Media
Issue Date
1941-06-20
Volume
3
Issue Number
12
Plaintext
ll
OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE ATLANTIC AND GULF DISTRICT,
SEAFARERS' INTERNATIONAL UNION OF NORTH ABIERICA
VOL. Ill NEW YORK, N. Y., FRIDAY, JUNE 20. 1941 446
C^hiV SAVED BY "SEA LUCK",
No. 12
J.
S.S. ROBIN MOOR'S FATE SPURS UNION
DEMANDS FOR HIGHER BONUS, INSURANCE
Eastern Capitulates to SlU as Strike
Vote Is Taken on New Agreement
After the Seafarers' International Union had taken a strike vote on
all Eastern Steamship Co. tubs," the Company quickly came to terms with
the Union last week and signed ah agreehient granting the most essen
tial demands put forward by the men. The Company capitulated with
startling rapidity as soon as the strike vote made it clear to the shipown
ers that the SIU meant business.
The main points in dispute^
on vvhicii the Company gave
in were the following:
1. Cash overtime for dock
ing and undocking for the
watch below, and after 5 P.M.
and before 8 A.M. in the Deck
Department.
2. In the Engine Depart
ment, payment of overtime
for the Fireman or Water
tender on watch while cargo
is being woz^edbetween the
hours of 5 P.M. and 8 A.M.
3. The Stewards Depart
ment obtained a reduction in
the spread of hours in which
they are to perform their
day's work.
Concessions raising overtime
pay to 80 cents per hour and in
creasing monthly wages by $10 to
meet the SLU standard on coast
wise ships were granted by the
Company in a special rider signed
several months ago and are, of
course, included in the new agree
ment.
Ciirran and Co. have long sin
gled out conflitlons on the East
ern ships as special subjects for
abuse and vilification of the SIU.
But the SIU men on the Eastern
ships today enjoy a wage scale
which is $5 per month higher
than NMU men get for the same
type of'run I
More important, SIU men on
the Eastern ships get better con
. ditlons in the new agreement, go
ing coastwise, than NMU men get
on the offshore ships!
Once again, militant" SIU action
has scored a big victory over the
shipowners. The Eastern agree
ment bring standards. on SIU
ships everywhere higher than
anything Curran and Co. haye
been able to obtain. High time
for the bona ftde .seamen in the
NMU rank and file to wake up
and take notice. The road to ad
vancement" for the seamen is un
der the banner of the militant
SIU.
ATTENTION
Ralph Miller
Please communicate Imme
diately with Attorneys Hill
man & Hillman, 414 Munsey
Building, Baltimore, Maryland.
Your claim has been settled.
Another View:
What's Holding Up '
''National Defense "?
Taking issue with the laborbaiters, a ecientist in Govern
ment service gave a different" story about the reasolis behind
the lag in the "defense" production than we usually find in the
papers. Addressing a Now York state health (inference, Pr,
Thomas Parran, Surgeon General of the United States Public
Health Service, declared on May 20:
"In TyiO disability took 50 times tiie losses "due to
strikes and lockouts. TliougU little discussed, this is llie
SINGIJE greatest factor slowing up the production
schedule."
Working time lost through illness and injuries, according
to Pr. Parran, reaches the total of 350,000,000 workdays per
year. '
But, of course, all this is unimpprtant to the brass check
press of the employers. It doesn't fit the campaign to ban
strikes and gag labor organizations.
AFofL Urges Wage Boosts
To Offset High Living Costs
WASHINGTON, D:C.—The cost of living in thirtythree
large American cities has increased more than three per cent
in the past year, according to figures made public by the
<$) Bureau of Labor statistics.
Pood prices have leaped six per
cent, clothing two per cent, rent
one per cent, house furnishings
two per cent and miscellaneous
items two per cent", the survey
showed.
American Federation of Labor
officials declared that these In
creases In living costs constitute
a virtual wage cut for American
workers and justify general pay
Increases in every industry where
wages have not been adjusted to
new price conditions.
"The working man's dollar,"
President William Greeny com
mented, "does not go nearly as
far now as it did a year ago . . .
These figures from the Depart
ment of 'Labor prove what every
housewife in America knows. We
urge all labor organizations affili
ated with the American Federa
tion of Labor to make use of these
figures In collective bargaining for
the protection of their members.
It is the best argument possible
for wage increases. ..."
Navy Has Plan
To Arm All U.$.
Merchant Ships
WASHINGTON, D. 0.—In
a press conference this week,
President Roosevelt disclosed
that the Navy Department
has fully worked out plans
for the arming of American
merchantmen.
The aimoiuiceinent came as
a re.sult of inquiries as to
whether any action was con
templated in view of the fate
of the Robin Moore.
The President stressed,
however, that actual arming
of the freighters is possibly
dependent upon Congressional
legislation.
Seafarers Summon Shipowners to
Confer on Reopening Agreement
Admitted as much by First Mate Melvin Mundy at Cape
town, and; openly proclaimed by the whole press of the coun
try, it was ptire "sea luck" that saved the crew and the pas
sengers of the Robin Moor from a place in Davy Jones'
locker. Ten crewmen and one passenger have landed in
Brazil; 28 crewmen and seven passengers have arri^yed in
Capetown, No precautions for safety, not even a wireless
message from the allegedly German submarine that siihk the
ship, was responsible for their safety. It was just fUte.
The tearjerking p r e s s,<^'
which has done its best to
build up one of those "inci
dents" which are generally
used to touch oft" armed ac
tion in international eonflicts,
did not spare a triek in be
moaning the men of the Robin
Moore, while they were re
ported lost, i
But not once, in nof a single
article that has come to our at
tention, has any of the besscon
tiolled newspapeifi over as much
as hinted that the seafarers who
go out to meet such risks are en
titled to a more adequate compen
sation than the pittance they are
getting.
Not once was the matter of
protecting the seamen themselves
and safeguarding the interests of
the families they leave behind
them ever raised. All the moans
and groans were synthetic blub
ber percolated with a political
purpose in mind that had nothing
to do with the actual fate of the
seamen involved.
Just as before the sinking of
I.I)e Robin Moore, we can expect
the same venal scribes to forget
all their tearjerking when the
(Continued on Page 2)
I.L.A. Acts As
Gov'tlakesOver
Morgan Line
More than 500 N. Y. long
shoremen, checkers and tow
boat worWs, affiliated to the
International Longshoremen's
Association (AFL) walked off
their jobs in protest last week
when word reached them that
the Morgan Line fleet of ten
ships, which was the source
of their emplojrment, would
be taken over by the United
States Government.
The walkout spread to Balti
more this week, as nearly 200
dock workers who had been em
ployed removing cargo from the
(Continued on Page 2)
$.I.U. Cannery
Union Sweeps
010 Stronghold
Sweeping the Communist
Partycontrclled G.LO. from
the field in one canhei^li
the West Coast after another,
the Fish Cannery Workers
Council of the Pacific, affili
ated with the S.I.U., last week
moved into the stronghold of
the CIO at San Diego, when
they obtained an election at
the big Van Camp cannery
from the National Labor Rela
tions Board last week.
Trumped by Signed Pledges
The CIO organization in the
cannery was forced to consent to
an NLRB election after the S.I.U.
affiliate confronted them with 244
signed cards passed on by the
Board with an additional 45 yet
to be passed.
Subjected to all kinds of intimi
dation by the little Stalinist
clique running the CIO organiza
tion in typical dictatorship fash
ion, the rank and file Van Camp
workers refused to be moved
from their position of signing
cards to have the Seafarers' In
ternational Union (AFL) repre
sent them.
Victims Join S.I.U.
Many have deserted the CIO or
ganization In recent months, in
cluding the courageous Gladys
Shields, a member of the Van
Camp workers' negotiating com
mittee In the past year, who was
expelled from the CIO outfit In
one of the infamous Moscow
Trial purges that are regularly
conducted against dissenters by
the Stalinite hatchetmen.
The SIU cannery workers Union
in a recent Issue of their paper,
the "West Coast Fisherman 41
Fish Cannery Workers", declare
that tliey are fully confident of
defeating the CIO in the elections
ahead and of lining up "Van Camp
solidly for the aaafarers' effiliate.
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Published by the
ATLANTIC & GULF DISTRICT
of the
Seafarers * International Union
of North America
Affiliated with the American Federation of Labor
HARRV LUNDEBERG, Acting International President
110 Market Street, Room 402, San Francisco, Calif.
ADDRESS ALL CORRESPONDENCE CONCERNING THIS
PUBLICATION TO:
"THE SEAFARERS'LOG" .
P. O. Box 522, Church St. Annex, New York, N. Y.
PAtm^: BOwling Green 9«3437
Robin Moor Fate SLAVE
(Excerpts from an Article in the A?nerican Federationist, June, 1941)
Lrocoatle Tears
"Conscription is the punishment the rank and file of labor
will have to suffer, if you do not take swift action to stop stnkes
in defense in'diustries. You have already lost much of'the pubCid's
friendship by your shortsighted policies; you will lose all your
friends if you do not take steps to niateh the sacrifices Of the
boys who have given a year and perhaps the whole of their lives
to their country for $21 a month."
—Editorial in the New York Daily Mirror, June 5, 1941.
"We are drafting men into the Army, to work for $21 base
pay plus board and room. They have no right to strike for
higher pay or better loorking conditions. Workers in industries
supplying our armed forces go on striking as if these were or
dinary boom times with no national emergency visible."
—Editorial in the New York Daily News, June 6, 1941,
The above are two items picked at random on successive days,
from the brass check press which heeds the Master's voice in Wall
Street. Such press itema can be culied from the venal newspapers
in a dozen cities on practically any day of the week nowadays.
• They all sing the same tune: dire threats of suppression if labor
should continue to exercise its constitutional rights to obtain a few
cents more in wages, a few more decent working conditions.
. They all shed the same crocodile tears for the working stiffs in
uniform who are now making ?21, per month.
They seem to imply that the working stiffs in fEe Army camps
are all adither against the wage increases which their brothers in
th{B factories, mills> plants and ships are getting. Nothing could be
__fiirther from Ihe frutli. No one resents more the crocodile tears Sli^
by the press hyenas in the pay of Wall Street than the working stilts
in uniform themselves.
x> • *
We have before us, as we write; a number of letters from S.I.U.
members in different Army camp's; Here is how these muchbewept
521amonth men really feel about recent advances made by the Sea
farers' International Union, for example:
May 23, 1941
"I notice the nice, delicious increase iii the %var boiihii diir"
Union is getting. Boy, 1 tliink it's sweif. I HOPE THE BOYS
KEEP GETTING A WHOLE LOT MORE. . . .
Fraternally," SIU #6577."
June 3, 1941
"Thanks very much for your prompt answer to my request
fjor Seafareis' literature. I enjoyed reading it very much AND
WAS REALLY" GLAD TO NOTE THE RECENT EVENTS AND
HAPPENINGS TO OUR ORGANIZATION. ...
Fraternally, SIU #5556."
(Continued from Page J)
Unions to which the seamon of
the Robin Moor belong, put in
their demands for. a revised war
bonus and a hiked war risk in
surance, such as the sinking of
the Robin vessel in socalled "safe
icaierti" has proved to be abso
lutely in keeping with present re
quirements.
"The agony, the mental torture
of tbe families waiting with a lasU
hope ashore, the tremendous suf
fering and hardships undergone
by the seamen in the lifeboats,
face to' face with the prospect of
a watery grave — is, however,
burnt deep into the memories ,of
the seamen themselves. They and
their Unions are not going to pre
tend to shed pious tears. They
are out to ^et abtion for selfpro
tection and for a measure of alle
viation^hOw little that is really
possible—of any future suffering.
Last week the Seafarers Inter
national Union sent letters to all
companies in the deepsea trade
under contract with the organiza
tion. These tettersrequest confer'
ences to reopen the agreements
relating to war bonus, war risk
compensation, compensation for
clothes lost, etc.
The S.I.U. is determined to get
a square de91 forthe seamenwho
undertake the greathazards " of
sailing in these days. The Robin
Moor sinking proves that they
have not had a square deal in the
pa.sf. s
A decent war bonufi, adequate
war risk insurance and improve
ments in the safqjy devices on
hoard ship — these are the de
mands that the S.I.U. is putting,
up to the shipowners. These are
demands. that only fate has luck
ily prevented, from being under
s(:qred as just, by the very lives
of the seamen of the^ Robin Moor.
, The Robin Moor men are alive
and safe. They and their fellow
seamen are thankful for that safe
ty. They are out to protect It as^
Union men, to the best of thein
ability.
Let the shipowners come across
with something besides "patriot
i6m";witb,some Of the gold they
are reaping on the backs of the
men whO 'WOfk for aliving and
who are actually taking the risks.
By GEORGE »IEANY',
SecretaryTreasurer, Aihcrican Federation of Labor
The advocates of the Vinson Bill beat their breasts and cry out
that it Is really not an antilabor measure. They say that It merely
calls for a compulsory "cooling oft" period before a strike begins.
This compulsory "cooling oft" period, they point out, Is limited to '
twentyfive days.
They cite this time limit with the air of someone making a
brilliant point. But, as a matter,of fact, the time limit is of no con
sequence. Obviously, if Congress has the power—despite the Thir
teenth Amendment to our constitution, which presumably abolished
slavety in this country for all time—to force men and women, under
the threat of criminal punishment, to work against their wills not
for twentyfive days but for even one minute, then Congress has the
power to. compel them, by the same method, to work indefinitely
without their consent
And that is slavery. That' is what Hitler has done. That is pre
cisely what we are supposed to be building planes and guns and
tanks and ships to prevent from coming to our country
. Tire sponsors of the "Vinson Bill and, of. similar measures aver
that, their purpose is to assure continuity of industrial production.
But history demonstrates that strikes cannot be prevented by pass .
ing a law forbidding them. Men with serious grievances have always
found a way of expressing them. . ,. . .
During the World War harsh measures were passed in Great
Britain to prohibit stoppages in the munitions, industries. What hap
pened? The number of mandays lost through strikes went from
2,400,000 in 19ie to 5,600,000 In 1917 and 5,800,000 in 1918.
Nostrike legislation as a means of insuring industrial peace has
failed in other countries too. And it has failed right here at home.
The Colorado law of 1915'and the Kansas law of 1920 were both in
; effective. .
The simple truth is that a compulsoiy work statute would not v
be at all helpful to the defense program but, on the contrary, would
cause Industrial chaos. The law could not be enforced without the
extreme use of police power. '
The resentment of the workers would be of enormous propaf:>
tions and, in view of the fact that the law would be in brazen viola
tion of the Thirteenth Amendment, to the Constitution, their anger
would be easy to understand and to sympathize with.
SeaiTaj'ers' Log Hoinor Rot I t
tr
Now this hardly looks as if the working stiffs iii the Army camps
are beating themselves up into an angry lather oyer the advances
made by the Unions!
This hardly looks as if the doughboys appreciate the' bitter cro^
codilc tears shed over them by the .sobsisters (both male and female)
of the venal press.
Wliat it does show is that Union men I'enrain Union iiien no
matter where they are. That, when they are drafted info the
armed forces, they depend upon the working stiffs who are left
behind to hold the line for them on the labor front, so that
when they return they can return to work with decent, wages
and tolerable working conditions.
. We do not have the facilities to conduct "polls of public opinioh,"
like the tycpons of the employer press have. But' we venture to say
that'the'^opinions expressed in the above two letters are shared by
the overwhelming majority of labor men In the Army camps, as well
as by their families at home.
, We do not' know how they feel about the $21 a month they are
geitting. But we venture to say with absolute c'bnviction that, if they
are, ready to take up arms for defense at that or any other wage,
It is because they'want to defend the right to freedom of the Amer
ican people. Against Hitler's Nazis or against any other enemy that
threatens, those rights.
And amongthose rights Is the right to better wages and condi
tions'; Hid right, 4f need be>. to enforce better wages and conditions
by means of the economic powerof labor—the right to. strike!
Spare your crocodile tears„ gentlemen iff the press!
UAMsAf
<Sov't fak® Over
(Continued from Page 1)
S,S. Aliioirante, .failed to appear
for work.
This ILA action is in protest
'against'the transfer to'the United
States Government of the Mor
gan Line, oldest American .flag
shipping, company, in operation
since 1B35. The Union protests
against the company's precipitate
agreement to the transfer, with
.put taking into consideration the
Tate of its more than 2,400 em
ployees aioiig the coast, for whom
no arrangements have been made
whatsoever. '
, S. J. Cooper, general manager
of the line, used fhe old red her
ring when he dubbed the Union
action "a strik€> against the gov
.ernment." At Union headquarters
in • New York, it 'Was announced
th at a mSSsage^ 'had been received
frdm WillfaM' H. DaVis; vice cbalr
mdn Of the National Defense Mer
didtlon Board, ̂ that, the: board
would take action iff the ease as
soon as possible.
S.k GREYLOCfi:—
F. Gallick, ?5: G. Ehmsen, $3; R. Bellevance, $3;
B. Almeida, $1; N. Kastrupp, $3; Conaer, $3; Eber
hart, $3; Collet, $3; P. Kaminski, |3! J. Murphy, $3;
J. D, Lewis, 33; F. Camacho, 33; Z. Aguayo, 331; H. De
Booyi 53; J. Dihen, 31; E. Shea, 33; C. Moulaison, 33;
W. Camlet, 33; F. Hathaway, 33; C. E Norman, 3150;
J. Mondano. 31; J. P.Schork, 31;, W. Blelevleh, $8;
T. Shea, 33; G. Kennedy, $3; Edward Hannon, 4th
Assist., 32.
F. "W llllBTUS ..................................
J. J. Williams •
II, 'tjansoii• i.
S.S. BAYOU CHICO 2.00
S.S. BIENVILLE
S^.S. COLABEE— Ste^vards Dept. .'
' _ _ Engine Dept. ...
Bos'n S.S. Robin Grey <
R. Tery^eR ...
H. Kohlbus
H.' Hill .. • i' • . f • t •
S.S. IPSWICH— Engine Dept.
, , Deck Dept. ..................
Dan Hoy •
C. Magnum ... • .................
S.S. EVANGELINE ,........'J T.....
S.S. ALCGA MARINER :. ̂ /..i,.................
w; Cprbutt .;..................
Otto Prenssler ^ •
A !Ford ...
C.i HintQn \ . .j.. • .,1. ....... • > • • •
S.S. P^ ROYAL—Decli Dept. .. .i...
H. Shenyiii' .... •
S.S. CLARE—^Steward Dept. ;............. • . • .. • •
C. J. Dougherty ......................... i
M. M. Pebworth ;.......'.........
J. Vr. tlenkins • . . ; ».
^S. AZALIAvCITY;..v;; .T.vv:;
S.§. ALOOA CADET . r......; v...,. i*».; .
as. CORNELIA V.:.. ..;..:
J, Lord • • • .'i. •
S.S. PENMAR ........ ....... .............. i
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E. Green '..... ,
S.S. SACCARAPPA .,................ /........
D, DeDnisin ,.... ...;...,,»... ......... ..
S.S. AiRf
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S.S. KBNMAB .,......... . . . ...........;......
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_20v i^l ;:::y;?r H E^ S EA F A R E R S' LOG
W. h a t' 8 b o i n g —
Around
PHILADELPHIA
Editor, Seafarers Log: ,
What Is news iu this fair port
ofAmor De Sorello (brotherly
love to you) ? Incidentally, we dug
this one up from none other than
Leonard Arrera, who now graces
our humble hall once again—but,
as we were saying, what's news?
Well, we succeeded in grabbing
. the proverbial bull by his more
proverbial rear end and threw
him. so hard and fast that we in
duced the isthmian Line officials
to pay the same bonus as Water
man, and also to hire men direct
from the hall. How's zat?
Of course, this hiring applied to
only one ship, but it was a sort
of a victory for us, in view of the
fact that the Personnel Manager
of said company once told us he
didn't want any part of our union.
Xhe main point of this issue is
. that the Isthmian Line wiJi have
to pay the same bonus to ail of
their ships, as.adause in the
former bonus specifies this point..
Why hire lawyers? So the isth
mian men can now thank the SlU
for already procuring at least a
very favorable bonus agreement
for them. Two of these same
ships left here with almost 1(10%
crews.
B^it the surprise and prize, of
. the , week was when we got
a phone. call, from some one . to
send some messmen, O.S., coal
pasaeJ« .and coal, burning, firemen.
Fod'^tie latter, we php.ned to the
Museum of Anthropology, but
were informed by them that those
animals , were extinct, but if we
^ looked around the , wilds, of Ho
boken or Jaoppy, we might spare
one or .two., , i . . ,
Well,, undaunted, we. began an.
exciting, hunt around qiir own
wilds and, after a long and tire:
some . search, „ bagged Brothers
Palmer, Wilson and "Pretty,Boy"
Johnny Day,rthe scourge of the
Pearl SS Co., but it will lake a
miracle to eradicate the scabby
stench and vermin that is tradi
tional oh this louse incubator.
The skipper at first put the
boys on standby pay, then he put
them on monthly pay, but after
seeing the overtime bill he decided
it was much cheaper to revert to
standby pay again and, at pres
ent, this is the setup. Of course,
he cut down the standby men to
a minimum, but he has promised
to adjust the many ills on the
ship before he decides to crew up
the ship.
Brother Collins had a very
ducky vacation wading, or, should
we say waddling, around, in the
swamps of South Philadelphia. At
first he intended to go to the
shore, but when he saw the type
of weather we were having, he de
cided to remain here and get the
same effect, i.e., go. out in the
rain in his bathing suit and then
get. under a sun lamp, saving
money and finally coming back, to
the hall and manuring the boys
about the wonderful time he had
down eoyth. you. can't fool us,
Harry, we know you were "south"
alright, but it was South Phila
delphia.
Adios from 3 Musketeers.
H.J.C./No. 492
J.F., .No. 542
W. B., No. 1994
HOUSTON
June 7th, 1941
Editor, Seafargrs Log.
Dear Sir and Bro:
It seems that in the paet week
or so that all of the Isthmian
ships must be over In the far east,
as I scan over the shipping news
every day and can't see where any
of those tubs are heading for the
longhorn state. Oh, well, I suppose
that when they do start, they will
come in bunches.
I am beginning to work on my
pet hobby, the Southern ships,
and so far am making a little
progress, Last year when I was
down here I tried to contact SOUIH
of the, crews,, but was told that
they were satisfied with the sum
NEW ORLEANS
Arctic jegions of Philadelphia. AU
three looked ferocious with slice
bars , in their hands arid when .the
patrolman went' on board the ship
he thought he was back in his
native, land..
However, the ship's name was
the Essex — famous merchant
"spot ship." This same shipwas
the, one the M&M ased,;to enterE
tain and harbor scabs and strike
breakers during, the. hectie days
of ^36 and '37. The odor stiii per
vades the place. We weren't the
least bit surprised when the men
gaye us a beef about the ship
crawling with vermin.
'Thfi skipper had the. ship fumi
gated — after a fashion and , lo
and behold, the. mngots came out
of the wood,—perhaps they forgot
. t» follow the rest of their brothers
to the NMU when they left, as
that is where the original spot
boys galavant now. Of course, this
ship no longer belongs to the M
& M, as she was sold to the White
N6 TiCE
A new office of the SIU has
beeri opened .by the .Union at
Martinez, California. SIU men
in that port can get in touch
with Fern .Bobbins, Seafarers'
Representative, or Bennie B^r
rena. Tanker organizer, at the
address helow;, 1 .
Seafarers*
International Union.
604 Ferry Street ,— Room 5
Martinez, Calif.
. Copies of the Seafarers Log
cpm bs obtained at the above
address.
June 11, 1941
Editor, Seafarers Log
Dear Sir and Brother;
Shippingifor the past week was
pretty good with ,a total of ,68 men
shipped to various jobs. The .ship
ping lists, here .are now bigge).'
than they haye.been in over a
year We have about, 200 men on
all three shipping list's now.
The SS El 'Valle came in un
loaded her cargo here, and went
t<r Mobile fOr dry docking. They
laid off the whole crew and most
of the men that were on her came
to New Orleans,
The S.S. Delorleans came in
and then went to drydock In Mo
bile. Her crew was also laid off.
This put about 75 men on the
; beach to swell the shipping list.
As yet, no ope knows definitely
who will operate these ships. The
rumor is that they ^iil send her
to Norfolk or Boston, to be recon
ditioned to meet the approval of
the navy and then bt taken over
by them.
One of the pretty little bubbles
that was floating around heie for
a/ few weeks has bust'ed. The
shore gang we had been looking
forward to on the Mississippi
Shipping. Co. is .iust out. A real
ity that had, just, about come true
was dona away with by the Navy
taking oyer the Delorleans. They
are .due to take over the Delar
gcntina on her aj rival here, They
haven't' come to any definite stand
on the Delbras'il. They may he
vdry kind hearted and let the
company keep her,
Well, boys> it. won't be long now
before we'll have to have gun
practice on all merchaiit ships in
cluding the old rust buckets. It
looks like Uncle Sam will have
to start arming the U. S. Mer
chantmen, if tlie Heinics keep up
sinking them, I for one* and a
helluva lot more agree with me,
do not ! want,. J to be .around
when they doarm some of tthese
pld ' rust buokets, rind :they fire
• Uieir.shoti~I.fii oet'.t'he reooll wUl
do more dainage on some of these
of $75.00. per month and tlme off
for ovei'time and other conditions
that existed aboard those tubs on
which no rightthinking seaman
would sail. But this year it seems
as if .they have come to realize
that the Company has been pull
ing lots of wool over their eyes.
Quite a few of them are asking to
Join up in the S.I.U.
« * «
Maybe it's due . to the fact that
after they read some of the agree
ment's thqt vye l^^ve wlfh other
Companies, they have decided
that they were working for at
least one fourth less wages and
much worse conditions.
This Company can ho put. un
der an agreement with the S.I.U,
and with the cooperation of the
Pbila. branch we can swing them
into the S.I.U, That will then give
us six more coastwise ships which
we need, as there are very few left
now that run down here.
That's all for this week,
Fraternally yours,
D. L. Parker, Org.
SEAFARERS* INTERNATIONAL UNION
OF NORTH AMERICA : .
Atlantic & Gulf District ^
SecretaryTreasurer^8 Office
Room 213 _ 2 Stone .Street, New York City "
P. O. Box 25, Station P Phone: BOwling Green 93437
• • •
DIRECTORY OF BRANCHES
BRANCH ADDRESS PHONE
NEW YORK 2 Stone St BOwling Green 93437
BOSTON 330 Atlantic Ave. ... LIBerty 4057
PROVIDENCE .. 465 South Main St. ..Manning 3572
BALTIMORE ... 14 North Gay St. ... Calvert 4539
PHILADiuLPHIA ,6 North 6th St Lombard 7.651
NORFOLK ..60 Commercial PI. ..Norfolk 4l'083
NEW ORLEANS 309 Chartres St. ... .MAgnolia 3962
SAVANNAH ....218 East Bay St. ....Savannah 31728
JACKSONVILLE .136 East Bay St. ....Jacksonville 51791
TAMPA ......... 206 So. Franklin St. .Tamna M1323
MOBILE 55 So. Conception St. Dexter 1449
TEXAS CITY ...105 4th St.. N. .....Texas 011^722
MIAMI 1348 N.E. First Ave.. Miami 22950
SAN* JUAN 8 Covadonga St San Juan 1885
BALTIMORE
News and Views
Ships' Transfers Will Be Felt Report of
Lakes' Activity • • Bull Line to Go?
ships than Hitlers best torpedos,
or aerial bombs.
Fraternally yours.
Buck Stephens,
Engine Patrolman
June 15th, 1941
Editor, Seafarers Log.,
Dear Sir and Brother:
Things stilt rocking along down
here with a few men on the
beach due to the fact that a few
of our ships are taken over by
the Uncle vyith the long beard.
If world events continue to inter
fere with our playhouse, things
will get serious before long.
One thing that is making the
cheese more binding is the fact
that for some reason the men in
sist' upon drinking their tea thru
a straw and . this seems to go to
tlieir head in such a way that
tliere. is a lot of chatter and
sfluawk that we could get along
without if you know what I mean.
No big squawks to amount to
anything,, with one exception. We
BALTIMORE, Md., June 14,
1941.—Shipping continues ..fairly
good out of this port. Sometimes,
when we read of this ship or
that ship, this fleet or that fleet
having been taken over by the
(Government, we wonder how in
the world shipping does stay
good. Judging by the number of
ships taken over during.the past
month, the beach lists shoujd be
Jammed, but strangely enough we
still have occasional difficulty in
getting our ships manned, espe
cially when It comes to A.B.'s
and other skilled ratings.
Unquestionably we are in for
trqublcd and difficult times. The
loas of the ten ship Morgan Line
fleet to the Panamanian flag is
only the beginning. The Bull Line
and other coastwise outfits are
awaiting their orders from the
Government, Fifty percent' of
their fleets are scheduled to go
into the (R)vernment's shipping
pool. That does not mean that all
of the ships taken over will fob.
low the Morgan Line and hoisi
another country's flag but' it, does
mean much shifting oif fichertulps
and many a rusty old coastwise
hull is due to heave and grunt
its way through strange waters.
The West Coast is going to be
particularly hard hit by shipping.
pool transfers. To date Calmar
lias six of their fleet scheduled
for African and Red Sea runs.
More, a great many more inter
coastal ships will follow. The ef.
feet has not been felt yet but it
will be felt.
Report of Lakes' Activity
• Just got back froni a short visit
to my old stamping grounds up
in the Lakes. Did a little bit of
noseying around while I was up
there and it didn't take ipe long
to find,out trial the NMU's claims
about having made the Lakes safe
for the NMU brand of democracy
was just so , much pure,, unadultv
crated hooey. They've made some
progress if you can call joining
the NMU progress, but there are
a lot of. indications that some of
the boys have had qbouL enough.
This is especially true, in the Pofc
er fleet where renewal of the
agreement is very doubtful.
Frankly, there, isn't much SIU or
ganizing .being done up there.
I don't blame the SIU oi'ganiz:.
ers altogether for that, although
what they are doing in the way of
organizing .doesn't amount to a
The Mathews County boys on the , great deal. The short trip ,geU
bridge are going to get to know
Good Hope as well as fhey know
Hatteras and Henlopen.. . , ,
Ships' Transfers Will Be J^elt
Most of the ships lost to the,
merchant . marine recently have
been manned, by NMU crews but
let no SIUSUP member rejoice
about that. The Union with trie
men is going to get the jobs and
if the, NMU has crowded beach
lists and the SIU beach.lists are
near zero, you know what will
happen.
had a subsidized ship in, on
which they worked the cadet as
another sailor for the coast trip.
It costs the contpany 40 hours to
the sailors for the work this lad
had done.
Several sailing board squawks
that' were squared away to the
riien's satisfaction.
The Robin Moor Is the main
topic of convereation around the
ball. All hands are picking out
the memhers.that they know on
the ship and to date, I believe she
carried a bigger crew than the
Saratoga
. For an, Issue or two, the L,og
ha,d every port represented very
well. Then the boys lost interest
enoughforagooddruiik member
is at" the bottom of a lot of the
business of sailing ships and they
are going to sign no agreements
with Unions,that can't supply re
placements, There's a lot could be
done to get things going for the
SIU on the Lakes.
Union Halls should, be located
at least" somewhere near the wat
erfront and not in .some way to
hell and gone slum. The Hall
should be kept clean and fit for
decent men to come to. The one
trippers and gas hounds should
get, their comeuppance and em
phatically. Literature should be
got out and distributed. Such lit
er something and once again
snme ports, are conspicuous by
their absence.
Taking every thing into, consid erature should concern itself with
oration, from the remarks of the the advantages of labor organiza
brothers that come In and out of
triis port, things seem to be shap
ing up very well and ̂ he mem
bers seem very satisfied with the
way things are going all over the
coast.
,If these bonuses keep getting
bigger, I believe that we will have
a shortage of seamen on these
tion and it should be put up to
the boys in a straightforward
manner.
Your Union is as strong as you
are, because YOU are the Union.
Act like a phoney and pay no at
tention if the "other fellow, acts
like a phonqy, and you'll have |a.
phoney union. , Conduct yourself
ships in, the coastal trgde. So, re1 as if memriership in your union
member, that to keep what we! was.a responsibility, and you'll
have, we~ will have to,take care | build yourself ,a union that will
of the good.wjth the usual. last as long as unions |ast, and
Steady as she goes,
Army.
youlJI he a better, man for It.
Wm. McKay, Agent.
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BuildAStrongStrikeFund!
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i<T'.r>s < i^Signs of unrest among American maritime workers are
officials something to study. . . . The sinking of the
/1! i J8oiWn .Moor cannot be expected to help matters and it is not
\f' ]hard to visualize this situation becoming delicate. ... But it
: muat.be realized that an unlimited national emergency has been
declared by the President and the United' States is committed
ij . jto. a loor program which it is bound to see through. In the vital
• shipping industry, therefore, it is obvious that those in/lontrol
j cannot afford to stand for any shennanigans which might affect
V'the steady flow of ocean transport to strategic areas."
i ' —From "The Shipping Outlook",
I' ' Journal of Commerce, June 16, 1941.
Under the shopworn cloak of "patriotism" now recn
torced with the cord of 'unlimited national emergenej'^", the
shipowners are once again preparing to smash away at the
seafaring unions and their timehonored rights.
As the quotation from the "Journal of Oommeree" above
indicates, the shipowners know that the seamen are restless
over the experience of the Robin Moor. They know in their
black hearts that the seamen are now more than amply justi
fied in demanding a far more adequate war bonus than they
have been getting. They know that demands are forthcom
ing for war risk insurance that will more nearly meet the
peril incurred by seamen and their families.
Yet, they have the brazen nerve to warn maritime labor
against raising such just demands and the even more unmiti
gated brass to call action on such demands "shennanigans"!
And, to top it all off, they think that they can wrap such
brass in the cloak of "national defense emergency."
There is no doubt that the shipowners are organizing stiff
resistance against the just demands' of the seamen who have
to be ready at all times to lay down their lives in the grimy
deep, while their employers heap up huge wartime profits.
There is no doubt that these human vultures of the sea
• vvlll do everything they can to take advantage of the war
conditions and reduce the Unions to harmless skeletons.
There is no doubt that the shipowners are building up re
serve funds with which to hire goon squads, finks, lobbyists
and lawyers to do their dirty work for them.
The seamen must not forget this threat to their vital in
terests for a single moment. They must not forget that the
shipowners have to be met with equal force.
That the shipowners' lobbyists must be met with effective
yjnion legislative representation.
That the shipowners' goon squads and finks must be met
yvith an educated and militant membership.'
That the shipowners' economic power must be met with
the economic power of the seagoing stiffs.
, That THEIR weapons must be met with OUR weapons.
That we must be prepared at all times to defend ourselves
yvith the ultimate weapon for our defense, the STRIKE ARM.
Above everything else, we must not forget that THEY
are building up a huge reserve fund for ANY test of strength.
We must remember that WE will have to have an equal re
serve fund to meet theirs whenever such a test of strength
is made necessary.
BUILD UP A STRONG STRIKE FUND TO DEFEND
ITHES.I.U.!
NLRB Orders
Old Longshore
Ruling Reversed
WASHINGTON, D.O.—The
National Labor Relations
Board this week reversed
threeyear old decision which
named Harry Bridges' Inter
national Longshoremen and
Warehousemen'skUnion (CIO
sole bargaining agent for al
the thirtyone ports on the
Pacific Coast.
The previous ruling was con
tested by longshoremen organized
in their majority into the, A. F.
of L. at Tacoma, Anacortes and
Fort Angeles. The decision is a
big victory for the Puget Sound
militant's, who for years have
fought Bridges' dictatorship tac
tics and rotten agreements.
Under the new ruling, long
shoremen in any three ports who
can show 4 majority in their or
ganization can constitute a legal
bargaining unit'. An election in
the Puget Sound area^ to deter
mine representation was ordered
by the N.L.R.B. witfiia thirty
days.
afc
Out of the Mailbag
Permits Revoked
, Do NOT Ship/
Julio Martinez—P850
Everett B. Fresh—P=3596
William Robertson.P4090
Richard Peterson—P.4097
Frank Mehlenbacher—P3821
Ernest R. Parks—P3865
Joseph James Frost—P.266
Paul F, Cotret; P414
Joseph Green—P1048
Harry Edward Lauder—P3119
Henry Turner—P3241
TAMPA AGENT:
Reveals Activities on SchoolShips
Aim at Undermining Unions
SPECIAL NOTICE
4
Luther Jordan, P338
Get in touch with your
mother at No. 10 Catherine
St., Taek.soriville, Fla.
IMPORTANT!
THE ARMY MOVES IN
(Excerpts from "Facing the Facts" with Philip Pearl, American
, Federation of Labor Weekly News Service, June 10, 1941)
Now the situation has come to a head. The CIO leadership has
appealed in vain to the strikers at the North American Aviation plant
in Los Angeles to go back to work pending settlement of their dis
pute with the company by the National Defense Mediation Board.
Forced to be frank, the ClO has publicly branded the local ClO
leaders as Communists. And, as we write this, the United States
Army, under the direction of an Executive Order by Presi(^ent Roose
velt, has marched in and taken possession of the plant. The Army
bas pledged itself to protect any workers who Wish to go back to
their jobs.
These are the developments on the strike front, but in Congress
teyenmore sinister moves are on the way. New bills and amendments
" striking at the fundamental rights of workers are being introduced
Iby the score and denunciations of even legitimate aims of labor are
liroadcast by labor's enemies. The newspapers ̂nd the radio seethe
with antilabor propaganda and the feelings of the American public
fire being whipped up into a frenzy against labor.
Tbat isn't all. Colonel Hershey, Acting Director of the Draft,
fias.'jpst issued orders which, in effect, will result in the drafting of
iany strikers coming within the age limits.
. Now, all of this or any part' of it is enough t'd get any friend of
labor excited. Never In this century, during war or peace; has the
president cxf the United States before been forced to call on the
lUniited^ States Army to help break a strike. Never since the earliest
^ys of organizedlabpr has there been such , a concerted and Vide
.iujread villification campaign against labor. j
Baggage Left at Jacksonville
SlU Hall
The officers of the Carolyn
have turned over the baggage
of D. Prescott, No. 3671, and
T. F. Mayles, P3349, in care of
Agent Rogers at the above
hall.
Also baggage belonging to
some men left off the Suwied
at Philadelphia about a month
ago can be obtained at the
same hall. This baggage con
sists of two sea bags and a
suitcase.
The following named
Brothers are due one
hour's overtime each which
the Baltimore Agent , is
holding for them:
John Morris, Able Seaman
Dahl, Able Seaman
These Brothers were
members of the S.S. Ken
mar on her last voyage.
NOTICE
A new Post Office Box
has been secured and it is
Box 25, Station P, New
York City.
However, the old Box,
No. 522, Church Street An
nex, is still open and will
remain so until its rental
runs out on June 30, 194a.
June 8th, 1941
Editor, Seafarers' Log
Shipping continues to be very
very good around the village and
it's quite a chore to keep the
ships from sailing short. There
are too many uncalledfor beefs
floating in, which chiefly consist
of overtime disputed when agree
ments distinctly cover such, pen
alty overtime, overtime on days
of sailing when men work both
on daywork and sea watch, shift
ing ship with longshoremen, not
breaking out required men to
shift, and most" everything else
hat can be brought up to do
wrong.
Some of these mushroomheaded
mates and engineers seem to
think an agreement is something
made for them to break at every
opportunity. Other blubbergutted
species of the same genus are ac
tually envious of the conditions
and wages the unlicensed person
nel have now. "When these mon
keys came up thru the foc'sle
those that did), they were slum
gullion out of a bucket, chipped
decks on their night watches for
forty bucks a month and got' the
hell kicked out of them if they
didn't like it. Now that they ar
under a high pressure cap, it
breaks their hearts they can't re
turn the same.
We note by a local newspaper
a day or so ago, that Eastern has
tied some of their scows up with
the statement they can't meet the
demands of the Union In wages
and conditlnons. Along about this
same time the bigwigs of the
P & O are weeping and wailing
and chipping their storebought
teeth about there's got to be
some, changes made in the P & O
agreement. They're right about
that, there's going to be some
changes made, but not the way
they plan.
Eastern and P & O have al
ways been pretty chummy in
cooking up their skultduggery,
perchance ail this tying up busi
ness is a combined effort of a few
of the. masterminds of finance to
chisel the sailors out of a few
more bucks.
These petunias go on frothing
at the mouth about hov/ they have
a great fear tliat the Maritime
Commission is going to spank us
for being bad boys and take our
ships away and' give them to the
school ship dopes and they don't
want this to happen; like hell
they don't, they'd sell their moth
er to get it accomplifihed.
Note a very good article tin the
May 22nd issue of the Log 'by 8.
Goldenberg, r^o. i3769, that should
be given the deepest considera
tion by every loyal Union man.
The hidden object of the school
ships and Maritime Commission is
to break the power of the sailor's
Unions and throw us back to thir
ty bucks a month and the rotten
est of conditions as they once
were. To bear this out, here is
an incident to prove it:— .j
A few days ago some of us boys
were sitting in the Tathpa hall
chewing the fat when, in comes a
chap to see the agent about the
possibilities of shipping. He was
asked what experience he had had
as a sailor and replied that he
had just left the Maritime school
ship over in St. Petersburg. This
immediately aroused the Interest
of all within hearing and he was
asked why he had left and what
gave him the inspjration to look
our place up mid his answer was
quite a shock to some of the boys
who haven't given the Maritime
Commission ,^p r o g r a ni much
thought or study.
This lad, along with ten or
twelve more had been sent down
from the north to attend this
school in .St. Petersburg, in the
course of their training they
were informed by their Instruct
ors of the dire necessity of rigid
discipline in the Merchant Ma
rine; that soon they (the in
structors) hoped to see Merchant
Marine sailors in uniform; and
that the "old sailors" who now
man the Merchant Marine ships
have no business on these ships;
that they belonged to the "young
men" whom they were training.
These coolatnte boys did not
take this so well and put up a
squawk about some of the high
handed discipline of the school
ship routine that was being for |
ced upon them. For their trouble
they were promptly kicked out,
refused their transportation home
and had to hit'chlrike and ride
box cars out of town.
Now it appears to me as this is
supposed to be a democratic coun
try, that we've got enough to con
tend" with, keeping the shipowners
from starving us to death, with
out getting a knife in the back
from a bunch of monkeys that live
fat off of tax payer's dough and
wear uniforms and claim to repre
sent institutions of the American
people.
Any Institution that advocates
any such undemocratic ideas
should be abolished immediately,
and man or men that poison the
minds of ignorant boys that are
attending these schools with such
umAmerican ideas, should either
be sent over to Hitler or to the
rest of the monkeys that use the
same methods as they are teach
ing.
It's high time that somebody
whom the .shipowners'money can't
reach was doing something about
it. If any such doings as that is
democratic then we as a people
are maintaining a damn poor
standard of democracy as com
pared to that established and
maintained by our forefathers.
Steely White, No, 560.
In Memoriam
Edward Lee Jordan
Died March 13, 1941
at Mobile, Ala.
Maynard D. Brinkley
Died February 21, 1941
at Staten Island, N. Y.
>
Andrew Lauritsen
Died March 30, 1941
at Baltimore, Md.
Francesco Lopez
Died March 21, 1941
at Staten Island, N. Y.
'jj '
William Nottage
Died April 20, 1941,
at Baltimore, Md.
A.
George Slocovich
Died May 18, t941
at Mobile, Ala.
E. jTrodd
Died May 29, 1941
at Staten Island, N. V.
A. E. Cullinane
Died May 20, 1941 '
at Baltimore, Md.
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OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE ATLANTIC AND GULF DISTRICT,
SEAFARERS' INTERNATIONAL UNION OF NORTH ABIERICA
VOL. Ill NEW YORK, N. Y., FRIDAY, JUNE 20. 1941 446
C^hiV SAVED BY "SEA LUCK",
No. 12
J.
S.S. ROBIN MOOR'S FATE SPURS UNION
DEMANDS FOR HIGHER BONUS, INSURANCE
Eastern Capitulates to SlU as Strike
Vote Is Taken on New Agreement
After the Seafarers' International Union had taken a strike vote on
all Eastern Steamship Co. tubs," the Company quickly came to terms with
the Union last week and signed ah agreehient granting the most essen
tial demands put forward by the men. The Company capitulated with
startling rapidity as soon as the strike vote made it clear to the shipown
ers that the SIU meant business.
The main points in dispute^
on vvhicii the Company gave
in were the following:
1. Cash overtime for dock
ing and undocking for the
watch below, and after 5 P.M.
and before 8 A.M. in the Deck
Department.
2. In the Engine Depart
ment, payment of overtime
for the Fireman or Water
tender on watch while cargo
is being woz^edbetween the
hours of 5 P.M. and 8 A.M.
3. The Stewards Depart
ment obtained a reduction in
the spread of hours in which
they are to perform their
day's work.
Concessions raising overtime
pay to 80 cents per hour and in
creasing monthly wages by $10 to
meet the SLU standard on coast
wise ships were granted by the
Company in a special rider signed
several months ago and are, of
course, included in the new agree
ment.
Ciirran and Co. have long sin
gled out conflitlons on the East
ern ships as special subjects for
abuse and vilification of the SIU.
But the SIU men on the Eastern
ships today enjoy a wage scale
which is $5 per month higher
than NMU men get for the same
type of'run I
More important, SIU men on
the Eastern ships get better con
. ditlons in the new agreement, go
ing coastwise, than NMU men get
on the offshore ships!
Once again, militant" SIU action
has scored a big victory over the
shipowners. The Eastern agree
ment bring standards. on SIU
ships everywhere higher than
anything Curran and Co. haye
been able to obtain. High time
for the bona ftde .seamen in the
NMU rank and file to wake up
and take notice. The road to ad
vancement" for the seamen is un
der the banner of the militant
SIU.
ATTENTION
Ralph Miller
Please communicate Imme
diately with Attorneys Hill
man & Hillman, 414 Munsey
Building, Baltimore, Maryland.
Your claim has been settled.
Another View:
What's Holding Up '
''National Defense "?
Taking issue with the laborbaiters, a ecientist in Govern
ment service gave a different" story about the reasolis behind
the lag in the "defense" production than we usually find in the
papers. Addressing a Now York state health (inference, Pr,
Thomas Parran, Surgeon General of the United States Public
Health Service, declared on May 20:
"In TyiO disability took 50 times tiie losses "due to
strikes and lockouts. TliougU little discussed, this is llie
SINGIJE greatest factor slowing up the production
schedule."
Working time lost through illness and injuries, according
to Pr. Parran, reaches the total of 350,000,000 workdays per
year. '
But, of course, all this is unimpprtant to the brass check
press of the employers. It doesn't fit the campaign to ban
strikes and gag labor organizations.
AFofL Urges Wage Boosts
To Offset High Living Costs
WASHINGTON, D:C.—The cost of living in thirtythree
large American cities has increased more than three per cent
in the past year, according to figures made public by the
<$) Bureau of Labor statistics.
Pood prices have leaped six per
cent, clothing two per cent, rent
one per cent, house furnishings
two per cent and miscellaneous
items two per cent", the survey
showed.
American Federation of Labor
officials declared that these In
creases In living costs constitute
a virtual wage cut for American
workers and justify general pay
Increases in every industry where
wages have not been adjusted to
new price conditions.
"The working man's dollar,"
President William Greeny com
mented, "does not go nearly as
far now as it did a year ago . . .
These figures from the Depart
ment of 'Labor prove what every
housewife in America knows. We
urge all labor organizations affili
ated with the American Federa
tion of Labor to make use of these
figures In collective bargaining for
the protection of their members.
It is the best argument possible
for wage increases. ..."
Navy Has Plan
To Arm All U.$.
Merchant Ships
WASHINGTON, D. 0.—In
a press conference this week,
President Roosevelt disclosed
that the Navy Department
has fully worked out plans
for the arming of American
merchantmen.
The aimoiuiceinent came as
a re.sult of inquiries as to
whether any action was con
templated in view of the fate
of the Robin Moore.
The President stressed,
however, that actual arming
of the freighters is possibly
dependent upon Congressional
legislation.
Seafarers Summon Shipowners to
Confer on Reopening Agreement
Admitted as much by First Mate Melvin Mundy at Cape
town, and; openly proclaimed by the whole press of the coun
try, it was ptire "sea luck" that saved the crew and the pas
sengers of the Robin Moor from a place in Davy Jones'
locker. Ten crewmen and one passenger have landed in
Brazil; 28 crewmen and seven passengers have arri^yed in
Capetown, No precautions for safety, not even a wireless
message from the allegedly German submarine that siihk the
ship, was responsible for their safety. It was just fUte.
The tearjerking p r e s s,<^'
which has done its best to
build up one of those "inci
dents" which are generally
used to touch oft" armed ac
tion in international eonflicts,
did not spare a triek in be
moaning the men of the Robin
Moore, while they were re
ported lost, i
But not once, in nof a single
article that has come to our at
tention, has any of the besscon
tiolled newspapeifi over as much
as hinted that the seafarers who
go out to meet such risks are en
titled to a more adequate compen
sation than the pittance they are
getting.
Not once was the matter of
protecting the seamen themselves
and safeguarding the interests of
the families they leave behind
them ever raised. All the moans
and groans were synthetic blub
ber percolated with a political
purpose in mind that had nothing
to do with the actual fate of the
seamen involved.
Just as before the sinking of
I.I)e Robin Moore, we can expect
the same venal scribes to forget
all their tearjerking when the
(Continued on Page 2)
I.L.A. Acts As
Gov'tlakesOver
Morgan Line
More than 500 N. Y. long
shoremen, checkers and tow
boat worWs, affiliated to the
International Longshoremen's
Association (AFL) walked off
their jobs in protest last week
when word reached them that
the Morgan Line fleet of ten
ships, which was the source
of their emplojrment, would
be taken over by the United
States Government.
The walkout spread to Balti
more this week, as nearly 200
dock workers who had been em
ployed removing cargo from the
(Continued on Page 2)
$.I.U. Cannery
Union Sweeps
010 Stronghold
Sweeping the Communist
Partycontrclled G.LO. from
the field in one canhei^li
the West Coast after another,
the Fish Cannery Workers
Council of the Pacific, affili
ated with the S.I.U., last week
moved into the stronghold of
the CIO at San Diego, when
they obtained an election at
the big Van Camp cannery
from the National Labor Rela
tions Board last week.
Trumped by Signed Pledges
The CIO organization in the
cannery was forced to consent to
an NLRB election after the S.I.U.
affiliate confronted them with 244
signed cards passed on by the
Board with an additional 45 yet
to be passed.
Subjected to all kinds of intimi
dation by the little Stalinist
clique running the CIO organiza
tion in typical dictatorship fash
ion, the rank and file Van Camp
workers refused to be moved
from their position of signing
cards to have the Seafarers' In
ternational Union (AFL) repre
sent them.
Victims Join S.I.U.
Many have deserted the CIO or
ganization In recent months, in
cluding the courageous Gladys
Shields, a member of the Van
Camp workers' negotiating com
mittee In the past year, who was
expelled from the CIO outfit In
one of the infamous Moscow
Trial purges that are regularly
conducted against dissenters by
the Stalinite hatchetmen.
The SIU cannery workers Union
in a recent Issue of their paper,
the "West Coast Fisherman 41
Fish Cannery Workers", declare
that tliey are fully confident of
defeating the CIO in the elections
ahead and of lining up "Van Camp
solidly for the aaafarers' effiliate.
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Published by the
ATLANTIC & GULF DISTRICT
of the
Seafarers * International Union
of North America
Affiliated with the American Federation of Labor
HARRV LUNDEBERG, Acting International President
110 Market Street, Room 402, San Francisco, Calif.
ADDRESS ALL CORRESPONDENCE CONCERNING THIS
PUBLICATION TO:
"THE SEAFARERS'LOG" .
P. O. Box 522, Church St. Annex, New York, N. Y.
PAtm^: BOwling Green 9«3437
Robin Moor Fate SLAVE
(Excerpts from an Article in the A?nerican Federationist, June, 1941)
Lrocoatle Tears
"Conscription is the punishment the rank and file of labor
will have to suffer, if you do not take swift action to stop stnkes
in defense in'diustries. You have already lost much of'the pubCid's
friendship by your shortsighted policies; you will lose all your
friends if you do not take steps to niateh the sacrifices Of the
boys who have given a year and perhaps the whole of their lives
to their country for $21 a month."
—Editorial in the New York Daily Mirror, June 5, 1941.
"We are drafting men into the Army, to work for $21 base
pay plus board and room. They have no right to strike for
higher pay or better loorking conditions. Workers in industries
supplying our armed forces go on striking as if these were or
dinary boom times with no national emergency visible."
—Editorial in the New York Daily News, June 6, 1941,
The above are two items picked at random on successive days,
from the brass check press which heeds the Master's voice in Wall
Street. Such press itema can be culied from the venal newspapers
in a dozen cities on practically any day of the week nowadays.
• They all sing the same tune: dire threats of suppression if labor
should continue to exercise its constitutional rights to obtain a few
cents more in wages, a few more decent working conditions.
. They all shed the same crocodile tears for the working stiffs in
uniform who are now making ?21, per month.
They seem to imply that the working stiffs in fEe Army camps
are all adither against the wage increases which their brothers in
th{B factories, mills> plants and ships are getting. Nothing could be
__fiirther from Ihe frutli. No one resents more the crocodile tears Sli^
by the press hyenas in the pay of Wall Street than the working stilts
in uniform themselves.
x> • *
We have before us, as we write; a number of letters from S.I.U.
members in different Army camp's; Here is how these muchbewept
521amonth men really feel about recent advances made by the Sea
farers' International Union, for example:
May 23, 1941
"I notice the nice, delicious increase iii the %var boiihii diir"
Union is getting. Boy, 1 tliink it's sweif. I HOPE THE BOYS
KEEP GETTING A WHOLE LOT MORE. . . .
Fraternally," SIU #6577."
June 3, 1941
"Thanks very much for your prompt answer to my request
fjor Seafareis' literature. I enjoyed reading it very much AND
WAS REALLY" GLAD TO NOTE THE RECENT EVENTS AND
HAPPENINGS TO OUR ORGANIZATION. ...
Fraternally, SIU #5556."
(Continued from Page J)
Unions to which the seamon of
the Robin Moor belong, put in
their demands for. a revised war
bonus and a hiked war risk in
surance, such as the sinking of
the Robin vessel in socalled "safe
icaierti" has proved to be abso
lutely in keeping with present re
quirements.
"The agony, the mental torture
of tbe families waiting with a lasU
hope ashore, the tremendous suf
fering and hardships undergone
by the seamen in the lifeboats,
face to' face with the prospect of
a watery grave — is, however,
burnt deep into the memories ,of
the seamen themselves. They and
their Unions are not going to pre
tend to shed pious tears. They
are out to ^et abtion for selfpro
tection and for a measure of alle
viation^hOw little that is really
possible—of any future suffering.
Last week the Seafarers Inter
national Union sent letters to all
companies in the deepsea trade
under contract with the organiza
tion. These tettersrequest confer'
ences to reopen the agreements
relating to war bonus, war risk
compensation, compensation for
clothes lost, etc.
The S.I.U. is determined to get
a square de91 forthe seamenwho
undertake the greathazards " of
sailing in these days. The Robin
Moor sinking proves that they
have not had a square deal in the
pa.sf. s
A decent war bonufi, adequate
war risk insurance and improve
ments in the safqjy devices on
hoard ship — these are the de
mands that the S.I.U. is putting,
up to the shipowners. These are
demands. that only fate has luck
ily prevented, from being under
s(:qred as just, by the very lives
of the seamen of the^ Robin Moor.
, The Robin Moor men are alive
and safe. They and their fellow
seamen are thankful for that safe
ty. They are out to protect It as^
Union men, to the best of thein
ability.
Let the shipowners come across
with something besides "patriot
i6m";witb,some Of the gold they
are reaping on the backs of the
men whO 'WOfk for aliving and
who are actually taking the risks.
By GEORGE »IEANY',
SecretaryTreasurer, Aihcrican Federation of Labor
The advocates of the Vinson Bill beat their breasts and cry out
that it Is really not an antilabor measure. They say that It merely
calls for a compulsory "cooling oft" period before a strike begins.
This compulsory "cooling oft" period, they point out, Is limited to '
twentyfive days.
They cite this time limit with the air of someone making a
brilliant point. But, as a matter,of fact, the time limit is of no con
sequence. Obviously, if Congress has the power—despite the Thir
teenth Amendment to our constitution, which presumably abolished
slavety in this country for all time—to force men and women, under
the threat of criminal punishment, to work against their wills not
for twentyfive days but for even one minute, then Congress has the
power to. compel them, by the same method, to work indefinitely
without their consent
And that is slavery. That' is what Hitler has done. That is pre
cisely what we are supposed to be building planes and guns and
tanks and ships to prevent from coming to our country
. Tire sponsors of the "Vinson Bill and, of. similar measures aver
that, their purpose is to assure continuity of industrial production.
But history demonstrates that strikes cannot be prevented by pass .
ing a law forbidding them. Men with serious grievances have always
found a way of expressing them. . ,. . .
During the World War harsh measures were passed in Great
Britain to prohibit stoppages in the munitions, industries. What hap
pened? The number of mandays lost through strikes went from
2,400,000 in 19ie to 5,600,000 In 1917 and 5,800,000 in 1918.
Nostrike legislation as a means of insuring industrial peace has
failed in other countries too. And it has failed right here at home.
The Colorado law of 1915'and the Kansas law of 1920 were both in
; effective. .
The simple truth is that a compulsoiy work statute would not v
be at all helpful to the defense program but, on the contrary, would
cause Industrial chaos. The law could not be enforced without the
extreme use of police power. '
The resentment of the workers would be of enormous propaf:>
tions and, in view of the fact that the law would be in brazen viola
tion of the Thirteenth Amendment, to the Constitution, their anger
would be easy to understand and to sympathize with.
SeaiTaj'ers' Log Hoinor Rot I t
tr
Now this hardly looks as if the working stiffs iii the Army camps
are beating themselves up into an angry lather oyer the advances
made by the Unions!
This hardly looks as if the doughboys appreciate the' bitter cro^
codilc tears shed over them by the .sobsisters (both male and female)
of the venal press.
Wliat it does show is that Union men I'enrain Union iiien no
matter where they are. That, when they are drafted info the
armed forces, they depend upon the working stiffs who are left
behind to hold the line for them on the labor front, so that
when they return they can return to work with decent, wages
and tolerable working conditions.
. We do not have the facilities to conduct "polls of public opinioh,"
like the tycpons of the employer press have. But' we venture to say
that'the'^opinions expressed in the above two letters are shared by
the overwhelming majority of labor men In the Army camps, as well
as by their families at home.
, We do not' know how they feel about the $21 a month they are
geitting. But we venture to say with absolute c'bnviction that, if they
are, ready to take up arms for defense at that or any other wage,
It is because they'want to defend the right to freedom of the Amer
ican people. Against Hitler's Nazis or against any other enemy that
threatens, those rights.
And amongthose rights Is the right to better wages and condi
tions'; Hid right, 4f need be>. to enforce better wages and conditions
by means of the economic powerof labor—the right to. strike!
Spare your crocodile tears„ gentlemen iff the press!
UAMsAf
<Sov't fak® Over
(Continued from Page 1)
S,S. Aliioirante, .failed to appear
for work.
This ILA action is in protest
'against'the transfer to'the United
States Government of the Mor
gan Line, oldest American .flag
shipping, company, in operation
since 1B35. The Union protests
against the company's precipitate
agreement to the transfer, with
.put taking into consideration the
Tate of its more than 2,400 em
ployees aioiig the coast, for whom
no arrangements have been made
whatsoever. '
, S. J. Cooper, general manager
of the line, used fhe old red her
ring when he dubbed the Union
action "a strik€> against the gov
.ernment." At Union headquarters
in • New York, it 'Was announced
th at a mSSsage^ 'had been received
frdm WillfaM' H. DaVis; vice cbalr
mdn Of the National Defense Mer
didtlon Board, ̂ that, the: board
would take action iff the ease as
soon as possible.
S.k GREYLOCfi:—
F. Gallick, ?5: G. Ehmsen, $3; R. Bellevance, $3;
B. Almeida, $1; N. Kastrupp, $3; Conaer, $3; Eber
hart, $3; Collet, $3; P. Kaminski, |3! J. Murphy, $3;
J. D, Lewis, 33; F. Camacho, 33; Z. Aguayo, 331; H. De
Booyi 53; J. Dihen, 31; E. Shea, 33; C. Moulaison, 33;
W. Camlet, 33; F. Hathaway, 33; C. E Norman, 3150;
J. Mondano. 31; J. P.Schork, 31;, W. Blelevleh, $8;
T. Shea, 33; G. Kennedy, $3; Edward Hannon, 4th
Assist., 32.
F. "W llllBTUS ..................................
J. J. Williams •
II, 'tjansoii• i.
S.S. BAYOU CHICO 2.00
S.S. BIENVILLE
S^.S. COLABEE— Ste^vards Dept. .'
' _ _ Engine Dept. ...
Bos'n S.S. Robin Grey <
R. Tery^eR ...
H. Kohlbus
H.' Hill .. • i' • . f • t •
S.S. IPSWICH— Engine Dept.
, , Deck Dept. ..................
Dan Hoy •
C. Magnum ... • .................
S.S. EVANGELINE ,........'J T.....
S.S. ALCGA MARINER :. ̂ /..i,.................
w; Cprbutt .;..................
Otto Prenssler ^ •
A !Ford ...
C.i HintQn \ . .j.. • .,1. ....... • > • • •
S.S. P^ ROYAL—Decli Dept. .. .i...
H. Shenyiii' .... •
S.S. CLARE—^Steward Dept. ;............. • . • .. • •
C. J. Dougherty ......................... i
M. M. Pebworth ;.......'.........
J. Vr. tlenkins • . . ; ».
^S. AZALIAvCITY;..v;; .T.vv:;
S.§. ALOOA CADET . r......; v...,. i*».; .
as. CORNELIA V.:.. ..;..:
J, Lord • • • .'i. •
S.S. PENMAR ........ ....... .............. i
IVC: Ijongfellow
Hair el son
E. Green '..... ,
S.S. SACCARAPPA .,................ /........
D, DeDnisin ,.... ...;...,,»... ......... ..
S.S. AiRf
T.; J.'Lively;i.vA ............... .> ...............
S.S. KBNMAB .,......... . . . ...........;......
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_20v i^l ;:::y;?r H E^ S EA F A R E R S' LOG
W. h a t' 8 b o i n g —
Around
PHILADELPHIA
Editor, Seafarers Log: ,
What Is news iu this fair port
ofAmor De Sorello (brotherly
love to you) ? Incidentally, we dug
this one up from none other than
Leonard Arrera, who now graces
our humble hall once again—but,
as we were saying, what's news?
Well, we succeeded in grabbing
. the proverbial bull by his more
proverbial rear end and threw
him. so hard and fast that we in
duced the isthmian Line officials
to pay the same bonus as Water
man, and also to hire men direct
from the hall. How's zat?
Of course, this hiring applied to
only one ship, but it was a sort
of a victory for us, in view of the
fact that the Personnel Manager
of said company once told us he
didn't want any part of our union.
Xhe main point of this issue is
. that the Isthmian Line wiJi have
to pay the same bonus to ail of
their ships, as.adause in the
former bonus specifies this point..
Why hire lawyers? So the isth
mian men can now thank the SlU
for already procuring at least a
very favorable bonus agreement
for them. Two of these same
ships left here with almost 1(10%
crews.
B^it the surprise and prize, of
. the , week was when we got
a phone. call, from some one . to
send some messmen, O.S., coal
pasaeJ« .and coal, burning, firemen.
Fod'^tie latter, we php.ned to the
Museum of Anthropology, but
were informed by them that those
animals , were extinct, but if we
^ looked around the , wilds, of Ho
boken or Jaoppy, we might spare
one or .two., , i . . ,
Well,, undaunted, we. began an.
exciting, hunt around qiir own
wilds and, after a long and tire:
some . search, „ bagged Brothers
Palmer, Wilson and "Pretty,Boy"
Johnny Day,rthe scourge of the
Pearl SS Co., but it will lake a
miracle to eradicate the scabby
stench and vermin that is tradi
tional oh this louse incubator.
The skipper at first put the
boys on standby pay, then he put
them on monthly pay, but after
seeing the overtime bill he decided
it was much cheaper to revert to
standby pay again and, at pres
ent, this is the setup. Of course,
he cut down the standby men to
a minimum, but he has promised
to adjust the many ills on the
ship before he decides to crew up
the ship.
Brother Collins had a very
ducky vacation wading, or, should
we say waddling, around, in the
swamps of South Philadelphia. At
first he intended to go to the
shore, but when he saw the type
of weather we were having, he de
cided to remain here and get the
same effect, i.e., go. out in the
rain in his bathing suit and then
get. under a sun lamp, saving
money and finally coming back, to
the hall and manuring the boys
about the wonderful time he had
down eoyth. you. can't fool us,
Harry, we know you were "south"
alright, but it was South Phila
delphia.
Adios from 3 Musketeers.
H.J.C./No. 492
J.F., .No. 542
W. B., No. 1994
HOUSTON
June 7th, 1941
Editor, Seafargrs Log.
Dear Sir and Bro:
It seems that in the paet week
or so that all of the Isthmian
ships must be over In the far east,
as I scan over the shipping news
every day and can't see where any
of those tubs are heading for the
longhorn state. Oh, well, I suppose
that when they do start, they will
come in bunches.
I am beginning to work on my
pet hobby, the Southern ships,
and so far am making a little
progress, Last year when I was
down here I tried to contact SOUIH
of the, crews,, but was told that
they were satisfied with the sum
NEW ORLEANS
Arctic jegions of Philadelphia. AU
three looked ferocious with slice
bars , in their hands arid when .the
patrolman went' on board the ship
he thought he was back in his
native, land..
However, the ship's name was
the Essex — famous merchant
"spot ship." This same shipwas
the, one the M&M ased,;to enterE
tain and harbor scabs and strike
breakers during, the. hectie days
of ^36 and '37. The odor stiii per
vades the place. We weren't the
least bit surprised when the men
gaye us a beef about the ship
crawling with vermin.
'Thfi skipper had the. ship fumi
gated — after a fashion and , lo
and behold, the. mngots came out
of the wood,—perhaps they forgot
. t» follow the rest of their brothers
to the NMU when they left, as
that is where the original spot
boys galavant now. Of course, this
ship no longer belongs to the M
& M, as she was sold to the White
N6 TiCE
A new office of the SIU has
beeri opened .by the .Union at
Martinez, California. SIU men
in that port can get in touch
with Fern .Bobbins, Seafarers'
Representative, or Bennie B^r
rena. Tanker organizer, at the
address helow;, 1 .
Seafarers*
International Union.
604 Ferry Street ,— Room 5
Martinez, Calif.
. Copies of the Seafarers Log
cpm bs obtained at the above
address.
June 11, 1941
Editor, Seafarers Log
Dear Sir and Brother;
Shippingifor the past week was
pretty good with ,a total of ,68 men
shipped to various jobs. The .ship
ping lists, here .are now bigge).'
than they haye.been in over a
year We have about, 200 men on
all three shipping list's now.
The SS El 'Valle came in un
loaded her cargo here, and went
t<r Mobile fOr dry docking. They
laid off the whole crew and most
of the men that were on her came
to New Orleans,
The S.S. Delorleans came in
and then went to drydock In Mo
bile. Her crew was also laid off.
This put about 75 men on the
; beach to swell the shipping list.
As yet, no ope knows definitely
who will operate these ships. The
rumor is that they ^iil send her
to Norfolk or Boston, to be recon
ditioned to meet the approval of
the navy and then bt taken over
by them.
One of the pretty little bubbles
that was floating around heie for
a/ few weeks has bust'ed. The
shore gang we had been looking
forward to on the Mississippi
Shipping. Co. is .iust out. A real
ity that had, just, about come true
was dona away with by the Navy
taking oyer the Delorleans. They
are .due to take over the Delar
gcntina on her aj rival here, They
haven't' come to any definite stand
on the Delbras'il. They may he
vdry kind hearted and let the
company keep her,
Well, boys> it. won't be long now
before we'll have to have gun
practice on all merchaiit ships in
cluding the old rust buckets. It
looks like Uncle Sam will have
to start arming the U. S. Mer
chantmen, if tlie Heinics keep up
sinking them, I for one* and a
helluva lot more agree with me,
do not ! want,. J to be .around
when they doarm some of tthese
pld ' rust buokets, rind :they fire
• Uieir.shoti~I.fii oet'.t'he reooll wUl
do more dainage on some of these
of $75.00. per month and tlme off
for ovei'time and other conditions
that existed aboard those tubs on
which no rightthinking seaman
would sail. But this year it seems
as if .they have come to realize
that the Company has been pull
ing lots of wool over their eyes.
Quite a few of them are asking to
Join up in the S.I.U.
« * «
Maybe it's due . to the fact that
after they read some of the agree
ment's thqt vye l^^ve wlfh other
Companies, they have decided
that they were working for at
least one fourth less wages and
much worse conditions.
This Company can ho put. un
der an agreement with the S.I.U,
and with the cooperation of the
Pbila. branch we can swing them
into the S.I.U, That will then give
us six more coastwise ships which
we need, as there are very few left
now that run down here.
That's all for this week,
Fraternally yours,
D. L. Parker, Org.
SEAFARERS* INTERNATIONAL UNION
OF NORTH AMERICA : .
Atlantic & Gulf District ^
SecretaryTreasurer^8 Office
Room 213 _ 2 Stone .Street, New York City "
P. O. Box 25, Station P Phone: BOwling Green 93437
• • •
DIRECTORY OF BRANCHES
BRANCH ADDRESS PHONE
NEW YORK 2 Stone St BOwling Green 93437
BOSTON 330 Atlantic Ave. ... LIBerty 4057
PROVIDENCE .. 465 South Main St. ..Manning 3572
BALTIMORE ... 14 North Gay St. ... Calvert 4539
PHILADiuLPHIA ,6 North 6th St Lombard 7.651
NORFOLK ..60 Commercial PI. ..Norfolk 4l'083
NEW ORLEANS 309 Chartres St. ... .MAgnolia 3962
SAVANNAH ....218 East Bay St. ....Savannah 31728
JACKSONVILLE .136 East Bay St. ....Jacksonville 51791
TAMPA ......... 206 So. Franklin St. .Tamna M1323
MOBILE 55 So. Conception St. Dexter 1449
TEXAS CITY ...105 4th St.. N. .....Texas 011^722
MIAMI 1348 N.E. First Ave.. Miami 22950
SAN* JUAN 8 Covadonga St San Juan 1885
BALTIMORE
News and Views
Ships' Transfers Will Be Felt Report of
Lakes' Activity • • Bull Line to Go?
ships than Hitlers best torpedos,
or aerial bombs.
Fraternally yours.
Buck Stephens,
Engine Patrolman
June 15th, 1941
Editor, Seafarers Log.,
Dear Sir and Brother:
Things stilt rocking along down
here with a few men on the
beach due to the fact that a few
of our ships are taken over by
the Uncle vyith the long beard.
If world events continue to inter
fere with our playhouse, things
will get serious before long.
One thing that is making the
cheese more binding is the fact
that for some reason the men in
sist' upon drinking their tea thru
a straw and . this seems to go to
tlieir head in such a way that
tliere. is a lot of chatter and
sfluawk that we could get along
without if you know what I mean.
No big squawks to amount to
anything,, with one exception. We
BALTIMORE, Md., June 14,
1941.—Shipping continues ..fairly
good out of this port. Sometimes,
when we read of this ship or
that ship, this fleet or that fleet
having been taken over by the
(Government, we wonder how in
the world shipping does stay
good. Judging by the number of
ships taken over during.the past
month, the beach lists shoujd be
Jammed, but strangely enough we
still have occasional difficulty in
getting our ships manned, espe
cially when It comes to A.B.'s
and other skilled ratings.
Unquestionably we are in for
trqublcd and difficult times. The
loas of the ten ship Morgan Line
fleet to the Panamanian flag is
only the beginning. The Bull Line
and other coastwise outfits are
awaiting their orders from the
Government, Fifty percent' of
their fleets are scheduled to go
into the (R)vernment's shipping
pool. That does not mean that all
of the ships taken over will fob.
low the Morgan Line and hoisi
another country's flag but' it, does
mean much shifting oif fichertulps
and many a rusty old coastwise
hull is due to heave and grunt
its way through strange waters.
The West Coast is going to be
particularly hard hit by shipping.
pool transfers. To date Calmar
lias six of their fleet scheduled
for African and Red Sea runs.
More, a great many more inter
coastal ships will follow. The ef.
feet has not been felt yet but it
will be felt.
Report of Lakes' Activity
• Just got back froni a short visit
to my old stamping grounds up
in the Lakes. Did a little bit of
noseying around while I was up
there and it didn't take ipe long
to find,out trial the NMU's claims
about having made the Lakes safe
for the NMU brand of democracy
was just so , much pure,, unadultv
crated hooey. They've made some
progress if you can call joining
the NMU progress, but there are
a lot of. indications that some of
the boys have had qbouL enough.
This is especially true, in the Pofc
er fleet where renewal of the
agreement is very doubtful.
Frankly, there, isn't much SIU or
ganizing .being done up there.
I don't blame the SIU oi'ganiz:.
ers altogether for that, although
what they are doing in the way of
organizing .doesn't amount to a
The Mathews County boys on the , great deal. The short trip ,geU
bridge are going to get to know
Good Hope as well as fhey know
Hatteras and Henlopen.. . , ,
Ships' Transfers Will Be J^elt
Most of the ships lost to the,
merchant . marine recently have
been manned, by NMU crews but
let no SIUSUP member rejoice
about that. The Union with trie
men is going to get the jobs and
if the, NMU has crowded beach
lists and the SIU beach.lists are
near zero, you know what will
happen.
had a subsidized ship in, on
which they worked the cadet as
another sailor for the coast trip.
It costs the contpany 40 hours to
the sailors for the work this lad
had done.
Several sailing board squawks
that' were squared away to the
riien's satisfaction.
The Robin Moor Is the main
topic of convereation around the
ball. All hands are picking out
the memhers.that they know on
the ship and to date, I believe she
carried a bigger crew than the
Saratoga
. For an, Issue or two, the L,og
ha,d every port represented very
well. Then the boys lost interest
enoughforagooddruiik member
is at" the bottom of a lot of the
business of sailing ships and they
are going to sign no agreements
with Unions,that can't supply re
placements, There's a lot could be
done to get things going for the
SIU on the Lakes.
Union Halls should, be located
at least" somewhere near the wat
erfront and not in .some way to
hell and gone slum. The Hall
should be kept clean and fit for
decent men to come to. The one
trippers and gas hounds should
get, their comeuppance and em
phatically. Literature should be
got out and distributed. Such lit
er something and once again
snme ports, are conspicuous by
their absence.
Taking every thing into, consid erature should concern itself with
oration, from the remarks of the the advantages of labor organiza
brothers that come In and out of
triis port, things seem to be shap
ing up very well and ̂ he mem
bers seem very satisfied with the
way things are going all over the
coast.
,If these bonuses keep getting
bigger, I believe that we will have
a shortage of seamen on these
tion and it should be put up to
the boys in a straightforward
manner.
Your Union is as strong as you
are, because YOU are the Union.
Act like a phoney and pay no at
tention if the "other fellow, acts
like a phonqy, and you'll have |a.
phoney union. , Conduct yourself
ships in, the coastal trgde. So, re1 as if memriership in your union
member, that to keep what we! was.a responsibility, and you'll
have, we~ will have to,take care | build yourself ,a union that will
of the good.wjth the usual. last as long as unions |ast, and
Steady as she goes,
Army.
youlJI he a better, man for It.
Wm. McKay, Agent.
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THE SEAFARERS' LOG Fridgy, Jfune
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BuildAStrongStrikeFund!
f:fhuvu .v';
i<T'.r>s < i^Signs of unrest among American maritime workers are
officials something to study. . . . The sinking of the
/1! i J8oiWn .Moor cannot be expected to help matters and it is not
\f' ]hard to visualize this situation becoming delicate. ... But it
: muat.be realized that an unlimited national emergency has been
declared by the President and the United' States is committed
ij . jto. a loor program which it is bound to see through. In the vital
• shipping industry, therefore, it is obvious that those in/lontrol
j cannot afford to stand for any shennanigans which might affect
V'the steady flow of ocean transport to strategic areas."
i ' —From "The Shipping Outlook",
I' ' Journal of Commerce, June 16, 1941.
Under the shopworn cloak of "patriotism" now recn
torced with the cord of 'unlimited national emergenej'^", the
shipowners are once again preparing to smash away at the
seafaring unions and their timehonored rights.
As the quotation from the "Journal of Oommeree" above
indicates, the shipowners know that the seamen are restless
over the experience of the Robin Moor. They know in their
black hearts that the seamen are now more than amply justi
fied in demanding a far more adequate war bonus than they
have been getting. They know that demands are forthcom
ing for war risk insurance that will more nearly meet the
peril incurred by seamen and their families.
Yet, they have the brazen nerve to warn maritime labor
against raising such just demands and the even more unmiti
gated brass to call action on such demands "shennanigans"!
And, to top it all off, they think that they can wrap such
brass in the cloak of "national defense emergency."
There is no doubt that the shipowners are organizing stiff
resistance against the just demands' of the seamen who have
to be ready at all times to lay down their lives in the grimy
deep, while their employers heap up huge wartime profits.
There is no doubt that these human vultures of the sea
• vvlll do everything they can to take advantage of the war
conditions and reduce the Unions to harmless skeletons.
There is no doubt that the shipowners are building up re
serve funds with which to hire goon squads, finks, lobbyists
and lawyers to do their dirty work for them.
The seamen must not forget this threat to their vital in
terests for a single moment. They must not forget that the
shipowners have to be met with equal force.
That the shipowners' lobbyists must be met with effective
yjnion legislative representation.
That the shipowners' goon squads and finks must be met
yvith an educated and militant membership.'
That the shipowners' economic power must be met with
the economic power of the seagoing stiffs.
, That THEIR weapons must be met with OUR weapons.
That we must be prepared at all times to defend ourselves
yvith the ultimate weapon for our defense, the STRIKE ARM.
Above everything else, we must not forget that THEY
are building up a huge reserve fund for ANY test of strength.
We must remember that WE will have to have an equal re
serve fund to meet theirs whenever such a test of strength
is made necessary.
BUILD UP A STRONG STRIKE FUND TO DEFEND
ITHES.I.U.!
NLRB Orders
Old Longshore
Ruling Reversed
WASHINGTON, D.O.—The
National Labor Relations
Board this week reversed
threeyear old decision which
named Harry Bridges' Inter
national Longshoremen and
Warehousemen'skUnion (CIO
sole bargaining agent for al
the thirtyone ports on the
Pacific Coast.
The previous ruling was con
tested by longshoremen organized
in their majority into the, A. F.
of L. at Tacoma, Anacortes and
Fort Angeles. The decision is a
big victory for the Puget Sound
militant's, who for years have
fought Bridges' dictatorship tac
tics and rotten agreements.
Under the new ruling, long
shoremen in any three ports who
can show 4 majority in their or
ganization can constitute a legal
bargaining unit'. An election in
the Puget Sound area^ to deter
mine representation was ordered
by the N.L.R.B. witfiia thirty
days.
afc
Out of the Mailbag
Permits Revoked
, Do NOT Ship/
Julio Martinez—P850
Everett B. Fresh—P=3596
William Robertson.P4090
Richard Peterson—P.4097
Frank Mehlenbacher—P3821
Ernest R. Parks—P3865
Joseph James Frost—P.266
Paul F, Cotret; P414
Joseph Green—P1048
Harry Edward Lauder—P3119
Henry Turner—P3241
TAMPA AGENT:
Reveals Activities on SchoolShips
Aim at Undermining Unions
SPECIAL NOTICE
4
Luther Jordan, P338
Get in touch with your
mother at No. 10 Catherine
St., Taek.soriville, Fla.
IMPORTANT!
THE ARMY MOVES IN
(Excerpts from "Facing the Facts" with Philip Pearl, American
, Federation of Labor Weekly News Service, June 10, 1941)
Now the situation has come to a head. The CIO leadership has
appealed in vain to the strikers at the North American Aviation plant
in Los Angeles to go back to work pending settlement of their dis
pute with the company by the National Defense Mediation Board.
Forced to be frank, the ClO has publicly branded the local ClO
leaders as Communists. And, as we write this, the United States
Army, under the direction of an Executive Order by Presi(^ent Roose
velt, has marched in and taken possession of the plant. The Army
bas pledged itself to protect any workers who Wish to go back to
their jobs.
These are the developments on the strike front, but in Congress
teyenmore sinister moves are on the way. New bills and amendments
" striking at the fundamental rights of workers are being introduced
Iby the score and denunciations of even legitimate aims of labor are
liroadcast by labor's enemies. The newspapers ̂nd the radio seethe
with antilabor propaganda and the feelings of the American public
fire being whipped up into a frenzy against labor.
Tbat isn't all. Colonel Hershey, Acting Director of the Draft,
fias.'jpst issued orders which, in effect, will result in the drafting of
iany strikers coming within the age limits.
. Now, all of this or any part' of it is enough t'd get any friend of
labor excited. Never In this century, during war or peace; has the
president cxf the United States before been forced to call on the
lUniited^ States Army to help break a strike. Never since the earliest
^ys of organizedlabpr has there been such , a concerted and Vide
.iujread villification campaign against labor. j
Baggage Left at Jacksonville
SlU Hall
The officers of the Carolyn
have turned over the baggage
of D. Prescott, No. 3671, and
T. F. Mayles, P3349, in care of
Agent Rogers at the above
hall.
Also baggage belonging to
some men left off the Suwied
at Philadelphia about a month
ago can be obtained at the
same hall. This baggage con
sists of two sea bags and a
suitcase.
The following named
Brothers are due one
hour's overtime each which
the Baltimore Agent , is
holding for them:
John Morris, Able Seaman
Dahl, Able Seaman
These Brothers were
members of the S.S. Ken
mar on her last voyage.
NOTICE
A new Post Office Box
has been secured and it is
Box 25, Station P, New
York City.
However, the old Box,
No. 522, Church Street An
nex, is still open and will
remain so until its rental
runs out on June 30, 194a.
June 8th, 1941
Editor, Seafarers' Log
Shipping continues to be very
very good around the village and
it's quite a chore to keep the
ships from sailing short. There
are too many uncalledfor beefs
floating in, which chiefly consist
of overtime disputed when agree
ments distinctly cover such, pen
alty overtime, overtime on days
of sailing when men work both
on daywork and sea watch, shift
ing ship with longshoremen, not
breaking out required men to
shift, and most" everything else
hat can be brought up to do
wrong.
Some of these mushroomheaded
mates and engineers seem to
think an agreement is something
made for them to break at every
opportunity. Other blubbergutted
species of the same genus are ac
tually envious of the conditions
and wages the unlicensed person
nel have now. "When these mon
keys came up thru the foc'sle
those that did), they were slum
gullion out of a bucket, chipped
decks on their night watches for
forty bucks a month and got' the
hell kicked out of them if they
didn't like it. Now that they ar
under a high pressure cap, it
breaks their hearts they can't re
turn the same.
We note by a local newspaper
a day or so ago, that Eastern has
tied some of their scows up with
the statement they can't meet the
demands of the Union In wages
and conditlnons. Along about this
same time the bigwigs of the
P & O are weeping and wailing
and chipping their storebought
teeth about there's got to be
some, changes made in the P & O
agreement. They're right about
that, there's going to be some
changes made, but not the way
they plan.
Eastern and P & O have al
ways been pretty chummy in
cooking up their skultduggery,
perchance ail this tying up busi
ness is a combined effort of a few
of the. masterminds of finance to
chisel the sailors out of a few
more bucks.
These petunias go on frothing
at the mouth about hov/ they have
a great fear tliat the Maritime
Commission is going to spank us
for being bad boys and take our
ships away and' give them to the
school ship dopes and they don't
want this to happen; like hell
they don't, they'd sell their moth
er to get it accomplifihed.
Note a very good article tin the
May 22nd issue of the Log 'by 8.
Goldenberg, r^o. i3769, that should
be given the deepest considera
tion by every loyal Union man.
The hidden object of the school
ships and Maritime Commission is
to break the power of the sailor's
Unions and throw us back to thir
ty bucks a month and the rotten
est of conditions as they once
were. To bear this out, here is
an incident to prove it:— .j
A few days ago some of us boys
were sitting in the Tathpa hall
chewing the fat when, in comes a
chap to see the agent about the
possibilities of shipping. He was
asked what experience he had had
as a sailor and replied that he
had just left the Maritime school
ship over in St. Petersburg. This
immediately aroused the Interest
of all within hearing and he was
asked why he had left and what
gave him the inspjration to look
our place up mid his answer was
quite a shock to some of the boys
who haven't given the Maritime
Commission ,^p r o g r a ni much
thought or study.
This lad, along with ten or
twelve more had been sent down
from the north to attend this
school in .St. Petersburg, in the
course of their training they
were informed by their Instruct
ors of the dire necessity of rigid
discipline in the Merchant Ma
rine; that soon they (the in
structors) hoped to see Merchant
Marine sailors in uniform; and
that the "old sailors" who now
man the Merchant Marine ships
have no business on these ships;
that they belonged to the "young
men" whom they were training.
These coolatnte boys did not
take this so well and put up a
squawk about some of the high
handed discipline of the school
ship routine that was being for |
ced upon them. For their trouble
they were promptly kicked out,
refused their transportation home
and had to hit'chlrike and ride
box cars out of town.
Now it appears to me as this is
supposed to be a democratic coun
try, that we've got enough to con
tend" with, keeping the shipowners
from starving us to death, with
out getting a knife in the back
from a bunch of monkeys that live
fat off of tax payer's dough and
wear uniforms and claim to repre
sent institutions of the American
people.
Any Institution that advocates
any such undemocratic ideas
should be abolished immediately,
and man or men that poison the
minds of ignorant boys that are
attending these schools with such
umAmerican ideas, should either
be sent over to Hitler or to the
rest of the monkeys that use the
same methods as they are teach
ing.
It's high time that somebody
whom the .shipowners'money can't
reach was doing something about
it. If any such doings as that is
democratic then we as a people
are maintaining a damn poor
standard of democracy as com
pared to that established and
maintained by our forefathers.
Steely White, No, 560.
In Memoriam
Edward Lee Jordan
Died March 13, 1941
at Mobile, Ala.
Maynard D. Brinkley
Died February 21, 1941
at Staten Island, N. Y.
>
Andrew Lauritsen
Died March 30, 1941
at Baltimore, Md.
Francesco Lopez
Died March 21, 1941
at Staten Island, N. Y.
'jj '
William Nottage
Died April 20, 1941,
at Baltimore, Md.
A.
George Slocovich
Died May 18, t941
at Mobile, Ala.
E. jTrodd
Died May 29, 1941
at Staten Island, N. V.
A. E. Cullinane
Died May 20, 1941 '
at Baltimore, Md.
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