http://seafarerslog.org/archives/files/original/a0356a27467701f9b43566d83ba57a10.PDF eda6b225e6151dacb0927e9caa80cc68 PDF Text Text Official Organ of the Atlantic and Gulf District, Seafarers International Union of North America Vol. VIII. NEW YORK. N. Y.. FRIDAY. SEPTEMBER 20. 1946 No. 38 General Strike Wins Gompiete Victory; NMU Asks Pay Rise To Seafarers Levels Asks For Wage Increases That The Seafarers Gained By Fighting On Picketline NEW YORK—On the heels of the SIU-SUP victory over bureaucracy, came the echo from the National Mari­ time Union, CIO, which said: "Me, too." This echo is nothing new to the Seafarers. And the fact that the NMU waited until the SIU had won a terrific battle before re­ THIS ISSUE Because the Teamsters' strike did not end soon enough, the LOG this week has only 12 pages. As a con­ sequence. many features and articles were left out to make room for the all important stories on the general strike action. Three full pages of pictures about the action appear on pages 6, 7. and 12. SIU Action Forces Steelman To Reverse Bureaucratic Denial Of Seafarers Scales NEW YORK—With the announcement by John R;. Steelman, Director of Stabilization, that the Wage Stab­ ilization Board's decision, denying negotiated wage gains to the SIU-SUP, had been reversed, the greatest maritime strike in American history came to an end. ^ For a period of ten days not a questing higher pay, is what* ship moved or was worked in members of the SIU have come any port, on any coast, of the to expect. For quite some time United States. The action took now the NMU has been forced to on an international aspect when take second place in all action on foreign seamen refused to work the waterfront designed to better their ships in our ports, and when the lot of the working seamen. foreign stevedores went on rec­ This case is no exception. ord not to unload any cargo load­ As soon as the general strike Although seamen are now able duration of benefits, that is, certain waiting period. In most against the decision by the Wage granted unemployment benefits the individual worker's total ben­ States the waiting period is one ed in United States ports during Stabilization Board, which flag- in various states, this should not efit year depend on wages earned week in each benefit year, and is the strike. When the strike finally was 1-antly stole part of the wage in­ be taken as complete victory. A in the base period with a maxi­ the same for maritime workers as crease from SIU-SUP seamen, great deal of change must be in­ mum set by law. The following for those in shore industries. In brought to an end by the com­ was announced, the NMU was corporated into the existing maximums are fixed by this type New Jersey and Pennsylvania a plete capitulation of the Admin­ special waiting period of two istration, an estimated half mil­ quick to state that they would framework of the law if seamen of law: honor AFL picketlines and do all are to be accorded the same type following lion waterfront workers had al­ The maximum claimant can weeks immediately each period of employment under ready left their jobs, and more in their power to bring our strike of treatment as other workers. draw is: to a successful and speedy con­ The fight for an equitable Un­ Alabama—the lesser of 20 times shipping articles is required for were joining the action each day. VICTORY SURE clusion. employment Compensation Law the weekly benefit amount or maritime workers. The waiting periods for seamen in the States It was obvious from the time But actually, there was little must go on, but it is heartening 1/3 of wages earned in the base which have entered the Inter­ the walkout first started that else they could do. They were to American seamen to realize period. state Maritime Arrangement only a reversal of the WSB rul­ smart enough to realize that once that their efforts so far have met California—based oh schedule of therefore are: ing would bring to an end the the SIU had forced the Govern­ with a small measure of success. base period wages; maximum strike that had served to com­ Alabama—one week. This continues the article on ment to reverse the WSB rulingj ranges from $160 to $468 in a pletely paralyze all shipping and the NMU would also gain. Sec­ the present laws relating to un­ benefit year, or from 16 to 23 California—one week. water transport to and from the ond they knew that they did not employment benefits for mer­ New Jersey—two weeks. weeks. United States. For this reason it have the power, or the confi­ chant seamen. In case any ques­ New York—four "effective days," was expected that the Adminis­ New Jersey—the lesser of 26 dence of waterfront workers to tion arises, definite information that is, four days of unemploy­ tration would take a hand in the times weekly benefit amount try to break any picketlines es­ can be obtained through the Spe­ ment over and above 3 days of matter by asking Dr. Steelman or 1/3 of wages earned in base tablished by the AFL. With all cial Services Department of the unemployment In any week. period; minimum duration of to step in immediately. Instead the ballyhoo with which the Union. 10 weeks. Pennsylvania—two weeks. of this, the Government allowed CMU was launched, neverthe­ For How Long Can A Claimant Pennsylvania—based on schedule Texas—one week preceding or the strike to go on, and even alless it is the AFL Maritime Draw Benefits? of weekly benefit amount and Most States provides for vari{Coniinued on Page 5) (Coniinued on Page 4) (Continucd on Page 3) base period wages; ranges from 9 to 20 weeks. LEADING THE PARADE Texas—the lesser of 9 times the two-week benefit amount or 1/5 of wages earned in base period. Virginia—the lesser of 16 times weekly benefit amount or 1/4 of wages earned in base period. Washington—based on schedule of base period wages; ranges from 12 times to 26 times week­ ly benefit amount. New York is the only State now a member of the Interstate Maritime Arrangement with a uniform duration for all work­ ers. If a worker qualifies for ben­ efits in New York and remains unemployed he may receive 26 weeks of benefits irrespective of base period earnings. Thousands of SIU-SUP men jammed the building and over­ Foreshadowing what was to come, men of the Sailors Union flowed into strets around the New York Hall when the announ­ How Long Is The Waiting of the Pacific marched at the head of the line in the San Fran­ cement was made that the strike was over and a victory had Period? cisco Labor Day Parade. A few days after this, thousands of been won by the Seafarers International Union. It was a cause Unemployed persons become men from the SIU-SUP marched in other lines, picketlines, to for celebration, and every man had ihe right to do so. entitled to benefits only after a win back the wage increases withheld by the WSB. Merchant Seamen Still Await Changes In Present Unemployment Insurance Law I J �#iPPii^iiiBi'!''i'i'" • -'l, ., .-^.l-A^L- VW; • Pagre Two THE SEAWARMHS lOG Friday, September 20, 1946 SEAFARERS LOG Published Weekly by the SEAFARERS INTERNATIONAL UNION OF NORTH AMERICA Atlantic and Gulf District Affiliated mth the American Federation of Labor At 51 Beaver Street, New York, 4, N. Y. HAnover 2-2784 4. - i'' :• >i t ft HARRY LUNDEBERG ------- President 105 Market Street, San Francisco, Calif. JOHN HAWK Secy-Treas. P. O. Box 25, Station P , New York City Entered as second class matter June 15, 1945, at the Post Office in New York, N. Y., under the Act of August 24, 1912. 167 Free Loading There is nothing which is more disliked among sea­ faring men than.a freeloader. A freeloader is the kind of guy who acts as a parasite upon the men who believe in strong unions, and who do a good job in building them up and keeping them strong. No freeloader ever does that. Instead he makes it his business to take all the advantages that the union has been able to gain through years of bloody struggle, and in return he damns the union and refuses to pay dues. The life of such a character is not a good insurance risk, and while he lives he certainly can't be very happy. Right now some of the NMU leadership is in the same position. So accustomed are they to the idea that the Sea­ farers International Union will take the lead in all matters that vitally concern the waterfront workers, that now they are out on strike to win the same wage scales which we already won for the entire industry. This play to the gallery is designed to throw dust in the eyesjof the NMU membership. Its sole use it to make the rank-and-file believe that what the NMU is sure to gain was won by action. But the members of the NMU, and all other waterfront workers, know the score. They all know that this is a free ride for the NMU. Left to themselves, the NMU would not have achieved a scale of wages on a level with what the SIU is now getting for at least another year. And by that time the SIU would have advanced even further. It is no accident that the SIU leads the way for sea­ men. Considering the amount of time that the leaders of the NMU spend on matters which do not concern the lives of merchant seamen, it is a wonder that they have These are the Union Brothers currently in the marine hospitals, been able to make any advances at all. as reported by the Port Agents. These Brothers find time hanging It is impossible to serve two masters. No one can do heavily on their hands. Do what you can to cheer them, up by writ­ ,a good job for the communist party, and at the same time ing to them. do a solid trade union job. One task is sure to suffer— W. BRUCE JR. STATEN ISLAND HOSPITAL and in the NMU it has not been the communist party. C. G. SMITH LEIF O. SVEUN With great rapidity the members of the NMU have PAUL DEADY R. L. FRENCH W. H. OSBORNE been waking up to the fact that their union has become L. A. CORNWALL WILBUR MANNING nothing mpre than a communist party cell. They don't W. B. MUIR CHARLES TILLER R. G. MOSSELLER like it. This free ride which the NMU leaders are now A. T. MORGAN C. V/. SMITH taking will prove once more that the leadership of the C. R. POTTER EDWARD CUSTER NMU is bankrupt, and that their best efforts are expended H. P. HARRIS JOHN R. GOMEZ only when the interests of the communist party are in­ H. P. HARRIS VINCENT FADOUL EL WIN MAXWELL J. FAIRCLOTH volved. ERNEST ROBERTS J. DE ABREU For their present position as riders of the SIU band­ ABDON SYLVERA L. L. MOODY wagon the NMU leaders must accept the entire blame. T. WADSWORTH THOMAS MORGAN "They are, and were elected to office to do the best job in F. GEMBICKI ROBERT YOUNG JARVIS SEELY, Jr. their power. They did not do so, and inseated they used W. G. H. BAUSE WILLIAM OATIS G. KITCHEN ^heir high offices to advance the policies and teachings of GEORGE CONNER J. N. RAYMOND the communist party. H. BELCHER ft ft ft That constitutes an act of treachery, and one for J. FIGUEROA BOSTON HOSPITAL which they will have to answer, in the near future. The L. B. KNICKERBOCKER H. STONE F. MARTENS inembeis of the NMU are gradually awakening to the fact P. KOGOY 1 ft ft that the union has been captured by a political party that P. CASALINUOVO NEW ORLEANS HOSPITAL has not the interests of the workers at heart. When the day JOSEPH WALSH A. CHASE of reckoning comes, these men will be replaced by honest H. SAVINI E. JOHNSTON T. DINEEN trade unionists. FERDINAND VIGO E. DORMADY Perhaps the latest picture of the NMU leadership fol- STEVE (LEFTY) McCOY E. DACEY GLEN DOWELL Mowing where the SIU has already broken the g;round might J. W. DENNIS K. HOOPER •^hrixig that day of reckoning even closer. S. GILLIS R. M. NOLAN Men Now In The Marine Hospitals . ••••'irict'&s ."'S3''' I! Hospital Patients When entering the hospital notify the delegate by post­ card, giving your name and the number of your ward. Staten Island Hospital You can contact your Hos­ pital delegate at the Staten Island Hospital at the follow­ ing times: Tuesday—1:30 to 3:30 p. m. (on 5th and 6th floors) Thursday—1:30 to 3:30 p. m. (on 3rd and 4th floors.) Saturday—1:30 to 3:30 p. m. (on Ist and 2nd floors.) BALTIMORE HOSPITAL HENRY WILLETT PETER LOPEZ E. J. DELLAMANO MONTEIRO NELSON JAMES KELLY WM. SILVERTHORNE WM. REEVES WM. KEMMERER ROY McCANNON MOSES MORRIS ARMAND PERRON ARTHUR KING NICK MAROVICH HARRY CRONIN RAYMOND MORRIS 35^00DR0W REID ft ft ft GALVESTON HOSPITAL GEO. RIGGENS J. P. FOUGHT J. LONGTEMPS W. E. PATTERSON K. A. PUGH -D.FAULK . �THE SEAFARERS LOG Friday, September 20, 1946 Page Three'- SIU-SUP General Strike Whs Reversal Of Anti-Laber Decision By PAUL HALL Now that we've successfully concluded our beef with the WSB, many men have asked what combination of forces made for our victory. I'm not going to say it was the Strike Strategy Committee, or the picketlines, or any other organized group that made for the winning of this fight. It was something deeper than all this, some­ thing deep inside each man. Call it self-determination or will pow­ er, whatever you will, but it was there. Perhaps an instance of what I saw on the third floor of the Hall will give you an idea of this basic thing that won the fight. An oldlimcr, about 60 or 65 years old was sitting there, his feet badly inflamed from pounding the bricks. Around him were stand­ ing several younger men of all departments all of whom were all con­ cerned over his welfare. One said, "The old man gave his best, but he just couldn't stand up under the gaff." I looked at the oldtimer and he still had the fight in his eyes, but the flesh wasn't willing. That showed to me clearer than any­ thing how much these men were putting into this fight. The con­ cern shown him by his shipmates was cooperation at its best. I take my white cap off to all of these boys, they showed they had the stuff and no fooling about it. Thanks To Longshoremen to Not only do we have complete cooperation from our own mem­ bers, but we owe great thanks to the Longshoremen who proved themselves to be true militants by backing us all the way down the line. We cannot underestimate the assistance given us by these men who know real waterfront solidarity. They are always ready, to give us assistance when we have a beef to settle. At the present they are still out, respecting the picketlines of the NMU, who are trying to pull their wages up to SIU levels. Watch Capitol Hill This strike, although won to the letter by the Seafarers, does not mean that we are through with our struggles. On the contrary our fight is just beginning. Do not think for a minute that the boys in Washington have forgotten us. The government will try with all in its power to destroy our infiuebce and strength. Watch the news­ papers. They will reflect the attitude of the shipowners and that in tm-n is the attitude of our Congressmen. What they will say about us and strikes in general in the newspapers will give you an idea of what they have in mind. ever as completely successful as {Continued from Page 1) lowed the WSB to save its face this one. by reiterating its original posi­ For an action of such major tion after the meeting held on proportions, there was surpris­ Tuesday, September 11. ingly little violence, or attempts That this was only a face-sav­ to break the picketlines. Some ing gesture was proved the very isolated instances were reported, next day when Steelman an­ such as the needless billy~ub nounced that the wage increases swinging by the Tampa police had been approved by him in his when they tried to force a lane capacity as Director of Stabili­ zation. As authority for his ap­ through the marching pickets. proval he quoted a little known SOME TROUBLE law, dating back to 1862, which Difficulties were also encount­ provided for such increases if ered in some of the Texas ports more than half of the shipping where injunctions were issued to industry was not under Govern­ force the SIU to remove the ment jurisdiction. The wages picketlines. This did not suc­ prevailing in the industry would ceed in breaking up the lines then be taken as the standard and as result a few Brothers wage. were arrested and fined. Far from He further ruled that the wage breaking the morale of the strik­ increases won by the SIU-SUP ers, these stories served to tight­ came within this scope and there­ en their determination to fight fore approved them at once. GREAT EFFECT There was no doubt of the ef­ fectiveness of the SIU-SUP tieup of shipping. Ports along all three coasts took on the look of ghost harbors. The only activity that could be seen was pickets patiently marching up and down in front of piers. For days on end not a plume of smoke came from the smoke stack of any ship in any harbor. The industrial history of the United States is sprinkled with general strike actions, but it can be truthfully said that no gen­ eral strike was ever as effective as this one. And it can also be said that no general strike was Philly Tugmen Hail SiU For Labor Victory Congratulations for the "splen­ did victory" won by the Seafarers International Union for "all or­ ganized labor" was extended to the SIU by the United Harbor Workers, Local Union 13039, Dis­ trict 50, of the United Mine Remember last June when Harry Truman frantically called for Workers. the draft of the Railroaders and the crippling of labor unions and The message, sent by telegram how quick the House of Representatives pushed it through? Don't to Secretary-Treasurer John put any faith in the "friends of labor" on Capitol Hill. Hawk by William E. Collier, field This fall, when Congress reconvenes, you can expect the im­ representative of , the latter or­ mediate introduction of a fibod of union-breaking bills. We fought ganization, which has always government bureaucrats this time and won hands down, and they worked closely with the Phila­ are going to try to fix our wagon. Well, we'll be ready for them and delphia Branch of the Seafarers, if necessary once more they will learn that we mean business when praised the local strike as led by we say, "free collective bargaining without government regimenta­ Agent James Truesdale. tion!" The text of the telegram fol­ lows Complete Unity Necessary In the recent strike the SIU proved that in spite of the hatchet job that maritime unions have been doing on each other, a union, when it has a good beef, can count on the unity and backing of all waterfront unions. Strikes, such as this, are no longer confined to one area or one port, but are nationwide. They are big business and the only way to fight fire is with fire. To do this, complete unity of action on a nationwide basis is the only answer and we showed them we had it. To prepare ourselves for any "incidents" that may occur in the future it is important that the SIU-SUP prepare a program to in­ sure the complete unity of the waterfront. The SIU has laid the cornerstone for the unity necessary when recently the AFL Mari­ time Trades Department was set up in Chicago. This is only the beginning of the closely knit machine that will be necessary for future operations. We intend to make our program such thar all maritime unions can unite behind us in our important job against the special inter­ ests and when that mechanism is set up we will be ready for any thing, whether it be union-busting, finkherding or government regimentation. John Hawk, Secy. Treas. Seafarers Intl. Union AFL "United Harbor Wokers, Lo­ cal Union 13039, District 50 United Mine Workers of Amer­ ica, representing tugboat per­ sonnel in the port of Philadel­ phia, extend congratulations to you and your organization for the splendid victory won by the Seafarers International Union. Your Union's gallant fight was for a pi'inciple vital to all organized labor. Our Union supported James Trues­ dale, SIU Port Agent in Phila­ delphia, during the strike and extend to him our respect for the capable job done here. He is a credit to your organization and to organized labor." Wm. E. Collier, Field Rep. the battle through to an over-' whelming victory. One of the big things, in ad­ dition to the fact that the WSB' was reversed, that came out Of this struggle, was the emergence of the AFL Maritime Trades De­ partment as a force to be reck­ oned with along the v/aterfronfc. Having come into being only a short time ago, the council took the lead in coordinating the ac­ tivities of all AFL v/aterfront unions in all seaports. The victory, and •fhe lessona. learned while the fight was on, leads to the belief that water­ front workers have come a long v.'ay since that day when they could be jailed, or fined, for the slightest infraction of the rules. From this battle the SIU and the other affiliates of the Maritime Trades Department v/iJl go on to bigger and better things. Steeiman On Seamen's Pay Following is the text of the statement by the Office of Eco­ nomic Stabilization in the sea­ men's wage case: Stabilization Director John R. Steelman issued an amendment to wage stabilization regulations permitting the Government agen­ cies to pay wages and salaries comparable to the wages and salaries paid for the same or com­ parable services by other oper­ ators in tlie same industry. It has been the Government's policy to pay "prevailing rates'' on Government jobs since Con­ gress so directed the Navy in 1862. This principle has been im­ plemented by various other con­ gressional and executive actions, such as the Bacon-Davis and Walsh-Healy Acts. SAME WAGE The Steelman amendment would authorize those govern­ mental agencies engaged in ac­ tivity in which private business also is engaged, to pay in their own operations the same wage rales as those paid by a substan­ tial portion of that industry. Under present wage regula­ tions if private industry desires to use a wage increase for price or rate increases, such increases must be submitted to the Wage Stabilization Board. This is not changed. The new amendment merely means that if the indus­ try agrees to pay an increase un­ der conditions which do not re­ quire Wage Stabilization Board approval, then the Government agency involved may pay the same rates without recourse to the Wage Stablization Board or other stabilization agency. The action was taken by Mr. Steelman with the recommenda­ tion of the chairman of the Mari­ time Commission. Text of the amendment follows; TITLE 32 — NATIONAL DE­ FENSE. Chapter XVIII—Office of Eco­ nomic Stabilization. Office of War Mobilization and Reconversion. Part 4001 — Stabilization of wages prices supplementary wage and salary regulations (Q). Supplementary wage and sal­ ary regulations are amended by adding a new section 205 to read as follows: Section 205 — Wage or salary increases in Government opera­ tions. (A) In accordance with long - established governmental policy, the Government agency responsible for operations con­ ducted by or for the United States may pay (or authorize the pay­ ment of) wages and salaries in. such operations, comparable to the wages and salaries paid, for the same or comparable services, by other operations in the same industry. However, this applies only if both the following con­ ditions are satisfied. 1. Such Government operations constitute less than half the total operations of the industry, when, measured by either the total number of persons employed ©r the total dollar volume of busi­ ness done; and 2. A substantial part of the r-emaining operations in the indus- . try (as above measured) arc pay^ing the comparble wages or sjilaries. NO PRICE INCREASES (B) For the purpose of tfaia* section, "operations conducted by or for the United States" do BOt include operations in plants, mines of the United States under section 3 of the war labor dis­ putes act or similar laws. (C) A wage or salary increasemade under the provisions of this-' section may be used as a basis for reimbursement by the United States, but shall be deemed an unapproved increase for theother purposes of these regula-v tions; provided, however, that aE • other provisions of these regula­ tions (except section 103) are su­ perseded insofar as they are in­ consistent with the making of a wage or salary increase (or it:imbursement therefor) otherwisd permitted by this section. This amendment shall becomateffective September 12, 1946. �•A THESE4FARERS LOG Pag0 Four Friday, September 20, 1946 Give Us Same Wages That SiU Wen Fer Themselves, NMU Asks {Con limitd from Page 1) Trades Department which has the most power along the water­ front. Even before the AFL formed its waterfront group, the NMU was forced to accept SIU leader­ ship in all matters pertaining to the waterfront. Take the 1941 Bonus Strike, for instance. While merchant seamen were being knocked off in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean like sitting pigeons, the SIU was the first seamen's union to strike a blow for higher pay for increased risks. The NMU officials threw^ up their hands and claimed that it wasn't patriotic to demand high­ er wages while Stalin was in danger, but when the SIU forced through more pay, the NMU rank-and-file wanted the same bonus. Finally the misleaders of the NMU had to come out and beg for the same deal that the Seafarers had won. • . Take the fight against the WSA Medical Program, for another ex­ ample. This was a phony deal under which the WSA could blacklist any union militant they wanted to. Of course, the SIU fought against, it; but the NMU, still playing footsy with the Ad­ ministration, said that it was a good plan, and anyway, the SIU was "strike happy" and looked for excuses to fight the Govern­ ment. ABOUT FACE But the shoe was soon on the other foot. Under SIU pressure, the WSA was forced to back down, and the NMU leaders heard about this from the mem­ bership. This was plain to see by the way the Pilot took off against the program—after the SIU had been successful in hav­ ing it rescinded. And if these two instances are not enough, have another one. In the struggle by the WSA to control merchant seamen, this agency came up with a plan that could easily be used to keep a good union man from shipping for a long time, if at all. They called this one the "Competency Card" plan. On the face of it, it sounded harmless enough. But hidden in the plan were plenty of jokers that could and would be used to eliminate militants. So once again the SIU went all out against the WSA. NO ONE FOOLED And once again the NMU made believe that there was nothing happening. Only when the WSA had backed down, and stated that the Competency Card would be a voluntary measure, did the NMU say anything against its wartime ally. None of these actions by the NMU fooled the men who sail the ships of the United States merchant fleet. They know that all fights in the interests of sea­ men are, and have been fought by the Seafarers International Union. It is to be gravely doubted whether this latest "me, too" move will be taken seriously. Most seamen are taking it in stride, and saying that it is just like the NMU to follow where the SIU leads. John Ward . During the last week or ten days, real Seafarers have been plentiful. On every picketline, in every chow line, there were a few men who were pointed out as real seamen; men who had fought the good fight for sea­ men's rights for a long time. Such a man is John Ward, FOW. Johnny has been going to sea since 1924, when, as he puts it, "I couldn't get a job any other way ao I shipped on ex­ cursion boats." Soon he advanced to other types of vessels, and he became the youngest coal burning fire­ man on the East Coast. In 1927 he took his first deep-sea assign­ ment, and at the same time he got his first interest in unionism. "Of course," he says, "I could not do very much about it then, but I kept the thought in the back of my head that one man had a hard row to hoe, but a lot of men could do the job a hell of a lot faster." In 1933 he put this idea to use, and he has belonged to a union for merchant seamqn ever since. AFL Policy in NMU Strike The following is the policy of ing head-on with the Govern­ the AFL Maritime Trades De­ ment the same as we did. In view of this difference, and partment: also considering the point that In view of the confusion exist­ we would like to see the CIO and ing on the waterfront, due main­ Independent Unions successful in ly to the manner of "administra­ their fight against the operators, the following shall be the policy tion" of the CMU Strike by of the SIU-SUP as well as the those persons in charge, it is AFL Maritime Unions: NORFOLK necssary to clarify the AFL 1. (a) All AFL Unions will re­ INDIVIDUAL DONATIONS policy. First, we must start with spect NMU, MCS and CIO^ Crew of SS Mary Biberdyke—$11.50. an analysis of our recently con­ picket lines around their | J. Higgina, $2.00: S. T. VIck, $2.00; cluded strike. contracted vessels. This to L. V. Bortmas. $2.00; L. L. Eccles, G. Daniela, $2.00; R. F. Hudson, ^ The SIU-SUP solicited the aid be continued until such $2.00; $2.00; A. DeSouza, $2.00; R. G. Styron, of the AFL Maritime Trades De­ time as these people defeat $2.00; R. L. Styron, $2.00; C. Hamil­ partment to gain their support in their operators and gain ton. $2.00; A. W. White, $2.00; M. H. the tying up of all ships in all the same wages and condi­ Mabe, $2.00. ports. We felt that this was tions that we have already NEW YORK necessary due to the fact that the won. SS GEORGE WASHINGTON SIU-SUP were engaged in a (b) In the event of Govern­ R. W. Campbell, $1.00. head-on fight with an Agency ment seizure and/or opera­ J. Kalmic, $1.00; J. Thompson, $1.00; of this Government, and this, of tion of any NMU or MCS H. Goering, $2.00; John Anton, $5.00; course, meant the Government it­ vessels, as a result of their D. C. Rodda, $1.00; F. E. Wasmer, $2.00; Robert J. Burns, $2.00; J. Marself. dispute, the AFL Maritime shall, $1.00; J. P. Romero, $1.00; M. We and the SIU-SUP also real­ Unions reaffirm their Soobramoney. $1.00; Grant Wilson, Jr., ized the necessity of gathering pledge of June 15 and will $1.00; G. O. Hinrichs, $1.00; R. J. as much strength as possible in consider such seizure and Augsbach, $1.00; T. E. Boyhan, $1.00; A. Gall, $1.00; H. Jobe, $1.00; F. such a struggle. In order to guar­ operation a lock-out and Schumacher, $1.00; G. Jackson, $1.00; antee the complete stoppage of deal it is such by stopping S. Walker, $1.00; J. Moore, $1.00; M. work of all AFL Maritime Unions work on all piers and all George, $1.00; S. Zauadoson, $1.00. and at the same time preserve all ship until such Govern­ SS T. MEADOWS of our affiliated Unions' contracts ment seizure and opera­ Crew—-SS T. Meadows, $37.00. with their employers, it was tions .stop. .A. Ferria, *5.00; 11. Corton, $5.00; Harry Levy, $5.00; J. E. Heard, $5.00; necessary to establish such picket 2. The AFL Unions request the J. O. Hargrove, $15.00; A. F. Waltz, lines to bring enough force to MCS and the NMU to with­ $5.00; J. W. Pence, $5.00; J.-W. Hamilbear against the Guveinment to draw picket lines from all ton, $5.00; L. Duncan, $5.00; P. J. force a reversal of such a decision $5.00; C. Hall, $5.00; J. J. ships, with the exception of Fiefer, Wenaling, $5.00; C. Carpenter, $5.00; as was made by the WSB in the their contracted vessels by no J. M. Etheredge, $5.00; C. B. McDonald, SIU-SUP case. later than 6 a. m. tomorrow $5.00; E. Rape, $5.00. This was done, and through the morning. This particular SS SIGNAL HILLS immediate support of our affili­ point we feel is very impor­ F. P. Gabral, $1.00. ated Unions—the Longshoremen, tant if we are to eliminate the SS SAN ANGELO VICTORY Towboatmen, Masters, Mates and possibilities of wide-open F. Swestka, $1.00; T. Chilinski, $1.00; Pilots—and the respecting of our jurisdictional warfare along C. Caus, $1.00. picket lines by CIO and Inde­ all docks in all ports. SS LAMARR pendent Unions, the Government H. E. Parsons, $2.00; I. S. Cardeal, We feel that the tying up of stand was reversed, and the door vessels by the NMU and the $2.00; T. Shea. $2.00. SS Lamar—Crew, $15.00. opened completely for the NMU MCS. on other than their own SS p. DONNELL and MCS to obtain the same vessels on a contractual prob­ SS p. Donnell—Crew, $45.00. wage scales as the SIU-SUP. lem between them and their J. L. Joyner, $1.00; D. H. Smith, This presents a fairly complete operators will only add to the $5.00; G. M. Hargrove, $5.00; William analysis of the present SIU-SUP existing confusion now in L. Carraway, $5.00; W. D. Dradshaw, Strike. the minds of so many of their members. The dispute of the NMU and the MCS now being waged in, the 3. The AFL will not man or name of the CMU is of an entire­ handle any ships that may be ly different nature. Their beef reallocated as a result of this is directly against the operators, dispute between, _the NMU, and does not involve their fightMCS and the operators. $5.00; R. Harmon, $5.00; N. N. Bathia, $5.00; H. M. Smith. $5.00; J. H. Bullard, $5.00; N. Spencer, $5.00; C. C. Spencer, $5.00; J. A. Greed, $5.00; E. Cole, $5.00; J. O. Rogers, $5.00; C. W. Paris, $5.00; R. W. Hill. $5.00; T. E. McClenney, $5.00; E. L. Evans, $5.00; William H. Pallett, $5.00; N. A. Barbour, $5.00; Hoyl Zimmerman, $5.00. SS MONTEBELLO HILLS H. E. Neal, $1.00. INDIVIDUAL DONATIONS H. E. Neal, $1.00. R. Lester, $2.00. $1.00; Eustachy Bulik, G. O. Green, $2.00; Edgar Swabeck, $1.00; Frank Ferraro, $1.00; Keith Stebbins, $1.00; S. Weiss, 50c. PERSONALS And he has made his presence felt in any union to which he has belonged. The strikes which took place in 1935-36 found him an active participant. He fought for good honest unionism and he fought the bosses with the same heat. No picketline was too difficult, and no weather too tought. WAR YEARS When the war came he was still the same militant guy. He was among the first to ship out, and had the experience of mak­ ing one of the longest single trips made by any merehant ship dur­ ing World War II. The Mississippi Steamship Company had no idea that the West Gotomska would be gone fifteen months when she left a United States port for Russia. But that is exactly what happen­ ed. First the boat was held up for four months in England when she missed the convoy. Then she was held up for a while in an English port, and finally the ves­ sel reached the Russian port where she was supposed to go. None of this trip was pleasant. During almost the entire time the ship was under attack from dive-bombers and submarines. The Gotomska was reported sunk four or five times, and when the boat finally reached a home port, many wives and sweethearts were agreeably surprised since they all believed that the Got­ omska had been sunk. ORGANIZER John Ward has had his share of sailing unorganized ships, too. In the days of 1933-34, when it Your mother requests that you was murderous to board a ship get in touch with her as soon as if you were interested in doing possible. She is very anxious to an organizing job. Ward did hear from you, plenty of that sort of work; es­ X % X pecially in the tanker field. ATHUR G. CHAMPAGNE As a good union member, John Your sister, Evelyn Payne Syl­ can show picket clearances for vester is trying to locate you. She all strike actions that the SIU asks that you get in touch with has taken part in. When the chips her as soon as possible at the are down, he wants to do his following address 8087 LaMesa part for the Union he believes Blvd., La Mesa, Calif. in. LAWRENCE GREGORY LARONDE NOTICE! The following men are to re­ port to the Mobile Hall or the SIU Headquarters in New York to rectify an error in the issuance of receipts on August 30. Hercey M. Goodine T. 0. 19010, Robert N. Infinger T. C. 18875, J. T. Davis T. C. 18872," James H. Aichele T. C. 18874, Britton M. Baxley T.C. 18860 and Robert E. Blair T. C, 19009. These men hold receipts B-6920 through B-6925. For the past three years Ward has been a shore Bosun for the Mississippi Steamship Company, but right now he is ready to sail again. "You can't beat the sea," he says, "for companionship and for being able to do a good job as a seaman and as a good union man. From now on I want" to keep real close to the sea." Only a real Union can attract such fine guys, and only real seamen are the sort who stick to the SIU. It's a good combina­ tion, and one that pays off— take this strike for instance. �THE SEAFARERS LOG Friday, September 20, 1946 BALTIMORE STRIKE MEETING Seamen Still Await Changes In Existing Benefits Laws {Cantbilled from Page 1) follov/ing the filing of an intial claim after layoff. Virginia—one week. Washington—fine %yppk. Are There Other Requirements? State laws provide also that a claimant must met certain re­ quirements before he is eligible for benefits. 1. He must file a claim and register for work at a public employment office. In New York special ar­ rangements are being made in connection with union hiring halls. Baltimore holds its first meeting after the strike call had been received. Above Agent Wm. "Curly" Rentz (with back to the camera) and other Branch officials, present the situation and call for discussion from the floor. Militant Unionism Of SlU-SUP Pays Off By EARL SHEPPARD Yes, we won our beef against the Wage Stabilization Board just like the SIU-SUP always win their beefs. It was a clean cut victory for the right of free collective bargaining—free ftom the intervention and dictatorship of any government bureau. And it will probably mean the death of the WSB sometime in the very near future. As a result of our victory and the signed agreements with the operators, we won the best wages and overtime pay ever secured in the maritime industry. Since then our Negotiating Committee has practically concluded nego­ tiations with the shipowners for the balance of * the contract. When finished, the SIU will also have won the best manning scales, working and living condi­ tions in the industry. By breaking the WSB strangle­ hold on collective bargaining be­ tween the Union and the oper­ ators, we also made it possible for the NMU, MCS, and MFOWW to secure the same high wages as the SIU. The fact that their strike is between them and the shipowners, not against the WSB as was the Seafarers, also changes the picture somewhat. NMU STRIKE PICTURE striking NMUers have no beef against the WSB. This govern­ ment agency was soundly whip­ ped by the SIU-SUP, and the Steelman decision left the road wide open for the NMU, MCS, and MFOWW raises. Merely to becloud the issues, and kid the MCS and MFOWW members in­ to thinking that the NMU was winning their increases, the NMU strike has been prolonged, In fact the NMU strike was not necessary in the first place. It was a last minute grandstand gesture intended to fool the NMU rank-and4fllers that the NMU misleaders were actually win­ ning something for them by their seemingly militancy. Merely by sitting down with their operat­ ors and bargaining collectively as did the SIU-SUP, the NMU could have secured the same gains as won by the SIU; As for the collaterals, once the WSB was removed from the pic­ ture, these items had already been jointly agreed upon as sub­ ject to James Fly's arbitration. By removing . the security watches on NMU ships, which they had maintained throughout the SIU-SUP strike, the NMU al­ so precipitated a further rift be­ tween them and the operators. We have no brief with the ship­ owners, but fail to see the jus­ tification of this inconsistent stand by the NMU misleaders. ISTHMIAN ELECTION Contrary to our earlier reports, the Isthmian election is not of­ ficially over until October 29. We mentioned in a previous article that September 18 was the dead­ line, but that was in error. How­ ever, if the' two remaining un­ voted ships—the Pere Marquette and the Atlanta City—are voted before then, the ballots will be counted immediately. One of the* brightest spots in the entire SIU-SUP beef against the WSB was the militant stand taken by most Isthmian crew­ men. Hundreds of these seamen, both SIU members and nonmem.bers were on the picket- SIU HALLS NEW YORK 51 Beaver St. HAnoVer 2-2784 BOSTON 276 State St. Bowdein 4057 (Agent) Bowdoin 4055 (Dispatcher) BALTIMORE 14 North Gay St. Calvert 4539 PHILADELPHIA 9 South 7th St. Phone Lombard 3-7651 NORFOLK 127-12i9 Bank Street 4-1083 CHARLESTON NEW ORLEANS SAVANNAH 68 Society St Phone 3-3680 339 Chartres St. Canal 3336 ...220 East Bay St. 3-1728 MOBILE SAN JL'AN, P. R GALVESTON 7 St. Michael St. 2-1754 45 Ponie dc- Leon San Juan 2-5996 30522nd St. 2-8448 TAMPA .... .1809-1811 N. Franklin St. M-I323 JACKSONVILLE 920 Main St. Phone 5-5919 PORT ARTHUR . .909 Fort Worth Ave. Phone: 2-8532 HOUSTON 1515 75th Street Phone Wentworth 3-3809 RICHMOND, Calif 257 5th St. SAN FRANCISCO 59 Clay St. Garfield 8225 SEATTLE 86 Seneca St. Main 0290 PORTLAND Ill W. Burnside jt. WILMINGTON 440 Avalon Vlvd. Terminal 4-3131 HONOLULU 16 Merchant St. BUFFALO 10 Exchange St. Cleveland 7391 CHICAGO 24 W. Superior Ave. Superior 5175 CLEVELAND 1014 E. St. Clair St. Main 0147 DETROIT 1038 Third St. Cadillac 6857 DULUTH 531 W. Michigan St. Melrose 4110 VICTORIA, B. C 602 Boughton St. VANCOUVER 144 W. Hastings St. MARCUS HOOK 1V4 W. 8th St. Chester 5-3110 CORPUS CHRISTIE ..1824 Mesquite St. Page Five lines in the various ports. They walked side by side with their SIU brothers just like Union members, and they'll certainly share in any SIU-SUP gains when Isthmian is forced to sign an SIU contract. 2. He must be able to work and be available for work. 3. He must not be disqualified under any of the provisions of the law. Since the purpose of luiemployment insurance is to provide com.pensation for involuntary un­ employment, there are certain actions on the part of claimants that may cause them to be dis­ qualified, either for the entire period of unemployment or for a limited period of weeks. These actions are: (1) voluntarily leav­ ing his last employment without Furuseth Would Have Been Proud Of His Boys In This Last Beef By STEAMBOAT O'DOYLE Well, Old Andy Furuseth sure must have been proud of the boys last week, they were some thing really to shout about. Talk about spirit! So help me, one of the boys in my gang went up to the bloodbank and sold a pint of blood for living expenses.- When the seamen sell. their blood to stay on the picketline, shipowner, look out! Another one brought his gal around to help while away the hours. We hung a sign on her and put her to work pick­ eting. Despite their good humor, how­ ever, the boys were in no mood for funny business. One wouldbe scab found that out when he nearly got. "Pepsi-Cola" stamped on his skull with a popbottle. I thought the war was rough, but after playing picket Captain to 17 militant Seafarers, give me an atom bomb any day! Last week saw several lies that have long been in currency wash­ ed out the scuppers. The high foreheads down in Washington were busy explaining to the ship­ owners why the multi-million dollar fink-training program of the Maritime Service had failed. The youngsters whom they tried to pump full of anti-union­ ism shocked their old school teachers by actually walking a picketline. Our younger Seafar­ ers have proved again that for militancy, spunk, and knowing the score, they are fully the equals of the old timers of '34 and '36. JOE'S BOYS DAZED The airy-fairies of 17th Street were also disgrunted at finding that we are as big as the water­ front. When the high-heeled boys from uptown discovered this they climbed on the bandwagon. At our big meeting in Manhattan Center I even saw Joe Stack sit­ ting in a corner like little Jack Horner, looking very bewildered 7. „ at what was going on. At one point where somebody asked a question, he looked ab­ solutely dazed. Well, maybe he knows how to conduct a demo­ cratic union meeting but I'm not taking odds on that. We'll be reading in the Pilot next week how they won us a five buck raise. Even Hogan wanted to play feely-feely with us; and just a month before he had ordered his Engineers to ignore our picketlines in the Coos Bay beef. If you heard teeth chattering and knees knocking it was the fancy men over at the Coast Guard. They've been telling each other for years that they're safe "because the seamen can't go against us Government bureau­ crats." Brother, what was that carcass we just ran over? That line is now as dead as Captain Bligh's cat. REAL KNOCKOUT We set out to fight unfair Gov­ ernment bureaucracy, but I guess it wasn't much of a fight at that. Now we know how Joe Louis felt after the Conn "fight." I don't blame the brasshats for shaking. They know they're next in line. Oh well, they can always hock the gold on their sleeves for five bucks. But probably the most impor­ tant thing last week showed is something I have always said— The shipowne.' is no longer our number one enemy. Today the Government bureaucratic finks are our biggest foe. If there was anyone who didn't learn that during the war, he certainly learned it during the current beef. We brou,ght the owners under control long ago. Now the only way we can be secure is to take away from the government agen­ cies the dagger they will some­ day put in our back—the Coast Guard. good cause; in some States the lav/ reads; ". . . without good cause attributable to the employ­ er.'; (2) discharge for misconduct that occurred in connection with his last employment; (3) refusal of the claimant to apply for or accept suitable work without good cause for such refusal; (4) participation in a labor dispute at the premises where he was last employed. In connection with refusal of suitable work, seamen will not be di.squalified in New York for not taking a job below their high­ est rating, provided there is rea­ sonable prospect of obtaining such a job. Claimants are also permitted to offer good-personal reasons for refusing a particular job. Moreover, they cannot be denied benefits in any State for refusing employment if they re­ fuse to accept new work under any of the following conditions: "(A) if the position offered is vacant due directly to a strike, lockout, or other labor dispute; (B) if the wages, hours, or other conditions of the work offered are substantially less favorable to the individual than those prevailing for similar work in the locality; (C) if as a condi­ tion of being employed the in­ dividual would be required to join a company union or to re­ sign from or refraining from joining any bona fide labor or­ ganization." In Alabama, California, New Jersey, Texas, Virginia and Wash­ ington, a person who is unem­ ployed as a result of participating in a labor dispute is disqualified for the duration of the dispute. In Pennsylvania, he is disquali­ fied for not more than four calen­ dar weeks following the week in which the dispute began, and in New York for not more than seven weeks following the date of his loss of employment because of the labor dispute. Thus he would become entitled to bene­ fits if otherwise eligible after 6 weeks in Pennsylvania and after 8 weeks in New York. Can Wage Credits In Several States Be Combined? It has been noted above that an unemployed seaman can claim benefits in any State where he happens to be unemployed. Pay­ ment is made to him from the State in which his wage credits are located. This is the plan worked out for all unemployed workers who have enough quali­ fying wages for benefits in some one State but who are located in some other State when they be­ come unemployed. If a worker has been employed by employers who are liable in several States, but has not earned sufficient in any one State to qualify under that State's law, he may still apply for benefits in the State where he is unemploy­ ed. Some States permit wage credits to be combined so as to give him enough qualifying wages to be eligible for benefits. In some States wage credits may be combined to increase maxi­ mum benefits payable. States which are not in this plan are Kentucky, Mississippi, New Jer­ sey, Oregon, Tennessee and the District of Columbia. (To Be Concluded Next Week) �Here is ihe way to win a beef. We lied up every port, and not a ship sailed or was worked until the Wage Stabilization Board was reversed. Most of the picketing was peaceful, but some ports reported that the police tried to break up picketlines. or that other unions made attempts to sail or work ships without proper clearances. All of this was taken care of. and it resulted in the first completely successful general strike in th? maritime history of the United States. t X t After the strike started, the Coast Guard continued to is­ sue Seamen's Certificates. To put a stop to this practice, which could easily have turned into a strikebreaking move, a picketline was established in front of the issuing office. Not many men went through this line, and those that did looked like the scabs they are. Many SIU-SUP men were supposed to go down to the CG office to obtain their papers, but none did while the strike was on. X pr Every man on the beach registered for picket duty. It took a lot of men to cover the many miles of waterfront, especially in New York, but there were plenty of men available for the job. No slackers in the SIU-SUP, and that is why we won our beef. X - This is ham, cooked and ready to serve. It took plenty of food to keep the picketers well fed, but somohov/ the job was done. Over two thousand hot meals were prepared daily, but with expert cooks, bakers, and messmen, it was not too difficult a job. Nothing was impossible for these men, and the standards of cleanliness were kept very high. The gal­ ley was neat and well kept; the dishes and silverware were washed and sterilized; the messhall was spotless; all this was done by the men who took a great pride in the fact that they were contributing to the victory which the Union was sure to win — and they were right. In New York the strike strategy was planned by the Join promised right off the bat by the AFL Maritime Trades Depart | which were held by the two groups. All important points wei within a short time after a decision was reached, all the outp informed as to what was going on. This was all to the good ai sible to the rank-and-file, from the type of union which is run , » » » 1 % X W".: P "3 ^ '' Next to picketing, food and housing is an important factor in winning strikes. The SIU-SUP took good care of this item, and if you ask the b;ys on the picketline they will tell you that the food was good and constantly improving all the time the strike was on. There was at least one hot meal each day, and strong coffee available an/ time a man felt in need of a cup. Thousands of cups of coffee, and at least a 100,000 dou^|||||uts were consumed in the 10 days of the action. mj'i i X The French Lines' SS Athos II had a hard time when she hit New York Harbor right after the strike started. For three days she stayed right there while the Union did everything possible to have the ship cleared. Finally on the fourth day arrangements were completed to debark the pas­ sengers. Among them were refugees from Hitler's prison camps, and reluming ex-spldiers who had been discharged in Europe and who were re­ turning to the United States. They had plenty of stories to tell about the way they had to live on board the ship, and most had paid first class pas­ sage. Any time a shipowner says that operating vessels is not profitable, don't believe him. mi mm t �\RERS LOG Page Seven Held Our Meetings, And Won Our Beef i . j!,: r\ 1 •, -•-•''I illP: ' n'f •'t '."i k -4 During a major action of this sort, there are sure to be some aefs and misunderstandings that come up. A committee- was set jp to settle these beefs as soon as they came up. It sure made Ihe work of the other committees easier. Here is what a fink camp looks like, but the men in the picture are not scabs. They were brought out to this tourist camp in New Jersey under false pretenses, and when they learned the score from representatives of the SIU-SUP, they left the camp flat. To prove their good inten° tions. all of the boys showed up in the New York Hall the next day to volunteer for picket duty. Calmar Steamship Company, who started this camp, and the other shipowners, can learn a les­ son from this. ilsthmntoowifl teHli* A •M n % i ^ •h >X> '••• TAiH '• ; Jf: AC T ^ i 'A-roit; , f „„g i.^' 4, On the fourth day of the strike, the tugboats tied up, and they didn't move again until the strike was over. The tugboatmen are members of the Marine Division of the ILA. and they were on our side 100 percent. This picture was tak^n in New York, but in every port it was the same story. Nothing moving, no towboats work'.ng, everything locked up tight. After a few days of this, the Government was really looking for a quick way out. II " fasSs^jfSi; S; r . V jS" !•::•! , f w >: s, X i • le Committee of the SIU-SUP. Cooperation and assistance was jmd the above picture was taken at one of the many meetings issed at these meetings. Information was relayed so fast that ceived the news, and the men on the picketline were kept well another difference that marked a democratic union, responle top without answering to the membership. I I I m It took only one picket to effectively stop any one from working during the duration of the strike. That's how tight the tie-up was. No wonder the United States Government re­ versed the decision of the WSB. They knew they could­ n't sail any ships any other way. I X X mm ti wmm ii , _ -. W4 "A'• • 1 iI 1 i ' M 1 Thursday night. September 12. the radio blared out that the Stabilization Director. John R, Steelman. had reversed the WSB and granted the SIU-SUP the raises which they had won in negotiations. But no official word came to the Unions involved. That night a meeting was held at Manhattan Center where it was decided to keep the strike going until the announcement was official and until we were assured that the unions who had helped us in this fight would not be discriminated against by the employers. By Friday night it was all over. �THE SEAFARERS LOG Pa§e Efghi Local Residents, Buslnessnien, Back Marcus Hook Seafarers 1' I \l 1 Friday, SeptemBer 20. 1946 COME AND GET IT—ITS HOT AND GOOD By BLACKIE CARDULLO MARCUS HOOK — Thei e are, Their attitude was indifferent, some weeks when news is scarce; and they attempted to move the around the ports, but right at Boise Victory with their load of present there must be plenty to | finks. The Strike Committee im­ write in from all the ports so lets j mediately acquired a launch, and get our story started from the j went alongside the ship as the port of Marcus Hook. [ stern lines were being cast-off. First off, we can boast of 100; When they saw this launch per *cent picketline- attendance with a determined-looking load of men, combined with the ac­ tions of the ship's officers who had hii the dock to a man with Three meals a day. that's what is being served to the SIU-SUP men on strike aginst dicta­ bag and baggage as they would torship. The sub-committee in charge of Food and Housing is doing a bang-up job, and the meals not work with finks, the ship did keep getting better and better. Thousands of meals are served daily in the New York Hall. not get away from the dock. At present we have 13 ships tied up around here and a de­ and other special squads. No man termined bunch of strikers who was ever late or missed a watch will stick it out on the picketline nor was any man ever intoxi­ regardless of how long it takes Check the slop chest be­ cated. us to win our beef. fore your boat sails. Make We can also say that we have We have been very lucky in ac­ sure that the slop chest con­ By STANLEY WARES the finest cooperation from the quiring the services of Howard tains an adequate supply of residents and business people of Conard, a ship's purser who has CLEVELAND—In the last is­ spite the many tricks the comall the things you are liable this town. They are doing every­ volunteered to handle all our of­ sue of Pilot there was an account mies are using to stall it. to need. If it doesn't, call the thing they possibly can to help fice work and has done a mighty of the recent NLRB hearings on Union Hall immediately. I always thought the main ob­ us achieve our aims in this dis­ fine job. the Midland Steamship Company jective of any seamen's union pute. In the '36 and '37 strike, elections and, as expected, the was the fight against the Lake due to the fact that the strike article was completely one of Carriers Association, but I'm be­ committee did not have the fore­ misinformation and misleading ginning to find out I'm wrong. It sight to try to win friendship of statements aimed for the con­ seems that the NMU is fighting their local residents, there was sumption of the Great Lakes sea­ anyone that doesn't go for their much bad feeling toward the sea­ men. brand of what they call union­ men. As SIU representative at that ism; and, brother, what a brand By W. H. SIMMONS In the present dispute the peo­ hearing, the Pilot stated that I they've got! ple figured that this was just an­ "let the cat out of the bag," by SAN FRANCISCO—Since my in. We can all be pleased with There's an old saying you've other bunch of rowdy drunks. last report to the Log, things the successful strike we have just practically admitting that we had heard many times: "you can fool Since learning the Way the SIU a hiring agreement with the Mid­ all of the people some of the have really been humming on won . and SUP conduct a strike, and land Company. the Old Gold Coast. Under that time, but you can't fool all the Business has been very good on that we have the interest of the I wonder what bag they Wei'e people all of the time," and it grand Ole SIU Banner, we have the Old Gold Coast, all during people at heart, they are over­ talking about? They forgot to seems most of the seamen are done it again , the strike. I have had my hands whelmingly in praise of the fine mention that they were going in­ through being fooled by the bunk Boys, we have just finished the full paying off ships, settling conduct of our boys. to their bag to pull out all the biggest Maritime Strike in his­ beefs and also attending all of tricks they know to stall this the NMU has been feeding them We seamen are welcome at any these last few years. So you can tory. I am really proud of the the Strike Committee Meetings. election. establishment from the highest expect the commies to pull out militant SIU manner in which My one and only Patrolman, Har­ They have charged us'with col­ a new bag of tricks now that to the lowest with a friendly our members handled this beef. old Teague, has proven himself lusion and back door agreements their old cry is pretty well worn spirit. If we do not achieve our My hat is off to all our trip card a very capable and valuable man with the shipowners. Well, any out. ends in this dispute we have to the SIU. I am proud to have and permit boys, too. seaman on the Great Lakes, achieved a friendship with the These boys have done a won­ him as my Patrolman here on whether he is a SIU man or not, REAL BACKING people in this town so that in the the Coast. derful job, and can share in all At the NLRB hearing I men­ can come into our halls and is future all seamen will be wel­ I'll have more to report on these welcome to see how this Union tioned above, representing the the glories of winning this beef. comed and respected in the port I was elected a member of the phony CMU picketlines later on. operates and look at our con­ SIU beside myself were O'Donof Marcus Hook. SUP Strike Committee, as an At­ Looks like these commies are tracts, then judge fpr himself nell of the Tugmen, Vegan of the PLEDGE SUPPORT lantic and Gulf Representative. crying their hearts out now. They whether there is any collusion or Dredgemen and Antosek of the wanted to get on the "SIU Band Longshoremen, better known as backdoor dealings. Pledges of support in the way All in all, fellows, I think that Wagon," but there wasn't any the Cleveland Marine Council. of both financial and material we had a good team on the SUP ON SCHEDULE more room on her. That will give you men on the aid have poured in to us from the Committees. I am not writing this because Midland ships an idea of the She was already filled with Our Food and Housing com­ local citizens and business men. nothing but good old AFL riders. we have to defend our actions backing you received at that In the event this is a long, drawn- mittee did a wonderful job. We This was a ride that was success­ here, but to let the men on the meeting. out affair, these pledges will had one of the finest soup kit­ ful to the end. "Poor Joe," what Midland ships know that we will come in mighty handy. chens on the Coast. All the boys Representing the commies were does his membership think now? have the election on schedule deDavis and Vargo, organizers for We have all kinds of commit­ had plenty to eat. We borrowed the NMU and they also had along tees on strikes, but whoever a mobile coffee and do-nut wagon a high-priced lawyer. I wonder heard of a good-will committee? from the Salvation Army. This coffee wagon was on the front why they had to bring a lawyer at all times to see that the pickets along when they claimed in the had plenty of coffee and do-nuts. Pilot that they had all kinds of proof concerning us? " Who do We rented a half dozen big By HENRY CHAPPELL they think they are fooling? trucks, which were used to carry the pickets to and from their ap­ The handwriting is on the wall TOLEDO — As we predicted Sailors in general don't want pointed docks they were to pick­ many weeks ago the NMU at­ to be dictated to or pushed for them and I guess tliey knuw We tried it for experiment only et. We had a mighty good and tempt to grab complete control around by any group, and the it. The seamen on the Great and. Brother, it has paid off in militant picket-line. Everything of Great Lakes shipping has turn­ high handed tactics employed by Lakes know it, too. This article i.s not directed pledges of support in the event was peaceful. At anytime the ed into a dismal failure. the NMU in this organizational lines were molested, a standing against their misguided members, of a long fight. drive bears witness to this fact. The majority of the seamen on squad was ready to handle the Our excitement began at this Because the unorganized crews as I've talked to quite a few of the Lakes know now that this port when the Sun Oil Co. took situation, big or small. did not submit to their demands them and know them to be pretty move waa not a strike to gain in­ All in all, we had very little the high-handed attitude of "to and walk meekly off their ships good men who are being misled creases in pay, or to better work­ trouble here in Frisco. All the by their so-called leaders. heU with the unions" and said ing conditions, but was a futile on August 15 like a bunch of AFL affiliates cooperated with So fellows, don't forget when that it would move the Boise Vic­ attempt to tie-up all Great Lakes sheep, they labeled them, as scabs. tory, an American-Hawaiian ship us 100 per cent. Everybody re­ shipping. While calling these unorganized the Midland elections are held, with a good union crew who had spected our picketlines. seamen scabs, they don't mention vote SIU and show those "lead­ In the event they had succeed­ the fact that UAW-CIO members ers" that you voted for a Union The National Maritime Union, struck and left the ship lay.ing the Marine Cooks and Stewards ed it would have been easy pick­ drove new cars from the assem­ that is a real bona-fide seafar­ at the dock. and the Marine Firemen respect­ ings for them to have demanded bly lines in Detroit through the ers union, a Union that takes or­ They recruited a load of finks bargaining rights from the com­ picketlines. ders from no one but its mem­ to move this ship into the stream, ed our picketlines and came to panies and claimed juristiction the Clearance Committe for bership. Even Philip Murray, president as they didn't want pickets in over all crews. clearances to man ships which we of the CIO ordered men to work front of their gates and around Instead of gaining increases in behind their picketlines. When men are not scabs, but a group of their docks. Their story wa.s that had cleared, such as Troopers wages and belter working condi­ a union does not get the support men representing the vast ma­ they were just trying to move this and Navy ships. ' I guess that each port figures tions for the NMU members, this of its sister unions and affiliates, jority of Great Lakes seamen who ship as it was a fire hazard. The Strike Cdiiimittee had issued a it had a bad time of it. Boys, we move has only been to create a how do they expect to bring in had courage enough to resist the statement that we would glady all lost a lot of sleep and did a feeling of resentment and hard new members from the unorgan­ efforts of an overly-militant min­ ority who were attempting to move the ship into the stream lot of worrying, but it was for feelings by the unorganized sea­ ized fields? As we stated fo the press and force them into joining some­ with a loo per cent Union crew one of the finest causes in the men toward the NMU and in if they would prove that the ship world, which we are all proud some instances this include.? their printed in the Log? our conten­ thing they basically disapproved tion is that these unorganized of, namely the KMU. wag a fire hazard. I that we were able to participate. own rank and file members. Check It • But Good Says Midland Vote For Union WIN Take Place As Scheduled SIU And SUP On West Coast Took General Strike In Stride NMU Grab For Lakes Shipping Is Called A Dismal Failure �"?!F'a?g^-' IP-"' BUT NOT ANYMORE Port New York, As Bid All Ports, Had Hectic Time In Strike-But Victory Now Brings New Troubles By JOE ALGINA Having Won Its Beef, Baltimore Turns To Normal SlU Business By JOHNNIE "HOGGIE" HATGIMISIOS BALTIMORE—Now that we've successfully concluded the great­ est maritime strike in the. na­ tion's history we are leaving the newspaper spotlight and return­ ing to the regular swing of work. The past strike showed what kind of a Union we have. No one can beat it. When we go out to do a job we do it in the right way and we get what "we want. In that respect we are not like the NMU. They didn't attempt to get everything for their mem­ bership, when the CMU boys got together, but when they saw we wouldn't take anything short of what we deserved and struck for it, they made a bee-line for our band wagon just as they did dur­ ing the bonus strike. I wonder what happened to the mammoth strike fund the NMU always tells their recruits they have available for any strike? In this port it wasn't long before they were out shaking the cans to get the local citizens to kick in to help them out. They seize on any excuse at all to grab the nickels and dinries. The people who contributed un­ fortunately didn't realize that a good part of that money was si­ phoned off by the comrades for the benefit of the Communist party. NO CAN SHAKING The SIU, I can proudly say, has never had to resort to can shaking in a strike yet, and dur­ ing the present beef we had enough resources to hold out for six months. The men we put in office are capable, and not concerned with spreading a political line (with the union funds,) but devote their entire energies to the bene­ fiting of the union membership in general, and not one small political clicque. The pettiness of the NMU's tactics was shown recently here in Baltimore when they resorted to selling coffee on the picketlines for five cents a cup to their own men. If a guy didn't have a nickel, no coffee. What kind of a union can you call that? But lets get away from the NMU. GOOD JOB Unions have done a wonderful job in this country for the work­ ing class. Without the solidarity of unions, God only knows where we would be today. The unions have the only method to keep abreast of the rising cost of living and that is to keep fighting for more money. The seamen will never have to worry about being overpaid, their worry is to keep abreast of prices. Unions, however, are handicap­ ped in the fights by the com­ munists. They are the cause of the wide­ Page Nine THE SEAFARERS LOG Friday, September 20, 1946 spread attacks on all unions and until they are swept clean from the field we will have to go on seeing all unions in general con­ demned by people who think the commies control the organized labor unions of our country. In the recent strike every man concerned did his part and I am proud to say I was engaged in NEW YORK — The last few weeks were the ones that sepa­ rated the men from the boys. During all the preparation for the strike, and during the strike, the Patrolmen had a double job. They had to do their assigned work, and they had to get ready for the big job which they would take on as soon as the action started. Well, all of them came through in fine shape. Ships were paid off and signed on before the .strike; beefs were settled at. the same time. And when the time came for the big walkout, these men were ready to do their as­ signed work. The picketlines were manned in great part by men who had gained experience during the work-stoppage in-June and the Coos Bay Beef in July. Of course, they're real oldtimers, but most of the men in this port weflre fel­ lows who had learned plenty in just a short time. And they all came through like real veterans. There were few complaints from the area commanders about men who dogged it on the job, but these men were far in the minority. It was obviou.s that only complete cooperation could win this beef against the gov­ ernment bureaucrats, and since we won we must have had the support of every member of the Union. GOOD PLANNING Most of the planning was done by the Strike Committee. They had a tough job to do, and thev carried out their responsibilitie.s in true SIU fashion. The work of the sub-committee on Food and Housing was the inusl out­ standing. The meals were al­ ways excellent, and there was also always a bed for a tired picketer. Now that the strike has ended, our work still goes on. The busi­ ness of crewing ships keeps us on the jump and as crews sign on, the Patrolmen are on the ball to make sure that the proper ar­ ticles are signed. Business is now going on as usual, and we like it better that way. I guess we can expect the usual number of NMUcrs who will come flooding into the Hall to join the SIU now that We have won a great battle for seamen and for all organized labor. Every time we win a big one that leads the way for the water­ front, these men start coming in, telling us that they are tired of their commie leadership, and that they want to join a Union that fights for its members, not for the slogans of the Communist Party. We have told them before, and will tell them again: Clean up your own union. You non-com­ mies outnumber the commies. Join hands, get together, and you can beat the commies every time. But don't expect to come running to us now that they have your NMU under their con­ trol. Port Norfolk Strike Ties Up Harbor 100 Percent By RAY WHITE the fight with them. Every man worked hard as hell to see this battle to its successful conclu­ sion. I cannot pick out any in­ dividual to praise as every man did a, magnificent job. The strike committee, the men on the picketlines, the boys in the soup kit­ chen, all of them are. to be com­ mended for a fine job. CHOW TIME I called the boys in the galley "belly robbers," but that title is dead now: they did a fine job and everyone said the food was better than they could find aboard ship. They took a lot of kidding, about the chow, but every man was glad to sit down to a meal they prepared. The youngsters who were en­ gaged in their first beef got a lot of valuable experience that will come in handy in the fu­ ture. This is important exper­ ience as every beef will not be as easy as this one, and when the hard ones come along we want men who will hit the bricks and not lose spirit easily, but will stay out there and win. This Union was built the hard way, and the oldtimers know what I mean: nothing was hand­ ed to us on a platter and we had to go through hell to get what we have now, and it is up to us to keep it that way for the union men to come. WHY AJOT TAKe THE i5ossi/4N/ TRooPS oOT Cf 'Rdofv^ANiA, "SULGAM , e7c,grc,ETc., NORFOLK—Forging one more link in the solid chain of struck ports, the Norfolk Seafarers, with traditional efficiency, tied up all shipping in a m.atter of hours after the word went out that a strike was the order of business. Immediately 30 ships with SIU and SUP crews tied up in the harbor. Those ships that hung the hook in the bay had their crews removed by launch service and the men immediately report­ ed to the SIU Hall to register for picket duty. The operation was appropriate­ ly named P-Day. P-Day being 7 a. m., September 6, when the strike officially began in this port. Some of the fellows in their anxiety to get out on the lines began Thursday afternoon by picketing the office of Dickmann, Wright and Pugh Inc., steamship operators in this port. The boys got a few licks in before we got word to them to conserve their energy for the opening gun the following morning. through our lines the first days to remove perishable food from the ships, but that was all they could remove and we had men stationed on all of these ships to insure the removal of only perishables. HAM 'N EGGS. PLUS That very important depart­ ment, of course I mean the feed­ ing of the men, was handled very well. We had the exclusive use of a restaurant on Talbot street and we fed 600 men there every day. The boys really turned to in the place and in no time were putting out meals that surprised the proprietor. The usual breakfast before a long day of picketing was fruit juice, ham and eggs, toast and coffee. There weren't any beefs Now that it is all over I want to extend my appreciation to all the men who participated in this, the greatest maritime tie-up Nor­ folk has ever seen. By all work­ ing together we showed the bu­ reaucrats that we were able to shove their words down their throats in short order and with real unity. By working as a team we showed the real union spirit of SIU seamen once more to those who doubted oior word when we first informed the WSB of our in­ tended action to strike if nothing was done to reverse their dicta­ torial decision. Well done! The Patrolmen Say.. Overtime Comedy NEW YORK, Sept. 4 —Over­ time disputed at sea aboard the SS Eugene O'Donnell was quick­ ly converted to cash when the Eastern Steamship vessel paid off today after winding up a 15months trip to the Far East and return. Aside from the effort in­ volved in settling the matter of overtime, the payoff was clean. Well, everything ran off smoothly when the sun came up over the bay Friday morning. We had the support of the AFL Maritime Trades Council and that support was shown by the International Longshoremen's As­ sociation when 4000 members of that Union refused to enter upon the piers or cross our picket lines. Coupled with the 750 SIU-SUP The crew, all full book and seamen on the beach in this port probationary book members with we had an effective tie-up. the exception of two tripcarders, FERRIES LONELY The only movement in the bay were a clean cut bunch of young was the. Ferry Steamers and Bay men, who were very cooperative. boats. The passenger boats from In fact, the Patrolmen take this here to Baltimore and Washing­ opportunity to thank all, and ton were allowed to operate and especially the ship's delegates, for they sure looked lonely out there their whole-hearted cooperation. on the Bay. The enthusiasm of the mem­ bership was illustrated by an in­ cident where a seaman went into a main street bank and cashed a $50.00 bill; from there he went into the nearest cigar store and bought cigars for all the SIU or SUP men he could get his hands on. The cigar smoke was so thick in the Hall here we could hardly see the shipping board. We allowed the trucks of the Steamship companies to pass on the chow, and it would take a very particular eater to find anything lacking in the chow de­ partment. OVERTIME SOURCES The overtime settlements in­ volved: The Chief Mate, who did every­ thing possible to increase his own overtime by working him­ self, because two men were missing on deck, but his laborwhittling attempts were of no avail. At the end of the trip, the company paid the crew the division of wages which would have gone to these men. The Skipper, too, was a source overtime. While at sea, the glori­ fied Skipper ordered 150 meala served to him in his office. At the payoff 90 cents for each meal served went to the crewmen in­ volved, despite the plate-shaking screams of the Skipper and his refusal to sign the overtime sheet. SOME FUN Not to be denied in the deal was the Radio Operator, who did carpentry work at sea "to amuse himself." The Carpenter was more genuinely amused when he collected for the 46 hours of work which the wireless man had per­ formed. When the galley supply of coal had been consumed, it was neces­ sary for the Chief Cook and the Second Cook to chop wood. They chopped the wood for three months, and also chopped over­ time for - it at the payoff, al­ though the Carpenter and BosuA claimed it was deck work. Men who were aboard this ves­ sel and who have overtime money due them should write to the Eastern Steamship Company office in Boston for payment. Jimmie SheehaA Ray Gonzales Jim Drawdy �Page Ten THE SEAFARERS LOG iligested Minutes Of SlU Ship Meetli^s JEREMIAH S. BLACK. Aug. J 10—Chairman J. H. Parsons: Secretary R. J. Williams. New Business: New men acquaint­ ed with SIU policies. Main beef against the Steward De­ partment for their neglect in keeping messhall clean and coffee urn in working order. Chief Steward pledged his full cooperation. X X % JAMES GUNN. July 31 — Chairman and secretary not noted). New Business: Motion carried to have patrolman check on the following: (a) shiPE foc'sles to be painted and deloused (b) new mattresses (c) new porthole screens (d) fans, bunk lights, lockers, and em­ ergency lights to be repaired (e) check and repair galley range, steward dept. toilet seat jinri place soap dishes in all heads and showers (f) check mid renew, when necessary all pitchers and glasses (g) check reason for the ringing of gen­ eral alarm at odd moments (h) repair and paint crew refriger­ ator (i) repair and paint crew xnesshall table and chairs (j) evaporated milk unift for con­ sumption—have condemned by port authorities. Chief Stew­ ard walked out of meeting when questioned about depart­ mental duties. XXX CAPE HATTERAS, June 29 — Chairman Chick Fisher; Secretary Leo Allen. Good and Welfare: Steward to post notices in messhalls in regard to cleanliness in messhalls and passageways. Each department to use their own heads and showers. Patrolman to be noti­ fied of member who deserted ship. Cans to be placed in pas­ sageways for disposal of cigar­ ette butts, etc. % THIMBLE EYE. July 28 — Chairman J. Flannery; Secre­ tary W. P. Roma. Motions car­ ried: that crew is not to pay off until patrolman comes aboard; to have all lights checked; to keep all outsiders from crew quarters. Good and welfare: Company to be notified that a coffee pot and toaster is needed aboard ships, also matches, dis­ infectants and spray guns. An electric iron and cots are need­ ed also. XXX ARTHUR M. HURLBERT. July 17 — Chairman B. Mans field; Secretary Charles Rodzy. Motions carried: that Stew­ ards Dept. to do their duties as per agreement; that one of the Delegates give up his job since he is not fully informed on all points of the agreement; that messrooms be kept clean at all times; that members guilty of . violations be fined $1.00, money to be donated to the Log. Good and Welfare: Chief Cook wants to help out menus, and it was suggested by Charles Simmons that Chief Cook and Steward work out menu together. XXX WILLIAM PEPPER, June 13 —Chairman T. O. Melton; Sec­ retary A. DipasupiL Motion carried to have Delegates in­ ject Unim books and tripcards and submit written report on Crew's standing to the Chair­ man. Reports are to be posted the Gulf. Brother Larsoii ac­ cepted offer and was accepted unanimously by the crew. Bro­ ther Larson suggested that a Patrolman be on board in case of a payoff in next port; Broth­ er Larson gave a few points on what is expected of Union men aboard ship, their duties and and limitations. Patrolman Gonzales suggested to the Stew­ ard that a coffee pot be ob­ tained for the Engine Depart­ ment. on the bulletin board. No sign off until beefs and disputed overtime are settled. Members who didn't ship through Union on last trip should register if they wish to ship again. Crew extended vote of thanks to Stewards department for good service. Good and Welfare: Motion was carried to make the following improvements before signing on next crew: paint foc'sles, provide a bench for each, repair radio in mess and chart rooms, install electric fan in unlicensed personnel's mess, provide gratings for all show­ ers, change large radiator in Bosun's room for smaller one, install plugs in all wash basins, and provide a wind­ break for look-out. XXX HASTINGS, (Date, chairman and secretary not noted). Mo­ tions carried: to recommend several men for probationary books; to have Engine Depart­ ment man report to Patrolman, and to inform Tripcard mem­ bers on their standing. XXX OTIS E. HALL, July 23 — Chairman J. Barone, Secretary; L. L. Elie. New Business: Mo­ tions carried: that delegates ask Captain to have Steward leave icebox keys with Chief Cook while vessel is at sea; that any overtime work on topside quar­ ters is to be divided between the messmen and utilities. Good and Welfare: All the crew was warned of spitting in drinking fountain and throwing match sticks and butts in alleyways. All men to pick up spoons, cups after coffee time and wash same. Those that neglect this are to be fined 50c and money collected to be donated to the Log. X x'x MV MOOSE PEAK, Aug. 12 —Chairman J. McCullough; Secretary Charles Dowling. New Business: Special meeting called to order to have Patrol­ man take immediate action on various repairs. Deck Delegate reported that all drains be cleared and repaired in AB foc'sle while ship is in drydock, also all locks for deck department rooms be replaced with new ones. Steward de­ partment reported that drain in pantry be cleaned and re­ paired. Engine Department re­ ported that all chairs in mess­ halls should be repaired and put in servicable condition. To have all locks on oilers rooms be installed and bunxs be low­ ered to a peaceful and breath­ ing height. XXX JEREMIAH S. BLACK, Aug. 17 — Chairman J. H. Parsons; Secretary R. J. Williams. New Business: Chairman offered a suggestion that he resign his position as chairman in favor of Brother Larson who is one of the oldest book members of Friday, September 20, 1946 SEAFARER SAM SAYS XXX EDWARD LOGAN, Aug. 4— Chairman J. Watkins; Secre­ tary B. Torbick. New Business: SHARE Garbage can on degk has not >r^DUR SHIPS been emptied since ship left Rotterdam. Deck delegates AND UNIOM will see mate about it. Motions HALLS WITH carried: to see all trip carders TOUR FELLOW UNIONISTS. Po as to their intentions as to join­ ing union. Eeach department to recommend their trip card members to the union. No one will pay off until all beefs are settled. Any one paying off before will be brought up on charges. Repair list: plugs for wash basins, foc'sles need, painting also all departments and heads, wringer in laun­ dry to be repaired or replaced, dogs on ports to be freed and also replace missing ones, springs on bunks to be replaced where missing. Crew wished By HANK to thank Steward, cooks and other members of their depart­ Well, we gave the little Wage Stumblization Board a big fight ment for a v/ell fed ship thus making the trip an enjoyable and a good fight to win our beef and save our precious cabbage. one. Let all bureau-rats and ship-profiteers forever respect our con­ tracts and our intentions and policies! . . . This sleeping business isn't back to normal yet for most of us—especially for Lil Abncr! . . . One of our shipmates, Jack Merikle, who is now sailing as Number Two Mate, hit the bricks with his brothers, regretting, however, that he didn't see beardless Harold Farrington or Woody » » » DE SOTO, July 14 — Chair­ Roland the cook. Tommy Farr is in N. Y., anyway. Jack . . . Arthur man Marston; Secretary Boh- Berg, the oldtimer, is here in New York, after doing his bit in the menstiehl. New Business: Deck strike . . . Lucky Lee Luciano and Vic Combs are waiting to return and Steward delegates report­ to their lonesome berths aboard the Cape Ilatteras for those steady ed everything; okay. Engine delegate reported part over­ Island runs. They sure have a swell skipper too, by the way. YOUR SHARE TO KEEP THEM CLEAN — RDR YOURSELF AND YOUR UNION BROTHERS. CUT AND RUN time disputed at Antwerp. Men listed that paid fines for misde­ meanors aboard ship. Money collected from fines to be do­ nated to Log. XXX FERDINAND R. HASSLER, July 1 — Chairman Donald R. Short; Secretary R. O. Farrara. New Business: All delegates reported everything okay. Mo­ tion carried to have the follow­ ing fines put into effect: 50c for leaving cups, etc., on tables and sitting on tables—25c for abuse of laundry room—$1.00 for spitting on deck anywhere inside of housing—$10.00 for appearing at mealtime without proper clothing—fine—^no serv­ ice. Cigarette butts and trash in passageways—fino 2Ss. One minute of silence for brothers lost at sea. TEU- MiM OF THE AWAttTAlSeS OF SIU MEMBERSHIP — / 'BOIUD THE SIU / Tom "Beachie" Murray, bouncer at the Riviera in San Juan and the best friend of Caledonia, was probably pounding the bricks in Puerto Rico while his old pal Woodsie Lockwood was pounding the New York bricks. Woodsie also want to know how Marino of the Texas Bar is getting along . . . An oldtimer and a San Juna beachie, B. A. Morrison, who quit the NMU after get­ ting a raw deal on a legitimate beef, just finished pounding the bricks for us. Brother Morrison confessed the sincerest happi­ ness in seeing with his old eyes the way our Patrolmen settle beefs in the right way and the only w^y for the membership. "Red" Davis, is waiting to leave New York and hit Puerto Rico again . . , Someone named Angelpuss down there must be waiting to see "Red" Morgan which is also vice versa, ton , . Harvey Hill is here in New York and Red J. "Whitten just came back from Den­ mark with a swell, militant crew . . . Oldtimer Alex Anderson just came in from a trip . . . "Peg Leg" Andy Anderson just blew in from a trip with a black and white dog named Spot, who might have hit the bricks for a few days, too, if we know Andy. Well, this last part of the column will be about who's in town right now: John Bove, the Baker, who has sailed several Isthmian ships . . . Baker Oscar Grimm, who might start baking cigar pies in the future . . . "Chico" Philip Salino, dressed in that familiar brown suit . .. Frank Radzvila, the big Cook with the usual big smile. Well, we don't have to blow any more smoke about our .victory. Our two weeks of hitting the bricks will be remembered as V-SIU Days for a long, long time. Our victory was an atom bomb splash which opened up the scheming eyes of the anti-labor people and the sleeping eyes of all Labor. But let's not forget that many people will still be working against us, even with their smiles and signa­ tures on papers, hoping to cut our necks in some way. We're all Americans but when it comes to improving wages and conditions and thereby losing an inch of profits or an inch of pride and power —enemies are so easily a dime a dozen on the backs of seamen, as ndeed they have-always been. Let's watch Washington, let's watch and keep fighting the Coast Guard. We have our lives and our money to lose if we ever slack our militant lines. Brothers. �Friday, September 20, 1946 THE SEAFARERS LOG U. S. LABOR AIDS SPANISH UNIONISTS The first shipment of $5000 worth of medical supplies for the Spanish Trade Union (UGT) Center in France has been sent off by the Medical Aid Section of the Int'l Solidarity Com­ mittee. Above (1. to r.) are: Dr. Bernard Schneider, chairman of the Medical Aid Committee of the ISC; Louis Nelson, man­ ager of Local 155 of the IntT Ladies Garment Workers UnionAFL; Antonio Reina, American representative of the Labor & Immigration Dep't of the Spanish Republican Government in exile; and Dr. Leo Price, director of the Union Health Center, New York City. The ISC is sponsored by both AFL and CIO leaders. The medicines will help establish a new hospital for the Spanish unionists in exile. POWELTON CREW SENDS DONATION FOR HELEN MEN Dear Editor: Members of the crew, including officers, of the SS Powelton Seam have contributed $49.50 to the seamen of the SS Helen, who had their papers lifted by the Coast Guard's Kangaroo Court. If the seamen have had their papers returned to them, and have shipped out, the money is to be turned over to the Seafarers AN AB WITHOUT A LIFEBOAT TICKET: Log. Please print this list in the Log, NEAREST PATROLMAN IS MAN TO SEE and let the crew know that the To the Editor: Powelton men are ICQ per cent for them. Since when can a man who has sailed Acting AB without an The men and the amount con­ AB or lifeboat ticket turn around and sign on the vessel he has tributed follows: been sailing for the last five months as an Ordinary Seaman? Ch. Eng., $4.00; 1st Asst. Eng., And since when can a Bosun take it upon himself to say that it $2.50; 2nd Asst. Eng., $1.00; 3rd all right for the man to sign on without definite proof to this Asst. Eng., $1.00; Ch. Mate, $1.00. effect? Crewm.embers; Price, $1.00; The answer is: he can't! But the truth is: he did! Britt, $1.00; Orman, 11.00; Harri­ The finger can only be pointed to the Bosun and the man son, $1.00; Tilley, $5.00; Driver, himself for stating that it was proper for him to sign on, even $1.00; Keene, $1.00; LaFoe, $1.50; though he allegedly quoted a responsible union official as say­ Andrees $1.00; Nickel, $1.50; Holing so. strom, $1.00; Whitmer, $1.00; KeBill Taylor, 39841 rester, $1.00; Page, $1.00. Eric Upchurch, 24611 McLane, $1.00; Bowers, $1.00; S. Kinoshita, SUP 2219 Barber, $1.00; Gibbs, $1.00; Car­ away, $2.00; Hendricks, $1.00; Answer:—In a case of this kind see Ihe Patrolman at the first SIU port you hit. He will straighten things out. Gibson, $1.00; Bradley, $1.00; Christopherson, $1.00; Marcellus, $1.00. Also, $10.00 was added from SIU SOLIDARITY LOG STIRS WIFE'S the ship's fund. INTEREST IN 'SETS EXAMPLE E. Tilley, Engine Delegate FOR ENTIRE WORLD' LABOR MOVEMENT SKIPPER TRIES TO HELP PARENTS OF LATE SEAFARER Dear Editor: Dear Editor: The greatest maritime strike I hold probationary book 49821. While I was home recently I had the world has ever seen started the Log sent there. During that when the Wage Stabilization Dear Editor: time my wife became very inter­ This letter is written for the Board refused to recognize the ested in the Seafarers paper, arid express purpose ~of letting the newly gained increases our lead­ in the labor movement—a sub­ ership had wrested from the ject in which she had been very the newcomer felt and assured Brothers hear of a fine Skipper. shipowners. Dear Editor: Captain Frank Purdy of the SS ill-informed previously. him that he would be steered It has been my privilege many With the backing of all labor, Thomas B. Reed, Calmar Steam­ We recently changed our ad­ right. times to serve in the Stewards ship Company. He is a good a large treasury and an efficient dress, and she has reminded me In his new job Bill felt that sailor and a gentleman. Insofar strike set-up, we are prepared Department aboard on SIU ships he might not be able to handle as we always sound off about a for a showdown with the WSB, several times to be sure to have I have always enjoyed the job the Log sent to our new address and have studied each individual the job, but it wasn't long before phony Captain, we feel we or any other agency that at­ so they will be able to be keep so that a lot of unnecessary one of the crewmen showed him should speak up about a good tempts to interfere with our col­ up with "our" Union while I am trouble could be avoided how to set the table for dinner one. lective bargaining rights. away. This short story was inspired by and gave him some advice: The membership is grateful for On voyage No. 11 of the Reed, Labor unions are something "Don't get excited and argue from Boston to Baltimore to ports the support which all the mari­ the things that happened to me every one in my section of the when I broke in a messman on with the crew during meal time of western France, Captain time brothers have given us in country need know more about. his first job. It is of course fic­ because when a seamen is eating Purdy was everything one could this current issue. The morale of The Unions and a little bit of titious, but perhaps you may he wants to eat in peace. Al­ ask of a skipper. When William our rank and file has always broadmindedness are the things note something familiar in the ways keep your glasses polishec Joyce, Wiper, was killed in Le been good, but today it cannot that will pull the South out of the along with the silverware. Set Marques, France, the old man be surpassed. This is due to an tale. • backward state it is in today. your table in an orderly manner though ill, did everything in his educated membership and the in­ C. J. Luper "'SPEEDY' CARRIES ON" and serve the food like you would power to bring the boy's body telligent handling of Union af­ No. Carolina It was just another morning like to have a waiter serve it to home to his parents. He could fairs. at the SIU Hall and the floor was you. Whenever there are things have left most of the headaches The time has come for the bu- CREW ABOARD crowded with seamen milling on the menu that rates a side to the Consul, but instead worked reaucrats to realize that Labor around looking over the ships on dish serve it as such. At all times and worried himself into a state! will no longer tolerate any inter- CAPE HATTERAS the board. Most of them were make the crew feel as though you of near collapse. So bad in fact ference or high-handedness that A HAPPY FAMILY veterans of the dark days when are trying to give them the best that he was forced to go to bed submarines stalked merchant of service. Always cut grape­ for a few days when we put to was shown towards us during the Dear Editor: recent conflict. • ships in the deadly game of war. fruit and cantaloupe and other sea. We are a big, happy family on Both the STU and the SUP Near the edge of the crowd stood fruit like it should be cut. You'll We take this opportunity to have shown again, as in the past, the SS Cape Hatteras. a quiet self conscious youth. Like never go wrong if you follow thank a fine captain, and a true But the last trip was terrible. that they have the guts to fight all the rest he was waiting for a these rules. gentleman. The chow was lousy, and there for Union rights, as guaranteed ship, but unlike the rest this ship "Place ash trays in convenient The crew cf th-o was no service. We had no meat, by the laws,of our land. And meant very much to him as it places and put up a sign where SS Thomas B. Reed they have set an example of soli­ except for the pork we picked was going to be his first trip to the crew can see it asking them up in Ciudad Trujillo. darity for the entire world. sea. in a nice way lu put Uieir cigar­ messman, he looked back to his In San Juan, Bud Ray came Solidarity lies in the meeting We'll call him Bill Jones, Yes, ettes and ashes in them. Take a first days and realized that the aboard to check the store rooms Bill Jones, Messman, waiting for cloth and every morning sort of advice of his fellow seamen had of minds, in the exchange of and the iceboxes. ideas, and complete unity against his first ship. rub off accumulated spots on the reaped him rewards. The man who was Third Cook a common foe, and that should One by one the dispatcher bulkheads. Cooperate with the Finally the ship came back to be the goal of the maritime Avork- on our last trip is now the Chief called off the jobs and soon the dishwasher as such as possible the states and "Speedy" decided Cook, and what a cook he is. board was empty but for one and make his job as easy as your he needed a vacation for the ship er—solidarity. Bob Porter He's also a darned good Steward. opening. This, no one "desired and own." had been gone for twenty months. In fact, the service couldn't be the dispatcher told him the job better. Bill listened intently to the ad­ So he headed home and took was his and gave him his ship­ vice given him and in wasn't long things easy for awhile. WIFE READS LOG On deck, we have four Bosuns ping card and slip. After resting up he decided to TO CHECK ON who are ABs. Lucky is a Bosun before the crew noticed his dili­ now. We don't see the Chief gence and nicknamed him ship out again, so he went down NEW JOB to the hall. All the crew was SEAFARER SPOUSE "Speedy." Mate on deck, as was the case a there and they shook his hand Dear Editor: on the last voyage. He told me Bill boarded his ship somewhat REGULAR GUY and boasted that he was the best bewildei'ed and a little unsure he has a good deck crew this My wife and I would like to To France, Belguim, Holland messman they had ever sailed of his reception. He was met in time. This is a result of a meet­ have the Log mailed to our home ing we held on sailing day in the passageway by the Chief and other ports he sailed and al­ with. Speedy felt good and a address weekly. New York. Steward, an oldtimer in the sail­ ways whenever the crew met him happy feeling surged through Between you and me, I think Yes sir, we are a big, happy ing game, who welcomed him uptown they set him up with the him. He looked up at the board aboard and showed him his quar­ best drinks. The crew liked him and saw that a messman's job she's trying to keep a close check family on the SS Cape Hatteras— ters and the messroom. He show­ and called jiim a regular guy. was open. He applied for it and on me. I can think of no better and all SIU members. God bless our Union. ed Bill around and pointed out They fought his battles and went received it. As he left the hall way than to have her read the Pedro J. Eraso [le heard someone call, "Carry on Seafarers Log. his duties as a messman aboard out of their way to help him. Herbert H. Crowell Speedy began to like being a Speedy.' " Frederick Wilkins Deck Delegate ship. The Steward realized how 'Serve Or Sink'—How To Make Good As A Messman On The Rolling Seas /••A I �"I ^ ^11 iiMii ..' TBE SEAFARERS LOG Page Twelve Friday, Seplember 20. 1946 Strike Action Found Outports Ready HERE'S HOW "?r" The Philadelphia Hall was too small to accommodate all who wanted to attend the meeting on September 6, so arrange­ ments were made for a larger hall in the center of town. And even this one wasn't quite big enough. Everybody had some­ thing to say. and all wanted to hit the bricks to show the WSB that when the SIU-SUP win a wage contract, they want what they win! On this page we have pic­ tures and details of the way things went in Philadelphia and Baltimore. In other ports it was the same story, but for two reasons we are unable to print the story and the pictures of what happened. First of all, the Teamsters' strike has left all printers short of paper. The LOG this wek is only 12 pages. Second, all Port Agents wore so, tied up with work during the strike, and a'^ the action was over, that they found it impossible to send stories and pictures as yet. In the next few weeks we know that more stories and pictures will be sent to the LOG, and when they are, you can be sure that they will be printed. Philly Ready So Strike Is Successful PHILADELPHIA — From the Navy Yard straight up the water­ front, this harbor was shut down fighter than most people would have believed possible. You could stand on the Delaware River bridge and look in both direc­ tions, up and down the river, and not a plume of smoke showed from any smoke stack on any ship. It was the same way on the Schuylkill River, and the only boats that moved here at all were the rowboats and shells near the boat houses. The foot of Market Street look­ ed like a deserted town, with only the Camden Ferry run­ ning. All in all, there was no doubt that this was a 100 per cent tie-up, in Philly and all over the United States. While we were engaged in but­ toning up the waterfront, we were still interested in making sure that all the boys had good hot food in their bellies, and a plac to live each night. While the NMU was threatening strike ac­ tion, all the commie unions in this town ran around getting rooms for them to use. The com­ mie unions even put up cots in their halls for the boys, and at the last minute they weren't used. Even cots are comfortable at the end of a long day of picket­ ing. These cots in Baltimore are not an exception, and are only part of the strike preparations made by this port. When the pin was pulled, they were ready down here, and within a few hours, the port was locked up tighter than a miser's bank ac­ count. And it stayed that way until the beef was settled in our favor. Baltimore On The Ball When Strike Call Came By WM. RENTZ Off to the picketlines in fine style. No sense walking to the docks when all you are going to do is some more walking. This truck came in mighty handy to transport pickets and to pick up food in the wilds of New Jersey. everyone; most days we gave out about 300 sandwiches. BIG GAME HUNTERS Don't think that any of this was easy. We were feeding close to 900 men, and due to the OPA freezing the meat, we had to go into the wilds of New Jersey for our provisions. We went around from farm to farm, and where we found meat, we bought it. Brother Hodge killed a couple of Maybe that moving coffee pigs for us, and that was a fine house wasn't welcome t6 the break. guys on picket duty, Each watch The smiling faces of the boys we distributed 250 dozen dough­ on the chow line was thanks nuts, plus all the coffee the boys enough to the members of the wanted and plenty of fresh fruit. Food and Housing Committee As far as sandwiches were who were responsible for provid­ concerned, there was plenty for ing all the food and lodging that was needed. Most of us were busy 20 hours a day, but after the victory was a sure thing, we found enough energy to go out to do a spot of celebrating. Sonia's was a busy place that night, and the boys really deserve a good time be­ cause practically all of them had stayed away from the joy gas during the strike action. The entire. strike action Was fine, but now that it is over, we can all get into the fight to pro­ tect the gains we .have made, and to go even further. There are still some unorganized lines, and these should get our attention next, now that Isthmian is prac­ tically in-the bag. The Seafarers International Union has always led in the fight for seamen's Coffee and—This mobile canteen made picketing easier in rights, and this fight against the the City of Brotherly Love. It belongs to the AFL Industrial WSB is only one more in the long Union Council and is available for such work at any time. history. From here on we. do Sure comes in handy. I even bigger things. But those unions didn't lift a finger for us. We had to do the whole thing by ourselves, and we did a fine job. Not one man went without a hot meal at least once each day, and through the cooperation of the AFL Central Labor Council of Philadelphia, we were able to secure the serv­ ices of a mobile canteen. BALTIMORE — Simultaneous keep the American Merchant Ma­ with every other port in United rine on the high seas. Maryland States Baltimore's port closed up ' can be congratulated on having shop at mid-night Sept. 5. When defeated this would-be strike the word came to hang the hook breaker in the recent primaries. and place out picket lines we There was a little trouble at were ready. We are proud of the the Maryland Drydock Company manner in which we pulled off when a company bus tried to the maneuver and we know that force its way through the picketthe story was the same all along i line. The men showed the com­ the three coasts. The story of pany that the lines weren't there cooperation from every source to be broken and once more the connected with the waterfront company learned the hard way is a wonderful story worth re­ that the Union meant business. peating in every port concerned. We received the pledges of sup­ In Baltimore we received the port from the NMU as did every full support and cooperation of other port. Naturally "no coffee the Baltimore branch of the AFL time" Joe was anxious to support and the Baltimore Federation of us. Look at him now crying his Labor. Miss Anna Neary rep­ eyes out about unequal pay. Well resenting the two above named we're glad the NMU membership groups called personally at the is going to get the raise, but as Hall to give us the word of sup­ usual they got it through the ef­ port. We also received full sup­ forts of the SIU and not their port of the local cab companies. own leaders. The drivers stopped 15 feet from • NOT FOOLING the picketlines and unloaded. The Joe quickly assured LaGuardia Cab Union told us to take the that NMU crev^s would man number of any cab that tried to UNRRA relief ships. I wonder cross the line and we never had what he expects us to do now to make use of that privilege. that he is asking us to hang the From across the sea we received hook on all of our ships, relief word from the British Dock- or not. workers in Liverpool that they Well its all over now and we would refuse to handle the car­ showed the boys in Washington go of any ship loaded by troops that we weren't fooling. As we or finks during the course of the are the clo.sest port to the Capitol strike. I wonder if some of the WSB On the other side of the ledger boys ever came around to see if we have a typical bureaucrat up the port was really dead. Maybe to his old tricks. Senator Rad- they did and ran right back to cliffe of Maryland told President hide and drop the whole business Truman to call out the Navy to in Uncle Harry Truman's lap. Just like every other port: one continuous picketline from Boston all the way down the Atlantic Coast, around the Gulf ports, and up the Pacific Coastline. And plenty effective, too. Not a ship mcved for ten days. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Seafarers Log Issues 1939-1949 Description An account of the resource Volumes I-XI of the Seafarers Log Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Paul Hall Maritime Library Microfilm 1939-1993 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Seafarers International Union of North America Document A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 20, 1946 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Vol. VIII, No. 38 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Seafarers Log Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Paul Hall Maritime Library Microfilm 1939-1993 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Newsprint Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Description An account of the resource Headlines: GENERAL STRIKE WINS COMPELTE VICTORY; NMU ASKS PAY RISE TO SEAFARERS LEVELS SIU ACTION FORCES SEELMAN TO REVERSE BUREAUCRATIC DENIAL OF SEAFARERS SCALES MERCHANT SEAMEN STILL AWAIT CHANGES IN PRESENT UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE LAW FREE LOADING STEELMAN ON SEAMEN'S PAY PHILLY TUGMEN HAIL SIU FOR LABOR VICTORY AFL POLICY IN NMU STRIKE MILITANT UNIONISM OF SIU-SUP PAYS OFF FURUSETH WOULD HAVE BEEN PROUD OF HIS BOYS IN THIS LAST BEEF THIS IS HOW WE PICKETED, FED OUR MEN, HELD OUR MEETINGS AND WON OUR BEEF LOCAL RESIDENTS, BUSINESSMEN, BACK MARCUS HOOK SEAFARERS SAYS MIDLAND VOTE FOR UNION WILL TAKE PLACE AS SCHEDULED SIU AND SUP ON WEST COAST TOOK GENERAL STRIEK IN STRIDE NMU GRAB FOR LAKES SHIPPING IS CALLED A DISMAL FAILURE PORT NORFOLK STRIKE TIES UP HARBOR 100 PERCENT STRIKE ACTION FOUND OUTPORTS READY PHILLY READY SO STRIKE IS SUCCESSFUL BALTIMORE ON THE BALL WHEN STRIKE CALL CAME Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 9/20/1946 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Seafarers International Union of North America 1946 Periodicals Seafarers Log