Media
Issue Date
1940-06-17
Volume
2
Issue Number
4
Plaintext
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The Seafarers^ Log
Seafarers' International Union of North America
. Official Organ of the Atlantic, Gulf and Great Lakes Seamen
BROTHERHOOD
OF THE
SEA
VOL. II NEW YORK, N. Y., MONDAY, JUNE 17, 1940 ,446 No. 4
AGENTS CONFERENCE ACTS
ON ORGANIZATION DRIVE!
Amendments
Eliminate Phoney Clauses
From Unemployment
Insurance Bill
REPOET ON THE UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE BILL
FOR SEAMEN
By Harry Lundeberg
Brothers:
For the past week 1 have been busy contacting various people
frienilly to us in reganl, to getting support in redrafting the Un
employment Insurance Bill for Seamen in order to get a bill which
will conform to the policy laid down by the SUPSIU to safeguafd
our Hiring Halls and conserve onr freedom as a trade union.
The original bill in substance would establish Fink Halls, making
oiir Union Halls government controlled, etc. (The NMU supported
the bill in its original finkhall form.)
I have had several meetings with the Railroad Retirement Board
who, with the aid«of the CIO commies, drew up the original bill.
For days I have gone over the bill point by point with them and
proved that the bill was phoney the way it stands and that If we
didn't get it changed to protect the seamen we would kill it com
pletely rather than sell out our Hiring Halls and freedom
....The bin, with the aid of your Secretary (Harry Lundeberg, Act
ing President, SIU) has been completely redrafted. The "following
has been accomplished for the benefit of our organization and the
seamen as a whole:
Dangerous Clauses Eiiminafe l
1. The part of the bill giving the Board the right to establish
Fink Halls has been COMPLETELY STRICKEN OUT!
2. The parjt of the bill giving the Board the right to move into
our Hiring Halls and supervise shipping has been COM
PLETELY STRICKEN OUT!
3. The part of the bill giving the Board the right to prescribe a
procedure of registration of unemployed seamen (lay down
shipping rules) has been COMPLETELY STRICKEN OUT
OF THE BILL.
4. The part of the bill setting up an Advisory Council consisting
of one shipowner, one Union representative and one from the
general public to find ways and means to eliminate unemploy
ment for seamen by establishing training schools for "retrain
ing" seamen, etc., has been COMPLETELY WIPED OUT OF
THE BILL.
5. The part of the bill giving the board the right to appoint
(stooges) has been stricken out.
6. The part of the bill giving the Board the right to enter into
agreements with various employment offices, (Fink Halls, ,etc.)
to exchange information has been stricken out.
7. The part of the bill giving the Board the right to make nota
tions upon a seaman's papers has been stricken out and in
stead the only thing they can now put on your discharge is
the time you apply for unemployment insurance.
New Changes in the Bill
In order to establish a procedure for administering unemploy
ment insurance for seamen and to eliminate the phoney clauses of
the bill, it was necessary to insert a clause which would safeguard
the seamen as a whole and the SUPSIU in particular.
1. We were successful In making the Board insert unemploy
ment insurance for the Great Lakes and the Inland waters.
We were the only Union that fought for this. The CIONMU
were fighting against these people getting unemployment in
ranee.
2. Thd Board shall establish, maintain and operate Registration
offices at such places as it may deem necessary for the effi
cient administration ot the Act, for the purpose of accepting
registration and applications for benefits.
Remarks. This means that the Board will have offices to take
applications for u7iemployment benefits, for seamen and noth
ing else!
3. Every person and organization engaged in the operation of
facilities for the employment of employees as defined in this
Act shall furnish to the Board such prescribed information and
report on unemployment and placements as the Board may re
quire to administer this Act.
, . ; Remarks.' This meutis that we agi'ee to furnish a list of the
number (not the names) of men registered for shipping in
(Continued on page 2)
Fiash!
Wage Increases Won
An increase of $10 per
month and 10 cents per
hour was won on the Range
Lines when the company
signed an addendum to
their agreement with the
SIU granting the higher
wages and overtime rate.
This is the first of the
coastwise operators who
have come thru with the
raise, thus falling in line
with the offshore wage
and overtime rate previous
ly established.
After lengthy negotia
tions and imder pressure
of a strike vote by the
membership, the Eastern
S.S. Co., which had pr«4
ously rejected all demands
for any concessions, came
thru with a proposal for a
$2.50 increase and impor
tant concessions in the
working conditions of the
ships. The proposal is now
being submitted to the
crews on the Eastern S.S.
Co, ships for approval.
Negotiations are now in
progress with other coast
wise operators under agree?
ment with the SIU for in
creases in the wage and
overtime rate.
Engineer
Assaults
Oiler
William L. G.eslnger, twenty
yeai^old oiler on the S.S. Tex
mar, was assaulted by John
Thrush, the first assistant engin
eer, while the ship was docked
In, Brooklyn and was taken to the
hospital where it was reported
that he had suffered a possible
skull fracture, fractured jaw, and
wrist, and extreme swelling and
injury to his arm.
The black gang delegate on the
Texniar etated that while the
ship was on the West Coast the
first assistant had threatened to
"get Brother Gresinger" before
the trip was over, because he had
Insisted on the payment of over
time and other conditions in the
agreement. When the ship docked
in Brooklyn, Gresinger and other
members of the crew were going
ashore. As they passed the first,
assistant's' room, he rushed out
(Continued on page 2)
Communist
Party Lays
Down Line!
NMU Charlie McCarthies
Out to Smash the SIU
Groundwork Laid for
Further Progress
At SIU Meeting
Proposals Adopted for Consolidation,.. ix
Of Atlantic and Gulf Districts;
Organization Drive Launched
Meeting in a hard working four day conference (June 69)
at Atlanta, Georgia, the Agents of th6 Atlantic and Gulf
Districts of the Seafarers International Union succeeded in
hamniei'ing out a program designed to extend the progressive
expan.sion of the organization and to strengthen the internal
structure in order to .solidify the gains that have been made
in tlie past period.
* Purpose of Meeting
The conference was called
together by Hariy Lundeberg,
Acting President of the Sea
farers' International Union of
North America, for "the pur
pose of coordinating the ac
tivity of the Atlantic and
Gulf Districts and to formu
late a program and policy to
increase the effectiveness of
the" organization and to pro
vide the means for the., fur
ther expansion of our organi
zation activity. Also to elimi
nate several sources of fric
tion between the several dis
tricts."
Consolidating Districts
Every phase of the union's ac
tivity was thoroughly discussed,
both as regards our strength and
our weaknesses. The continued
growth of the organization con
stantly raised new problems
which pressed for solution, in
other words, the ,SIU is experienc
ing what Is commonly known as
"growing pains." One of the
main questions that arose was
the necessity of consolidating
the Atlantic and Gulf Districts
into one unified whole and to
eliminate seme of the duplication
of effort that now exists. A reso
lution was adopted calling for the
amalgamation of both districts
with the centralization of head
quarters for the organization in
Washington, D.C. which would
also function as the legislative
office of the SIU.
Changes Necessary
Such a change in the organiza
tion structure necessitated many
We have just come into pos
session of a document that clear
ly exposes the ruling topcommit
tee of the NMU as Charlie Mc
Carthies for the unionwrecking
line of the Communist Party.
This document is entitled:
"Branch Resolution" of the "New
York Seamen's & Harbor Work
ers Branch, Communist Party of
the United States." The resolu
tion lays down the "Party Line"
for the stooges in the leadership
of the National Maiitlme Union,
and we shall demonstrate how
this "line" is carried into prac
tice.
"Unity" — C.P. Style
Point 3 of the resolution under
the somewhat ironic subtitle:
"Unity of the Labor Movement,"
the following instructions are
given:
3. "Assist in the organiza
tion of all unorganized
into hnnafide unions.
WHILE HELPING
TO SMASH THE.
SIU, I WW, CTU, and
{AND!) company un
ions as shipowners'
tools within the labor
movement''
Their Master's Voice!
Smash the SIU! That's the
Communist Party program! Im
mediately, the top officialdom of
the NMU declares that all ships
under contract to the SIU are
"unorganized" and "Charley Mc
Carthy" Lawrenson, chairman of
the socalled reorganization com
mittee of the NMU, announces in
the Pilot: "The SIU has got to
be wiped off of this coast." 'When
the Charlie McCarthies speak,
they give the impression that the
voice is theirs, but—the words
are those of their master!
alterations in the constitution
which was originally drawn up
on a district basis. These
changes were made and will be
submitted to the membership for
ratification. Another question
which had been the cause of
some confusion in the past was
that of different shipping rules
prevailing in the Atlantic and
Gulf districts. A completely
vised set of shipping rules was
drawn up, based upon those no'W,
(Continued on page 3),
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THE SEAFARERS' LOG Monday, June 17, 1940
« Published by thu
Seafarers^ Inierna^nal Union
of North America
AffiUilted mth the American r^iiihatiM of; Labor
HARRY LUNDEBERQ, A«(lM/Presl4ent
"''110 Market Street, Room 402. San Francisco, Calif.
Atlantic District
HEADQUARTERS
New York (Phone: BOwIing Green 92437) ......2 Stone Street
BRANCHES
Boston ..l.SJO Atlantic Avenue
Fcdvidence ......i.465 So: Main Street
Philadelphia 6 North 6th Street
Baltimore 14 North Gay Street
Norfolk "..60 Commercial Place
San Juan, Puerto Rico 8 Covadonga Street
Gulf District
• HEADQUARTERS
New Orleans .309 Chartres Street
BRANCHES
Savannah 218 East Bay Street
Jacksonville 136 Bay Street
Miami .....' 815 N. E. First Avenue
Tainpa .208 Franklin Street
Mobile v., 55 So. Conception Street
Houston 1712 • 75th Street
Texas City 4th Street
" Great Lakes District
HEADQUARTERS
Detroit 1088 Third Street
ADDRESS ALL CORRESPONDENCE CONCERNING THIS
PUBLICATION TO:
"THE SEAFARERS' LOG"
P. O. Box 522, Church St. Annex, New York, N. Y.
Editor: Tom Kerry—Former Editor of "West Coast Firemen"
' More About:
Unemployment Insurance
(Continued from Page 1)
our Hall and also agree to give them a list of hoto many men
we are shipping (not their names).
4. Any of the seven days beginning with the day after the mini
mum period provided, for in Section 3 (b) of this Act (14 days
on the beach), with respect to which the Board finds that he
failed, without good cause, to apply for or accept suitable work
offered individual registered at the employment facility at
which he is registered and accepted by an individual who
registered at such employment facility subsequent to the date
on which such employee registered: Provided that this dis
qualification shall not be applicable to an employee until after
he has twice failed to apply for or accept work sincce his last
employment.
Remarks: This means if you are receiving unemployment bene
fit yon cannot turn down more than three jobs offered by
'our Dispatcher if your card is old enough. If you turn doum
three jobs offered by the Union you can't get any more unem
' ployment benefit.
With these drastic changes in the bill, I feel that we are pro
tected against any attempt to break down our Hiring Hall, to estab
lish our Union as a branch of a Bureaucratic Government Board,
to take away our choice of employment as free men.
C.P. SlQoges Exposed
After having exposed the attempt of the Communist Party
Btpoges in the NMU together with certain Government intellectuals
and theShipowners' Lobby to sell the American seamen down the
river in the biggest attempted sellout yet, I am reasonably sure
that when this bill (as amended) again comes up for considaration,
the NMUShipowner combine will havs lost and the SUFSiU will
again have stopped tbe Comrats from selling out the American sea
men.
Assistance Acknowledged
Active support and valuable assistant was given us here in this
fight by William Green, President of the American Federation of
Lgbor, and Richard Welch, Congressman from the Mission District
in San Francisco. Also the imniediate response of all the S.I.U.
branches on the east coast to wire their protest to the Committee
belped In no small way. ,
Fraternally,
HARRY LUNDEBERG,
SecretaryTreasurer, Sailors Union of the Pacific
Acting President, Seafarers International Union
S.S. PORTMAB $ 4.50
B.S. COLABEE 11.00
S.S. ROBIN GOODPELLQW ......... 6.00
g.S. EVELYN 2.45 $2.3.95
IS'?:'
Tot&l $23.95
ip6RRECTlON: In the last issue of the Log we listed the
S:S. Del Mar as donating $12.35 to the Log. It should
have read the same amount from the S.S. Del Sud in
y (Stead of Del Mar,
I; 1
MDRE ABiOrUT: nURY RETURNS
Engineer
Assaults
(Continued from page J)
with a club or wrench and began
' beating (irestnger al?out the head,
inflicting severe injuries that nec
essitated hospital treatmenf.
Challenges Union
When Scotty Thompsqn, union
representative, ivent aboard to
find out what Hie beef was about,
he was confronted by the first as
sistant who challenged the un
ion's ability to do anything about
it! He further stated: "The union
can't do anything to me! I have
no use for unions anyway." This
latter statement was verified by
other officers on the Texmar who
stated that the first had finked in
every strike that involved the of
ficers.
Engineer Arrested
Scotty Thompson accompanied
by the black gang delegate visit
ed the hospital to ascertain the
extent of the injuries sustained
by Brother Gresinger and then
proceeded to the precinct station
house to prefer charges against
the first assistant. He was re
ferred to ttie Harbor police squad
who arrested the first on a
charge of felonious assault. The
case came up before the Magis
strates Court on June 11th and
after hearing the testimony of
Witnesses, Judge Jaeobson of the
Magistrates Court remanded the
tlie case for trial to a higher
court, 'file company's attorneys
asked that the case he dismissed
but on the basis of tlie evidence,
the request was denied and the
first assistant engineer was held
in ?500 bail pending trial in the
Special Sessions Court.
Will Press Charges
Adding insult to injury, the
company then tried to get the
Union to agree to permit the first
assistant to go hack on board and
sail the ship. The answer to that
was NO SOAP! He then went
down to the ship under police
protection and remoyed his be
longings. Next, the company
wanted to settle the case out of
court by getting Brother Gresin
ger to drop the charges. In view
of the fact that the first assistant
had previously boasted that he
had put three men in the hospi
tal before, and because of his aqx
iety to protect his brother mem
bers against future violence by
cfficers aboard ship, Brother Gre
singer rejected the company pro
posal to settle the case out of
court' and will press; charges
against the first assistant.
Getting to Be a Habit!
(We have just been informed
that a member of the Pacific
Coast Coast Marine Firemen was
recently assaulted by the first en
gineer on the S,.S. Kainalau, which
ivas operated by the Matson Na
vigation Co. The first assistaiit on
this ship hit the MFOW nian over
the head with a heavy screw
driver and split his scalp. The
New York branch of the MOFW
went on record to prosecute the
first assistant before the Inspec
tors and in court. Looks like it's
ghtting to be a haJbitt)
Verdict of GiiTlty
In S.S. EWA Cose
Crew of Ewa Charged With "Endeavor To
Commit Mutiny" Are Victims Of
Curran War Hysteria!
Eleven Aiembers of tlie crew of the 3S EWA received
.sentencesranging from 30 days to 9.0 days, and five others
were placed on probation after a jury brought in a compro
mise verdict of guilty on one charge in the mdictnient—"en
deavor to commit mutiny"—with a "recoiiiniendcitioii for
extreme clemency" and found the men not guilty on a second
charge of "conspiracy to commit a mutiny or revolt." In
other \yords, the men were apparently convicted as Indivi .
duals endeavoring "to commit mutiny," and not as a group
entering into a "conspiracy to commit mutiny."
Meetings Called Conspiracy ^
It is well to keep this dis
tinction in mind as the charge
of conspiracy was based upon
the fact that the crew mem
bers held meetings aboard
ship, elected delegates as
spokesmen for the crew, and
had these delegates represent
them in dealing with the of
ficers of the vessel. This is a
procedure that is embodied in
our agreements with the ship
owners, hut one that was im
plicitly under attack as was
revealed by the testimony.
Captain Leithead, master of
the SS Ewa, who stated on
the witness .Stand that "men
(aboard ship) have no husi
ness nieeling in one body,'
and that "everytime they
meet together, they are con
spiring (!) against tlie mas
ter."
Disturbing Symptom
When Captain Leithead was
confronted with a copy of the
agreement between the SUP and
the Matson Navigation Co., own
ers of the Ewa, which contained
a clause expressly granting rec
ognition to ships delegataes elect
ed by meetings of the crew, he
contended that "the agreement
was not binding" on him and that
he was ONLY bound by the ship's
articles. Fortunately, the verdieet
was not guilty on the charge of
conspiracy; otherwise, a prece
dent would have been established
vyhlch would have endangered the
rl^ht of ships' crews to meet to
gether In a body, elect a delegate
to represent them, and to act in
an orderly and organized manner
in presenting their demands and
grievances. A fundamental right
which is embodied in all of our
agreements with the shipowners
arid orie which .the American sea
men have wpn after years of bit
ter struggle. It is a disturbing
syympton that this right Is now
being challenfied.
Protective Laws involved
The verdict In the Ewa" case
may have far reaching signifi
cance as it involves, the applica
tion of certain laws designed for
the protection of seaqien. The
case grew out of the blunt refusal
of the master of the Ewa to give
the crew a draw on their wages
in the port of Colachel, India, In
conformanpe with Section 4530
of the Revised Statutes of the
U. S. In brief, this law requires
the captain to give the men, on
demand, a draw equal t'6 onehalt
of their accumulated wages. This
law was obviously designed for
the protection of the seamen.
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Further, it gives the seamen the
right to consider the contract, or
artlclc.s, broken in the event that
this demand for a draw is not
met in accordance with the terms
set forth.
Articles Broken
When the skipper refused to
give the men a draw, they exer
cised their right under the law, as
quoted above, declared the arti
cles broken and demanded to be
paid off. The crew then proceeded
to communicate with the Amer
ican Consul and requested his in
tervention in the dispute. .The
crew took the ship to Port Said,
where it was finally decided to
|jay the crew off. Because the ar
ticles had been broken by the
captain, the crew was entitled to
one month's extra compensation.
Their wages, with the extra
month's compensation, were de
posited with the American Con
sul at Port Said.
Delayed "Mutiny"
Much has been made of the fact
that the crew were placed in a de
tention camp at Port Said, Egypt,
after they left the vessel. This
was done with the knowledge of
the crew who were informed of a
wartime Egyptian nieasITre which
required all aliens to be com
mitted to detention camps until
they were expatriated. The crew
apparently preferred tlie none too
pleasant surroundings of an
Egyptian detention camp, to sail
ing the ship back to the United
States under the command of
Captain Leithead. This is under
standable in view of the fact that
two members of the crew were
driveiv insane on the voyage, the
second mate and the deck dele,
gate, who is still confined in the
insane asylum at Cairo, Egypt.
The "incriminatingV circumstance
of the crew's commitment to a de
tention camp is exploded by the
fact that the U. S. Consul pro
vided free transportation as pas
sengers with all expenses paid
until their return; No one was
aware of any "mutiny" charges
until the crew got back to this
country.
Clue to Motive
A clue to the motive of the
skipper in refusing to give the
crew a draw, and refusing to give
them shore leave in Colachel—al
though the ship was to stay there
for at least seven days—was re
vealed! in the testimony. Captain
Leithead had purchased 150 cases
of beer for the elopchest at Ma
nila. He testified that he paid
2.75 a case for the beer and Sold
it to the crew for 15 cents a
bottle, which makes ?3.60 per
case of 24 botles. THE LAW
STATES THAT THE 'VESSEL
(Continued on page J) • ,/, •
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http://www.pdfcompressor.org/buy.html
Monday, June 17, 1949
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THE SEAFARERS' LOG
What's Doing
BALTIMORE ̂ EWS AND VIEWS!
BALTIMORE, Md., June 11.—
Shipping continpes fair to good
out of the Port of Baltimore, with
the beach list showing 227 mem
bers shipped during the past two
weeks. Total beach list registra
tion a t t he end of the past week
numbered 180 in the three depart
ments. Nineteen tripcard men
were shipped out during the two
week period. Prospec^ for ship
ping continue good. Strangely
enough, the closing of various
ocean areas to American shipping
by the Neutrality Act has had no
great effect on the SlUSUP niern
bership, since most of the Lines
affected by the Act have quickly
found other services and routes
mainly in the Coastal, ,Inter
coastal, and South American serv
ices.
Ship Transfers
, The transfer of U. S. flag ships
to foreign registry still continues
with the latest victims being tlie
MAKAWAO and MANA of the
Matson Line; the SAN VINCEN
TR, the T. J. WILLIAMS
GEOnGR O. HENRY, and JOHN
WORTHINGTON of the Esso
fleet; the old ADMIRAL WOOD
and several assorted yachts and
barges. To offset these losses to
the merchant marine we note that
fifteen ships of the tiedup fleets
are open for bids. Five of them:
the BAYOU CHICO, CITY OF
WEATHERFORD, GEORGE
PIERCE, SALAAM, and YAPA
LAGA have already been ear
marked for Waterman Steamship,
and the fen others are lined up
for reconditioning. The Maritime
Commission has also invited bids
on. the BARREADO and MON
ROE, two old timers laid down
In the James River.
Live Up to Agreements!
The Blanch cracked down hard
on tlie practice of some engineers
in having members of the black
gang do certain jobs they weren't
supposed to be doing,, forcing one
company fo pay more than 200
hours overtime on a ship that had
been on a trip of less than a
month. We may rest assured that
after that salutory lesson, the
companies will see to if that their
engineers will read the agree
ments and live up to them. In
the Stewards Department, Patrol
man Vechio went to town on two
of the Lines that had been short
changing their crews lately in the
way of fresh milk. The matter
was speedily adjusted with the
quantity in one paiticular case
being upped two gallons per day
to seven gallons. Recent clarifica
tions 6n the Bull, Cuban Distil
ling, Waterman, and South Atlan
tic S.S. agreements have been of
considerable help in straightening
out difficulties on the ships of
these Lines, and the practice of
the members in making them
selves familiar with tliie terms oif
the various agreements saves the
partolman a lot of time.
Baltimore Organizatioii.
Progress
The news that our brother or
ganization, the CTU (AFofL Ra
dio Operators) had finally broken,
down the resistance of the So
cony Vacuum and Isthmian Lines
and come away with signed
agreements from both outfits
came as a surprise to the water
front. The CTU with 39 signed
agreements under their belts is
probably the smallest but strong
est organization on the, water
front, and their signing up of
Isthmian is a good indication
that the Line has at least seen
the light and is willing to come
to terms with the A. F. of L. or
ganizations. Thanks to SIUSUP
efforts on the Baltimore water
front, the port now rates 100 per
cent Union with even the watch
men, janitors, stenographers, and
office boys all organized into their
respective unions. Cooperation be
tween the various organizations
is good, and outside of. the deca
dent NMU whom no one pays any
attention to any more, the whole
waterfront is solidly A. F. of L.
Check on Citizenship
All members who have been un
able to prove citizenship and who
still have a question mark on
their papers should take steps
immediately to have the mark re
moved. Birth certificates or bab
tisimal certificates are required
to prove citizenship and once ob
taained, these certificates should
be kept carefully in case of loss
of seaman's papers. The removal
of the Immigration Dept. from
the Department of Labor to the
jurisdiction of the FBI means a
close checkup on all aliens, and
although the Unions are doing
their best to check the hysterical
drive on some of their members,
no one can foresee whaat Is like
ly to happen in these troubled
time; so to avoid the possibility
of being yanked off some ship be
cause of lack of citizenship proof,
the matter should be attended to
as soon as possible.
Conference Report Approved!
Brother Wm. McKay is back in
port after a short trip on the Ma
rymar. Patrolman Zimmer will
finish up here this week, and we
are sorry to see the brother leave.
ExPatolman John Lui is some
where in the Mediterranean on
the Schoharie. Agent Elkins, re
cently returned from the Atlanta
conference, explained the purpose
and results of the conference to
the membership at the last busi
ness meeting. There was much
discussion on the various matters
brought up at the Agents' meet
ing, but the reaction of the mem
bership was highly favorable.
W. H. Elkins
whole. Think this over seriously
and give your union brothers a
breakI
• • «
Quite a few of the NMU mem
bers are getting disgusted with
their setup.' It's about time that
the majority of them get wise to
themselves that they belong to an
orgaaization controlled by top
committees and not by the rank
and file. Every day, they come
into the SIU hall here trying to
join an organization that is run
democratically for the seamen.
The NMU is not making any
headway In the port of Jackson
ville and all this bunk about "re
organizing the unorganized'.' is
not getting anywhere because the
seamen on the East Coast have
had experience with Curran's
"reorganizers" and will not fall
for this line of hooey again.
• » •
Shipped eight members during
the week on various ships. There
is still a shortage of A.B.'s in this
port, with none registered on the
shipping list at present.
JACKSONVILLE
June 4, 1940
The S.S. HELEN of the Bull
Line came in yesterday, and it is
getting to be the same old song
where a member goes on a drunk
and misses the ship at the last
minute. This has happened twice
their last two trips. I wish
that some of these brothers would
come to their senses some time
or another' and think of their
brother members who are holding
down the beach eagerly looking
for a job on a ship.
This kind of stuff isn't any
pond for any jinion and should be
stopped immediately, or else toe
will be shipping out of the fink
halls again!
I sometimes wonder how many
seamen had to shell out a five
dollar bill or have a letter from
some Senator or big shot, so that
he could get a job on some meas
ly ship that wasn't even paying
decent wages, had no conditions
and fed .you any kind of slop they
wanted to. I remember those days
and there are quiteSi^^^ew more
of the seamen that do. This per
forming bunk can't last forever,
not with the Maritime Comrnls
sion and other such agencies who
are in the field today to do one
thing; and that is to smash the
seamen's union movement as a
June 10, 1940.
On my return to Jacksonville
from the Agents Conference, 1
found that several members had
taken it upon themselves to get
filled up with cheap wine and pro
ceeded to come up to the hall to
do a little performing. This sort
of thing will not be tolerated
very much longer. One of these
members, Harold Bell, No. 270,
started to disturb several mem
bers who were reading and mind
ing their own business. The out
come of it all was that they
threw him out of the hall before
any real damage was done. This
man will have to answer to the
membership before he can ship
out again.
« * *
Another man, by the name of
R. W. England, an NMU man,
who ̂ had been expelled from the
AFLSU in the autumn of 1938,
came Into the hall w^hile the
Agent was outoftown, and tried
to ship on an SIU ship. The act
ing dispatcher happened to look
into the deferred list and saw
that' he had been expelled and re
fused to ship him. He was asked
why he had come into our hall
to ship, and he made the state
ment that the NMU had in
structed him to knowing that tlie
agent was absent. So, brothers,
you can see for yourself what
steps the stooges will take to get
aboard ships that' have been or
ganized by union men who have
taken it upon themselves to get
the best conditions available.
* * *
Shipped five members this
week (June 10) to various ships.
There are 12 members on the
three shipping lists at present'
time.
Steady as she goe^l
Fred Lauriiailo.
Attention !
JOHN K. GLASS
JAIVIES V. VENDETTI
Please communicate 'with
the Ocean Dominion Line at
once! 17 Battery Place , New
York City. Tlie company has
$200 bond posted and must
establish the fact) that you are
in the United States before it
will be returned.
Groundwork Laid
At SlU_Meeting
(Continued from Page !)•
In force In both districts, which
will be submitted to the inem
her.ship for ratification by refer
endum ballot. After the member
ship has acted on the shipping
rules we will have a more or less
uniform set of shipping rules for
the entire AtlanticGulf Di.strict.
Organizing Drive
In the field of organization, the
conference acted to provide the
necessary organizers to carry
out the elaborate organization
program set down by the Agents'
conference. Particular attention
will be given to those lines which
are now unorganized as well as
to strengthening the lines under
agreement with the SIU, These
organizers will be assisted by a
planned cooperation with the offi
cials in all Atlantic and Gulf
Ports who will work in conjunc
tion with the organizers in the
field.
Weekly Log
In order to assist in the or
ganization work, it was decided
to supplement the work of the
field organizers by publishing the
Log on a weekly basis just as
soon as possible. Provision was
made to' provide the nece.ssary
funds for weekly publication. It
was felt that the weekly publica
tion of the Seafarers' Log was
necessary to offset the destruc
tive, lying propaganda of our
enemies as well as to provide the
unorganized seamen with true
pictures of the program and pro
gressive character of the SIU
policy.
Wage Increase"
The question of securing an in
crease in the Coatwise lines now
under contract to the SIU was
discussed at great length. The
conference requested Brother
Hawk, Sec.Treas., Atlantic Dis
trict, to enter Into immediate
negotiations with the operators in
question looking toward the se
curing of the $10 increase in
wages and 10 cents per hour in
crease in overtime.
(Since the conference, the
Range Lines signed an addendum
to the existing agreement grant
ing an increase of $10 per month
and 10 cents per hour overtime.
Negotiations are still in progress
with other companies).
The conference also went on
record in support of any neces
sary action to., complete the sign
ing of an agreement with the
Eastern S.S. Go. that will be ac
ceptable to the membership.
Caution Advisable
One of the most important
problems discussed at the confer
ence was the current legislative
assaiilt upon the American sea
men by certain pressure groups
in Washington, D.C. These groups
are attempting to take advantage
of the condition created by the
war situation in pressing for pas
sage of various antiunion laws
under the disguise of "National
Defense." Brother Lundeberg re
ported to the conference on some
of these measures on which he
testified against on behalf of the
SlUSUP membership. He warned
that any irresponsible action on
the part of an individual member
or crew, under present conditions,
could be fatal for the entire or
ganization.
Resolution Adopted
The conference adopted a reso
lution (printed elsewhere in this
issue) outlining the necessary
procedure on the question of tak
ing action in an organized man
ner. Anyone violating this resolu
tion >vill have to answer to the
membership. The shipowners'
lobby at Washington is only too
anxious to take advantage of any
phoney beef to raise a hue and
cry for repressive legislation
MORE ABOUT:
SSE WA Cqse
(Continued from page 2)
.SHALL OPERATE TRE SLOP
CHE.ST AT NO MORE THAN 10
PER CENT GROSS PROFIT!
The skipper of the Ewa, who was
operating the slopchest • on his
own account, was making over 30
per cent profit on his beer. Which
is a very neat profit, IP HE
SOLD ALL OF THE BEER HE
HAD BOUGHT!
Beer Sales Fall
Between Manila and Colachek
the skipper sold ten cases of beer.
Meanwhile, the crew had made
up their minds not to buy any
more of the skipper's beer and
with visions of being stuck with
140 cases of beer, it is evident
that if the crew were refused a
draw and refused shore leave,
they would be forced to stay
aboard, and if they stayed aboard
ship, they would be forced to buy
the skipper's beer out of sheer
desperation! Therefore, they were
refused a draw and refused shore
leave.
In supporting the charge of
"endeavoring to commit mutiny"
numerous incidents were cited of
alleged insubordination on the_
part of the crew. Incident,.s, which
in normal times, would have .re
ceived scant consideration by any
jury. However, with the prevail
ing wartime psychology, such in
cidents can be inflated out of all
proportion to their actual signifi
cance. The main facts whicli
Eland out in bold and glaring
contradiction to the charge are:
Maiu Facts!
1.Tlie Captain refused the crew
a draw that they were enti
tled to under law, thereby
breaking the articles.
2. After declaring the articles
broken, the crew immediately
contacted the American Con
sul and requested his inter
vention, and demanded to be
paid off.
3. Even after the articles had
been broken, the black gang
kept up steam, so that cargo
could be worked, and the
crew sailed the vessel from
Coiachei to Port Said.
4. In Port Said, the crew volun
tarily left the ship after con
tacting the American Consul
with whom the money was
left to pay off the crew. Most
peculiar actions for an> al
leged mutinous crew.
Jury Out Long Time
The jury was out for a consid
erable length of time before
reaching a verdict. After they
were out for seven hours, they re
turned and informed the court
that they were unable to reach a
verdict. Small wonder! However,
they were sent back and finally
.arrived at the formula of return
ing a verdict of guilty on one
count, dropped the second count
and urged "extrenie clemency", on
the court. It was the general con
sensus of opinion among observ
ers at the trial, that were it not
for the present unsettled condi
tions, the case would have been
flii'own out of court, if it ever
would have been pressed at all.
Caution Necessary
It Is well to recognize the sig
nificance of the Ewa case and ex
ercise the utmost caution against
getting involved in beefs In ports
where there are no union repre
sentatives available. During this
period of emergency, all crews
should avoid disputes In any out
ports and sail the ship to the
nearest port where there is a un
ion office and representative who
can take up the beef In an or
ganized manner.
against the union. It is the re
sponsibility of every member to
see that no such opportunity la
given them.
I
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THE SEAFARERS' LOG Monday, June 17, 194t
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AUEW BILL
Lundeberg Testifies on Behalf
Of Foreign Born Seamen
A flood of legislative measures affecting the interests of
the seamen have kept Harry Lundeberg, Acting President of
Seafarers' 'International, in "Washington, D. 0., for an ex
tended period of time. Certain selfish groups are attempting
to take advantage of the eiirrent national emergency to fur
ther their particular group interest at the expense of the
organized seamen. Under cover of supplementing tlie Presi
dent's defense program, the powerful .shipowners' lobby is
moving to nullify many of the conditions gained by the sea
men through legitimate union brganwution,
Testifies Before Committee
Brother Lundeberg appeared before the House Commit
tee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries and on behalf of the
membership of the SIUSUP offered powerful arguments in
opposition to the H.R. 9918, the bill which would eliminate
foreignborn seamen from the American Merchant Marine.
He was the only one to appear on behalf of the seamen at the
hearing. The CIONMTJ officialdom was conspicuous by its ab
sence:' Altho their "official" legislative representative was
present at the hearing, neither he, nor any of the other
stoogei'had the courage to take the stand on behalf of the
membership they are supposed to represent. They get mili
tant as all hell on the pages of the "Pilot" where they storm
and thunder against the "reactionaries" but it's another
question when they have to face these same reactionaries at
a public hearing. Then tfiey luck their tails between their
legs and slinlc into their holes.
Proposals Submitted
(rAs a result o f the hearing. Brother Lundeberg was re
quested, by Chairman Bland of the Committee, to submit
some proposals for the safeguard of the foreignborn seamen.
In ceompliance with this request the following proposals,
which were printed in the Congressional Record and which
Bland promised Avould receive the utmost consideration, were
submitted:
Statement by Harry Lundeberg
SecretajyTreasurer of the Sailors Union of the Pacific
V and Acting President of the Seafarers' International
• Union of North America, affiliated with the American
Federation of Labor. ~
Honorable S. 0. Bland, Chairman,
House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries,
. Washington, D. C.
On behalf of 8,000 Seamen of the Pacific Coast and
12,000 Seamen on the Atlantic and Oulf Coast, I ask that
the following statement be put in the Record as a Sup
plement to my statement before your Committee on
Thursday, June 6, 1940:
In order to protect and avoid discrimination against
the foreignborn seamen who are legally admitted to this
" country by the United States Government through the
Immigration Bureau, and in order to protect'and help
those foreignbom seamen who have sailed in American
ships for a number of years and who have proven to be
loyal Americans and who helped man the American
ships, when foreign seamen were needed to man Amer
. ican ships, but who through technicalities of the law
cannot become American citizens, we wish to offer the
following Amendments to H. R. 9918:
1. Legally admitted quota immigrants whose call
ing is that of seamen should be allowed to sail in Amer
ican ships for a period of five years—^the time it takes
to become an American citizen after legal entry—(B)
Or as an alternative:
Leave the law as it now reads under the law passed
June 25, 1936: That 75 percentum of the crew, exclud;
ing officers, shall be citizens of the United States, native
bpm or completely naturalized; unless the Secretary of
Commerce shall, upon investigation, ascertain that quali
fied citizen seamen are not available, when under such
' conditions he may reduce the above percentum.
" 2. That alienbom seamen who for the past ten
; years or more have followed their calling as seamen in
vessels of the United States and who are of good char
acter and repute sworn to by reputable citizens and cer
tified as such by the Bureau of Marine Inspection and
Navi^tion, shall be allowed to pay their Head Tax and
"be allowed to continue sailing in American ships until
they can obtain their citizenship papers.
We also ask the Committee to seriously take into
i consideration the effect this Bill wiU have on alienbom
fishermen who are legally in this country but cannot
become citizens due to the fact that they are Asiatics.
Shipping
News
The Maritime Commission has
accepted the bid of the Waterman
Steamship Corporation of $596,
000 for five vessels from the gov
vernment's laldup fleet, on the
condition that Waterman will
build lour new ships. The five old
freighters that. Waterman is buy
ing and their costs are: Bayou
Chico, ?147,000; City of Weather
ford, 1100,000; freorge Pierce,
?100.000; Salaam, ?96,000: Yapal
ga, .ft .13,000. All of these ships are
now tied up at New Orleans. It
is reported that they will be oper
ated in the foreign service, but
no definite run has yet been as
signed.
Garment Union
Returns to AFL
FANTASnO
" 4
NEW YORK, N. Y.—The Inter
national Ladles' Garment Work
ers Union, one of the largest la
bor organizations in the country,
with a membership of 250,000, re
turned officially to the American
Federation of Labor on June 6.
Twentytour hours earlier, by an
overwhelmingl vote of 640 to 12,
the union voted to reaflilate im
mediately with the Federation.
BOOST TOTAL MEIVrBERSHIP
Return of the Ladies' Garment
Workers to the A. F. of L. brings
the dues paying menibersliip of
the Federation to more than
4,550,000—the highest recorded
membership in history. The ILG
WU was one of the original un
ions which joined in forming the
Committee for Industrial Organi
zation In 1935, but when it was
decided to convert the Committee
into a permanent organization.
Mystery Man Speaks
For Ghost Seamen
Unmasked Marvel Plays First Fiddle
In Shipowners' Chorus!
The tno.st fnritastie character was washed itito the Na
tion's Capitol this past week, riding a wave of hysteria that
threatens to engulf the organized seamen of the American
Merchant Marine. This bird by the name of W. II. T. Rey
nold.s has been appearing before variou.s congre.ssional eom
mittee.s pa.ssing himself off as a representative of the Inter;
national Seamen's Utiioo of Ariierica On every hill affecting
the seamen, our mystery man appears to testify on behalf of
a nonexistent membership of a nonexistent organization!
Ghostly Membership
The Inteniational Seamen's
Union went out of existence
some two years ago when the
Houston convention of the
American Federation of Labor
revoked its charter and grant
ed jurisdiction under a new
charter to the Seafarers' In
ternational Union of North
America. There just isn't any
International Seamen's Union
aside from the fictitious exis
tence it enjoys in the mind of
W. H. J. Reynolds, with a
membership that is composed
entirely of mystery man Rey
nolds and the ghosts of the
seamen he alleges to repre
sent.
known as the Congress of Indus
trial Organizations, in 1938, the
ILGWU withdrew. Since Novem
her of that year the Ladies' Gar
ment Workers have maintained
the status of an independent
union.
RESOLUTION!
Adopted by Atlantic and Gulf District Agents Con
ference, June 69, Atlanta, Georgia.
WHEREAS: Certain conditions have arisen on account
of the European war which have virtually placed
this country on an emergency status, and
AVHEREAS: Hostile shipowners in conjunction witii
various antiunion men on government bureaus are
trying to destroy our unions, and
WHEREAS: Saboteurs may have crept into our ranks
with the specific purpose of disrujiting our organi
zation, be it therefore
RESOLVED: That we go on record instituting the fol
lowing measui'es in conformity with our constitution
and for the benefit of the membership as a whole:
1. In ships and companies where our organization
has an agreement, no direct action to tie up a
ship shall be taken either by an individual ccrew,
by an individual official of the union or by an
individual branch before contactmg district
headquarters thru the secretarytreasurer.
2. The headquarters shall have the final say before
a ship is tied up and they shall at all times be
guided by the constitution, which in the final
analysis, is the law of the membership as a whole.
3. No action shall be taken by the Atlantic District
to tie up a ship with an agreement with the Gulf
District and vice versa, until the respective dis
tricts where the ship belongs has been contacted,
and be it finally
RESOLVED: That anyone that breaks these rules shall
be made to answer to the membership.
Our testimony before your Honorable Committee on H.R.
8180, Febiuary 13, 1940, brings out in detailed facts
what would happen to these people if this legislation is
passed.
Very truly yours,
HARRY LUNDEBERG.
The Unmasked Marvel
A clue to the identify of the
unmasked marvel is contained in
the nature of the testimony he of
fers on behalf of his ghost mem
bership. No matter what the na
ture of the bill may be, Reynolds
lifts his voice in one refrain:.
"Closed shop agreements and un
ion control of the hiring hall arQ ̂
honeycombing the American
Merchant Marine with a disloyal
army of malcontents." On every^
bill that is presented he urges
"that the bill be amended to in
clude authority for the Secretary
of Commerce to establish district
offfces for hiring seamen."
Pipe the Same Tune
strangely enough, the shipown ,
era' lobby at Washington pipes
the same tune! Could It be that
W. H. J. Reynolds actually repre ,
sents a much more material body
than the ghostly crew of the de
funct international Seamen's Un
ion? Brother Lundeberg, who has
been in Washington for the past
several weeks, reports that the
place is swarming with laborhat
ing stooges of the shipowners,
bent on taking advantage of the
national emergency to seek the
destruction of the seamen's or
ganizations. All of their fire is
concentrated on the union hiring
hall which is the firmest pillar of
union strength, the destruction of
which would mean the collapse
of the entire union structure in*
the maritime industry.
Playing the Angles
The shipowners aren't overlook
ing any angle. Mystery men and
ghost seamen are supplemented
by other means and other meth
ods. The organized seamen seem
to have been selected as a special
target for repressive and restric
tive legislative measures by the,
laborhating fraternity. It is nec
essary to exercise the utmost ,
selfdiscipline on the part of ev
ery member of the union and ev
ery unign crew.
Union Discipline Essential
Irresponsible action by individ
uals create "incidents" which are
seized upon, inflated, distorted,
and utilized as a basis for legia.
lation demanding the elimination
of the hiring hall and the destruc
tion of t he union. In this period,
our primary concern must be the
interest of the organization AS A
WHOL5. The Union can and
MUST discipline its membershipj
Every member must take upon
himself the responsibility to act,
in the light of present conditions,
in such a way as to safeguard the
.welfare of the Union and Its
membership as a whole. Unless
we do, we will find ourselves
disciplined" out of existence by
the "mystery men' and their
masters.
• .v\
In Memoriam
CHARLES COFFEY
Died in Africa on the 28th day
of March 1940.
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The Seafarers^ Log
Seafarers' International Union of North America
. Official Organ of the Atlantic, Gulf and Great Lakes Seamen
BROTHERHOOD
OF THE
SEA
VOL. II NEW YORK, N. Y., MONDAY, JUNE 17, 1940 ,446 No. 4
AGENTS CONFERENCE ACTS
ON ORGANIZATION DRIVE!
Amendments
Eliminate Phoney Clauses
From Unemployment
Insurance Bill
REPOET ON THE UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE BILL
FOR SEAMEN
By Harry Lundeberg
Brothers:
For the past week 1 have been busy contacting various people
frienilly to us in reganl, to getting support in redrafting the Un
employment Insurance Bill for Seamen in order to get a bill which
will conform to the policy laid down by the SUPSIU to safeguafd
our Hiring Halls and conserve onr freedom as a trade union.
The original bill in substance would establish Fink Halls, making
oiir Union Halls government controlled, etc. (The NMU supported
the bill in its original finkhall form.)
I have had several meetings with the Railroad Retirement Board
who, with the aid«of the CIO commies, drew up the original bill.
For days I have gone over the bill point by point with them and
proved that the bill was phoney the way it stands and that If we
didn't get it changed to protect the seamen we would kill it com
pletely rather than sell out our Hiring Halls and freedom
....The bin, with the aid of your Secretary (Harry Lundeberg, Act
ing President, SIU) has been completely redrafted. The "following
has been accomplished for the benefit of our organization and the
seamen as a whole:
Dangerous Clauses Eiiminafe l
1. The part of the bill giving the Board the right to establish
Fink Halls has been COMPLETELY STRICKEN OUT!
2. The parjt of the bill giving the Board the right to move into
our Hiring Halls and supervise shipping has been COM
PLETELY STRICKEN OUT!
3. The part of the bill giving the Board the right to prescribe a
procedure of registration of unemployed seamen (lay down
shipping rules) has been COMPLETELY STRICKEN OUT
OF THE BILL.
4. The part of the bill setting up an Advisory Council consisting
of one shipowner, one Union representative and one from the
general public to find ways and means to eliminate unemploy
ment for seamen by establishing training schools for "retrain
ing" seamen, etc., has been COMPLETELY WIPED OUT OF
THE BILL.
5. The part of the bill giving the board the right to appoint
(stooges) has been stricken out.
6. The part of the bill giving the Board the right to enter into
agreements with various employment offices, (Fink Halls, ,etc.)
to exchange information has been stricken out.
7. The part of the bill giving the Board the right to make nota
tions upon a seaman's papers has been stricken out and in
stead the only thing they can now put on your discharge is
the time you apply for unemployment insurance.
New Changes in the Bill
In order to establish a procedure for administering unemploy
ment insurance for seamen and to eliminate the phoney clauses of
the bill, it was necessary to insert a clause which would safeguard
the seamen as a whole and the SUPSIU in particular.
1. We were successful In making the Board insert unemploy
ment insurance for the Great Lakes and the Inland waters.
We were the only Union that fought for this. The CIONMU
were fighting against these people getting unemployment in
ranee.
2. Thd Board shall establish, maintain and operate Registration
offices at such places as it may deem necessary for the effi
cient administration ot the Act, for the purpose of accepting
registration and applications for benefits.
Remarks. This means that the Board will have offices to take
applications for u7iemployment benefits, for seamen and noth
ing else!
3. Every person and organization engaged in the operation of
facilities for the employment of employees as defined in this
Act shall furnish to the Board such prescribed information and
report on unemployment and placements as the Board may re
quire to administer this Act.
, . ; Remarks.' This meutis that we agi'ee to furnish a list of the
number (not the names) of men registered for shipping in
(Continued on page 2)
Fiash!
Wage Increases Won
An increase of $10 per
month and 10 cents per
hour was won on the Range
Lines when the company
signed an addendum to
their agreement with the
SIU granting the higher
wages and overtime rate.
This is the first of the
coastwise operators who
have come thru with the
raise, thus falling in line
with the offshore wage
and overtime rate previous
ly established.
After lengthy negotia
tions and imder pressure
of a strike vote by the
membership, the Eastern
S.S. Co., which had pr«4
ously rejected all demands
for any concessions, came
thru with a proposal for a
$2.50 increase and impor
tant concessions in the
working conditions of the
ships. The proposal is now
being submitted to the
crews on the Eastern S.S.
Co, ships for approval.
Negotiations are now in
progress with other coast
wise operators under agree?
ment with the SIU for in
creases in the wage and
overtime rate.
Engineer
Assaults
Oiler
William L. G.eslnger, twenty
yeai^old oiler on the S.S. Tex
mar, was assaulted by John
Thrush, the first assistant engin
eer, while the ship was docked
In, Brooklyn and was taken to the
hospital where it was reported
that he had suffered a possible
skull fracture, fractured jaw, and
wrist, and extreme swelling and
injury to his arm.
The black gang delegate on the
Texniar etated that while the
ship was on the West Coast the
first assistant had threatened to
"get Brother Gresinger" before
the trip was over, because he had
Insisted on the payment of over
time and other conditions in the
agreement. When the ship docked
in Brooklyn, Gresinger and other
members of the crew were going
ashore. As they passed the first,
assistant's' room, he rushed out
(Continued on page 2)
Communist
Party Lays
Down Line!
NMU Charlie McCarthies
Out to Smash the SIU
Groundwork Laid for
Further Progress
At SIU Meeting
Proposals Adopted for Consolidation,.. ix
Of Atlantic and Gulf Districts;
Organization Drive Launched
Meeting in a hard working four day conference (June 69)
at Atlanta, Georgia, the Agents of th6 Atlantic and Gulf
Districts of the Seafarers International Union succeeded in
hamniei'ing out a program designed to extend the progressive
expan.sion of the organization and to strengthen the internal
structure in order to .solidify the gains that have been made
in tlie past period.
* Purpose of Meeting
The conference was called
together by Hariy Lundeberg,
Acting President of the Sea
farers' International Union of
North America, for "the pur
pose of coordinating the ac
tivity of the Atlantic and
Gulf Districts and to formu
late a program and policy to
increase the effectiveness of
the" organization and to pro
vide the means for the., fur
ther expansion of our organi
zation activity. Also to elimi
nate several sources of fric
tion between the several dis
tricts."
Consolidating Districts
Every phase of the union's ac
tivity was thoroughly discussed,
both as regards our strength and
our weaknesses. The continued
growth of the organization con
stantly raised new problems
which pressed for solution, in
other words, the ,SIU is experienc
ing what Is commonly known as
"growing pains." One of the
main questions that arose was
the necessity of consolidating
the Atlantic and Gulf Districts
into one unified whole and to
eliminate seme of the duplication
of effort that now exists. A reso
lution was adopted calling for the
amalgamation of both districts
with the centralization of head
quarters for the organization in
Washington, D.C. which would
also function as the legislative
office of the SIU.
Changes Necessary
Such a change in the organiza
tion structure necessitated many
We have just come into pos
session of a document that clear
ly exposes the ruling topcommit
tee of the NMU as Charlie Mc
Carthies for the unionwrecking
line of the Communist Party.
This document is entitled:
"Branch Resolution" of the "New
York Seamen's & Harbor Work
ers Branch, Communist Party of
the United States." The resolu
tion lays down the "Party Line"
for the stooges in the leadership
of the National Maiitlme Union,
and we shall demonstrate how
this "line" is carried into prac
tice.
"Unity" — C.P. Style
Point 3 of the resolution under
the somewhat ironic subtitle:
"Unity of the Labor Movement,"
the following instructions are
given:
3. "Assist in the organiza
tion of all unorganized
into hnnafide unions.
WHILE HELPING
TO SMASH THE.
SIU, I WW, CTU, and
{AND!) company un
ions as shipowners'
tools within the labor
movement''
Their Master's Voice!
Smash the SIU! That's the
Communist Party program! Im
mediately, the top officialdom of
the NMU declares that all ships
under contract to the SIU are
"unorganized" and "Charley Mc
Carthy" Lawrenson, chairman of
the socalled reorganization com
mittee of the NMU, announces in
the Pilot: "The SIU has got to
be wiped off of this coast." 'When
the Charlie McCarthies speak,
they give the impression that the
voice is theirs, but—the words
are those of their master!
alterations in the constitution
which was originally drawn up
on a district basis. These
changes were made and will be
submitted to the membership for
ratification. Another question
which had been the cause of
some confusion in the past was
that of different shipping rules
prevailing in the Atlantic and
Gulf districts. A completely
vised set of shipping rules was
drawn up, based upon those no'W,
(Continued on page 3),
1
• 4
i J
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THE SEAFARERS' LOG Monday, June 17, 1940
« Published by thu
Seafarers^ Inierna^nal Union
of North America
AffiUilted mth the American r^iiihatiM of; Labor
HARRY LUNDEBERQ, A«(lM/Presl4ent
"''110 Market Street, Room 402. San Francisco, Calif.
Atlantic District
HEADQUARTERS
New York (Phone: BOwIing Green 92437) ......2 Stone Street
BRANCHES
Boston ..l.SJO Atlantic Avenue
Fcdvidence ......i.465 So: Main Street
Philadelphia 6 North 6th Street
Baltimore 14 North Gay Street
Norfolk "..60 Commercial Place
San Juan, Puerto Rico 8 Covadonga Street
Gulf District
• HEADQUARTERS
New Orleans .309 Chartres Street
BRANCHES
Savannah 218 East Bay Street
Jacksonville 136 Bay Street
Miami .....' 815 N. E. First Avenue
Tainpa .208 Franklin Street
Mobile v., 55 So. Conception Street
Houston 1712 • 75th Street
Texas City 4th Street
" Great Lakes District
HEADQUARTERS
Detroit 1088 Third Street
ADDRESS ALL CORRESPONDENCE CONCERNING THIS
PUBLICATION TO:
"THE SEAFARERS' LOG"
P. O. Box 522, Church St. Annex, New York, N. Y.
Editor: Tom Kerry—Former Editor of "West Coast Firemen"
' More About:
Unemployment Insurance
(Continued from Page 1)
our Hall and also agree to give them a list of hoto many men
we are shipping (not their names).
4. Any of the seven days beginning with the day after the mini
mum period provided, for in Section 3 (b) of this Act (14 days
on the beach), with respect to which the Board finds that he
failed, without good cause, to apply for or accept suitable work
offered individual registered at the employment facility at
which he is registered and accepted by an individual who
registered at such employment facility subsequent to the date
on which such employee registered: Provided that this dis
qualification shall not be applicable to an employee until after
he has twice failed to apply for or accept work sincce his last
employment.
Remarks: This means if you are receiving unemployment bene
fit yon cannot turn down more than three jobs offered by
'our Dispatcher if your card is old enough. If you turn doum
three jobs offered by the Union you can't get any more unem
' ployment benefit.
With these drastic changes in the bill, I feel that we are pro
tected against any attempt to break down our Hiring Hall, to estab
lish our Union as a branch of a Bureaucratic Government Board,
to take away our choice of employment as free men.
C.P. SlQoges Exposed
After having exposed the attempt of the Communist Party
Btpoges in the NMU together with certain Government intellectuals
and theShipowners' Lobby to sell the American seamen down the
river in the biggest attempted sellout yet, I am reasonably sure
that when this bill (as amended) again comes up for considaration,
the NMUShipowner combine will havs lost and the SUFSiU will
again have stopped tbe Comrats from selling out the American sea
men.
Assistance Acknowledged
Active support and valuable assistant was given us here in this
fight by William Green, President of the American Federation of
Lgbor, and Richard Welch, Congressman from the Mission District
in San Francisco. Also the imniediate response of all the S.I.U.
branches on the east coast to wire their protest to the Committee
belped In no small way. ,
Fraternally,
HARRY LUNDEBERG,
SecretaryTreasurer, Sailors Union of the Pacific
Acting President, Seafarers International Union
S.S. PORTMAB $ 4.50
B.S. COLABEE 11.00
S.S. ROBIN GOODPELLQW ......... 6.00
g.S. EVELYN 2.45 $2.3.95
IS'?:'
Tot&l $23.95
ip6RRECTlON: In the last issue of the Log we listed the
S:S. Del Mar as donating $12.35 to the Log. It should
have read the same amount from the S.S. Del Sud in
y (Stead of Del Mar,
I; 1
MDRE ABiOrUT: nURY RETURNS
Engineer
Assaults
(Continued from page J)
with a club or wrench and began
' beating (irestnger al?out the head,
inflicting severe injuries that nec
essitated hospital treatmenf.
Challenges Union
When Scotty Thompsqn, union
representative, ivent aboard to
find out what Hie beef was about,
he was confronted by the first as
sistant who challenged the un
ion's ability to do anything about
it! He further stated: "The union
can't do anything to me! I have
no use for unions anyway." This
latter statement was verified by
other officers on the Texmar who
stated that the first had finked in
every strike that involved the of
ficers.
Engineer Arrested
Scotty Thompson accompanied
by the black gang delegate visit
ed the hospital to ascertain the
extent of the injuries sustained
by Brother Gresinger and then
proceeded to the precinct station
house to prefer charges against
the first assistant. He was re
ferred to ttie Harbor police squad
who arrested the first on a
charge of felonious assault. The
case came up before the Magis
strates Court on June 11th and
after hearing the testimony of
Witnesses, Judge Jaeobson of the
Magistrates Court remanded the
tlie case for trial to a higher
court, 'file company's attorneys
asked that the case he dismissed
but on the basis of tlie evidence,
the request was denied and the
first assistant engineer was held
in ?500 bail pending trial in the
Special Sessions Court.
Will Press Charges
Adding insult to injury, the
company then tried to get the
Union to agree to permit the first
assistant to go hack on board and
sail the ship. The answer to that
was NO SOAP! He then went
down to the ship under police
protection and remoyed his be
longings. Next, the company
wanted to settle the case out of
court by getting Brother Gresin
ger to drop the charges. In view
of the fact that the first assistant
had previously boasted that he
had put three men in the hospi
tal before, and because of his aqx
iety to protect his brother mem
bers against future violence by
cfficers aboard ship, Brother Gre
singer rejected the company pro
posal to settle the case out of
court' and will press; charges
against the first assistant.
Getting to Be a Habit!
(We have just been informed
that a member of the Pacific
Coast Coast Marine Firemen was
recently assaulted by the first en
gineer on the S,.S. Kainalau, which
ivas operated by the Matson Na
vigation Co. The first assistaiit on
this ship hit the MFOW nian over
the head with a heavy screw
driver and split his scalp. The
New York branch of the MOFW
went on record to prosecute the
first assistant before the Inspec
tors and in court. Looks like it's
ghtting to be a haJbitt)
Verdict of GiiTlty
In S.S. EWA Cose
Crew of Ewa Charged With "Endeavor To
Commit Mutiny" Are Victims Of
Curran War Hysteria!
Eleven Aiembers of tlie crew of the 3S EWA received
.sentencesranging from 30 days to 9.0 days, and five others
were placed on probation after a jury brought in a compro
mise verdict of guilty on one charge in the mdictnient—"en
deavor to commit mutiny"—with a "recoiiiniendcitioii for
extreme clemency" and found the men not guilty on a second
charge of "conspiracy to commit a mutiny or revolt." In
other \yords, the men were apparently convicted as Indivi .
duals endeavoring "to commit mutiny," and not as a group
entering into a "conspiracy to commit mutiny."
Meetings Called Conspiracy ^
It is well to keep this dis
tinction in mind as the charge
of conspiracy was based upon
the fact that the crew mem
bers held meetings aboard
ship, elected delegates as
spokesmen for the crew, and
had these delegates represent
them in dealing with the of
ficers of the vessel. This is a
procedure that is embodied in
our agreements with the ship
owners, hut one that was im
plicitly under attack as was
revealed by the testimony.
Captain Leithead, master of
the SS Ewa, who stated on
the witness .Stand that "men
(aboard ship) have no husi
ness nieeling in one body,'
and that "everytime they
meet together, they are con
spiring (!) against tlie mas
ter."
Disturbing Symptom
When Captain Leithead was
confronted with a copy of the
agreement between the SUP and
the Matson Navigation Co., own
ers of the Ewa, which contained
a clause expressly granting rec
ognition to ships delegataes elect
ed by meetings of the crew, he
contended that "the agreement
was not binding" on him and that
he was ONLY bound by the ship's
articles. Fortunately, the verdieet
was not guilty on the charge of
conspiracy; otherwise, a prece
dent would have been established
vyhlch would have endangered the
rl^ht of ships' crews to meet to
gether In a body, elect a delegate
to represent them, and to act in
an orderly and organized manner
in presenting their demands and
grievances. A fundamental right
which is embodied in all of our
agreements with the shipowners
arid orie which .the American sea
men have wpn after years of bit
ter struggle. It is a disturbing
syympton that this right Is now
being challenfied.
Protective Laws involved
The verdict In the Ewa" case
may have far reaching signifi
cance as it involves, the applica
tion of certain laws designed for
the protection of seaqien. The
case grew out of the blunt refusal
of the master of the Ewa to give
the crew a draw on their wages
in the port of Colachel, India, In
conformanpe with Section 4530
of the Revised Statutes of the
U. S. In brief, this law requires
the captain to give the men, on
demand, a draw equal t'6 onehalt
of their accumulated wages. This
law was obviously designed for
the protection of the seamen.
• in j
r i
• W.l
I
Wm
Further, it gives the seamen the
right to consider the contract, or
artlclc.s, broken in the event that
this demand for a draw is not
met in accordance with the terms
set forth.
Articles Broken
When the skipper refused to
give the men a draw, they exer
cised their right under the law, as
quoted above, declared the arti
cles broken and demanded to be
paid off. The crew then proceeded
to communicate with the Amer
ican Consul and requested his in
tervention in the dispute. .The
crew took the ship to Port Said,
where it was finally decided to
|jay the crew off. Because the ar
ticles had been broken by the
captain, the crew was entitled to
one month's extra compensation.
Their wages, with the extra
month's compensation, were de
posited with the American Con
sul at Port Said.
Delayed "Mutiny"
Much has been made of the fact
that the crew were placed in a de
tention camp at Port Said, Egypt,
after they left the vessel. This
was done with the knowledge of
the crew who were informed of a
wartime Egyptian nieasITre which
required all aliens to be com
mitted to detention camps until
they were expatriated. The crew
apparently preferred tlie none too
pleasant surroundings of an
Egyptian detention camp, to sail
ing the ship back to the United
States under the command of
Captain Leithead. This is under
standable in view of the fact that
two members of the crew were
driveiv insane on the voyage, the
second mate and the deck dele,
gate, who is still confined in the
insane asylum at Cairo, Egypt.
The "incriminatingV circumstance
of the crew's commitment to a de
tention camp is exploded by the
fact that the U. S. Consul pro
vided free transportation as pas
sengers with all expenses paid
until their return; No one was
aware of any "mutiny" charges
until the crew got back to this
country.
Clue to Motive
A clue to the motive of the
skipper in refusing to give the
crew a draw, and refusing to give
them shore leave in Colachel—al
though the ship was to stay there
for at least seven days—was re
vealed! in the testimony. Captain
Leithead had purchased 150 cases
of beer for the elopchest at Ma
nila. He testified that he paid
2.75 a case for the beer and Sold
it to the crew for 15 cents a
bottle, which makes ?3.60 per
case of 24 botles. THE LAW
STATES THAT THE 'VESSEL
(Continued on page J) • ,/, •
• t'
Ui; »
'• i .
http://www.pdfcompressor.org/buy.html
Monday, June 17, 1949
* • I ' ' L
THE SEAFARERS' LOG
What's Doing
BALTIMORE ̂ EWS AND VIEWS!
BALTIMORE, Md., June 11.—
Shipping continpes fair to good
out of the Port of Baltimore, with
the beach list showing 227 mem
bers shipped during the past two
weeks. Total beach list registra
tion a t t he end of the past week
numbered 180 in the three depart
ments. Nineteen tripcard men
were shipped out during the two
week period. Prospec^ for ship
ping continue good. Strangely
enough, the closing of various
ocean areas to American shipping
by the Neutrality Act has had no
great effect on the SlUSUP niern
bership, since most of the Lines
affected by the Act have quickly
found other services and routes
mainly in the Coastal, ,Inter
coastal, and South American serv
ices.
Ship Transfers
, The transfer of U. S. flag ships
to foreign registry still continues
with the latest victims being tlie
MAKAWAO and MANA of the
Matson Line; the SAN VINCEN
TR, the T. J. WILLIAMS
GEOnGR O. HENRY, and JOHN
WORTHINGTON of the Esso
fleet; the old ADMIRAL WOOD
and several assorted yachts and
barges. To offset these losses to
the merchant marine we note that
fifteen ships of the tiedup fleets
are open for bids. Five of them:
the BAYOU CHICO, CITY OF
WEATHERFORD, GEORGE
PIERCE, SALAAM, and YAPA
LAGA have already been ear
marked for Waterman Steamship,
and the fen others are lined up
for reconditioning. The Maritime
Commission has also invited bids
on. the BARREADO and MON
ROE, two old timers laid down
In the James River.
Live Up to Agreements!
The Blanch cracked down hard
on tlie practice of some engineers
in having members of the black
gang do certain jobs they weren't
supposed to be doing,, forcing one
company fo pay more than 200
hours overtime on a ship that had
been on a trip of less than a
month. We may rest assured that
after that salutory lesson, the
companies will see to if that their
engineers will read the agree
ments and live up to them. In
the Stewards Department, Patrol
man Vechio went to town on two
of the Lines that had been short
changing their crews lately in the
way of fresh milk. The matter
was speedily adjusted with the
quantity in one paiticular case
being upped two gallons per day
to seven gallons. Recent clarifica
tions 6n the Bull, Cuban Distil
ling, Waterman, and South Atlan
tic S.S. agreements have been of
considerable help in straightening
out difficulties on the ships of
these Lines, and the practice of
the members in making them
selves familiar with tliie terms oif
the various agreements saves the
partolman a lot of time.
Baltimore Organizatioii.
Progress
The news that our brother or
ganization, the CTU (AFofL Ra
dio Operators) had finally broken,
down the resistance of the So
cony Vacuum and Isthmian Lines
and come away with signed
agreements from both outfits
came as a surprise to the water
front. The CTU with 39 signed
agreements under their belts is
probably the smallest but strong
est organization on the, water
front, and their signing up of
Isthmian is a good indication
that the Line has at least seen
the light and is willing to come
to terms with the A. F. of L. or
ganizations. Thanks to SIUSUP
efforts on the Baltimore water
front, the port now rates 100 per
cent Union with even the watch
men, janitors, stenographers, and
office boys all organized into their
respective unions. Cooperation be
tween the various organizations
is good, and outside of. the deca
dent NMU whom no one pays any
attention to any more, the whole
waterfront is solidly A. F. of L.
Check on Citizenship
All members who have been un
able to prove citizenship and who
still have a question mark on
their papers should take steps
immediately to have the mark re
moved. Birth certificates or bab
tisimal certificates are required
to prove citizenship and once ob
taained, these certificates should
be kept carefully in case of loss
of seaman's papers. The removal
of the Immigration Dept. from
the Department of Labor to the
jurisdiction of the FBI means a
close checkup on all aliens, and
although the Unions are doing
their best to check the hysterical
drive on some of their members,
no one can foresee whaat Is like
ly to happen in these troubled
time; so to avoid the possibility
of being yanked off some ship be
cause of lack of citizenship proof,
the matter should be attended to
as soon as possible.
Conference Report Approved!
Brother Wm. McKay is back in
port after a short trip on the Ma
rymar. Patrolman Zimmer will
finish up here this week, and we
are sorry to see the brother leave.
ExPatolman John Lui is some
where in the Mediterranean on
the Schoharie. Agent Elkins, re
cently returned from the Atlanta
conference, explained the purpose
and results of the conference to
the membership at the last busi
ness meeting. There was much
discussion on the various matters
brought up at the Agents' meet
ing, but the reaction of the mem
bership was highly favorable.
W. H. Elkins
whole. Think this over seriously
and give your union brothers a
breakI
• • «
Quite a few of the NMU mem
bers are getting disgusted with
their setup.' It's about time that
the majority of them get wise to
themselves that they belong to an
orgaaization controlled by top
committees and not by the rank
and file. Every day, they come
into the SIU hall here trying to
join an organization that is run
democratically for the seamen.
The NMU is not making any
headway In the port of Jackson
ville and all this bunk about "re
organizing the unorganized'.' is
not getting anywhere because the
seamen on the East Coast have
had experience with Curran's
"reorganizers" and will not fall
for this line of hooey again.
• » •
Shipped eight members during
the week on various ships. There
is still a shortage of A.B.'s in this
port, with none registered on the
shipping list at present.
JACKSONVILLE
June 4, 1940
The S.S. HELEN of the Bull
Line came in yesterday, and it is
getting to be the same old song
where a member goes on a drunk
and misses the ship at the last
minute. This has happened twice
their last two trips. I wish
that some of these brothers would
come to their senses some time
or another' and think of their
brother members who are holding
down the beach eagerly looking
for a job on a ship.
This kind of stuff isn't any
pond for any jinion and should be
stopped immediately, or else toe
will be shipping out of the fink
halls again!
I sometimes wonder how many
seamen had to shell out a five
dollar bill or have a letter from
some Senator or big shot, so that
he could get a job on some meas
ly ship that wasn't even paying
decent wages, had no conditions
and fed .you any kind of slop they
wanted to. I remember those days
and there are quiteSi^^^ew more
of the seamen that do. This per
forming bunk can't last forever,
not with the Maritime Comrnls
sion and other such agencies who
are in the field today to do one
thing; and that is to smash the
seamen's union movement as a
June 10, 1940.
On my return to Jacksonville
from the Agents Conference, 1
found that several members had
taken it upon themselves to get
filled up with cheap wine and pro
ceeded to come up to the hall to
do a little performing. This sort
of thing will not be tolerated
very much longer. One of these
members, Harold Bell, No. 270,
started to disturb several mem
bers who were reading and mind
ing their own business. The out
come of it all was that they
threw him out of the hall before
any real damage was done. This
man will have to answer to the
membership before he can ship
out again.
« * *
Another man, by the name of
R. W. England, an NMU man,
who ̂ had been expelled from the
AFLSU in the autumn of 1938,
came Into the hall w^hile the
Agent was outoftown, and tried
to ship on an SIU ship. The act
ing dispatcher happened to look
into the deferred list and saw
that' he had been expelled and re
fused to ship him. He was asked
why he had come into our hall
to ship, and he made the state
ment that the NMU had in
structed him to knowing that tlie
agent was absent. So, brothers,
you can see for yourself what
steps the stooges will take to get
aboard ships that' have been or
ganized by union men who have
taken it upon themselves to get
the best conditions available.
* * *
Shipped five members this
week (June 10) to various ships.
There are 12 members on the
three shipping lists at present'
time.
Steady as she goe^l
Fred Lauriiailo.
Attention !
JOHN K. GLASS
JAIVIES V. VENDETTI
Please communicate 'with
the Ocean Dominion Line at
once! 17 Battery Place , New
York City. Tlie company has
$200 bond posted and must
establish the fact) that you are
in the United States before it
will be returned.
Groundwork Laid
At SlU_Meeting
(Continued from Page !)•
In force In both districts, which
will be submitted to the inem
her.ship for ratification by refer
endum ballot. After the member
ship has acted on the shipping
rules we will have a more or less
uniform set of shipping rules for
the entire AtlanticGulf Di.strict.
Organizing Drive
In the field of organization, the
conference acted to provide the
necessary organizers to carry
out the elaborate organization
program set down by the Agents'
conference. Particular attention
will be given to those lines which
are now unorganized as well as
to strengthening the lines under
agreement with the SIU, These
organizers will be assisted by a
planned cooperation with the offi
cials in all Atlantic and Gulf
Ports who will work in conjunc
tion with the organizers in the
field.
Weekly Log
In order to assist in the or
ganization work, it was decided
to supplement the work of the
field organizers by publishing the
Log on a weekly basis just as
soon as possible. Provision was
made to' provide the nece.ssary
funds for weekly publication. It
was felt that the weekly publica
tion of the Seafarers' Log was
necessary to offset the destruc
tive, lying propaganda of our
enemies as well as to provide the
unorganized seamen with true
pictures of the program and pro
gressive character of the SIU
policy.
Wage Increase"
The question of securing an in
crease in the Coatwise lines now
under contract to the SIU was
discussed at great length. The
conference requested Brother
Hawk, Sec.Treas., Atlantic Dis
trict, to enter Into immediate
negotiations with the operators in
question looking toward the se
curing of the $10 increase in
wages and 10 cents per hour in
crease in overtime.
(Since the conference, the
Range Lines signed an addendum
to the existing agreement grant
ing an increase of $10 per month
and 10 cents per hour overtime.
Negotiations are still in progress
with other companies).
The conference also went on
record in support of any neces
sary action to., complete the sign
ing of an agreement with the
Eastern S.S. Go. that will be ac
ceptable to the membership.
Caution Advisable
One of the most important
problems discussed at the confer
ence was the current legislative
assaiilt upon the American sea
men by certain pressure groups
in Washington, D.C. These groups
are attempting to take advantage
of the condition created by the
war situation in pressing for pas
sage of various antiunion laws
under the disguise of "National
Defense." Brother Lundeberg re
ported to the conference on some
of these measures on which he
testified against on behalf of the
SlUSUP membership. He warned
that any irresponsible action on
the part of an individual member
or crew, under present conditions,
could be fatal for the entire or
ganization.
Resolution Adopted
The conference adopted a reso
lution (printed elsewhere in this
issue) outlining the necessary
procedure on the question of tak
ing action in an organized man
ner. Anyone violating this resolu
tion >vill have to answer to the
membership. The shipowners'
lobby at Washington is only too
anxious to take advantage of any
phoney beef to raise a hue and
cry for repressive legislation
MORE ABOUT:
SSE WA Cqse
(Continued from page 2)
.SHALL OPERATE TRE SLOP
CHE.ST AT NO MORE THAN 10
PER CENT GROSS PROFIT!
The skipper of the Ewa, who was
operating the slopchest • on his
own account, was making over 30
per cent profit on his beer. Which
is a very neat profit, IP HE
SOLD ALL OF THE BEER HE
HAD BOUGHT!
Beer Sales Fall
Between Manila and Colachek
the skipper sold ten cases of beer.
Meanwhile, the crew had made
up their minds not to buy any
more of the skipper's beer and
with visions of being stuck with
140 cases of beer, it is evident
that if the crew were refused a
draw and refused shore leave,
they would be forced to stay
aboard, and if they stayed aboard
ship, they would be forced to buy
the skipper's beer out of sheer
desperation! Therefore, they were
refused a draw and refused shore
leave.
In supporting the charge of
"endeavoring to commit mutiny"
numerous incidents were cited of
alleged insubordination on the_
part of the crew. Incident,.s, which
in normal times, would have .re
ceived scant consideration by any
jury. However, with the prevail
ing wartime psychology, such in
cidents can be inflated out of all
proportion to their actual signifi
cance. The main facts whicli
Eland out in bold and glaring
contradiction to the charge are:
Maiu Facts!
1.Tlie Captain refused the crew
a draw that they were enti
tled to under law, thereby
breaking the articles.
2. After declaring the articles
broken, the crew immediately
contacted the American Con
sul and requested his inter
vention, and demanded to be
paid off.
3. Even after the articles had
been broken, the black gang
kept up steam, so that cargo
could be worked, and the
crew sailed the vessel from
Coiachei to Port Said.
4. In Port Said, the crew volun
tarily left the ship after con
tacting the American Consul
with whom the money was
left to pay off the crew. Most
peculiar actions for an> al
leged mutinous crew.
Jury Out Long Time
The jury was out for a consid
erable length of time before
reaching a verdict. After they
were out for seven hours, they re
turned and informed the court
that they were unable to reach a
verdict. Small wonder! However,
they were sent back and finally
.arrived at the formula of return
ing a verdict of guilty on one
count, dropped the second count
and urged "extrenie clemency", on
the court. It was the general con
sensus of opinion among observ
ers at the trial, that were it not
for the present unsettled condi
tions, the case would have been
flii'own out of court, if it ever
would have been pressed at all.
Caution Necessary
It Is well to recognize the sig
nificance of the Ewa case and ex
ercise the utmost caution against
getting involved in beefs In ports
where there are no union repre
sentatives available. During this
period of emergency, all crews
should avoid disputes In any out
ports and sail the ship to the
nearest port where there is a un
ion office and representative who
can take up the beef In an or
ganized manner.
against the union. It is the re
sponsibility of every member to
see that no such opportunity la
given them.
I
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• i. • • • • • " ' . "•
THE SEAFARERS' LOG Monday, June 17, 194t
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AUEW BILL
Lundeberg Testifies on Behalf
Of Foreign Born Seamen
A flood of legislative measures affecting the interests of
the seamen have kept Harry Lundeberg, Acting President of
Seafarers' 'International, in "Washington, D. 0., for an ex
tended period of time. Certain selfish groups are attempting
to take advantage of the eiirrent national emergency to fur
ther their particular group interest at the expense of the
organized seamen. Under cover of supplementing tlie Presi
dent's defense program, the powerful .shipowners' lobby is
moving to nullify many of the conditions gained by the sea
men through legitimate union brganwution,
Testifies Before Committee
Brother Lundeberg appeared before the House Commit
tee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries and on behalf of the
membership of the SIUSUP offered powerful arguments in
opposition to the H.R. 9918, the bill which would eliminate
foreignborn seamen from the American Merchant Marine.
He was the only one to appear on behalf of the seamen at the
hearing. The CIONMTJ officialdom was conspicuous by its ab
sence:' Altho their "official" legislative representative was
present at the hearing, neither he, nor any of the other
stoogei'had the courage to take the stand on behalf of the
membership they are supposed to represent. They get mili
tant as all hell on the pages of the "Pilot" where they storm
and thunder against the "reactionaries" but it's another
question when they have to face these same reactionaries at
a public hearing. Then tfiey luck their tails between their
legs and slinlc into their holes.
Proposals Submitted
(rAs a result o f the hearing. Brother Lundeberg was re
quested, by Chairman Bland of the Committee, to submit
some proposals for the safeguard of the foreignborn seamen.
In ceompliance with this request the following proposals,
which were printed in the Congressional Record and which
Bland promised Avould receive the utmost consideration, were
submitted:
Statement by Harry Lundeberg
SecretajyTreasurer of the Sailors Union of the Pacific
V and Acting President of the Seafarers' International
• Union of North America, affiliated with the American
Federation of Labor. ~
Honorable S. 0. Bland, Chairman,
House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries,
. Washington, D. C.
On behalf of 8,000 Seamen of the Pacific Coast and
12,000 Seamen on the Atlantic and Oulf Coast, I ask that
the following statement be put in the Record as a Sup
plement to my statement before your Committee on
Thursday, June 6, 1940:
In order to protect and avoid discrimination against
the foreignborn seamen who are legally admitted to this
" country by the United States Government through the
Immigration Bureau, and in order to protect'and help
those foreignbom seamen who have sailed in American
ships for a number of years and who have proven to be
loyal Americans and who helped man the American
ships, when foreign seamen were needed to man Amer
. ican ships, but who through technicalities of the law
cannot become American citizens, we wish to offer the
following Amendments to H. R. 9918:
1. Legally admitted quota immigrants whose call
ing is that of seamen should be allowed to sail in Amer
ican ships for a period of five years—^the time it takes
to become an American citizen after legal entry—(B)
Or as an alternative:
Leave the law as it now reads under the law passed
June 25, 1936: That 75 percentum of the crew, exclud;
ing officers, shall be citizens of the United States, native
bpm or completely naturalized; unless the Secretary of
Commerce shall, upon investigation, ascertain that quali
fied citizen seamen are not available, when under such
' conditions he may reduce the above percentum.
" 2. That alienbom seamen who for the past ten
; years or more have followed their calling as seamen in
vessels of the United States and who are of good char
acter and repute sworn to by reputable citizens and cer
tified as such by the Bureau of Marine Inspection and
Navi^tion, shall be allowed to pay their Head Tax and
"be allowed to continue sailing in American ships until
they can obtain their citizenship papers.
We also ask the Committee to seriously take into
i consideration the effect this Bill wiU have on alienbom
fishermen who are legally in this country but cannot
become citizens due to the fact that they are Asiatics.
Shipping
News
The Maritime Commission has
accepted the bid of the Waterman
Steamship Corporation of $596,
000 for five vessels from the gov
vernment's laldup fleet, on the
condition that Waterman will
build lour new ships. The five old
freighters that. Waterman is buy
ing and their costs are: Bayou
Chico, ?147,000; City of Weather
ford, 1100,000; freorge Pierce,
?100.000; Salaam, ?96,000: Yapal
ga, .ft .13,000. All of these ships are
now tied up at New Orleans. It
is reported that they will be oper
ated in the foreign service, but
no definite run has yet been as
signed.
Garment Union
Returns to AFL
FANTASnO
" 4
NEW YORK, N. Y.—The Inter
national Ladles' Garment Work
ers Union, one of the largest la
bor organizations in the country,
with a membership of 250,000, re
turned officially to the American
Federation of Labor on June 6.
Twentytour hours earlier, by an
overwhelmingl vote of 640 to 12,
the union voted to reaflilate im
mediately with the Federation.
BOOST TOTAL MEIVrBERSHIP
Return of the Ladies' Garment
Workers to the A. F. of L. brings
the dues paying menibersliip of
the Federation to more than
4,550,000—the highest recorded
membership in history. The ILG
WU was one of the original un
ions which joined in forming the
Committee for Industrial Organi
zation In 1935, but when it was
decided to convert the Committee
into a permanent organization.
Mystery Man Speaks
For Ghost Seamen
Unmasked Marvel Plays First Fiddle
In Shipowners' Chorus!
The tno.st fnritastie character was washed itito the Na
tion's Capitol this past week, riding a wave of hysteria that
threatens to engulf the organized seamen of the American
Merchant Marine. This bird by the name of W. II. T. Rey
nold.s has been appearing before variou.s congre.ssional eom
mittee.s pa.ssing himself off as a representative of the Inter;
national Seamen's Utiioo of Ariierica On every hill affecting
the seamen, our mystery man appears to testify on behalf of
a nonexistent membership of a nonexistent organization!
Ghostly Membership
The Inteniational Seamen's
Union went out of existence
some two years ago when the
Houston convention of the
American Federation of Labor
revoked its charter and grant
ed jurisdiction under a new
charter to the Seafarers' In
ternational Union of North
America. There just isn't any
International Seamen's Union
aside from the fictitious exis
tence it enjoys in the mind of
W. H. J. Reynolds, with a
membership that is composed
entirely of mystery man Rey
nolds and the ghosts of the
seamen he alleges to repre
sent.
known as the Congress of Indus
trial Organizations, in 1938, the
ILGWU withdrew. Since Novem
her of that year the Ladies' Gar
ment Workers have maintained
the status of an independent
union.
RESOLUTION!
Adopted by Atlantic and Gulf District Agents Con
ference, June 69, Atlanta, Georgia.
WHEREAS: Certain conditions have arisen on account
of the European war which have virtually placed
this country on an emergency status, and
AVHEREAS: Hostile shipowners in conjunction witii
various antiunion men on government bureaus are
trying to destroy our unions, and
WHEREAS: Saboteurs may have crept into our ranks
with the specific purpose of disrujiting our organi
zation, be it therefore
RESOLVED: That we go on record instituting the fol
lowing measui'es in conformity with our constitution
and for the benefit of the membership as a whole:
1. In ships and companies where our organization
has an agreement, no direct action to tie up a
ship shall be taken either by an individual ccrew,
by an individual official of the union or by an
individual branch before contactmg district
headquarters thru the secretarytreasurer.
2. The headquarters shall have the final say before
a ship is tied up and they shall at all times be
guided by the constitution, which in the final
analysis, is the law of the membership as a whole.
3. No action shall be taken by the Atlantic District
to tie up a ship with an agreement with the Gulf
District and vice versa, until the respective dis
tricts where the ship belongs has been contacted,
and be it finally
RESOLVED: That anyone that breaks these rules shall
be made to answer to the membership.
Our testimony before your Honorable Committee on H.R.
8180, Febiuary 13, 1940, brings out in detailed facts
what would happen to these people if this legislation is
passed.
Very truly yours,
HARRY LUNDEBERG.
The Unmasked Marvel
A clue to the identify of the
unmasked marvel is contained in
the nature of the testimony he of
fers on behalf of his ghost mem
bership. No matter what the na
ture of the bill may be, Reynolds
lifts his voice in one refrain:.
"Closed shop agreements and un
ion control of the hiring hall arQ ̂
honeycombing the American
Merchant Marine with a disloyal
army of malcontents." On every^
bill that is presented he urges
"that the bill be amended to in
clude authority for the Secretary
of Commerce to establish district
offfces for hiring seamen."
Pipe the Same Tune
strangely enough, the shipown ,
era' lobby at Washington pipes
the same tune! Could It be that
W. H. J. Reynolds actually repre ,
sents a much more material body
than the ghostly crew of the de
funct international Seamen's Un
ion? Brother Lundeberg, who has
been in Washington for the past
several weeks, reports that the
place is swarming with laborhat
ing stooges of the shipowners,
bent on taking advantage of the
national emergency to seek the
destruction of the seamen's or
ganizations. All of their fire is
concentrated on the union hiring
hall which is the firmest pillar of
union strength, the destruction of
which would mean the collapse
of the entire union structure in*
the maritime industry.
Playing the Angles
The shipowners aren't overlook
ing any angle. Mystery men and
ghost seamen are supplemented
by other means and other meth
ods. The organized seamen seem
to have been selected as a special
target for repressive and restric
tive legislative measures by the,
laborhating fraternity. It is nec
essary to exercise the utmost ,
selfdiscipline on the part of ev
ery member of the union and ev
ery unign crew.
Union Discipline Essential
Irresponsible action by individ
uals create "incidents" which are
seized upon, inflated, distorted,
and utilized as a basis for legia.
lation demanding the elimination
of the hiring hall and the destruc
tion of t he union. In this period,
our primary concern must be the
interest of the organization AS A
WHOL5. The Union can and
MUST discipline its membershipj
Every member must take upon
himself the responsibility to act,
in the light of present conditions,
in such a way as to safeguard the
.welfare of the Union and Its
membership as a whole. Unless
we do, we will find ourselves
disciplined" out of existence by
the "mystery men' and their
masters.
• .v\
In Memoriam
CHARLES COFFEY
Died in Africa on the 28th day
of March 1940.
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