Media
Issue Date
1941-02-07
Volume
3
Issue Number
3
Plaintext
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OFFICIAL OEGAN OF THE ATLANTIC AND GULF DISTRICT,
SEAFARERS' INTERNATIONAL UNION OF NORTH AMERICA
VOL. Ill NEW YORK, N. Y., FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1941 MS No. 3
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DIRKSEN INTRODUCES VICIOUS MEASURE
N 'ALLOUr ATTACK ON SEAMEN'S RIGHTS
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Supreme Court Ends Anti-
Trust Suits Against Unions
WASHINGTON, D.C.—In one of the most important legal
decisions in a decade, the Supreme Court of the United States
ruled that labor unions are immune from prosecution rmder
the AhtiTrust Laws so long as they* do not combine with
^nonlabor groups.
Demand Higher Pay
From Navy Board for
Shipyard Workers
WASHINGTON, D. C. —
Delegates from the Metal
Trades Couriclls in Govern
ment Navy Yards, at a con
ference held in the A.F. of
L. building here, formulated
a program for higher waSes
for the consideration of Sec
tary of the Navy Frank
Knox and his associates.
The metal trades workers
are dissatisfied with the fail
ure of the Naval Wage
Board of Review last year to
grant pay increases to
skilled mechanics In the
navy yards. The unions
claim navy yard rates are
now lower than in private
industry and should be
raised ' if the Government
wishes to obtain the crafts
men it needs.
' Administrafion Plans To
Enforce Wage
Act Provisions
In Canneries
Chicago, 111. — Rigid enforce
ment of the provisions of the
Federal Fair Labor Staiuliirda
Act in the canning industry dur
ing 1941 was promised by Col.
Philip B. Fleming, Administrator,
in an address befoiy. the annual
convention of the National Can
neis' AtiBOciation. When peak op
erations are under way this year,
he declared, the Wage and Hour
Division of .the Department of La
bor will have a force of 1,000 in
spectors covering the canning in.
dURtry, compared with pnly 109
Inspectors two years ago.
The current minimum wage of
30 cents an hour, he declared,
has not entailed any hardship for
the cannfng Industry as a whole,
pointing out that labor Is a rela
tively small Item in running a
cannery—under 12 percent of the
total cost
^'Labop cost," he said, "Is only
(Continucft on Page f)
Spikes AntiLabor Drive
This stveepinp: decision Avill
result in rviping out practi
cally all of the indictments
fonnd again.st unions in the
vicious antiLabor drive nn
dcrtakon recently at the insti
gation of A.sslstant Attorncj'
General Tliurman Arnold.
Came in Carpenters* Case
The Supreme Court decision
was returned in the case of an in
dictment against President Will
iam L. Hutclieson and other offi
cers of the United Biotherhood of
Carpenters and Joiners, growing
out of a jurisdictional dispute at
the St, Louis plant of the Anheu
serBusch brewery firm. The high
court threw out tlie indictment,
just as the lower courts had
done.
But, in its 5 to 2 decision, the
Supreme Court went much fur
ther than passing on this specific
case. It laid down a broad and
liberal interpretation of the Anti
Trust Laws as applied to labor
unions, which excludes the possi
bility of the government using
the.se laws—originally adopted as
a "big stick" policy against the
business monopolies — in imped
(Continui'd on Page 2)
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Perkins Comml+tee
Raps Sabotage
Laws Directed
Against Labor
WASIIIXOTGN. D.C.—See
relary Perkins'.s eonmiittee on
defcn.sc hills sharply criti
cized five bills, designed to
prevent sabotage of defense
activities, whieh were drawn
up by n FederalState Con
ferenee on Lavs' Enforcement
Problems of National Defense
convened by Attorney Gen
eral Jackson.
The Committee which con
demned the bills as inimical to
the welfare of organized labor
MtXii named by Secretary Perkins
in compliance with a resolution
adopted at the Seventh National
Conference on I.ahor Legislation
which she called last month.
Dan W. Tracy, assistant Secre
tary of Labor, is chairman of the
coniniittee.
The five draft bilLs are a sabot
age prevention act, an explosives
act, a State Guard act, an Inter
state Public Property Act, and an
act providing for "fresh pursuit"
by military forces, which would
permit tlie entry into one State
of military forces of another
State in pursuit of insuiTCction
ists, saboteurs and the like.
On the sabotage bill, the most
(Continued on Page 3)
H.R. 2662 Aims to Outlaw Union
Hiring Halls; imposes Compulsory
''Fink Book"; Homstrings Strikes
Facts and Figures
Beiiind 'National
OBfense'Production
In the year ended June 30,
1940, the defense program and
the first ten months of the
European war boosted the
PROFITS of 373 large Ameri
can industrial corporations by
58 PER CENT, while the
total WAGES and salaries of
American workers rose by
only 5 PER CENT, and the
total income of American
farmers by less than 8 per
cent, the Department of Com
merce said this week in its
annual report.
No wonder big business is so
patriotic and so hot for "all
aid to Britain." No wonder,
also, that John Employer
shrieks "national defen.se"
eveiy time a union tries to or
ganize or strike for a few
cents raise in pay!
5.1. U. Makes Clean Sweep In
Robin Line N.L,R,B, Elections
Continuing its string of victories in recent elections called by the Na
tional Labor Relations Board on unorganized ships, the Seafarers Inter
national Uiiion of North America made a clean sweep on the vessels of
the Robin Line (S eas Shipping Company) when the final vote was tal
lied at NLRB headquarters in New York this week.
Of a tgtal of 201 seamen participating in the voting, 199
cast a clear ballot in favor of the S.I.U. to represent theni
for collective bargaining purpo.ses. Only 1 company stooge
could be found who voted against. One ballot was declared
void. Altogether 210 men were eligible to vote. „
With each NLRB election,'^
Retreating, after a storm of protest from the maritime
and other labor unions, from bis original intention to place
before Congress a Bill to make the enrollment of merchant
seamen in the Naval Reserve compulsory, Representative
Everett M. Dirksen introduced another measure in the House
of Representatives this week, the chief aim of which is to
outlaw Union hiring halls. The new Dirksen Bill is to be
known as H.R. 2662, and aside from banishing Union halls,
provides for a series of other equally vicious regulations
faffecting union seamen.
Trick Amendment
Not cojiteiit with introdue
nig this Bill, Mr. Dirk.sen at
teuipted to .sneak tlirotigh a
rider, to the .same effect as hi.s
Bill, when the House of Rej)
resentatives later in the week
voted on the Independent
Offiees Appropriation Bill,
which did not deal with niari
linie labor conditions at all.
Dangerously Close Vote
The Diiksen amendment to this
Bill was defeated by a standing
vote of 73 to 51, after members
of the Merchant Marine and
Fisheries Committee explained
that a measure incorporating the
same purpose was already pre
sented before it for consideratioTi.
Although this constitutes a first
defeat .for the impatient, labor
baiting Mr. Dirksen, the close
ness of the vote—occurlng under
such peculiar circumstances —
cannot but serve as a signal that
a very real and grave dangei' ex
ists of that vicious antiseamen's
legislation gaining passage in
Congress eventually.
"Seamen's Enemy No. 1"
The rej)eated moves made by
him in recent weeks, and the un
due liaste shown in using any
and every pretext for introducing
his vile antiunion legislation,
clearly brand Mr. Dirksen as the
cliief stooge of the shipowners in
the government machinery. His
devotion to the shipowners' aim
of smashing the maritime labor
organizations brand him as SEA •
MEN'S ENEMY NO. 1.
it seem.s, the percentage of
votes cast for the Seafarers is
mounting. In the case of the
Robin Lineit constitutes al
most a complete shutout of
the antiunion element.
This trend serves to show In
demonstrative fashion the in
creasing confidence developing
HrAUiL
among rank and file seamen on
the East Coast in the SIU. This
fact Is hardly to be wondered at.
Seamen compare conditions be
tween SIU ships and ships that
are under the NMU or unorgan
ized—and in every case find that
SIU conditions are tops. The re
cent hike in bonus pay achieved
by the SIU—getting a flat dollar
a day rate for all war zone runs—
is only one factor in proving the
superiority of the SIU as the or
ganization winning vyages and
conditions for the East Coast sea
men.
It is such achievements that ac
count for the overwhfelming vote
of confidence given the SIU by
the men of the Robin Line ships.
The Union will now proceed to
efUter into negotiations with the
company in order to obtain the
same closed shop agreement and
the same high standards that are
enjoyed by seameji on all SIU
ships.
Preparing Heavy Blows
Apparently convinced that pub
lic opinion is not. yet swffleiently
(Continued on Page 4)
NOTICE
Men on the beach at Beau
mont, Texas, are advised to
get in touch with W. H. Far
ley, Secretary, of I.L.A. Local
No. 1610. Brother Farley has
had quite a number of calls
for seamen and bas agreed to
ship SIU men to such jobs.
Make sure to register with
him if you are on the beach
at Beaumont.
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T HE S E A FA R E R S ' L O G Friday, February 7, 194J
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Published by the
ATLANTIC & GULF DISTRICT
of the
Seafarers' International Union
of North America
Affiliated with the American Federation of Labor
HARRY LUNDEBERG. Acting International President
110 Market Street, Room 402, San Francisco, Calif,
ADDRESS ALL C0RRESP02iDENCE CORCERNING THIS
PUBLICATION TO:
"THE SEAFARERS' TOG"
P. O. Box 522, Church St. Annex, New York, N. Y.
Phone: BOwling Green 93437
Union Discipline or Regimentation ?
'I'lic sliipowiicr.s, tile .sliipownor.s" stodges and their bosom
jValsOf the Xavy hi^li command are spending .slee])less ni<!'lits
schominjr and plottins* to put the old Nshaekles of slavery on
the hands and feet of the seamen asrain. That's Avhat all the
antirnioii bills imCongress are about. That's Avhal the howl
in the bought press about "indi.seipline" and '"Soviets'' in
the Merehant IVrarine is about.
AVhat Ihey Avant to do is inflict upon the .seamen that
nlti'astriei. stifling and oppressiA'O military discipline knoAvn
for its hori'ors as regimentation. Tt is clear that, should they
Miicceisl, it will mean the end of demociailic labor unionism
on lhe high seas. It is clear that Avith the groAving AA'ar hy.s
teria, "puliiic opinion" can easily be Avhippedup in their
favor, and against the raidc and file of seagoing men, in the
name.of "natiojial defense." Tt is clear that the hardAvon
and bitterly fonghtfor conditions of the union seamen are
today threatened as "never before in the la.st fcAV years, since
. the revival Of maritime unionism.
. i How can the consciehl.ioii.?, loyal and responsible union seamen
cope Avitb tliis tlireat? HOAA' can tlie pitfalls of regimentation be
avoided by tlie great, body of oiganized maritime labor?
Tlie ansAver is clear:
IT IS UP TO YOU!
It i.s »p In ereri/ iionil niKl tnifitcrl union seuntnn to insist on
the strictest rxiON (lisciplinc aboard the ships!
As against the regimentation, the dreaded military discipline of
the l)rass hats, sponsored by the shipowners, the rank, and file sea
men have onlj' one weapon: that is the vohtntary discipline, demo
cratie<(lhi decided upon bp the. rank and file seamen in the union of
iheir oirn choice!
I
As agaimst the Admirals' desire to establisli the discipline of un
thinking automatons and robots, the rank and file of the merchant
seamen nnust learn to coiinterpose the discipline of free men organ
iy.ed by their oirn Avill and with their own consent in unions repre
senting tlieir nun interests.
If crews insist on tjdng up ships or preventing their
scheduled sailings in an unauthorized "hianner; if they wan
tonly disregard signed agreements ; if they refuse to obey the
lawful command of the master of a vessel—instead of resort
ing to the democratically approved grievance machinery of
the Union to settle. beefs—they are Avorking AGAINST
.THEIR OWN BEST INTERESTS. THEY ARE BREAKING
UNION DISCIPLINE. THEY ARE PLAYING INTO THE
fHANDS OF THE SHIPOWNERS AND OF ALL THE
'ENEMIES OF UNION SEAMEN!
HOAV easy it. is for the shipowners and the brass hats and the
whole mercenary press of the country to pick up some such unau
• thoi'izert beef in order to push through legislation hamstringing the
maritime unions! How easy it is nowadays to whip up the cry of
"nationaU defense" and to howl "sabotage" AA'hen such unauthorized
acts leave the union defenseless!
No other way of meeting the .shipowners' att.ack.s—perpetrated
under the, smokescreen of "patiioti.sm"—exists, except the strictest
UNION DISCIPLINE. To retain our rights as seamen, to continue
to run our affairs as we see fit—without hindrance . fcremany put
'side source—the Union must, be able to show its real power. Unau
thorized beefs, individual actions on ships, thoughHess acts bf dis
obedience on the biglt ,seas—all t.bi.s tends to weaken the Union. In
order to make the Union allpowerful, cajpable of meeting any and
all attacks in this grnwiug emergency, the word must be passed
Out Of The
MAILBAG
A Letter From
Ah S.LU. Brother
In The Army
Fort Bragg, N.C.
February 3, 1941.
Dear Brothers:
"Wlien I first came here to For
Bragg I thought I would like it
I really changed my mind fast
The ciiow is lousy. All we dP the
whole day is run up and down
stairs. We get iuflpeeted at least
once every day, .sometimes twice
a day. We get inspected for dis
ease, Avhich is very foolish be
cau.se we are in quarantine for 14
days.
We cannot go ariyAvhere, we
cannot go across tlie street to see
the other fellows. The Tioncoms
are really lousy to lis. We have
to stay by ourselves until our
quarantine is up. It's a little bet
ter than Fort Dix, at least \ve
sleep in spring cots and have
Avashbowls and .showers. . = ,
T am driving a truck and pull
an antitank 37 mm. gun. That
is going to be my gun job. M
sergeant is teaching me at What
rate of .speed I should go when
pull a gun. . . I aip in the sui
cide squad. That's Avdiat they call
lis. This company Avas Aviped out
In the World War. So Ave are the
flr.st to get it started again. We
have Saturday afternoon and all
daj' Sunday off. I have to go out
and get my needle today, which
is the fourth. I may gcr on man
euvers in another 12 days. They
claim that they will and must
make sPhlieis out of us in 13
weeks. When Ave are, they will
lake us and show us how to ifight.
We liaA'e sides Avhich are called
Blue arid Red. We may travel all
oAcr the United States or ma;^ go
to Puerto Rico, or South America.
1 suppose that Avill be fun, . . .
Well, I guess that's about al^ I
hope you will send riie the paper.
Fraternally,
' s:i.u. No. 6577
P.S.—A sucker for the army
.iust came hack from the needle.,
I had some butcher. He lost the
needle in my arm. He had to pull
it oiit. with tweezers. My arm
feels dead and blown up. So long
again!
SetiretafyTreasurer's Report
Washington. D.C.
January 3i, 1941.
Late last Friday afternoon, Congressman Dlrksen introdiiced a
Bill In the House of Repieseutatlves which is now known tts Bill
H.R. 2662, and the title of this Bill is;
"To establisli hiring halls under the control of shipping commis
sioners for the engaging of seamen for certain vessels, to control
subversiAe activities among seamen, to impose additional citizenship
requirements for manning vessels of the United States, to establish
more stable labor relations in the merchflnt marine, and to protect
the status of the American Merchant Marine as an integral pai"t of
the national defense."
MOST SERIOUS THREAT
EA'ery member of this organization can and must realize that this
Bill H.R. 2662 is a serious threat to our organization. If it is passed,
it will kill our democratic rights as free citizens to bargain collec
tiA^ely as to the manner in which we shall be employed. It will take
away the democratic right of CA'cry seaman to be able to work at
his trade without being eoiiipelled to Bubmit himself to such a bluek
listing system such as the continuous discharge book.
This Bill has been referred to the Committee on Merchant Marine
& Fisheries and 1 have be6n 'informed by the Committee that all
who Avant to Ve heard on this bill in public hearing will be given
plehty ijf'opportunity to present their full side of the story and tiiat
there Avill be no railroading of the Bill by those or through the
efforts of those A\'ho seek its imriiediate passage for the obvious rea
sons why the Bill was conceived in the first place.
• SEND IN RESOLUTIONS
\Ve can expect a stiff battle'on this Bill and it will tike the
combined fefforts of all scanicii to defeat It. I hereby roqiiCst tliat
each Branch of the' Atlantic &' Giilf Distriict draw up an indi
vidual resolution condemning; Bill HAl. 30(12 and protesting its
pa8.sage, and that sucli re.solutions be presented to tlie ineiniler
ship at regular business meetings and that (lie nieinher.sliip as
sembled in sucli meeting.s' go on record as UNANYMOUSLY con
curring in all such re.solutiuiis, liesdliitioiis like tliesT, kiid in
mimhers, coming from each. Brancli will lie of great material .aid
t«j| us liere in. Wasiiiiigton Aviien we appear before tiie r6iiiii\ittee
on Merciiant Marine & Fisheries in piildie hearings on this liill.
All sncii resolutions .should liear the following Avhrds at tlip top:
TO THE COlilMITTEE ON MERCHANT MAltLVE & FISHEHIES, ̂
WASHINGTON, D.C. Headqnarteis .should he sent at least two
copies of all sucli re.solutions apart from the one appearing In tlie
minntos. I urgently request all Branches to take immediate action
on this and get tlie resolutions iindorAvay Avitiiout any undue delay.
Fraternally,
SYDNEY GKETCHHH, SecretaryTroisiirer
"Seafarers' L6g' nor Roll
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around: EVERYTHING THOUGH THE UNION, ALL ACTIONS AP
PROVED BY THE UNION. ALL CONFIDENCE IN THE UNION!
United, acting as all for one and one for all, tlie Seafarers' Union
.can face all threats Avitliout a shadow of fear. Divided, the Union
is doomed; a prey, to all the wiles and schemes and plots of the
'shipoAvners and all its other enemies.
To defeat all the vieions antilabor bills, to prevent tbe
I fdrended regimentation of tbe bra.ss bats, to lick 'all tbe
• schemes for a return to sea slavery, UNION IBYlOlPIiiNE is
i 4he biTler 'of t'he clay.
UNION OlfiCYPLTNE'alone can uphold and .safeguard
^decent Avage.s and tolerable living and AA^orking conditions,
!all the Jtailis that .seiamen have bled for. UNION DISCI
tUTNE alone cak ke^p orgiiriized maritime labor on an even
ireel in these st%niy .seas uf APar hysteria, UNION DISCT
;^LINE Aviil, keep her, steady as she,goes|„
Antil
Against'Unions
(Continued from Page 1)
ing the freedom of action of or
ganized labor.
Prevents Misuse
Mr, Arnold had recently an
nounced his intention of using
the AntiTrust Laws to intervepe
for the gbvernnient in settling
disputes between the A.F. of L.
and C.I.O. The decision of the
Court. excludes that and leaves
intact labor's right to settle af
fairs within its own ranks.
Hits Orily Cnllp^oii %ith
Employers
Translated into laymen's lan
guage, this interpretation of the
law means that when a union is
acting in its own interest aqd is
not ini collusion with empmypr
groups to restrain trade, its ac
tivities are not subject tp prose
ciition "undeir. the knfiTrust laws
rbggfdless of whether "^unsdic
tional disputes or htker 'practices
critiiplalned of by "Thurnian' Ar
nold are Involved. '• ~ i 'e
OREYLtiCK
.i^. WEST MADAKET
.S. CARRABULLE
• Steward Department .....
.S.MAE
Engine Dept
Deck Dept
SteAvard Dept
S.S. SEATRAIN NEW YORK
Deck Dept
SteAvard Dept
Engine Dept. ... ;
S.S. CATAHliUA
S.S. CA'SSIMTR
S.S. ANGELINA
S.S. BEAUREGARD
S.S. SU. JOHN (Engine Dept.)
S.S. ROSARIO
S.S. CITY OF BIRMINGHAM
B.S. OELMAR
Canadian Seamen
Wilbur piekey
7.00
fl.SO
i.oo
4.03
2.39
' 1.50
5.65
3.75
2.85
3:60
3:00
2.60
1.00
7:70
"6.'70
3.75
5:60
7100
2.00
Berrihard 'Hammelhan 2.00
Du.san De Duisen
H. Czerkies ......
Charles Lovelace
Singletary
John Jasori .....;
Branslow Zogarda
V. Smiley
P. Crawford .....
Ernest Johft^on ..
Total ...
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1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00'
c ,^0
.50
.60
".sa
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To A Certain First Assistant
' tte Vbrks from mbrnirig until night,
? And ne^er makes a beef,
And if , he keeps on doing Vight,
Some day he'll be a chief.
He's the: twogun terror, of Baltimore,
; He 's slain ̂his" enemies by "the ^core,
• wh^'his nld lady meets him at the door, '
? "*He''s^k^ tamg,:toblhiess 'Tdpt froki'P^tiippr^
irE. D.'Barber, iNo. 80088
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http://www.pdfcompressor.org/buy.html
Friday, February 7, 1941 t H E S E A F A RE R S ' LOG 0
ILJ'
Wh at* s Doing
TEXAS CITY
January 25, 1941.
Editor, ftcafarerti' Log:
Dear Sir and Brother:
It has been a very alow week
down In tlie sunny south, ship
ping slow, only had , to hunt up
a e,ouple of A.B.'s all week. At
present, have plenty of men in
the engine dept. Still hearing re
percussions about the drinking
going on, on the ships.
See by the papers that in
Beaumont they are launching a
ship, using bananas to grease the
skids. Will this make it a fruit
ship?
Also see that tiie NMU is ask
ing for increases. IWust have
found the idea through the ship
owners factfinding commission
that stated for the coastwise op
erators to keep the wolf away
from the mansions, they would
have to have at least a 25% raise
on freight rates to and from
Tousfon. And this, miiid you,
• fter the figures were issued
.showing that some of the opera
tors made more money in the last
year than at any other time in
their hi.story!
From the papers. It seems to
me that the men sailing the old
wooden steamschooners on the
coast are the ones that should be
getting a bonus. Check on how
many of them have been In trou
ble and lost in the last year. .
Had a call for a dic.scl oiler
the other day; no catchum.
Seems that a lot of the menibcrs
who have this experience should
start checking on when and
where these, ships are going into
commission.
. The Bayou in and out on her
last trip the other day. At last
reports, bejng turned over in
New York. By the time that you
riad this, it will bo flying a for
eign flag.
Steady as she goes.
A. W. Armstrong
kf
one more week to put yoifr selec
tion* on the ballot.
I have a copy of an old ap
praisement in the year 1857, that
lists a man's estate. Leading off
are his slaves: top price Is
$1,300.00 for a young husky, down
to $250.00 for a woman. If the
Naval Reserve bill goes through,
what price do you think a sea
man would rate?
There is an Italian ship that
has been in Houston since Italy
entered the war and the crew
Is standing by her. Any day you
can go down there and see the
crew over the side slapping on
paint. They must have put on at
least six or seven coats. Maybe
they figure is they get enough
paint on, they can use it for
armor.
If the members will take time
off to read 'and study the Sec
Treas. report in the last issue of
the Log and act accordingly, we
will be a long ways on the road
of consolidating what we have
won.
See that it is still like getting
some men to go to a dentist to
have some of these ports write
in to the paper. How come? Ye
gods, the only way that you know
some of these ports have branches
is to read the directory! Also,
while I'm squawking, how come
that more members don't write
in? Don't tell me that no one In
this organization can write. It
don't matter If you can't .spell,
the Ed. will correct your letters,
know from experience!
Steady as she. goes,
, . Armstrong
TAMPA
JACKSdWiLLE
February 1, 1941.
Editor, Seafarers' Log:
Dear Sir and Bro:
Things slowed down here in the
last week. Shipping still very
"good, with a shortage of miSn. No
big beefs, .iust the usual small
ones.
The new hall folded up, so we
will continue in the same old
stand.
Well, it's about lime for the
members to start tlie old squawk",
HOW DID THAT GUY GET 'iN
THERE? You know, the boys
that go ashore and haven't time
to go to the hall and vote. Just
January 25, 1941.
A Notice was sent In the min
htes of Monday, Jan. 20, 1941, net
to ship T. A. Steinecke, P. 942.
( would also like to have It "print
ed in the SEAFARERS LOG.
Another permit man came up
yesterday, by the name of James
Downing, P.1308, and asked to
ship out as A.B. He showed his
permit, and I found out that the
permit was issued on July 23,
1940, and he was paid up for the
month of Sept. I asked him what
the trouble was, why he couldn't
pay up his dues, when he only
paid off a ship on January 16th.
I picked up his permit and sent
it to H.Q. This man has a habit
of hanging around finkhalls
and" to ray opinion, is using this
organization for a good thing.
An exN.M.U. man vwho Is dis
gusted with that bunch of com
missars, came up Into the hall
J'anuary 21, 1941.
Editor, Seafarers' Log^.
Business is rocking along fast
and fine with sailors more sharcc
than ever. The boys down here
have been having a good laugh
for the past week, that is, since
tjie S.S. Manhattan went on the
beach. They are calling it the
$1,000,000.00 monument donated
by tlie U.S. Lines to tlie Maritime
CommLssion.
Come to think of it a real
sailor would get a good laugh out
of a silly stunt like that. There
it was, a nice quiet moonlit
night, the sea like a lily pond,
right off the strongest radio bea
con and light in the Gulf and the
beach lined with lights and
bingo, up she goes high and dry!
At low tide the local people
could walk out and look her
over.
Seeme as if some of iliese farm
ers the Maritime Commission is
turning out as ".Superior Mer
chant Mariners" aren't aware of
the fact that a ship isn't like a
twomule wagon and won't run up
a hill nor down a sand beach.
We are just wondering what ex
cuse our esteemed, overstuffed
admirals are going to offer for
this example of gross inelliciency
in seamanship.
Perchance, our aforementioned
admirals of repute are skillful en
ough in navigating the cour.se of
the taxpayer's dough, along Avith
that of old John Shipowner, into
channels that it is sure not to go
agrouiul before ieaching the des
ignation most suitable to those
cbhcerned. If these lads were
to take a couple of trips on a ship
manned by real merchant sailors
perhaps it Avould widen their
scope of knowledge so that they
might teach their plowjockeys a
few of the ruditiienta of seaman
ship, at least enough ta keep
their wagons afloat in an ocean
as bfg as tiie Atlantic.
After all, there's quite a bit of
difference between a ship's com:
pass and a mule's rear, and the
boys just can't get accustomed to
the change.
J. S. White, 56 G
SEAF?^RERS' INTERNATIONAL UNION
OF NORTH AlVIERICA
Atlantic & Gulf District
HEADQUALTERS
Room 918, Washington Loan & Trust Co. Building
9th and F Street, N.W., Washington, D. C.
P. O. Box 6180 Phone; District 5963
DIRECTORY OF BRANCHES
BRANCH ADdRESS PHONE
NEW YORK .....2 Stone St BOwling Green 93437
BOSTON 330 Atlantic Ave. ...LIBerty 4057
PROVIDENCE .. 465 South Main St. ..Manning 3572
BALTIMORE ... 14 North Gay St. ...Calvert 4539
PHILADELPHIA .6 North 6th St Lombard 7651
NORFOLK 60 Commercial PI. ..Norfolk 41083
NEW ORLEANS 309 Chartres St. ....MAgnolia 3962
SAVANNAH | .... 218 Ea.st Bay St Savannah 31728
JACKSONVILLE .136 East Bay St. ....Jacksonville 59724
TAMPA 206 So. Franklin St. .Tampa M1323
MOBILE 55 So. Conception St Dexter 1449
TEXAS CITY ... 105 4th St., N. .....Texas Citv 722
MIAMI 1348 N.E. First Ave.. Miami 22950
SAN JUAN & Covadonga St San Juan 1885
PHILADELPHIA
Three Musketeers Report
the Draft Board in Washington
that upon application, a bona fide
seaman couhi .secure from his
Local Draft Board a 6month3
deferment and keep repeating
tiiLs if necessary.
Well, we haven't much more
to call Baltimore twice in tliree ! "lore time to ballot, so let's get
January 29, 1941
Editor, Seafaiers' Log
Dear Sir and Brother.
Well, hei'e we are, at the same
old place doing business as usual,
and what a business we are do
ing! Shipping is so good we had
Donate $20 to Log in Vdte
Thanks for Union Services
Tlie following le£ter .speaks for itself. It is a testimbnial
the etfectivenes.s of the S.l.U. and its feprespfitatives;
January 2'7, TMl.
Diiudalk, Md.
Dear ̂ ftrbthers:
Enclo.scd please find twenty dollars ($20) 'donated by two
members of the S.S. Algic, F. O. Blanco No. 6060 and C. '
Melendez No. 2766. This naoney was given to me, Jan. 25
in appreclafipn i^or tjie a'lignmehts "riiade in their behalf
' "when vvo paid off'in New York. . . . Ttdi^ 'mbney is to . be
used'for BEAFAREItS^ LOG.
Sincerely yoiirs
Camille; H. Councilman No. 6458.
• • •
Patrolman Scbtto'handled tfie'bebf'for "the'men, which is referred
[o in ,tUis letter. ̂ Many giich, beefs are handled
• epreaehtatfyes;''day iii, 'day, oiit. SlU '&en 'haye"rear'rfed''l^^
late 'the iriiHtahcy" bf the "uriioh Which' d'chibVes 'Vuch 'Wttfemehts.
'ew, however, have expressed their appreciatioa in the gehefbu^ vyay
'n^Cse two brothers haye. Their's is an example to follow!
and threw his book In, and do
far, hasn't asked to ship out. His
book was also sent to H.Q. for
souvenirs.
We are proud to «ay, that the
Jacksonville Branch iias set an
all time high, when 129 members
in good standing have showed
their interest in voting for the
'41 asst. and officials. This shows
that the membership is in earn
est, and have the union at heart.
Last week, we shipped 9 full''
book rftembers, and two permits
to various ships'during week. All
ships are being contacted, and
all beefs settled. So long until
next week.
Steady as she goes,
Fred Laurltano
days for men in all departments.
Well, for a choice bit of news,
we finally shipped old Long
Drawers RollemUp McKeefry on
the Robin Adair, and that In It
self was quite a feat. Old Brother
Seaweed, the famous Bull Line
Kitchen Bitch, is back on the
beach with us again, and Instead
of his regular two speeds, we are
going to get him to go down, to
the U.S.P.H.S. and see if he can't
get in drydock, sb as to have an
other speed installed in his gears,
as his present tS^o speeds are
putting him in bad stead with the
stewards on those ships.
But, serioii.sly, fellowe, this
DRAFT Busiue.ss is becoming
quite a problem of late, as it lias
taken a couple of good men from
this Branch. Got in toucli witli
the Shipping Commissioner here
and we had quite a t.ilk on this
subject, and this is the informa
tion that he passed on to ns:
wiieii a inan is called, lie can ap
ply for a 4mont.hs extension pe
riod and if his ship is away
longer than tliat, he is to write
to his Board and let. them know
liis whereabouts and tlien when
the ship comes back, to report, to
his local board immediately. He
also stated to us that he was in
conference with some Colonel
from Washington wl\,o is con
nected with the Draft Board, and
he stated tliat he explained in de
tail the plight of the seamen, and
he was assured by this official
that he would make a recommen
dation to the other members of
together and see If we can't roll
up a bigger vote than we did In
the last election, as the true
voice of the membership Is
through the medium of the bal
lot. We remain, as usual, the
Three Musketeers,
W. B. B., No. 994
J. F. F., No. 542
H. J. C., No. 496
Mote About
Raps ^botage
Laws Directed
In Memoriam
Sven U. Reitan
Died at U.S. (^arlqe Hospital,
' Baltimore, Md.
January 19, 1941
J'econ&h' E. Nelson
Dled^at Maiden Hospital,
Maiden, Mass.
January 1, 1941
NOTICE TO ALL
SIUMEN ,
Canadian Branches of the.
Seafarers' Internatio nal
Union
When in Canadian ports,
visit the fftilis of the folloiving
organizations, affUiated to the
Seafarer.s' International Vnion
of North America:
CANA'DIKN
SEAMEN'S UNION
406 St. Lawrence Boulevaid
Montreal,'Canada
URITiSH CdLUMBIA
. SlEAiMiE^I'S .UNlbN
3|6:B Gai^ibie"Street
Yancouver, B.C.
Phone: TRinity 2251
(Continiird from I'agr /)
dangerous of the group, thei re;
port said: ; .
"The act in peace time woqlcl
practically prevent any free incli' '
vidua] from doing any act ini
peding production for defense
imder pain of the heaviest, crimi
inal penalties. It would seriously •
curtail or prohibit the rights,of
labor to strike, to picket, peace
fully, and to carry on any other '
lawful union activity wiien
acts impede production for de,.
fense.
"Under the act, a strike, slow
do'Rfn, temporary stoppage, loaf
ing, quittjng work in midshift
and picketing would be treated
equally with violent sabotage,
bombing and dynamiting. ...
"A union member, who joins
his brothers in obeying a strike
order, peaceably walks out of a
plant producing airplanes under
contract to the U.S. Army, under
the provisions of Section 2, .can
be arrested, convicted, fined |10,
000 and imprisoned for ten years,
. The union leader who calls
the strike in the above case is
likewise criminally liable. • .
"These examples are equally
applicable in every varying de
gree and graduation of union ac
tivity in serious or merely triffling
indiistrial dsiputes, unless the act
specifically excludes union activi
ties from its scope."
The other bills carry similar
antilabor threats in them by im
plication. Labor must be ever on
the alert to seie that such bills
are not slipped bve' "on tlie work
ers in the dark of higlit. by some
state legislature or even nuinicl
pal council. iv
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Dirksen Presents Vicious Bill
To Curb All Seamen's Rights
{Continued from Page 1)
prepared to regard the present
stage of American involvement in
the War as a "state of emerg
ency," and that consequently the
stage is not as yet set for rail
roading Amei'ican merchant sea
men wholesale into the Naval
Reserve, Seamen's Enemy No. 1
is resorting to a secondary stra
the dissemination by any seamen
among other seamen of any book,
pamphlet, leaflet, or other publi
cation or item of written, printed
or giaphic matter WHICH IN
THE OPINION OF THE MAS
TER is encouraging, or is calcu
lated to encourage, mutinous or
rebellious conduct. . , ."
Aside from being a sheer vio
Callfornia
Plan to Use Draft
Against Strikers
Nipped in Bud
tegy by means of which to smash lation of the Bill of Rights in
the seamen's unions. The effect
of his present measure, H.R.
2662, is to gag and bind the mari
cluded in the U.S. Constitution,
such a provision is broad enough
to make the passing around of
time labor organizations so as to any ordinary Union literature a
soften the union seamen up for j thing for which a seaman can
a more decisive blow when the I without further ado be placed in
"state of emergency" is actually j the brig. The effect .of such a
declared provision would bring the status
Slave Provisions of H.R. 2662 of the American seaman jus;
In II.R. 2662, Seamen's Enemy i about on a par with seamen un
No 1 sets forth the .following ''or the Nazi regime,
propositions which he wants en,: ,4. Another provision of the Bdl
^ ^ . , i requires that aside from 7o per
acted into law:
1. The reestablishment of the
governmentcontrolled hiring hall
of .Shipping Board days and the
cent of the crew of a vessel be
ing natiVebirn or completely nat
uralized citizens, the remaining
25 per cent shall not have been
hir ng halls "TL Bill p.ovides ̂ hmitted later than 1930, if for
niiiug luui permanent residence, or not later
that u ;,,,J than 1925 in any other case. The
nrnoH laciUtu'H of this provision is to at
^4 nilifrwist* tlUJU Ul TfK ,
tempt to set off nativeborn cttiof, seamen othernise than in th
manner provided in this section
and section 103 (that is, under
the supervision of a shipping com
missioner, with the master of a
vessel having undisputed right to
hire or reject anyone whomso
ever he so desires, for any reason
whatsoever—Ed.') SHALL LPOA
CONVICTIOK THEREOF BE
FINED NOT MORE THAN $1,000
OR BE IMPRISONED FOR NOT
MORE THAN ONE YEAR, OR
BOTH."
In other words, any Union oflfl
cial who will continue to ship
seamen through the Union hall
will be subject to flne and impri
sonment should this law be .en
acted. The aim is clear—to ban
ish the Union hiring hall hy laic!
That's a condition that did not
even exist in the days of the
crimp joints—for at that time sea
men could legally establish Union
hiring if their organized strength
permitted it. Dirksen, by this
Bill, wants to make the Union
hiring hall a criminal offense!
2. Another provision of this in
famous H.R. 2662 provides that
"No seaman shall be employed on
zezns against the foreignborn—
Just another way of'dividing the
ranks of the seamen for the pur
puse of weakening the unions. It
practically makes it impossible
for a foreignborn seaman to ship
on an American merchant vessel.
5. Finally, the Bill practic.ally
bans strikes of maritime labor by
providing that "It shall be unlaw
ful for any maritime employes to
strike until after the expiration
of thirty (30) days from the date
on which they, or their designat
ed representatives, have given
their employer and the Board
(that's a "Mediation Board" that
the act provides for) written
notice of their intention to do so,
together with their statement of
their reasons for such intended
stiike."
Give the shipowner 30 days no
tice of intention to strike! The
unions might as well help him di
rectly by digging up all the
necessary strikebreakers with
which to cut their own throats.
AllOut Attack on Seamen!
Yet, these are the actual provi
dny vessel to ichieh this .section j sions included in the Dirksen
applies UNTIL HE HAS EXHIBI Bill. It is a sort of AilOut Aid
TED A CONTINUOUS D/S' "
CHARGE BOOK TO THE SHIP
PING COMMISSIONER."
The "Continuous. Discharge
Book"—why, that's the notorious
Cbpeland Fink Book! The Union
Bill for the shipowners. It in
cludes every vicious, unionbust
ing, laborbaiting measure that
the seamen and their unions have
fought In the past few years. It
is an AilOut Act. to smash the
rule has been from the very bej maritime .unions and to bring
ginning to reject the "fink book" back Sea Slavery,
outright! Dirksen, in this Bill, is
determined to make the "Fink
Book" compulsory for all mer
chant seamen! Thereby he wants
to introduce the most deplcable
BLACKLIST system in the hi
tory of American seamen!
3. Section 106 of this vicious
Bill provides that "lawful com
mand" includes, among other
things, "any command prohibiting
ATTENTION
. E. L. Jennings' wages
and overtime of the S.B.
Bayou Chico were paid by
cheek by the Waterman
Steamship Corporation. The
check, in the sum of $61.10,
is being held for him in the
New Orleans office of the
S.I.U. Please contact New
Orleans, giving address, so
check can be forwarded.
The Dirksen Bill must be
smashed if the seamen's unions
are to live!
Every hand on deck to give the
Union's officials full backing in
defeating this vicious measure
pushed by Seamen's Enemy
No. 1!
The brass hats in Califor
nia, who tried to use the
draft law last week as a
blackjack with which to
smash the right to strike,
quickly had their ears pinned
back by Washington officials
—after an aroused labor
movement brought the case to
light.
The conscription threat was
sounded after workers at the
Ryan Aeronautical Company in
San Diego voted to strike against
an hourly wage as low as 50
cents an hour. Though the firm
has over $18,000,000 in govern
ment orders, its pay rates have
been sy, cents an hour lower than
the aircraft industry's . average.
The workers decided on a walk
out after long drawnout negotia
tions resulted in no concessions
from the employer.s.
As soon as the decision to
strike was announced, Lieutenant
Commander Maurice Sparling, a
Naval Reserve liaison officer at
tached to California draft head
quarters, notified the San Diego
selective service boards that
workers of draft age who struck
may be conscripted into the army.
Local draft officials in San Diego
took steps to carry out Sparling's
strikebreaking move, but the
unions "raised the roof" and that
brought immediate results.
"It is, of course, not the policy
of this office," said National Draft
Director Clarence Dykstra in a
public statement, "to use threats
of selection as a club over the
heads of union men. We shall
not tolerate anything of the kind
if we find local boards trying it."
All the same, it would be wise
for labor everywhere to remain
on the alert against such further
manipulation of the draft for
strikebreaking.
A Case of the Left Hand Not V.
Knowing What the Right Is Doingq
Here are two quotations from a recent issue of the "Pilot." '
The flr.st is a quotation from "No Coffee Time" Joe's report to
the NMU national council, as follows:
"The position of the shipownerdominated (sic) SIU has
been considerably weakened and there is a decided possi
bility that in the near future their influence will be com
pletely eliminated from this coast." ,
That appears on Page 12 of the "Pilot" (January 24, 1941). On
Page 6 of the same issue of that rag we read the following:
"FULL TIME ORGANIZER ASKED BY NEW OR A
LEAS ...
"New Orleans.—The National Council was asked by the
membership of this port to supply a full time organizer for
New Orleans and Mobile. The request was made in a reso
lution. ...
"The SIV has about 60 ships organized into the AFL
sailing from these ports, says the lesolution. Waterman,
Mississippi Steamship Co.. Aluminum Line, Eastern, etc. ..."
It seems to be a case of the left hand not knowing what the
right hand is doing!
SUT influence, according to his owu "organ'.s" admission, is .so
"weakened" and so almost "completely ' elimlnattHi" from tlii^
coast liiat . . . Curran'.s stooges In New Orleans and Mobile aro
frantically calling for help to stem the SIU tide! But, for all thee
lielp they can expect from "No Coffee Time," they might as well
use a broom, it will be just about a.s effective against the waves
which spell .SIU Organization!
AntiLabor Men
Named to High
Gov't Posts
More About
Enforce Wage
Act Provisions
{Continued from Page 1)
onetwelfth of the aelling value
of the product. No other impor
tant industry has so low a wage
cost in proportion to the total
value of its output."
While enforcing the Fair Labor
Standards Act is alright, it looks
like a big union organization job
to get matters straightened out
for labor in the canning industry.
Fish cannery workers, organ
ized under the SIU banner, are
making steady headway, in this
direction.
President Roosevelt last week
named Charles F. Palmer, wealthy
Atlanta, Georgia realtor, as. head
of government agencies dealing
with defense housing.
Almost the first act of Palmer,
after he took over tlie new post,
was to bring in as one of his
lieutenants Harold E. Pomeroy,
former Executive Secretary of the
misnamed "Associated Farmers"
of Califoinia, probably the most
notorious of the country's union
biisting and strike smashing
strongarm outfits.
The appointment of 'Palmer
brought resentment on the part
of union nien in Washington. The
subsequent selection of Pomeroy
resulted in a veritable storm of
protests from all union quarters.
Steps are being taken to make
formal requests for the recall of
these two vicious antilabor men
from their posts.
ATTENTION
Francisco Ruiz
Ila.s been asked to call at
the law offices of Hillinan
and Hillman at Baltimore,
Md., to settler his claim
aprainst the fS.S. MASB
MAR.
Information for Seamen on
Procedure to Follow In Draft
In spite of the fact that, the merchant marine is often called by
government offlcials—particularly in the Navy and Army—"our sec
ond line of defense." meaning thereby that it is second in impor
tance only to the armed vessels of the Navy itself, no provisions have
been made whatsoever to exempt merchant seamen as a whole from
the draft.
Selective Service Headquarters refuses to make any ruling on
this subject, but leaves the matter of deferring seamen on an indi
vidual bu.sis, entirely icithin the discretion of the Local Draft Boards.
EVERY CASE MUST BE HANDLED INDIVIDUALLY
Regardless of wliat we may think of the wisdom of this proce
dure—regardless of.the seamen's desire to be trained and to utilize
past trainingfor action in any impending armed conflict, as seamen
enjoying merchant marine wages and union conditions—this is the
fact: every eligible seaman remains subject to call for service In
the Army. Any possibility of getting deferment must be handled on
an individual basis.
In view of this situation here are a number of practical steps
that the union seaman who has registered for the draft can and
should take:
PRACTICAL STEPS FOR YOUR GUIDANCE
1. Find out the nutuber of the Local Draft Board to
whicli you have been assigned. Call at or write to the local
lieadquartera of the Sidective Service and they Avill give JTUI
tliat information.
2. In order to avoid all difficulties in making trips on
• ships hitting foreign ports, call at the Local Draft Board and
ask for Form 351. This is the form oil which you have to fill
out a request for a permit to leave the country. Tlie draft
board grants such jicrmits for a .stipulated time, up to six
months or a year and they are renewable.
3. "When leaving the country on a trip, after getting
permit, make sure to notify the draft board when you leave |
and on what ship, and if po.ssiblc, in what ports you can be
reached. Be certain to leave a forwarding address with the j
board for any notice they may have to send.
4. If you have registered in an inland town, write your,
draft board immediately and ask them to transfer you to a
local board hi the port from Avliicli you are shijiping stead
ily. All permits to leave the country have to be obtained |
from the draft board with which you are registered at the
time you make the request. '
5. Notify your local board at once in ease of any change
• of addre.ss for receiving mail. ,
6. Sooner or later you will receive yonr qnestionnairi]
which must be returned within five days after receipt,'sul|
ject to penalty, l!
7. Before returning your questionnaire,, all filled out, b|
.sure to write in the space provided for cla.ssification, for df
ferment: "2A. Becau.se of the shortage of American m«{|
chant seamen." '
8. When you return your que.stionnaire, immediately as]
for Poriu 42, which is to be filled out by shipowners, askinj
for deferment on the ground that you are a merchant seamaj
and necessary to the national defense.
9. If you are on the beach and receive notification thai
you are cla.ssed under 1A, contact your Union office, whicf
will apply, for deferment for you.
Remember that each case has to toe handled Individually, It
Important that you follow these instructions carefully, for your owj
protection.
'— —"• — ^.
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OFFICIAL OEGAN OF THE ATLANTIC AND GULF DISTRICT,
SEAFARERS' INTERNATIONAL UNION OF NORTH AMERICA
VOL. Ill NEW YORK, N. Y., FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1941 MS No. 3
t.
L'' • • « '
DIRKSEN INTRODUCES VICIOUS MEASURE
N 'ALLOUr ATTACK ON SEAMEN'S RIGHTS
II
!(
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Ed
Supreme Court Ends Anti-
Trust Suits Against Unions
WASHINGTON, D.C.—In one of the most important legal
decisions in a decade, the Supreme Court of the United States
ruled that labor unions are immune from prosecution rmder
the AhtiTrust Laws so long as they* do not combine with
^nonlabor groups.
Demand Higher Pay
From Navy Board for
Shipyard Workers
WASHINGTON, D. C. —
Delegates from the Metal
Trades Couriclls in Govern
ment Navy Yards, at a con
ference held in the A.F. of
L. building here, formulated
a program for higher waSes
for the consideration of Sec
tary of the Navy Frank
Knox and his associates.
The metal trades workers
are dissatisfied with the fail
ure of the Naval Wage
Board of Review last year to
grant pay increases to
skilled mechanics In the
navy yards. The unions
claim navy yard rates are
now lower than in private
industry and should be
raised ' if the Government
wishes to obtain the crafts
men it needs.
' Administrafion Plans To
Enforce Wage
Act Provisions
In Canneries
Chicago, 111. — Rigid enforce
ment of the provisions of the
Federal Fair Labor Staiuliirda
Act in the canning industry dur
ing 1941 was promised by Col.
Philip B. Fleming, Administrator,
in an address befoiy. the annual
convention of the National Can
neis' AtiBOciation. When peak op
erations are under way this year,
he declared, the Wage and Hour
Division of .the Department of La
bor will have a force of 1,000 in
spectors covering the canning in.
dURtry, compared with pnly 109
Inspectors two years ago.
The current minimum wage of
30 cents an hour, he declared,
has not entailed any hardship for
the cannfng Industry as a whole,
pointing out that labor Is a rela
tively small Item in running a
cannery—under 12 percent of the
total cost
^'Labop cost," he said, "Is only
(Continucft on Page f)
Spikes AntiLabor Drive
This stveepinp: decision Avill
result in rviping out practi
cally all of the indictments
fonnd again.st unions in the
vicious antiLabor drive nn
dcrtakon recently at the insti
gation of A.sslstant Attorncj'
General Tliurman Arnold.
Came in Carpenters* Case
The Supreme Court decision
was returned in the case of an in
dictment against President Will
iam L. Hutclieson and other offi
cers of the United Biotherhood of
Carpenters and Joiners, growing
out of a jurisdictional dispute at
the St, Louis plant of the Anheu
serBusch brewery firm. The high
court threw out tlie indictment,
just as the lower courts had
done.
But, in its 5 to 2 decision, the
Supreme Court went much fur
ther than passing on this specific
case. It laid down a broad and
liberal interpretation of the Anti
Trust Laws as applied to labor
unions, which excludes the possi
bility of the government using
the.se laws—originally adopted as
a "big stick" policy against the
business monopolies — in imped
(Continui'd on Page 2)
<j>
Perkins Comml+tee
Raps Sabotage
Laws Directed
Against Labor
WASIIIXOTGN. D.C.—See
relary Perkins'.s eonmiittee on
defcn.sc hills sharply criti
cized five bills, designed to
prevent sabotage of defense
activities, whieh were drawn
up by n FederalState Con
ferenee on Lavs' Enforcement
Problems of National Defense
convened by Attorney Gen
eral Jackson.
The Committee which con
demned the bills as inimical to
the welfare of organized labor
MtXii named by Secretary Perkins
in compliance with a resolution
adopted at the Seventh National
Conference on I.ahor Legislation
which she called last month.
Dan W. Tracy, assistant Secre
tary of Labor, is chairman of the
coniniittee.
The five draft bilLs are a sabot
age prevention act, an explosives
act, a State Guard act, an Inter
state Public Property Act, and an
act providing for "fresh pursuit"
by military forces, which would
permit tlie entry into one State
of military forces of another
State in pursuit of insuiTCction
ists, saboteurs and the like.
On the sabotage bill, the most
(Continued on Page 3)
H.R. 2662 Aims to Outlaw Union
Hiring Halls; imposes Compulsory
''Fink Book"; Homstrings Strikes
Facts and Figures
Beiiind 'National
OBfense'Production
In the year ended June 30,
1940, the defense program and
the first ten months of the
European war boosted the
PROFITS of 373 large Ameri
can industrial corporations by
58 PER CENT, while the
total WAGES and salaries of
American workers rose by
only 5 PER CENT, and the
total income of American
farmers by less than 8 per
cent, the Department of Com
merce said this week in its
annual report.
No wonder big business is so
patriotic and so hot for "all
aid to Britain." No wonder,
also, that John Employer
shrieks "national defen.se"
eveiy time a union tries to or
ganize or strike for a few
cents raise in pay!
5.1. U. Makes Clean Sweep In
Robin Line N.L,R,B, Elections
Continuing its string of victories in recent elections called by the Na
tional Labor Relations Board on unorganized ships, the Seafarers Inter
national Uiiion of North America made a clean sweep on the vessels of
the Robin Line (S eas Shipping Company) when the final vote was tal
lied at NLRB headquarters in New York this week.
Of a tgtal of 201 seamen participating in the voting, 199
cast a clear ballot in favor of the S.I.U. to represent theni
for collective bargaining purpo.ses. Only 1 company stooge
could be found who voted against. One ballot was declared
void. Altogether 210 men were eligible to vote. „
With each NLRB election,'^
Retreating, after a storm of protest from the maritime
and other labor unions, from bis original intention to place
before Congress a Bill to make the enrollment of merchant
seamen in the Naval Reserve compulsory, Representative
Everett M. Dirksen introduced another measure in the House
of Representatives this week, the chief aim of which is to
outlaw Union hiring halls. The new Dirksen Bill is to be
known as H.R. 2662, and aside from banishing Union halls,
provides for a series of other equally vicious regulations
faffecting union seamen.
Trick Amendment
Not cojiteiit with introdue
nig this Bill, Mr. Dirk.sen at
teuipted to .sneak tlirotigh a
rider, to the .same effect as hi.s
Bill, when the House of Rej)
resentatives later in the week
voted on the Independent
Offiees Appropriation Bill,
which did not deal with niari
linie labor conditions at all.
Dangerously Close Vote
The Diiksen amendment to this
Bill was defeated by a standing
vote of 73 to 51, after members
of the Merchant Marine and
Fisheries Committee explained
that a measure incorporating the
same purpose was already pre
sented before it for consideratioTi.
Although this constitutes a first
defeat .for the impatient, labor
baiting Mr. Dirksen, the close
ness of the vote—occurlng under
such peculiar circumstances —
cannot but serve as a signal that
a very real and grave dangei' ex
ists of that vicious antiseamen's
legislation gaining passage in
Congress eventually.
"Seamen's Enemy No. 1"
The rej)eated moves made by
him in recent weeks, and the un
due liaste shown in using any
and every pretext for introducing
his vile antiunion legislation,
clearly brand Mr. Dirksen as the
cliief stooge of the shipowners in
the government machinery. His
devotion to the shipowners' aim
of smashing the maritime labor
organizations brand him as SEA •
MEN'S ENEMY NO. 1.
it seem.s, the percentage of
votes cast for the Seafarers is
mounting. In the case of the
Robin Lineit constitutes al
most a complete shutout of
the antiunion element.
This trend serves to show In
demonstrative fashion the in
creasing confidence developing
HrAUiL
among rank and file seamen on
the East Coast in the SIU. This
fact Is hardly to be wondered at.
Seamen compare conditions be
tween SIU ships and ships that
are under the NMU or unorgan
ized—and in every case find that
SIU conditions are tops. The re
cent hike in bonus pay achieved
by the SIU—getting a flat dollar
a day rate for all war zone runs—
is only one factor in proving the
superiority of the SIU as the or
ganization winning vyages and
conditions for the East Coast sea
men.
It is such achievements that ac
count for the overwhfelming vote
of confidence given the SIU by
the men of the Robin Line ships.
The Union will now proceed to
efUter into negotiations with the
company in order to obtain the
same closed shop agreement and
the same high standards that are
enjoyed by seameji on all SIU
ships.
Preparing Heavy Blows
Apparently convinced that pub
lic opinion is not. yet swffleiently
(Continued on Page 4)
NOTICE
Men on the beach at Beau
mont, Texas, are advised to
get in touch with W. H. Far
ley, Secretary, of I.L.A. Local
No. 1610. Brother Farley has
had quite a number of calls
for seamen and bas agreed to
ship SIU men to such jobs.
Make sure to register with
him if you are on the beach
at Beaumont.
'is
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T HE S E A FA R E R S ' L O G Friday, February 7, 194J
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Published by the
ATLANTIC & GULF DISTRICT
of the
Seafarers' International Union
of North America
Affiliated with the American Federation of Labor
HARRY LUNDEBERG. Acting International President
110 Market Street, Room 402, San Francisco, Calif,
ADDRESS ALL C0RRESP02iDENCE CORCERNING THIS
PUBLICATION TO:
"THE SEAFARERS' TOG"
P. O. Box 522, Church St. Annex, New York, N. Y.
Phone: BOwling Green 93437
Union Discipline or Regimentation ?
'I'lic sliipowiicr.s, tile .sliipownor.s" stodges and their bosom
jValsOf the Xavy hi^li command are spending .slee])less ni<!'lits
schominjr and plottins* to put the old Nshaekles of slavery on
the hands and feet of the seamen asrain. That's Avhat all the
antirnioii bills imCongress are about. That's Avhal the howl
in the bought press about "indi.seipline" and '"Soviets'' in
the Merehant IVrarine is about.
AVhat Ihey Avant to do is inflict upon the .seamen that
nlti'astriei. stifling and oppressiA'O military discipline knoAvn
for its hori'ors as regimentation. Tt is clear that, should they
Miicceisl, it will mean the end of demociailic labor unionism
on lhe high seas. It is clear that Avith the groAving AA'ar hy.s
teria, "puliiic opinion" can easily be Avhippedup in their
favor, and against the raidc and file of seagoing men, in the
name.of "natiojial defense." Tt is clear that the hardAvon
and bitterly fonghtfor conditions of the union seamen are
today threatened as "never before in the la.st fcAV years, since
. the revival Of maritime unionism.
. i How can the consciehl.ioii.?, loyal and responsible union seamen
cope Avitb tliis tlireat? HOAA' can tlie pitfalls of regimentation be
avoided by tlie great, body of oiganized maritime labor?
Tlie ansAver is clear:
IT IS UP TO YOU!
It i.s »p In ereri/ iionil niKl tnifitcrl union seuntnn to insist on
the strictest rxiON (lisciplinc aboard the ships!
As against the regimentation, the dreaded military discipline of
the l)rass hats, sponsored by the shipowners, the rank, and file sea
men have onlj' one weapon: that is the vohtntary discipline, demo
cratie<(lhi decided upon bp the. rank and file seamen in the union of
iheir oirn choice!
I
As agaimst the Admirals' desire to establisli the discipline of un
thinking automatons and robots, the rank and file of the merchant
seamen nnust learn to coiinterpose the discipline of free men organ
iy.ed by their oirn Avill and with their own consent in unions repre
senting tlieir nun interests.
If crews insist on tjdng up ships or preventing their
scheduled sailings in an unauthorized "hianner; if they wan
tonly disregard signed agreements ; if they refuse to obey the
lawful command of the master of a vessel—instead of resort
ing to the democratically approved grievance machinery of
the Union to settle. beefs—they are Avorking AGAINST
.THEIR OWN BEST INTERESTS. THEY ARE BREAKING
UNION DISCIPLINE. THEY ARE PLAYING INTO THE
fHANDS OF THE SHIPOWNERS AND OF ALL THE
'ENEMIES OF UNION SEAMEN!
HOAV easy it. is for the shipowners and the brass hats and the
whole mercenary press of the country to pick up some such unau
• thoi'izert beef in order to push through legislation hamstringing the
maritime unions! How easy it is nowadays to whip up the cry of
"nationaU defense" and to howl "sabotage" AA'hen such unauthorized
acts leave the union defenseless!
No other way of meeting the .shipowners' att.ack.s—perpetrated
under the, smokescreen of "patiioti.sm"—exists, except the strictest
UNION DISCIPLINE. To retain our rights as seamen, to continue
to run our affairs as we see fit—without hindrance . fcremany put
'side source—the Union must, be able to show its real power. Unau
thorized beefs, individual actions on ships, thoughHess acts bf dis
obedience on the biglt ,seas—all t.bi.s tends to weaken the Union. In
order to make the Union allpowerful, cajpable of meeting any and
all attacks in this grnwiug emergency, the word must be passed
Out Of The
MAILBAG
A Letter From
Ah S.LU. Brother
In The Army
Fort Bragg, N.C.
February 3, 1941.
Dear Brothers:
"Wlien I first came here to For
Bragg I thought I would like it
I really changed my mind fast
The ciiow is lousy. All we dP the
whole day is run up and down
stairs. We get iuflpeeted at least
once every day, .sometimes twice
a day. We get inspected for dis
ease, Avhich is very foolish be
cau.se we are in quarantine for 14
days.
We cannot go ariyAvhere, we
cannot go across tlie street to see
the other fellows. The Tioncoms
are really lousy to lis. We have
to stay by ourselves until our
quarantine is up. It's a little bet
ter than Fort Dix, at least \ve
sleep in spring cots and have
Avashbowls and .showers. . = ,
T am driving a truck and pull
an antitank 37 mm. gun. That
is going to be my gun job. M
sergeant is teaching me at What
rate of .speed I should go when
pull a gun. . . I aip in the sui
cide squad. That's Avdiat they call
lis. This company Avas Aviped out
In the World War. So Ave are the
flr.st to get it started again. We
have Saturday afternoon and all
daj' Sunday off. I have to go out
and get my needle today, which
is the fourth. I may gcr on man
euvers in another 12 days. They
claim that they will and must
make sPhlieis out of us in 13
weeks. When Ave are, they will
lake us and show us how to ifight.
We liaA'e sides Avhich are called
Blue arid Red. We may travel all
oAcr the United States or ma;^ go
to Puerto Rico, or South America.
1 suppose that Avill be fun, . . .
Well, I guess that's about al^ I
hope you will send riie the paper.
Fraternally,
' s:i.u. No. 6577
P.S.—A sucker for the army
.iust came hack from the needle.,
I had some butcher. He lost the
needle in my arm. He had to pull
it oiit. with tweezers. My arm
feels dead and blown up. So long
again!
SetiretafyTreasurer's Report
Washington. D.C.
January 3i, 1941.
Late last Friday afternoon, Congressman Dlrksen introdiiced a
Bill In the House of Repieseutatlves which is now known tts Bill
H.R. 2662, and the title of this Bill is;
"To establisli hiring halls under the control of shipping commis
sioners for the engaging of seamen for certain vessels, to control
subversiAe activities among seamen, to impose additional citizenship
requirements for manning vessels of the United States, to establish
more stable labor relations in the merchflnt marine, and to protect
the status of the American Merchant Marine as an integral pai"t of
the national defense."
MOST SERIOUS THREAT
EA'ery member of this organization can and must realize that this
Bill H.R. 2662 is a serious threat to our organization. If it is passed,
it will kill our democratic rights as free citizens to bargain collec
tiA^ely as to the manner in which we shall be employed. It will take
away the democratic right of CA'cry seaman to be able to work at
his trade without being eoiiipelled to Bubmit himself to such a bluek
listing system such as the continuous discharge book.
This Bill has been referred to the Committee on Merchant Marine
& Fisheries and 1 have be6n 'informed by the Committee that all
who Avant to Ve heard on this bill in public hearing will be given
plehty ijf'opportunity to present their full side of the story and tiiat
there Avill be no railroading of the Bill by those or through the
efforts of those A\'ho seek its imriiediate passage for the obvious rea
sons why the Bill was conceived in the first place.
• SEND IN RESOLUTIONS
\Ve can expect a stiff battle'on this Bill and it will tike the
combined fefforts of all scanicii to defeat It. I hereby roqiiCst tliat
each Branch of the' Atlantic &' Giilf Distriict draw up an indi
vidual resolution condemning; Bill HAl. 30(12 and protesting its
pa8.sage, and that sucli re.solutions be presented to tlie ineiniler
ship at regular business meetings and that (lie nieinher.sliip as
sembled in sucli meeting.s' go on record as UNANYMOUSLY con
curring in all such re.solutiuiis, liesdliitioiis like tliesT, kiid in
mimhers, coming from each. Brancli will lie of great material .aid
t«j| us liere in. Wasiiiiigton Aviien we appear before tiie r6iiiii\ittee
on Merciiant Marine & Fisheries in piildie hearings on this liill.
All sncii resolutions .should liear the following Avhrds at tlip top:
TO THE COlilMITTEE ON MERCHANT MAltLVE & FISHEHIES, ̂
WASHINGTON, D.C. Headqnarteis .should he sent at least two
copies of all sucli re.solutions apart from the one appearing In tlie
minntos. I urgently request all Branches to take immediate action
on this and get tlie resolutions iindorAvay Avitiiout any undue delay.
Fraternally,
SYDNEY GKETCHHH, SecretaryTroisiirer
"Seafarers' L6g' nor Roll
lS,.:
around: EVERYTHING THOUGH THE UNION, ALL ACTIONS AP
PROVED BY THE UNION. ALL CONFIDENCE IN THE UNION!
United, acting as all for one and one for all, tlie Seafarers' Union
.can face all threats Avitliout a shadow of fear. Divided, the Union
is doomed; a prey, to all the wiles and schemes and plots of the
'shipoAvners and all its other enemies.
To defeat all the vieions antilabor bills, to prevent tbe
I fdrended regimentation of tbe bra.ss bats, to lick 'all tbe
• schemes for a return to sea slavery, UNION IBYlOlPIiiNE is
i 4he biTler 'of t'he clay.
UNION OlfiCYPLTNE'alone can uphold and .safeguard
^decent Avage.s and tolerable living and AA^orking conditions,
!all the Jtailis that .seiamen have bled for. UNION DISCI
tUTNE alone cak ke^p orgiiriized maritime labor on an even
ireel in these st%niy .seas uf APar hysteria, UNION DISCT
;^LINE Aviil, keep her, steady as she,goes|„
Antil
Against'Unions
(Continued from Page 1)
ing the freedom of action of or
ganized labor.
Prevents Misuse
Mr, Arnold had recently an
nounced his intention of using
the AntiTrust Laws to intervepe
for the gbvernnient in settling
disputes between the A.F. of L.
and C.I.O. The decision of the
Court. excludes that and leaves
intact labor's right to settle af
fairs within its own ranks.
Hits Orily Cnllp^oii %ith
Employers
Translated into laymen's lan
guage, this interpretation of the
law means that when a union is
acting in its own interest aqd is
not ini collusion with empmypr
groups to restrain trade, its ac
tivities are not subject tp prose
ciition "undeir. the knfiTrust laws
rbggfdless of whether "^unsdic
tional disputes or htker 'practices
critiiplalned of by "Thurnian' Ar
nold are Involved. '• ~ i 'e
OREYLtiCK
.i^. WEST MADAKET
.S. CARRABULLE
• Steward Department .....
.S.MAE
Engine Dept
Deck Dept
SteAvard Dept
S.S. SEATRAIN NEW YORK
Deck Dept
SteAvard Dept
Engine Dept. ... ;
S.S. CATAHliUA
S.S. CA'SSIMTR
S.S. ANGELINA
S.S. BEAUREGARD
S.S. SU. JOHN (Engine Dept.)
S.S. ROSARIO
S.S. CITY OF BIRMINGHAM
B.S. OELMAR
Canadian Seamen
Wilbur piekey
7.00
fl.SO
i.oo
4.03
2.39
' 1.50
5.65
3.75
2.85
3:60
3:00
2.60
1.00
7:70
"6.'70
3.75
5:60
7100
2.00
Berrihard 'Hammelhan 2.00
Du.san De Duisen
H. Czerkies ......
Charles Lovelace
Singletary
John Jasori .....;
Branslow Zogarda
V. Smiley
P. Crawford .....
Ernest Johft^on ..
Total ...
• f • » •
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00'
c ,^0
.50
.60
".sa
^ :3b
.M
Mi
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.73.
To A Certain First Assistant
' tte Vbrks from mbrnirig until night,
? And ne^er makes a beef,
And if , he keeps on doing Vight,
Some day he'll be a chief.
He's the: twogun terror, of Baltimore,
; He 's slain ̂his" enemies by "the ^core,
• wh^'his nld lady meets him at the door, '
? "*He''s^k^ tamg,:toblhiess 'Tdpt froki'P^tiippr^
irE. D.'Barber, iNo. 80088
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http://www.pdfcompressor.org/buy.html
Friday, February 7, 1941 t H E S E A F A RE R S ' LOG 0
ILJ'
Wh at* s Doing
TEXAS CITY
January 25, 1941.
Editor, ftcafarerti' Log:
Dear Sir and Brother:
It has been a very alow week
down In tlie sunny south, ship
ping slow, only had , to hunt up
a e,ouple of A.B.'s all week. At
present, have plenty of men in
the engine dept. Still hearing re
percussions about the drinking
going on, on the ships.
See by the papers that in
Beaumont they are launching a
ship, using bananas to grease the
skids. Will this make it a fruit
ship?
Also see that tiie NMU is ask
ing for increases. IWust have
found the idea through the ship
owners factfinding commission
that stated for the coastwise op
erators to keep the wolf away
from the mansions, they would
have to have at least a 25% raise
on freight rates to and from
Tousfon. And this, miiid you,
• fter the figures were issued
.showing that some of the opera
tors made more money in the last
year than at any other time in
their hi.story!
From the papers. It seems to
me that the men sailing the old
wooden steamschooners on the
coast are the ones that should be
getting a bonus. Check on how
many of them have been In trou
ble and lost in the last year. .
Had a call for a dic.scl oiler
the other day; no catchum.
Seems that a lot of the menibcrs
who have this experience should
start checking on when and
where these, ships are going into
commission.
. The Bayou in and out on her
last trip the other day. At last
reports, bejng turned over in
New York. By the time that you
riad this, it will bo flying a for
eign flag.
Steady as she goes.
A. W. Armstrong
kf
one more week to put yoifr selec
tion* on the ballot.
I have a copy of an old ap
praisement in the year 1857, that
lists a man's estate. Leading off
are his slaves: top price Is
$1,300.00 for a young husky, down
to $250.00 for a woman. If the
Naval Reserve bill goes through,
what price do you think a sea
man would rate?
There is an Italian ship that
has been in Houston since Italy
entered the war and the crew
Is standing by her. Any day you
can go down there and see the
crew over the side slapping on
paint. They must have put on at
least six or seven coats. Maybe
they figure is they get enough
paint on, they can use it for
armor.
If the members will take time
off to read 'and study the Sec
Treas. report in the last issue of
the Log and act accordingly, we
will be a long ways on the road
of consolidating what we have
won.
See that it is still like getting
some men to go to a dentist to
have some of these ports write
in to the paper. How come? Ye
gods, the only way that you know
some of these ports have branches
is to read the directory! Also,
while I'm squawking, how come
that more members don't write
in? Don't tell me that no one In
this organization can write. It
don't matter If you can't .spell,
the Ed. will correct your letters,
know from experience!
Steady as she. goes,
, . Armstrong
TAMPA
JACKSdWiLLE
February 1, 1941.
Editor, Seafarers' Log:
Dear Sir and Bro:
Things slowed down here in the
last week. Shipping still very
"good, with a shortage of miSn. No
big beefs, .iust the usual small
ones.
The new hall folded up, so we
will continue in the same old
stand.
Well, it's about lime for the
members to start tlie old squawk",
HOW DID THAT GUY GET 'iN
THERE? You know, the boys
that go ashore and haven't time
to go to the hall and vote. Just
January 25, 1941.
A Notice was sent In the min
htes of Monday, Jan. 20, 1941, net
to ship T. A. Steinecke, P. 942.
( would also like to have It "print
ed in the SEAFARERS LOG.
Another permit man came up
yesterday, by the name of James
Downing, P.1308, and asked to
ship out as A.B. He showed his
permit, and I found out that the
permit was issued on July 23,
1940, and he was paid up for the
month of Sept. I asked him what
the trouble was, why he couldn't
pay up his dues, when he only
paid off a ship on January 16th.
I picked up his permit and sent
it to H.Q. This man has a habit
of hanging around finkhalls
and" to ray opinion, is using this
organization for a good thing.
An exN.M.U. man vwho Is dis
gusted with that bunch of com
missars, came up Into the hall
J'anuary 21, 1941.
Editor, Seafarers' Log^.
Business is rocking along fast
and fine with sailors more sharcc
than ever. The boys down here
have been having a good laugh
for the past week, that is, since
tjie S.S. Manhattan went on the
beach. They are calling it the
$1,000,000.00 monument donated
by tlie U.S. Lines to tlie Maritime
CommLssion.
Come to think of it a real
sailor would get a good laugh out
of a silly stunt like that. There
it was, a nice quiet moonlit
night, the sea like a lily pond,
right off the strongest radio bea
con and light in the Gulf and the
beach lined with lights and
bingo, up she goes high and dry!
At low tide the local people
could walk out and look her
over.
Seeme as if some of iliese farm
ers the Maritime Commission is
turning out as ".Superior Mer
chant Mariners" aren't aware of
the fact that a ship isn't like a
twomule wagon and won't run up
a hill nor down a sand beach.
We are just wondering what ex
cuse our esteemed, overstuffed
admirals are going to offer for
this example of gross inelliciency
in seamanship.
Perchance, our aforementioned
admirals of repute are skillful en
ough in navigating the cour.se of
the taxpayer's dough, along Avith
that of old John Shipowner, into
channels that it is sure not to go
agrouiul before ieaching the des
ignation most suitable to those
cbhcerned. If these lads were
to take a couple of trips on a ship
manned by real merchant sailors
perhaps it Avould widen their
scope of knowledge so that they
might teach their plowjockeys a
few of the ruditiienta of seaman
ship, at least enough ta keep
their wagons afloat in an ocean
as bfg as tiie Atlantic.
After all, there's quite a bit of
difference between a ship's com:
pass and a mule's rear, and the
boys just can't get accustomed to
the change.
J. S. White, 56 G
SEAF?^RERS' INTERNATIONAL UNION
OF NORTH AlVIERICA
Atlantic & Gulf District
HEADQUALTERS
Room 918, Washington Loan & Trust Co. Building
9th and F Street, N.W., Washington, D. C.
P. O. Box 6180 Phone; District 5963
DIRECTORY OF BRANCHES
BRANCH ADdRESS PHONE
NEW YORK .....2 Stone St BOwling Green 93437
BOSTON 330 Atlantic Ave. ...LIBerty 4057
PROVIDENCE .. 465 South Main St. ..Manning 3572
BALTIMORE ... 14 North Gay St. ...Calvert 4539
PHILADELPHIA .6 North 6th St Lombard 7651
NORFOLK 60 Commercial PI. ..Norfolk 41083
NEW ORLEANS 309 Chartres St. ....MAgnolia 3962
SAVANNAH | .... 218 Ea.st Bay St Savannah 31728
JACKSONVILLE .136 East Bay St. ....Jacksonville 59724
TAMPA 206 So. Franklin St. .Tampa M1323
MOBILE 55 So. Conception St Dexter 1449
TEXAS CITY ... 105 4th St., N. .....Texas Citv 722
MIAMI 1348 N.E. First Ave.. Miami 22950
SAN JUAN & Covadonga St San Juan 1885
PHILADELPHIA
Three Musketeers Report
the Draft Board in Washington
that upon application, a bona fide
seaman couhi .secure from his
Local Draft Board a 6month3
deferment and keep repeating
tiiLs if necessary.
Well, we haven't much more
to call Baltimore twice in tliree ! "lore time to ballot, so let's get
January 29, 1941
Editor, Seafaiers' Log
Dear Sir and Brother.
Well, hei'e we are, at the same
old place doing business as usual,
and what a business we are do
ing! Shipping is so good we had
Donate $20 to Log in Vdte
Thanks for Union Services
Tlie following le£ter .speaks for itself. It is a testimbnial
the etfectivenes.s of the S.l.U. and its feprespfitatives;
January 2'7, TMl.
Diiudalk, Md.
Dear ̂ ftrbthers:
Enclo.scd please find twenty dollars ($20) 'donated by two
members of the S.S. Algic, F. O. Blanco No. 6060 and C. '
Melendez No. 2766. This naoney was given to me, Jan. 25
in appreclafipn i^or tjie a'lignmehts "riiade in their behalf
' "when vvo paid off'in New York. . . . Ttdi^ 'mbney is to . be
used'for BEAFAREItS^ LOG.
Sincerely yoiirs
Camille; H. Councilman No. 6458.
• • •
Patrolman Scbtto'handled tfie'bebf'for "the'men, which is referred
[o in ,tUis letter. ̂ Many giich, beefs are handled
• epreaehtatfyes;''day iii, 'day, oiit. SlU '&en 'haye"rear'rfed''l^^
late 'the iriiHtahcy" bf the "uriioh Which' d'chibVes 'Vuch 'Wttfemehts.
'ew, however, have expressed their appreciatioa in the gehefbu^ vyay
'n^Cse two brothers haye. Their's is an example to follow!
and threw his book In, and do
far, hasn't asked to ship out. His
book was also sent to H.Q. for
souvenirs.
We are proud to «ay, that the
Jacksonville Branch iias set an
all time high, when 129 members
in good standing have showed
their interest in voting for the
'41 asst. and officials. This shows
that the membership is in earn
est, and have the union at heart.
Last week, we shipped 9 full''
book rftembers, and two permits
to various ships'during week. All
ships are being contacted, and
all beefs settled. So long until
next week.
Steady as she goes,
Fred Laurltano
days for men in all departments.
Well, for a choice bit of news,
we finally shipped old Long
Drawers RollemUp McKeefry on
the Robin Adair, and that In It
self was quite a feat. Old Brother
Seaweed, the famous Bull Line
Kitchen Bitch, is back on the
beach with us again, and Instead
of his regular two speeds, we are
going to get him to go down, to
the U.S.P.H.S. and see if he can't
get in drydock, sb as to have an
other speed installed in his gears,
as his present tS^o speeds are
putting him in bad stead with the
stewards on those ships.
But, serioii.sly, fellowe, this
DRAFT Busiue.ss is becoming
quite a problem of late, as it lias
taken a couple of good men from
this Branch. Got in toucli witli
the Shipping Commissioner here
and we had quite a t.ilk on this
subject, and this is the informa
tion that he passed on to ns:
wiieii a inan is called, lie can ap
ply for a 4mont.hs extension pe
riod and if his ship is away
longer than tliat, he is to write
to his Board and let. them know
liis whereabouts and tlien when
the ship comes back, to report, to
his local board immediately. He
also stated to us that he was in
conference with some Colonel
from Washington wl\,o is con
nected with the Draft Board, and
he stated tliat he explained in de
tail the plight of the seamen, and
he was assured by this official
that he would make a recommen
dation to the other members of
together and see If we can't roll
up a bigger vote than we did In
the last election, as the true
voice of the membership Is
through the medium of the bal
lot. We remain, as usual, the
Three Musketeers,
W. B. B., No. 994
J. F. F., No. 542
H. J. C., No. 496
Mote About
Raps ^botage
Laws Directed
In Memoriam
Sven U. Reitan
Died at U.S. (^arlqe Hospital,
' Baltimore, Md.
January 19, 1941
J'econ&h' E. Nelson
Dled^at Maiden Hospital,
Maiden, Mass.
January 1, 1941
NOTICE TO ALL
SIUMEN ,
Canadian Branches of the.
Seafarers' Internatio nal
Union
When in Canadian ports,
visit the fftilis of the folloiving
organizations, affUiated to the
Seafarer.s' International Vnion
of North America:
CANA'DIKN
SEAMEN'S UNION
406 St. Lawrence Boulevaid
Montreal,'Canada
URITiSH CdLUMBIA
. SlEAiMiE^I'S .UNlbN
3|6:B Gai^ibie"Street
Yancouver, B.C.
Phone: TRinity 2251
(Continiird from I'agr /)
dangerous of the group, thei re;
port said: ; .
"The act in peace time woqlcl
practically prevent any free incli' '
vidua] from doing any act ini
peding production for defense
imder pain of the heaviest, crimi
inal penalties. It would seriously •
curtail or prohibit the rights,of
labor to strike, to picket, peace
fully, and to carry on any other '
lawful union activity wiien
acts impede production for de,.
fense.
"Under the act, a strike, slow
do'Rfn, temporary stoppage, loaf
ing, quittjng work in midshift
and picketing would be treated
equally with violent sabotage,
bombing and dynamiting. ...
"A union member, who joins
his brothers in obeying a strike
order, peaceably walks out of a
plant producing airplanes under
contract to the U.S. Army, under
the provisions of Section 2, .can
be arrested, convicted, fined |10,
000 and imprisoned for ten years,
. The union leader who calls
the strike in the above case is
likewise criminally liable. • .
"These examples are equally
applicable in every varying de
gree and graduation of union ac
tivity in serious or merely triffling
indiistrial dsiputes, unless the act
specifically excludes union activi
ties from its scope."
The other bills carry similar
antilabor threats in them by im
plication. Labor must be ever on
the alert to seie that such bills
are not slipped bve' "on tlie work
ers in the dark of higlit. by some
state legislature or even nuinicl
pal council. iv
• ?" V
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More About
Dirksen Presents Vicious Bill
To Curb All Seamen's Rights
{Continued from Page 1)
prepared to regard the present
stage of American involvement in
the War as a "state of emerg
ency," and that consequently the
stage is not as yet set for rail
roading Amei'ican merchant sea
men wholesale into the Naval
Reserve, Seamen's Enemy No. 1
is resorting to a secondary stra
the dissemination by any seamen
among other seamen of any book,
pamphlet, leaflet, or other publi
cation or item of written, printed
or giaphic matter WHICH IN
THE OPINION OF THE MAS
TER is encouraging, or is calcu
lated to encourage, mutinous or
rebellious conduct. . , ."
Aside from being a sheer vio
Callfornia
Plan to Use Draft
Against Strikers
Nipped in Bud
tegy by means of which to smash lation of the Bill of Rights in
the seamen's unions. The effect
of his present measure, H.R.
2662, is to gag and bind the mari
cluded in the U.S. Constitution,
such a provision is broad enough
to make the passing around of
time labor organizations so as to any ordinary Union literature a
soften the union seamen up for j thing for which a seaman can
a more decisive blow when the I without further ado be placed in
"state of emergency" is actually j the brig. The effect .of such a
declared provision would bring the status
Slave Provisions of H.R. 2662 of the American seaman jus;
In II.R. 2662, Seamen's Enemy i about on a par with seamen un
No 1 sets forth the .following ''or the Nazi regime,
propositions which he wants en,: ,4. Another provision of the Bdl
^ ^ . , i requires that aside from 7o per
acted into law:
1. The reestablishment of the
governmentcontrolled hiring hall
of .Shipping Board days and the
cent of the crew of a vessel be
ing natiVebirn or completely nat
uralized citizens, the remaining
25 per cent shall not have been
hir ng halls "TL Bill p.ovides ̂ hmitted later than 1930, if for
niiiug luui permanent residence, or not later
that u ;,,,J than 1925 in any other case. The
nrnoH laciUtu'H of this provision is to at
^4 nilifrwist* tlUJU Ul TfK ,
tempt to set off nativeborn cttiof, seamen othernise than in th
manner provided in this section
and section 103 (that is, under
the supervision of a shipping com
missioner, with the master of a
vessel having undisputed right to
hire or reject anyone whomso
ever he so desires, for any reason
whatsoever—Ed.') SHALL LPOA
CONVICTIOK THEREOF BE
FINED NOT MORE THAN $1,000
OR BE IMPRISONED FOR NOT
MORE THAN ONE YEAR, OR
BOTH."
In other words, any Union oflfl
cial who will continue to ship
seamen through the Union hall
will be subject to flne and impri
sonment should this law be .en
acted. The aim is clear—to ban
ish the Union hiring hall hy laic!
That's a condition that did not
even exist in the days of the
crimp joints—for at that time sea
men could legally establish Union
hiring if their organized strength
permitted it. Dirksen, by this
Bill, wants to make the Union
hiring hall a criminal offense!
2. Another provision of this in
famous H.R. 2662 provides that
"No seaman shall be employed on
zezns against the foreignborn—
Just another way of'dividing the
ranks of the seamen for the pur
puse of weakening the unions. It
practically makes it impossible
for a foreignborn seaman to ship
on an American merchant vessel.
5. Finally, the Bill practic.ally
bans strikes of maritime labor by
providing that "It shall be unlaw
ful for any maritime employes to
strike until after the expiration
of thirty (30) days from the date
on which they, or their designat
ed representatives, have given
their employer and the Board
(that's a "Mediation Board" that
the act provides for) written
notice of their intention to do so,
together with their statement of
their reasons for such intended
stiike."
Give the shipowner 30 days no
tice of intention to strike! The
unions might as well help him di
rectly by digging up all the
necessary strikebreakers with
which to cut their own throats.
AllOut Attack on Seamen!
Yet, these are the actual provi
dny vessel to ichieh this .section j sions included in the Dirksen
applies UNTIL HE HAS EXHIBI Bill. It is a sort of AilOut Aid
TED A CONTINUOUS D/S' "
CHARGE BOOK TO THE SHIP
PING COMMISSIONER."
The "Continuous. Discharge
Book"—why, that's the notorious
Cbpeland Fink Book! The Union
Bill for the shipowners. It in
cludes every vicious, unionbust
ing, laborbaiting measure that
the seamen and their unions have
fought In the past few years. It
is an AilOut Act. to smash the
rule has been from the very bej maritime .unions and to bring
ginning to reject the "fink book" back Sea Slavery,
outright! Dirksen, in this Bill, is
determined to make the "Fink
Book" compulsory for all mer
chant seamen! Thereby he wants
to introduce the most deplcable
BLACKLIST system in the hi
tory of American seamen!
3. Section 106 of this vicious
Bill provides that "lawful com
mand" includes, among other
things, "any command prohibiting
ATTENTION
. E. L. Jennings' wages
and overtime of the S.B.
Bayou Chico were paid by
cheek by the Waterman
Steamship Corporation. The
check, in the sum of $61.10,
is being held for him in the
New Orleans office of the
S.I.U. Please contact New
Orleans, giving address, so
check can be forwarded.
The Dirksen Bill must be
smashed if the seamen's unions
are to live!
Every hand on deck to give the
Union's officials full backing in
defeating this vicious measure
pushed by Seamen's Enemy
No. 1!
The brass hats in Califor
nia, who tried to use the
draft law last week as a
blackjack with which to
smash the right to strike,
quickly had their ears pinned
back by Washington officials
—after an aroused labor
movement brought the case to
light.
The conscription threat was
sounded after workers at the
Ryan Aeronautical Company in
San Diego voted to strike against
an hourly wage as low as 50
cents an hour. Though the firm
has over $18,000,000 in govern
ment orders, its pay rates have
been sy, cents an hour lower than
the aircraft industry's . average.
The workers decided on a walk
out after long drawnout negotia
tions resulted in no concessions
from the employer.s.
As soon as the decision to
strike was announced, Lieutenant
Commander Maurice Sparling, a
Naval Reserve liaison officer at
tached to California draft head
quarters, notified the San Diego
selective service boards that
workers of draft age who struck
may be conscripted into the army.
Local draft officials in San Diego
took steps to carry out Sparling's
strikebreaking move, but the
unions "raised the roof" and that
brought immediate results.
"It is, of course, not the policy
of this office," said National Draft
Director Clarence Dykstra in a
public statement, "to use threats
of selection as a club over the
heads of union men. We shall
not tolerate anything of the kind
if we find local boards trying it."
All the same, it would be wise
for labor everywhere to remain
on the alert against such further
manipulation of the draft for
strikebreaking.
A Case of the Left Hand Not V.
Knowing What the Right Is Doingq
Here are two quotations from a recent issue of the "Pilot." '
The flr.st is a quotation from "No Coffee Time" Joe's report to
the NMU national council, as follows:
"The position of the shipownerdominated (sic) SIU has
been considerably weakened and there is a decided possi
bility that in the near future their influence will be com
pletely eliminated from this coast." ,
That appears on Page 12 of the "Pilot" (January 24, 1941). On
Page 6 of the same issue of that rag we read the following:
"FULL TIME ORGANIZER ASKED BY NEW OR A
LEAS ...
"New Orleans.—The National Council was asked by the
membership of this port to supply a full time organizer for
New Orleans and Mobile. The request was made in a reso
lution. ...
"The SIV has about 60 ships organized into the AFL
sailing from these ports, says the lesolution. Waterman,
Mississippi Steamship Co.. Aluminum Line, Eastern, etc. ..."
It seems to be a case of the left hand not knowing what the
right hand is doing!
SUT influence, according to his owu "organ'.s" admission, is .so
"weakened" and so almost "completely ' elimlnattHi" from tlii^
coast liiat . . . Curran'.s stooges In New Orleans and Mobile aro
frantically calling for help to stem the SIU tide! But, for all thee
lielp they can expect from "No Coffee Time," they might as well
use a broom, it will be just about a.s effective against the waves
which spell .SIU Organization!
AntiLabor Men
Named to High
Gov't Posts
More About
Enforce Wage
Act Provisions
{Continued from Page 1)
onetwelfth of the aelling value
of the product. No other impor
tant industry has so low a wage
cost in proportion to the total
value of its output."
While enforcing the Fair Labor
Standards Act is alright, it looks
like a big union organization job
to get matters straightened out
for labor in the canning industry.
Fish cannery workers, organ
ized under the SIU banner, are
making steady headway, in this
direction.
President Roosevelt last week
named Charles F. Palmer, wealthy
Atlanta, Georgia realtor, as. head
of government agencies dealing
with defense housing.
Almost the first act of Palmer,
after he took over tlie new post,
was to bring in as one of his
lieutenants Harold E. Pomeroy,
former Executive Secretary of the
misnamed "Associated Farmers"
of Califoinia, probably the most
notorious of the country's union
biisting and strike smashing
strongarm outfits.
The appointment of 'Palmer
brought resentment on the part
of union nien in Washington. The
subsequent selection of Pomeroy
resulted in a veritable storm of
protests from all union quarters.
Steps are being taken to make
formal requests for the recall of
these two vicious antilabor men
from their posts.
ATTENTION
Francisco Ruiz
Ila.s been asked to call at
the law offices of Hillinan
and Hillman at Baltimore,
Md., to settler his claim
aprainst the fS.S. MASB
MAR.
Information for Seamen on
Procedure to Follow In Draft
In spite of the fact that, the merchant marine is often called by
government offlcials—particularly in the Navy and Army—"our sec
ond line of defense." meaning thereby that it is second in impor
tance only to the armed vessels of the Navy itself, no provisions have
been made whatsoever to exempt merchant seamen as a whole from
the draft.
Selective Service Headquarters refuses to make any ruling on
this subject, but leaves the matter of deferring seamen on an indi
vidual bu.sis, entirely icithin the discretion of the Local Draft Boards.
EVERY CASE MUST BE HANDLED INDIVIDUALLY
Regardless of wliat we may think of the wisdom of this proce
dure—regardless of.the seamen's desire to be trained and to utilize
past trainingfor action in any impending armed conflict, as seamen
enjoying merchant marine wages and union conditions—this is the
fact: every eligible seaman remains subject to call for service In
the Army. Any possibility of getting deferment must be handled on
an individual basis.
In view of this situation here are a number of practical steps
that the union seaman who has registered for the draft can and
should take:
PRACTICAL STEPS FOR YOUR GUIDANCE
1. Find out the nutuber of the Local Draft Board to
whicli you have been assigned. Call at or write to the local
lieadquartera of the Sidective Service and they Avill give JTUI
tliat information.
2. In order to avoid all difficulties in making trips on
• ships hitting foreign ports, call at the Local Draft Board and
ask for Form 351. This is the form oil which you have to fill
out a request for a permit to leave the country. Tlie draft
board grants such jicrmits for a .stipulated time, up to six
months or a year and they are renewable.
3. "When leaving the country on a trip, after getting
permit, make sure to notify the draft board when you leave |
and on what ship, and if po.ssiblc, in what ports you can be
reached. Be certain to leave a forwarding address with the j
board for any notice they may have to send.
4. If you have registered in an inland town, write your,
draft board immediately and ask them to transfer you to a
local board hi the port from Avliicli you are shijiping stead
ily. All permits to leave the country have to be obtained |
from the draft board with which you are registered at the
time you make the request. '
5. Notify your local board at once in ease of any change
• of addre.ss for receiving mail. ,
6. Sooner or later you will receive yonr qnestionnairi]
which must be returned within five days after receipt,'sul|
ject to penalty, l!
7. Before returning your questionnaire,, all filled out, b|
.sure to write in the space provided for cla.ssification, for df
ferment: "2A. Becau.se of the shortage of American m«{|
chant seamen." '
8. When you return your que.stionnaire, immediately as]
for Poriu 42, which is to be filled out by shipowners, askinj
for deferment on the ground that you are a merchant seamaj
and necessary to the national defense.
9. If you are on the beach and receive notification thai
you are cla.ssed under 1A, contact your Union office, whicf
will apply, for deferment for you.
Remember that each case has to toe handled Individually, It
Important that you follow these instructions carefully, for your owj
protection.
'— —"• — ^.
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