
I
http://www.pdfcompressor.org/buy.html
Friday, May 19,1939 . / THE SEAFARERS' LOG
• r
HERE and THERE in the GULF
NEWS/roTO NEW ORLEANS
New Orleans Reports Suit
Tankers StWI Sailing
SIU and SUP Crews Refuse^'Hot Oil"
While NMU Committee Deals
With Maritime Labor Board
TOP FRACTION PLOTTING
New Orleans, May 8_The ap
pointed tanker strike Policy Com
mittee of the NMU went on
record to strike the Standard Oil.
Then, when the men walked off
the ships, they went on record to
take bunkers, load the tanks, and
carry Standard Oil case products
on their freighters. They cannot
take a chance on breaking their
precious freighter agreements, so
they have told their members on
these ships that they must fink on
their brothers pounding the
bricks!
Ships Refuse "Hot Oil"
Thursday, May 4. the crew of
the SS COLABEE, UNDER
AGREEMENT WITH THE SIU,
REFUSED TO TAKE BUNKERS
AT STANDARD OIL DOCKS IN
GALVESTON. The ship, needless
to say, shifted, and took bunkers
from another dock. Sunday morn
ing. the SUWIED, SISTER SHIP
ALSO UNDER AGREEMENT,
REFUSED TO TAKE STAND
ARD OIL BUNKERS HERE,
"WITH THE SAME RESULTS.
Today, the F. J. LUCKENBACH
and the LENA LUCKENBACH
ARE IN THE SAME PREDICA
MENT. CREWS OF BOTH VES
SELS REFUSED TO TAKE
' "HOT" BUNKERS!
WHEN IN HELL IS THE NMU
GOING TO WAKE UP AND FIND
OUT THAT THEY MUST POL
LOW GENUINE UNION PRINCI
Pii'ES BEFORE THE WORKERS
WILL BELIEVE IN THEIR PRO
GRAM?
Committee Deals With Labor
Board
The Policy Committee is also
dealing with the phoney Maritime
Labor Board, which was set up by
an Act of Congress to investigate
the maritime industry, and make
recommendations to Congress in
1940. Their reeommendations are
to cover ways and means to st.a
bilize the maritime industry,
THEIR IDEA OF STABILIZING
THE MARITIME INDUSTRY IS
COMPULSORY ARBITRATION,—
SOMEWHA" SIMLIAR TO THE
RAILWAY LABOR ACT! Any
how, the three guys on this board
will be out of a jobunless such
an act is set up. Bear in mind
that their salary is $10,'000 a
year, and you will have an idea
of the efforts they will make to
get such legislation passed.
Holler for Arhitratloii
Louie Block, Harry Bridges'
Number One stooge, is the West
Coast representative for this out
fit, Every time the Maritime
Labor Board enters a dispute, the
commies yell, "Arbitrate!" Re
member the picket line recently
placed oh the Matson docks by
the Maritime Federation, and the
mad scramble of the cooks and
firemen back to the ship when
; Louie Block entered the picture,
i^elling, "Arbitration!"? A Mari
l|me Labor Board report, showing
|rbitration every time they enter
Je picture, will look damned
food on paper, when placed be
fore Congress. After alh Con
gress does not like direct action,
nor anyone who advocates It.
One a.dditionaI reason the com
mies collaborate with this Board
is found when you consider that
such a permanent board to ad
minister a compulsory mediation
act, would provide some field rep
resentatives' jobs. The Mariner's'
Club members got ail the jobs
available from the Maritime Com
mission, so the commies figured
to cooperate, and get all avail
able jobs from this phoney outfit.
Tankers Sailing
The tankers are sailing in and
out of the Mississippi without be
ing held up. The only sign of a
strike is a two man picket line
around the Standard Gil filling
stations. The members are plenty
burned up. but, after all, they
cannot buck the established ma
chine! We p.re backipg the mem
bers on strike financially and
morally. In Jachsonyille, we have
a joint picket line against Fred
Eugiehouser, notorious scab
herder!
On Friday, April 28, I spoke at
a regular joint meeting of the
NMU in New Orleans. I informed
them that we are supporting
them, and gave them the score as
I saw it. Told them why the
SUP had an International Char
ter, Explained our program, and
went Into detail regarding the
method of carrying it out. When
I finished, the NMU gave us a
big hand The applause, of
course, was for the program and
policies as laid out by the SUP,
and adopted by the International.
Comrats Plotting
While we are supporting the
NMU in their tanker fight, the
top faction in New York is plot
ting with the top faction of the
West Coast committees to legislate
us out of existence with the Wall
gren Bill. ^Biting the hand that
feeds you is not new for the top
faction of the NMU. What we
cannot" understand is how their
membership can take such a
stand. When the commies get
through sellirig the seamen out to
the Standard Oil, these guys will
probably wake up.
The NMU informs their mem
bers that Sinclair, Gulf, Kellogg
and Pennsylvania Shipping have
signed agreements. That's a
damned lie! Only SinciaTr has
signed. Standard Oil is attempt
ing to get one of their ships
alongside the Sinclair docks in
Houston, so as to tie up Sinclair,
and get them in line. JOE CUR
RAN HAS INSISTED THAT,
GNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES,
ARE SINCLAIR SHIPS OR RE
FINERY WORKERS TO BE IN
VOLVED. WHERE IS THE CIO
SUPPORT THE SEAMEN WERE
SUPPOSED TO HAVE?
Steady as she goes,
Roland Dean
P&O Ships Show
Great improvement
Seafrain OfRcers
Chisel on Oveptime
New Orleans, May 8—Conditions
and overtime have been improved
considerably on the P&O ships.
We have a clause in the tempor
ary working agreement providing
for overtime on Saturday after
noons. Sundays and holidays.
There is no .specification stating
that this overtime is to be'paid
only in port, although the com
pany will squawk their heads off,
the fact remains that overtime is
to be paid for any work performed
on Saturday afternoons, Sundays
or holidays.
The company, no doubt, will re
gret having signed such a clause,
but, of course, for a good substan
tial increase in wages the guys
will probably go for the regular
overtime clause in all West Coast
agreements.
Letters from delegates on tliese
sfiips show that the carferries are
living up to the Seatrain agree
ment, which is the best agreement
ever signed on this coast. Under
an agreement forced out of the
company by job action, we are go
ing to have a vote on these ships
to determine who is going to be
the caliCcUvfe biigiiiiiiig repre
sentative. The result of the vote
is a foregone conclusion,and will
be 100 percent SIU! |
Chiseling on Oveitiino
The engineers and mates on the
Seatrains are trying to chisel the
crew out of their overtime. They
ar trying to tell the crew that the
agreement does not give them all
the overtime they have been
claiming. This Is a direct lie,
spread because of jealousy of a
few mates and engineers. They
signed an agreement under which
they can not collect overtime. In
view of the fact that the SIU
stayed out on strike two weeks
after our beef was won, to back
these donkeys up, this is a
phoney stand they are taking.
The crew did not pay any atten
tion to them, however, and
claimed their overtime, which
was collected when the last ship
hit here.
These outside interests trying fo
disrupt our organization had bet
ter be careful, or some of our guys
will read the riot act to tlrem.
*
Bange Line Agrceineiit
The Range Line agreement' is
another good one recently signed
by the SIU. The watch on deck
between eight and five are paid
seventy cents per hour for handl
ing strong backs and hatches.
Waieh below, and watch on deck,
after 5:00 P.M. and before 8:00
A.M. are paid $1.05 per hour for
doing this work. Saturday after
noons, Sundays and holidays are
also $1.05 per hour for all hands
doing this work. Superphosphate
overtime clause for cleaning holds
means all phosphates.
On sailing day, watches to be
set on the eight bells preceding
the sailing liour, but not later
than noon. Very simple. If a
ship sails at 8:00 A.M., the 8 to 12
watch Is the only watch who has
to work eight hours for that day.
The other two watches only have
to put in one fourhour watch for
the day because after watches are
set, any work perfomied by othw
than the watch on deck is over
time.
The one weakness in the entire
• agreement comes from duties of
the oilers in port. This was not
HAPPENINGS in MOBILE
Action of Collier
Crew Sabotaged
Poor Conditions on
Wm. C. Atwater
Mobile, Ala., May 9—On Satur
day last, the Wm. C. Atwater. a
collier from Boston, was in this
port, and was contacted by the
delegates here, and they founr^
that the black gang on there were
all ready to go to town for fresh
milk. The only member of the
deck crew that could be contact
ed was the deck delegate. He was
more than willing to go along
with the rest of the crew and get
it. The Skipper was ashore, and
could not be reached from 10:30
A.M. until around 3:00 P.M.
When he at last showed up, he
came to the ship in a car with
the Bos'n and a couple of the
sailors. The score was explained
to them, and the Bos'n said,
"Hell! we can't get milk, but if
thoy put it on there, I'll drink it!"
After considerable discussion, the
Skipp^ said, "If it's the custom
on other ships to have milk, then
I want my crew to have it too.
I'll put a cow aboard, if they
want it!" They didn't want any
cow,—just fresh milk.
Ship Sails
The Skipper then went aboard
the ship, and very soon he came
out of his room and said, "I've
been rolled,—there is no money
in the safe!" Naturally, the dele
gates thought of the old jingle
about the cupboard being bare,
and they asked the crew, "Well
boys, are you ready to go
ashore?" The black gang was, but
the Master sang out, "Let go!",
and the ship sailed.
THIS IS A HELL OF A STATE
OF AFFAIRS. WHEN ALL MEM
BERS OF SHIP'S CREWS REAL
IZE THAT THIS UNION OPER
ATES FOR THE BENEFIT" OF
ALL MEMBERS, WHETHER IN
BOSTOr^OR MOBILE, THEN,
AND ONLY THEN WILL WE BE
GOING TO TOWN IN THE
RIGHT MANNER!
Poor, Gondii tons
Regarding this special tub; if
the members aboard there were
afraid of their jobs, let me state
that it would be impossible to get
a crew for her in this port, be
cause any man that went aboard
and saw the messroom would not
turn to. If she is an example of
what colliers are, then it's far
past time that they were put in
shape, because she was absolutely
putrid! One member of the crew
said that she is a better ship
than the rest. If this is so, then
Lord deliver us from the I'est of
them!
Regarding the usual ships in
and out of here,—everything was
lovely. On the De Soto, the crew
collected two hours overtime be
cause "the ship didn't sail at the
time marked on the board. This
is the first time that this has
been collected, and is quite likely
to be the last for some time, be
cause since the rule went into ef
fect, it's surprising how close the
board is to being right!
A. W. Armstrong, SUP No. 2983
covered properly, but we will
have a clarification within two
weeks. So. if the Chief tries to
get you to dd other than your cus
tomary duties, mark it down as
overtiiTkp;—we will collect it!
Garge Line Beef
Straightened Out
Mobile, Ala., May 5—Now the
latest thing in the Gulf is the
barge lines tienp. Already the
operators are wanting crews from
the SIU Halls, and they are all
getting the same answer: "No
smoke!"
Yestei day on the Jacob Lucken
bach, theie were two barges
brought alongside the ship to be
discharged. The crew called me,
and wanted to know tiie score, and
I was as much in the dark as
they wei e. Upon inquiring around,
we found that these barges were
loaded in Birmingport about
three weeks ago, so the cargo was
not hot, and that a CIO tug boat
crew had broiiglit her alongside
the Jacob.
Conlei >\ith IBU
The deck delegate. Kaiser, and
myself went to tlie IBU Hall, and
had one of the representatives
come aboard the ship and explain
the setup. After hearing all sides
that we could, it was decided that
the cargo was not "hot," and
and iherefore, it was all O.K.
Contacted Ed Rhone, the local
ILA Business Agent, and he said
that he was instructed to work
tlie cargo in tlie barges. So all
that' we can do is go ahead and
work the cargo.
APL AVil! Coopeiate
It seems to me that once again
we find the CIO wanting the West
Coast to pull their eggs from the
baskets.
Time should tell, and when the
members of the CIO realize that
the members of the SIU and the
SUP, plus all AFL members, will
go down the line on a legitimate
strike, but don't want' to be put
out on any limb, and then saw
themselves off; then, and only
then will we be in a position to
really get together and make
every move count, instead of stay
ing awake niglits to get ahead of
each other.
A. W. Armstrong, SUP No. 29^
Members Back
Lauritano
Jacksonville, Fla., May 9 Slan
der, lies, misleading propaganda,
anything to discourage the good
work and progress that is being
made for the seamen's benefit in
Jacksonville. This is the barrage
of lies that is being hurled by a
clique who are disguising them
selves as advocates of Industrial
Unionism.
Their attempt in trying to sab
otage any progress of the Agent
in Jax will be a hard task, and
we must say that the membership
sailing out of this port, are 100
percent behind their Agent. We
say that since Agent Lauritano
has been here, shipping has picked
up 100 percent, and all of us have
been given a square deal. So, it's
perfectly clear why someone is
trying to sabotage, and discredit
any progress being made here.
We stand ready, at all times, to
back our Agent in anything which
may arise.
Antone De Costa, iNo. 36 Gulf
R. W. Wheeler, No. 60, Gulf
E. F. Squires, No. 3120, Atlantic
1
J
Mi
• ;• > 'i
111
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THE SEAFARER S ' LOG Friday, May 19, 1939
NEWS VIEWS /row the LAKES
• ^4.: r
BUFFALO
10 Exchange Street
MILWAUKEE
730 S. Second Street
DETROIT
1038 Third Street
CLEAVE L AND
1426 Third SU'eet
CHICAGO
8101/C, N. Clark Stseet
LAKES PROGRESS
If"FB':
, .4 • :
VrrF'
(Continned from page l)
try. Ships under contract to the
SIU will pay overtime for all
work after 5:00 P,M., and before
8:00 X.M.
More Overtime
Not so long ago, all work cam4
in the regular line of duty. There
was no overtime, no penalty time.
" man could be put on any job,
and It was considered part of his
regular work. The new contracts
call for the overtime rate of sev
entyfive cents per hour for clean
ing bilges and deep tanks, whether
this work is done on or off watch.
Coalpassers, and firemen will be
paid seventyfive cents per hour,
in the future, for any work done
in the engine room. Their job Is
in the fire room, and when fire
men are called In the engine
room to clean, or do any other
extra work, they will be paid for
it Wheelmen and watch men
haveregular duties, but operating
elevators for loading and unload
ing autos Is not part of their
work. They will be paid overtime
for running these elevators,
whether the work is done on or
off watch.
These new gains can be pro
tected, and extended, only If the
Union hiring hall Is maintained.
Without strict enforcement of the
closed shop, and smooth operation
of the Union hiring hall, all gains,
and working conditions remain
on paper.
• Brother Joliaiiseii's Work
Appreciated
The four new contracts signed
Bi'other Thompson last week,
marked a continuation of the
good work begun here by Rang
vald Johansen. Brother Johansen
was forced to resign from his post
as Emergency Board Chairman
because of Illness. He was active
on the Lakes during the Spring
months. While he was here, he
succeeded in transfering the
membership of the defunct ISU
into the newly establi.shed Sea
farers' International Union of
North America. He established
friendly and cooperative relations
with the Teamsters' and Long
shoremens' unions in this area.
He brought a number of lines
under contract to the Seafarers'
International Union In the short
time he was here. And today, the
Seafarers' International on 'the
Lakes has more members than all
the Lakes' union together could
boast of at the end of the season
last year.
Union members apperciate the
job Brother Johansen did, and
hope that he will soon be well
again, and able to join the fight
for a militant Union of all sea
men—the Seafarers' International
Union of North America.
include the D & C Lines, operat
ing passenger ships and autoear
riers between Detroit and Cleve
land, and the C & B Lines, run
ning the same type of vessels be
tween Cleveland and Buffalo.
Other outfits under contract to the
SllJ operate sand boats ?or the
most part.
Ships that are being put in cdm
misaion, l(|je all men from the
Hall. This is in accordance with
the terms of the contracts which
the SIU Is signing. The basic
rate of pay for standby work has
been set at sevent.vfive cents per
hour.
Present Status of SIU on Lakes
_ 'Organizing on the Lakes Is
fought every step of the way by
the Lake Carriers Aasnciatlon,
This organization of the employ
ers has successfully maintained
open shop conditions for the past
thirty years. In the face of this
opposition by the biggest opera
tors here, the SIU organizational
drive has progressed at an even
tempo. Independent companies
and operators have been signed
up. At present, the SIU holds
eleven such contracts, covering
thirtyfive ships. New branches of
the Union have been opened as
the Union gains new members.
The dues paying members have
increased by fiftyfold since the
jmginning of the season.
. Ck)mpanles under contract to us
Govcrniiient Enforces Open .Shop
Railway car ferries, operating
on the Detroit River, between
here and Windsor. Canada, have
long been under contract to AF
unions. These ferries are owned
and operated by the Pere Mar
quette, and Wabash Railway Co
The vast majority of the men
working in those seatrains hav
transferred their old books to the
Seafarers' International Union
The same situation prevails In
ships of this type running on Lake
Michigan.
Since the National Railway act
was revised In 19,34, organizations
representing men in these ships
ha^ beeii subjected to govern
ment supervision and Interfer
ence. Some of the car ferry em
ployees are supposed to be sub
ject to the provisions of the Na
tional Railway Act. That was the
predecessor of the Copeland Act,
It applies to the railway Industry,
and has enmeshed the unions In
so much government red tape
that a closed shop Is impossible.
Mediation ITniiecessary
We are faced with this fact In
only a small portion of the marl
time industiy.—ferry boats, sea
trains, and the like that come
under the jurisdiction of the act.
We can see from this what is In
store for all American seamen. If
the same provisions are extended
to cover the entire merchant
marine, through the Copeland
Act, and its administrators on the
Maritime Commission. Govern
ment mediation of this sort means
the open shop; It means no Union
hiring hall,—a return to the fink
hall.
Because the government en
forces Its open shop conditions in
these boats, the National Marl
time Union Is trying to utilize this
in order to gain partial recogni
tion for Itself. The NMU has cen
tered Its activities on these Qar
Ferries, hoping to find a perma
nent base for further organlza
tlonal work. These Car Ferries
are important In the life of any
Union here, because they are
among the few ships that run the
year around.
Waterfront Support
The disruptive activities of the
NMU have gained nothing for the
Union men. The Seafarers' Inter
national is the only union that
can protect the men on the Fer
ries who are still allowed to join
a union free from gbvernment In
terference. There is good reason
to believe that the SIU will force
the Railway Companies to boost
conditions in the Car Ferries. We
not only have the support of the
American Federation ef Labor,
which controls the Waterfront
through the Teamsters and Dockr
workers' Unions, but have also
succeeded in winning the sympa
thy and cooperation of the Rail
way Brotherhood.
The Railway Brotherhoods are
Progress Reported
By Buffalo Branch
Buffalo, N. Y., May 2—The
Crystai Transportation Co., oper
ating the Canadiana from Buffalo
to Crystal Beach, Ontario, refused
to sign the agreement for the com
ing settson with the SIU. AH de
mands were met with the excep
tion of the demand for a raise in
pay for fitting out work: for O.S.
from sixtyfive to seventyfive
cents per hour, ana the A.B.'s
from seventy to seventyfive cents.
The membership in Buffalo voted
to instruct the organizer and the
agent to tell the company to sign
the agreement as presented—or
else! Well, the "else" took place
Monday morning: nobody turned
to!
Raise Justified
The demand for the raise is a
just one, and flie same moiiey is
paid by all other companies for
similar work. The company, of
course, gave the old song and
dance that they are losing money.
The ships may not clear expenses
as far as fares are concerned, but
the bar, the slot machines, and
all the other chiseling schemes
connecied wiih beaches and excur=
sion boats make plenty. Besides,
the patrons are mostly all work
ing men, and therefore, the more
reason for decent pay.
The proposed agreement, of
course, provides for shipping out
of the Hall, aod the usual clauses
that go with a closed shop. Or
ganized labor has pledged its sup
port, so the men are confident".
Stewards tioing Along
Mr. "Seaduck," who wouldn't
go along with the new setup, and
started in business for himself, is
not making much headway In Buf
falo. With the help of the ILA,
we took all tlie ships out ot Buf
falo away from him. It is our
firm belief that the Stewards and
Cooks would have flnallj^ come
along with us anyway, without
the help of the ILA, but It sped
things up considerably. The TLA
promised us all the help they'can
give us to organize the seamen,
as did many other Unions. And
the AFL Director here in Buffalo,
brother Cunningham, gives us all
the help he possibly can.
So it appears that, through sys
tematic hard work, we can, and
will establish a strong Great
Lakes District of the SIU.
Member Clarifies
Lakes SituatlGn
Detroit, Mich.—In view of the
extremely conflicting reports le
gaiaing the situation on the Great
Lakes which have emanated fiom
various souices. particularly tlie
"Pileit," a brief resume of the
ditllcultiGs encountered and the
piogiess accomplished would be
quite in order for the membei
sliip's infoimation. To explode the
false claims of progress made by
Hie NMU with their enormous
head start would be quite a waste
of time.
Meetings Well Attended
As is pretty well known, the
spirit of unionism had been mori
bund for years on the Lakes and
even the universal drift towards
organization caused by tlie NRA
in 1934 affected this district less
than any where else. However, a
new spirit has arrived; seamen on
the Lakes are coming to realize
that the gains they have accom
plished can only be retained by a
militant union. Union meetings
are now well attended and a spirit
of interest and miltancy Is being
manifested by all departments.
Great progress in the matter ot'
contracts and conditions have
bCGii "ccomplishef! by the new ov
ganlzers, Rangvald Johansen and
R. D. Thompson. The main stumbl
block to a more solid organization
Is presented by the phoney Lake
Sliippiiig Thru Halls
A s^udy of the demand in wage,,
increases presented by us to the
Ohio Tankers, Inc., reveals how
far we have progressed; a basic
increase of $5.00 over and above
the NMU manning Scale and
$30.00 above the Lake Carriers
Association scales will be noticed.
A strict observance of rotary ship
ping through tiu hall, hitherto
unknown on the Lakes, is furtlier'
evidence of the rapid progress of
real unionism here. Sliippiag con
tinues slow here buf the settle
ment of tl\e coal strike promises
a marked pickup in the near fu
ture. Some of the passengw boats
are preparing to sail and more
will follow shortly. In conclusiori
I wish to state that despite tlie
sabotaging lies of the commisar
stooges It will be evident from
the foregoing that real progress
has been made and it is our con
fident hope that next season the
entire Lakes will be united under
the banner of the Seafarers' In
ternational Union of North Ame
rica.
Louis Gordon, SIU Deck 926
LAURITANO'S LETTER
Carriers' Association. Strange to
J. Johannessen, SUP No. 30S2
say the NMU present little or no
opposition whatsover. If only
Ralph Rogers and his commissar
stooges would take the trouble to
ascertain a few elementary facts
before printing their lies in the
"Pilate" they would save t^m
selves a lot of future trouble In
recanting their wild assertions
and would probably save them
selves a future "purge."
Pending Contracts
To enumerate some of the gains
already accomplished, we have
thirteen signed, sealed and deliv
ered contracts. New contracts,
with rosy prospects of signing,
are being presented to the follow
ing companies: NlcholsonEcorse
and TriState Steamship Co., The
Ohio Tankers Inc., of Cleveland
and the Jupiter Steamship Co. In
addition to the foregoing, the rail
road carferries, passenger ships
and auto carriers are 100% or
ganized. The seamen on those
ships realize tijat the promises of
shipowners are poor substitutes
for the backing of a strong, mili
tant Union.
Letter to Industrial Worker
The following copy of a letter
una iEcciVvd fi'Siii jHCke>4>nvi|ig
Agent Fred Lauritano, with a re
quest that it be printed in the
LOG:
Editor, Industrial Worker,
222 N. Halstea<l St.,
Chicago, 111.
Fellow Worker:
I am asking you for a retraction
of a statement which appeared In
the Industrial Worker dated May
6, 1939.
My record as a Union man is
open to anyone who is In doubt,
and my record In the IWW, of
which I was a member for five
years or more. Is spotless. I was
expelled from the JWW last Fall
because I am holding down the
position of SIU Agent in the port
oif Jacksonville, Fia., for the bet
terment of conditions regarding
the seamen. Nobody can ever ac
cuse Fred Lauritano, Agent, port
of Jacksonville, of being Instru
mental in shipping scabs aboard
the Benjamin Brewster. I defy
anyone to prove it, and kindly In
form the writer of the article that
if there isn't a retraction in' the
next issue of the Industrial
Worker, I will be forced to start
legal proceedings against your pa
per.
Yours truly,
Fred Lauritano
holding their convention next
week in Cleveland, Ohio. The or
ganizational drive of tfie Seafar
ers' should receive 100 percent en
dorsement at the convention.
Many of the delegates there will
be familiar with the work that
has been done here by our repre
sentatives. Their support will
help us to victory against the Car
Ferry operators.
To Organize More Sand Boats
In the Detroit area we are now
concentrating on two independent
lines operating sand* boats out of
this port. We expect to extend
Union agreements and Union con
dttions to all vessels of tRis type
operated by independent outfits.
The two companies we. are after
now employ about three hundred
men, many ot whom have already
signed pledges with the SIU.
Others have taken out their books,
and are organizing on the job.
One of the ships was under con
tract to the old SIU last year.
SIU Halls oh Lakes
Gradually the Seafarers' Inter
national Union is spreading its In
fluence to all Lakes ports. Before
the season ends, Lakes seamen
may see an organization setiin
such as has not been revived since
the crushing defeat of the unions
at the hands of the openshoppers
in 1909.
"Kie SIU now maintains branches
in the following ports: Detroit,
Milwaukee, Cleveland, Buffalo,
and Chicago. The representatives
in these ports are, respectively, R,
D. Thompson, Emergency Board
Chairman; Prank Sullivan, Benny
Norton, Johan Johannessen and
James Hayman.
This information should be
clipped out by ail Lakes seamen.
At the top of this page you will
find the addresses of the Union
Halls in these ports. There you
can get full information about the
Seafarers' International Union;
how it operates, and the protec
tion it affords.
Strong Ties With Other Workers
The further expansion of the
Seafarers' International on the
Lakes is assured by the support
we are receiving from the other
unions In the industry. Every
thing on the front is controlled
by afllliates of the American Fed
eration of Labor.
Freight shipped In Lake vessels
is brought to the docks by ILA
men. Sand and gravel is loaded
by AFL Hoisting Engineers. These
gre the three imions that" operate
on the Lakes front. In the near
future we hope to further cement
our solidarity with them by form
ing Maritime Councils for joint
action against the most powerful
of the employers' groups.
f1
Si
li'h
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