Media
Issue Date
1941-03-11
Volume
3
Issue Number
5
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^^OlERS JOQ
OFFICIAL OEGAN OP THE ATLANTIC AND GULP DISTRICT,
SEAFARERS' INTERNATIONAL UNION OF NORTH AMERICA
VOL. Ill NEW YORK, N. Y„ TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 1941 440 No. 5
S.I.U. Officers at Washington:
Conference Acts On
Organizing Program
Acting after a two days' conference wliich thrashed out
all major problems facing the organization, officials of the
Atlantic and (Jxdf District of the Seafarers' International
Union of North America decided on a number of important
steps to speed up the rate of rnion progress. International
President Harry Lundeberg .sat'in on the conference in an ad
visory capacity, while District Representatives John Hawk
and M. D. Biggs and SecretaryTreasxirer Sydney Gretchei
presented facts and figures and proposed recommendations
for action. The c()nferenee was lield at "\Va,shington, D. C., on
February 20 and 21. The conference deeisiotis are now being
taken up at the brancir meetings for ratification by the rank
^and file of the SITJ.
Among the recommenda
tions submitted to the mem
bership for their considera
tion, the conference decided
on the following proposals;
Admission of New Members
Due to the treiiienclous growth
of tlie organization in recent
inontlis, it lias become necessary
to facilitate the admission of new
membeis. It is therofoic proposed
that tite present sixmonths sea
spi vicc clau.se regarding the ad
mitting of permit men be waived
and that the organization accept
for membership any permit man
who has sailed thirty (30) days or
more on his permit on a recog
nized SlU ship or ships. Natural
ly. such an applicant will have to
go through the usual procedure
before beiiig finally being admit
ted to membership, as per previ
ous decisions.
Strike Blocks
Unloading At
Bermuda Base
HAMILTON. Bermuda. — Al
coa's Pathfinder and Ranger ar
rived here this week, the former
with etiuipment and material for
the new American Naval base
and the latter to pick some 1,200
gasoline barrels. Both ships were
prevented from loading and un
load ing by a strike of longshore
men over wages.
While the longshoremen in Ber
muda have lip to the present
been unorganized, the picketing
has been fully effective, and the
Governor of the Island has had
to turn down a demand to use the
military for strikebreaking. The
strikers are demanding three
shillings an hour in place of the
miserable ten shillings ($2) per
day which they have been get.
ting. About 150 men are involved
^ in the strike.
P.S Three days of militant
.picketing, with SlU men honor
I ing the picket lines, won the
strike for the longshoremen at a
substantial wage increase. '
Organizing Program and
Financing
The conference further decided
that the membership's previous
action, authorizing the appoint-
ment of four (4) organizers, shall
be i)Ut in effect immediately. In
order to finance an organizational
drive among the unorganized
Lines properly, it is recommended
that the proper financial arrange-
(Continiird on Paye 2)
NOJjCE
New West Coast
S.I.U. Organizer
S.I.U. men on the inter
coastal runs are hereby
informed that B r o t li e r
Charles Brenner is the
new organizer of Ihe Sea
farers International luiion
of N.A. stationed at San
Pedro, (California and oper
ating front that port.
Unions Floor Dirksen
Bill In First Round
Lundeberg Slams Measure As
Out to "Break the Unions;" Coils
On Congress to "Kill This Bill!"
Appearing before the House Committee on Merchant Ma
rine and Fisheries on Friday, March 7, President Harry Lun
deberg of the Seafarers International Union of North Amer
ica, slammed the Dirksen Bill. H.R. 2662, as an effort to
"break the unions and take away the right of seamen to pro
tect themselves and the conditions under which they must
work." In a rousing appeal he called upon the committee to
o —
Sandhogs Fight
For Jobs with
Picket Line
New York, March 5, 1941.
Editor, Seafarers' Log
Dear Sir and Brother
To the uninitiated passerby
and casual reader of the press it
seems as though chnrtGied AFL
unions are engaged in a jurisdic
tional raid."
The case in question deals
with a recently started longtime
job on the new BrooklynBattery
tunnel. The work being done has
for many years come under the
sole Jurisdiction of the Shaft and
Tunnel Workers, Local No. 147,
of the AFL. The membership of
Local 147 have established a
strong fighting picket line In an
effort to prevent recruited finks
from working in the job. The
finks are supposedly members of
a paper union, established by the
big chiefs (selfelected) of the
International Hod Carriers,
which is called Hod Carriers No.
29.
The" real Sandhogg or Tunnel
(Continued on Paye 3)
"kill this bill."
"Thi.s tjpe of Iogi.sbitioii,"
Brother Lundeberg said, "is
absolutely unnecessary and
will only create more trouble
limn there ever lias been in
the niaritiinc field. The Amer
ican seamen have fought for
years, and some have died
fighting, to abolish the fink
halls. And now tbc govern
inent will help establish the
fink halls, wliicli absolutely,
in llie long rtin, will break the
unions.. .
Recalls 1936 Fight on
Fink Book
Of the section in the" Bill
dealing with the Continuous
they wanted to carry a continu
ous discharge book or a certifi
cate of Identification. As a conse
quence, most American seamen
today carry a certificate of iden
tification issued by the United
States Government through the
Steamboat Inspection Service,
which has worked quite satisfac
torily."
Raps Censorship of Reading
Matter
Brother Lundeberg attacked
the provision in the Bill giving
the master of a vessel full cen
sorship over printed and written
matter as making possible efforts
to "stop a Union from organizing
an unorganized ship by stopping
the union organizer from distrib
Heavy'Vote Cast In Election
Of S.I.U. Officers for 1941
Over 2,500 members of the Atlantic and Gulf District participated in the election of
officers of the Seafarers International Union of North America for 19411^More than twice
as many SIU men voted this year than last, when the organization sifas made up of two
separate districts, indicating the tremendous growth in membership that has taken place m
1940 as well as the growing interest of the militant Union men in the affairs of the or
ganization.
Taking full advantage of the thoroughly democratic procedure provided by the con
stitution for the election of officials, the membership turned out in greater numbers than
ever before to ea«t their votes for the men they considered best qualified to represent
them. The vote proves that, fully realizing that in the SIU the seamen in the East, have a'
d^mpcratie rank and file organization run by and for the membership, the Seafarers' Union
^ere is well advanced toward making their organization second to none in the maritime
Vy
I'e following is the complete report of the Tallying Committee:
ATLANTIC DISTR. REFRESENTATIVE
John Rawk, No. 2212 1899
Void S*
GULF DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVE
M, D. BiggS; No. G373 1718
Void J ^49
sr agt
—Ed.] Brb
NEW YORK—JOINT AGENT
Paul Gonsorchik, No. 749
Arthur H. O'Niel, No. 436
Arthur Thompson, No. 2888
Void
• ' (Continued, on Page 4)
453
500
878
176
Flash!
.'r ;• r
H.R. 2662 to Be Shelvedi
In a telegram from Washington this Monday. IMareli 10,
Brother Lundeberg v ires, in jiart: "Confident Bill is,
licked. Have . assurances various Congressmen thatoul
liiriug halls ivill not be touched and no fink books insti'
tiited."
This information is confirmed «by Clinton L. Doggett,
Shipping Editor of the Journal of Commerce. Writing in
that paper on ]\Ionday, Mr. Doggett says: "During the
past few days there have been hearings on the socalled
Dirksen Bill before the House Committee on Merchant Ma
rine and Fisheries. . . This department understands that
the House Committee will NOT report the bill favorably."
The vicious Dirksen Bill thus appears to have been
floored in the first round of the fight. But, strong enemies
of the_ Union seamen are the forces behind the antiLabor
provisions in it. They ivill not rest. They will continue to
press their attack against the seamen. The Union seamen
have w.on the first .round; but .that is not enough—they
must remain alert.and iii fighting trim, prepared to deliver
the knockout blow to any attempt at regimentation!
Discharge (Fink) Book, Brother
Lundeberg said: "This can be
used as the worst kind of black
listing and there is nothing
in this law which stops . it
from, becoming a blacklisting
system. ... In 1936, under the
Merchant Marine Act, when the
(Copeland) discharge books were
established for seamen, organized
seamen Immediately objected to
it and fought It bitterly and as a
result, Congress, in January 1937,
amended the law making it op
tional with the seamen whether
uting organizing material such as
leaflets, union papers, etc."
On Citizenship Requirements
. He blasted the citizenship re
quirements under H.R. 2662, say
ing that "we feel that if a man
has been given the right and
privilege by the United States
Government to enter this coun:
try, he should not be barred from
making a" living in his chosen
calling until he has become a cit
izen. That rip'it has never been
(Continued on Page 2)
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THE S E A F A R E R S ' L G G Tuesday, March 11; 1941
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Published by the
ATLANTIC & GULF DISTRICT
of the
Seafarers' International Union
of North America
Affiliated with the American Federation of Labor
HARRY LUNDEBERG. Acting International President
110 Market Street, Room 402, San rrancisco, Calif.
ADDRESS ALL CORRESPONDENCE CONCERNING THIS
PUBLICATION TO:
"THE SEAFARERS' EGG"
P, G. Box 522, Church St. Annex, New Yorlt, N. Y.
BOwling Green 93437
Defer Seamen from Draft!
Foi sonic liino now, the soanieifs unions luivo called tlie
dangerous sliorlage of trained Amerioan seamen to the alien
tmn of tiic Draft Boards, calling for the deferment of their
Union iiiemhcrs on that hasis. So far. the Selective Service
administ ralTon lias, with all too few exceptions, turned a deaf
ear to lliis crying need. Now the voice of the shipowners has
come out admiltiiig that our claims are completely juslified.
tu, its issue of iVfarch d. ]!)41. the Journal of Commerce
says editojially:
"Wliilc most of the attention directed to shipping has been
I'oeu.sed on jios.sible sliortages of space and advancing freight
• rates, the item of lucn to inan the boats 1in.s bcoii largely ovcr
lookcil. II is perhaps hccan.se no real sliortages have devel
oped so far and the marine labor unions liave been able to
furnish an adenuate supply of competent sailors of all ratings.
However, 'iiitbc very near future, it looks as though flicre will
be .scarcilii's in iiartiiular divisions, notably citizen able nea
' men, fireiiieii, oilers, cooks and radio opei'ator.s. The available
supply of these, and other ratiiig.s, is likely to be reduced I'ur
4b<>r by the fact that many of the men arc Within tlie draft
ages. The Bcjiartnumt of Commerce Bureau of Marine Inspec
tion and Navigation lias been studying the problem and is
understood to have taken it up with the draft board with the
the rcHiilt that the local boards have been directed to give con
sideration for deferment in all cases where seamen are needed
to man Ain(>rican merchant vessels. .
If llic Drafl Boards have been direeled lo defer seamen,
they certainly doiri siiow it by their actions. Union seamoii
arc being lianlcd into the Army every day. The Ibiion Halls
are less and less iible lo ship comiietent men due to this. The
shortage of which the Journal of Commerce speaks is heading
towards a crisis.
Unle.ss the I'lirean of Marine Tnspeetiori and Navigation
aet.s witli grealer force and di.spatcli, this crisis is bonml to
hit tlie mereliaiit marine ivith a tremendons smack. Defer
ment of all trained merchant seamen from the Draft is the
only logical way to prevent such a paralyzing shortage of
ship's personnel as is admittedly in the cards.
If mendiant seamen must get armed training, there is no
reason why lliey should not get it on board ship and throngli
the union halls, while retaining their nsefnlnes.s to tlie mer
chaiil marine, working at union wages and under tmion con
ditions.
Conference Acts
On Program of
Orgaoizalion .4
(Continued from Paye J)
mehts be made. Tlie Secretary
Tieasurer and tlie two District
Representatives are to be author
ized to (ievise ways and means of
organizing the unorganized Uines,
having full supervision over the
special organizers and tiieir work.
finances of the Organization
In view'of the fact that our or
ganization has outstanding liabili
ties for back per capita, unpaid ex
cise tax, etc., and in view of the'
fact tliat the present small bal
ance in the General Fund is bare
ly siifncieiit to meet tlie mo.st im'
mediate operating expenses, the
conference deemed it advisable to|
recommend that $5,000 be drawn
from file Organization Fund andi
deposited in the General Fund, in
order to stabilize this Fund for,
the time being. This sum of'
.$5,000.00 is to be repaid to the Or
ganizational Fund whenever the
condition of tiie General Fuiid
permits such reimbiir.sement.
' "SDP transfers
On tiie matter of transfers
from the SUP to tiie SlU, the
coiifefeiice decided lo recoinnieiid
that ally 'S'UP mem her in • good
standing may transfer info the
SIU witiiout payment d£ a trans
fer fee, and shall be given credit
in his SIU book for all dues and
assessments paid to tlie SUP.
TTpon transfer, however, all dues,
elllier in tlie member's SUP or
SIU book, must lie paid to and
for the current niontii: likewise,
all unpaid assessments. He must
also turn over his SUP book in
exchange for his SIU hook.
(Note: This is the same system
now pursued by tlie SUT in re
gard to SIU men transferiiig into
tlie SUP.)
More About
Unions floor Dirkson
BilMh first Round
(Continued from Pane J)
taken away from any other alien
in any other industry."
Opposes "Mediation Board"
As AntiUnion
He ohjecled to the "Maritime
Mediation Board" in the B'ill aS
"a club with mandatory powers
for compulsory mediation , . .
that will prolong imlustiial strife
ill the industry until the labor
unions are broken."
Lufide'berg's Conclusions
Excerpts from statement of opposition to H.R. 2662 by
Harry Liindeberg on behalf of all seamen in the' United
States aflaiiated with the American Federation di Labor
(Sailors Union of the Pacific; Seafarers International Union,
Atlantic, Gulf and the Great Lakes) and on behalf of the
American Federation of Labor.
Seafarers' Log
Seafarers' Log Honor Roll
S.S. KE.\'MAI{
Dock DcpL: Aibertson $1.00. DeMoy $1.50, Slim Tay
lor .$1.00. E. F. Howe (SUP) .$5.00, J. E. Taylor, $1, "
Fienung .$1.00, De Frank $1.00, Seastrom $1.00, Gol
dt'iiherg .$1.00, Sawyer $1.00, Kiug $1.00.
JSiigiiu Di'pt.: I'erry .$1.00, Peterson $1, Marccile $1.
'Slewai'iJ I)e|h.: Harasty $1.00, F. Taylor 75c, Bowen
25c, Turner 75c. Total collected _ _ jjjO'] 2.1
S.S. ANDREW JAUK.SON 12.00
S.S. PAN OR LEANS : .. 4 00
S.S. FLORIDA P,.25
S.S. UATAHOITLA .T52
S.S. IPSWKTI 11.50
Charle.s (JuiKfuincl . .* 1 OB
s.s: CUBA 2;oo
H. SohkOrz 1 00
(T: W. Jerrkins ., 1 00
S.S. FRANCIS SALMON ; . . . 4.35
J. E. Foi iplliiu ;.. 1.00
A. Dawson .... . i OO
Total $66.88;
lift
WANTED
DBY THE ©RAFT
S" Coimiiimicate with Local
C ; Board No. 180, located at
2;.;' 449 2iid St.^ Brooklyn, N.y.
jerry L.L^ahy
Formerly flremati on the
S.S. Algic. C. W. Core, former
Radio 'Operator on the Algic,
would ilke you to get In touch
with him at once. Very urgent.
Brother Core can he reached
c.o, Rolnlck ^ Asofsky, Attor^
nays,, 11 Broadway, N.Y.C.
Finally, the conference took
the following action in reSpect to
the Seafarers' Loff:
"Inasmuch as some Agents
have, in the past, been neglecting
to submit weekly news reports to
the Seafarers' Log, relating to ac
tivities In and around their re
spective branches, viihich would
be a source of great interest and
information to the membership,
and which would greatly aid in
raising our official pMblication to
a high and informative standard,
we therefore recommend that ev
ery Branch Agent rbe held reapofn
sible fdr the slfbmfesion of a
weekly report of Brahch and Port
activities to the Editor of the
Seafarers' Log by sending In
news of general and lochl in
terest."
Resolution on Raisuig Dues
A resolution proposing u raise
in dues, adopted by the confer
ence, is printed elsewhere in this
issue of the Log.
A program of closer coopera
tion between tlie two District
Representath'es, the Secretary
Treasurer and all 'Branches was
djscussed at length ahd a vvbrk
able ipolicy 'to this effect was'fori
mulated and adopted.
Important strides towards the
advancement of the Union were
elaborated by the conference. The^
recommendations adopted there
are now up for the.democratic de;
cision of the rank and file of 4he'
SItJ. By giving the closest atten
tion to these recomttiendaltlonS
ahd by participating to action ofi
theni, every member of the Union
Is doing his dhaCe 'to haelke the
54111 a bigger and better organi
zation for militant' seamen.
Summarizing his views on be
lialf of the seamen in a in ief sub
mitted to the committee. Brother
Limdeberg said;
"After carefully analyzing this
bill, having been actively engaged
in file seamen'.s field for a period
of 26 years, 20 years as an active
seaman and six years as a union
official, I can .say that this Bill.
H.R. 2662, Introdiieed by Coii
gresSttiffn Dirksen, will only ac
coinplish one thing, namely, the
destruction of bona fide .seamen's
trade unions. We do not qiie.«f ion
the motive of Congressman Dirk
sen, but anyone who knows tlie
ATnerican .seamen will realize
tliat this bill will raise iiavoc and
create more turmoil t.iian we have
liad for years in the American
iiierciiant marine.
What's the Meaning of
"Subversive"?
"Tlie American seaiiieu resent,
this Bill bitterly. Tbey resent the
attempt, to saddle this severe law
upon fhern' This would make
thousands of American seamen,
the vast majority, suffer for the
sake of, as the Bill states, con
trolling the subversive elements
in the American mercliaut ma
rine. Upon examining the Bill
carefully, we cannot find a place
in the Bill where the words '"sub
versive" are defined. In our opin
ion it leaves wide ripen the use
of the word "subversive" against
any act of the merchant seamen,
such as legitimate union actlvi
ties, et cetera.
Bill Is No Safeguard Against
"Sabotage" .
"If the Bill is intended to clean
out the American merchant ma
rine of people wlio advocate,
work for, .follow and preach the
doctrfhes of hostile foreign na
tions Mio have for their purpose
the destruetion df the American
form of government as expressed
in the United States 'Constitution,
then We have rto qiihrrel with the
intent of the Bill. However, we
are absrilUtely certain that this
Bill will not clean out any sub
versive elements. On the contrary,
it will entrench subversive ele
nierits toore flrtnly, for after all,
if tlioy .seek to sabotage the
American meicliaiil, marine, tliey
don't cai'e wliother tliey ship ohf
of a goveimmcnl liiiing iiull or a
union liiring hall, and no captain
can (letermiue whether a man Is
a saboteur or not by looking at
liim in tlie government liiring
hall. We. firmly beliiwe that under
the provisions of this Bill, the
subversive elements will still be
sailing tlie sliijis ami bona fide
competent Union seanleh will be
blacklisted, and in the long run,
our Unions will lose their effec
tiveness and decay into govern
tiieiiicrintrolled company Unions,
"In dealing witii tiie subject of
subversive elements, Congressmali
Dii'ksen did not, mention the Na
zis and the Communists as bein^
subversive. We'll go liim one bet
ter. Tlie Unions 1 represent and the
seamen 1 represeni: are bitterly
opposed to anyone following, and
anyone iieddlnig any of Joe Sta
lin's and Adolpli Hitler's phoney
doctrines here in tlie United
.States or elsewiiere. We are prob
ably more in favor of getting rid
of tliese disrupters tlian anyone
else in the country. After all, the
bona fide trade union movements
are the ones who are constantly
and have been constantly at
tacked by the Comniiiiiifits and
the Nazis.
"Tlie I'ecords will show that
our unions have, for years, con
stantly fought these sabateurs, and
have been successful in eliminat
ing tlieni from our unions. We
liave no pity on them. We know
what they stand for, and as fur
as we are concerned, they should
also be cleaned out Of all the
other places where they are in a
position to do their dirty work.
"lYc. firmly believe that fhis
country, its Constitution and its
form of government are far su
perior to any other country in
the world, and we say this—that
anyone advocating aUtl adhering
to Stalin's or Hitler's rotten sys
tems aliouUl get out'of here and
fttay out. We know through bit
ter experience tliat they have
nothing else but misery to sell us.
"Gentlemen, on behalf of the
bona fide American seamen, we
ask that you hear the plea of the
seamen and KILL THIS BILL."
a
vViSi
Now It's ''Patriot" Joe Curran
Everybody knows how the shipowhers, their stOoges and theti*
agents In the governmeul' have been fluuiillug their "patriotism"
around as a cover for the more nefarious scheme of whacking away
at seamen's conditibna. Now, it's Halnllead Curran who .joifas 'this
hypocritical parade of spoUting "patriots," At the hearings dn the
Dirksen Bill he declaimed;
"No uriprojudiced person could for a moment believe that
arte tmii^ridtic . . .'dtft enftre'h1stor,v' is oiie df grdttt pa
' (See the "Pilot," March 7, 1941).
iV
'i.
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I si
• We
tiiotistu.
tJndoubtediy Hato^Head had his support' of the Copeland Book
and df the' .finky 1938 MarititoeCdrnmiddfonIi^l scheme to 'inina
when he spoke'of liis h'idt'ory as "one of great patriotism.'?; Who Was
'ft that said: Patriottem is the last refuge of a scoundrel? Well, he ^
he was right. And we wonder what soundrellv game HamHe.au,Jr?^
up to now, that he has to cover It up with this flow of patriot'"
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Tuesday, March 11, 1941 THE SEAFARERS' LOG 3
a
What's Doing —
Around The Potts
PIULADELPHIA
February 28, 1941
Editor, Seafarers' Log
Dear Sir and Brother:
Uouiul and round she goes, and
here we go again trying to put
old Phllly on the map. We tried
to do so, and I am sure that we
succeeded. The port of Philadel
phia really poured the protests
against the Dirksen Bill, H.R.
2662. Into the House of Represen
tullves. If all other ports of the
Atlantic, Gulf and West Coasts
did as good, then away goes that
rotten, piece of legislation to the
incinerator.
The S.S. Kenmar came through
in fine style, and sent close to
thirty telegrams of protest
agialnst the abovemehtloned bill.
Even the beachcombers got to
(• ^ether and poured the tefegrPms
into Washlgtoh. Well done, boys!
Thfv S.S. Losmar left "Old Sea
weed" behind and he is now
threatening suit against the oops
of Philadelphia for arreStiriig him
and holding him overilight, and
causing him to mi.ss the "Grey
liound of the Pacific." The judge
said to him: "I'll let ydu go if
you promise to catch the next
train leaving Philly; Seaweed
said: ".Tudge. if you let me go,
I'll catch the train that left
Philly two hours ago.
Quite a few rustbuckets com
ing in here and the Agent add
Patrolman are really shaking
their, fannies trying to get a mil
lion beefs settled on this long,
lonesome waterfront.
Shipping has been good, and
quite a few members are coming
in to register. "Dothebestyou
can Hlllman" has done it again;
he made a trip around the world;
from Paulsboro, New Jersey, to
phester. Pa.
The Waterman sislp Tiksalle
ha« finally arrived in this port
and is paying off today. All beefs
have been settled to the satis
faction of the entire crew, and
tiaere will probably be a bunch of
the brothers heading South in Or
der to duck this blizzard of snow
and rain. .
' f the raise of $7.50 was given'by
/ the Range Lines, but only after a
L/ Committee of three, Mike Lynn,
Harry Collins and E. Reed, did
everything but a toe dance. The
help in the "Drexel Building"
(the Range Lines have their of
fice there) had a picket line
around the building, and the com
mittee had to have"* the Range
Lines officials meet them m a
Union Restaurant, and debate
the, raise. 'Phe Galloping Commit
tee refused to go through the
picket line under any cii'cutn
stances. So after mtich pfersua
tion blahblah and a lot of wind
blowing by Collins and the inimi
table Mike Lynn, the "Range Line
gang said you can have the rui^e.
Brothers.
Aa soon as tnetn1)EvS hit the
hall from a trip, the first thing
that they ask is: "How's the elec
tion coming along, and did the
Strike^ Assessment pass?" I sus
pect that we are all a little anx
lomf'to learn the results.
There's a scarcity of rope
chokers (A.B.'s) in this port. (All
others also.)
"A Waterman vessel came into
this port and there WaS not a
bePf. The paitrdlmah nehrl^
flwopried, and yelped to the top
ofjiis stentorian voice, "Holy
iCow • " miracles do happen.
It! 8 good to see «o many letters
pouf • Wfl
fno4e th* merriei:, or does the
lOr agree with that? [you
Ed.] Brothers,'fiend all of
your letters and watch the Log
pick up. You can't make the Edi
tor of the Log angry, or can you?
[Not by pouring In the "letters,
lads, not by a long shot!—Ed.]
JoJo (the clogfaced boy) Flan
agan is having plenty of car trou
ble. One day his radiator Is caved
in, and .the next, one of the fend
ers are crumpled, etc. JoJo
states that he was only going 65
miles an hour when a big white
truck backed into his radiator
and squashed same. Hire a
watchman, Joey!
Fraternally,
The Four (4) Horsemen.
W. R. B., No. 1994
J. F. P., No. 542
H. J. C., No. 496
D. C. J., No. G116
BOStOlS
February 28, 1941
Editor, Seafarers' Log
Dear Sir and Brother:
One of our few rertiairting old
timers passed away oh February
24. Me was Hans Martin Ander
sen, late watchman on the S.S.
Yarmouth. In conjunction with
Minister Geggin, the Union gave
our late brother a decent burial.
He vvas a member In good stand
ing, liked and respected by all, a
proud union man.
The Eastern Steamship Co. is
starting to bring out the Summer
boats, the S.S. Boston pad the
S.S. New York. If they secure full
crew.s for tlie al)ove boats, surely
a miracle will be performed—
what with all other lines paying
from ten to twentyfive dollars
over and above their scale.
How long do they think the
Eastern boys are going to work
for such rotten wages? Surely
the men on the Eastern ships
will bestir themselves, especially
when tliere are many jobs on the
other lines paying way above
what they are making. Take the
P and O or the Savannah Line,
for instance. They have sur
passed Eastern by far.
So leUs get a little of the old
time Uhiob spirit and bring the
Eastern on a par with our other
agreements. Get set, you Eastern
'boys, add be ready!
Your Bostofi Reporter.
TEXAS CITY
Why, Oh Why Do They Wall
By Boston Bard
Why do the shipowners wail
When they rake in money by the
pail
And cry out loud about times be
ing tough
Yet treat the workers niiglity
rough?
With their pouches wide and
stuffed right full
They have the ucirve to throw you*^
the "bull"
About timek being bad and bifki
ness slow
Though cliitchiiig tightly their
sOftearried dough.
March 3. 1941
At present Writing there are
over 40 jobs on the board, a,ll in
the deck and engine departtaettts
"of'the S;S. Boston and the S.S."
New Y'oik. with no takers. Prob
abiy, the bOys fife beginning tb|
Tealize theft ecohonilp ppsitiPn.'
At anjr rate, they 'are ' fco'iisciibtle;
that the other lines pay |6;80 per
day for "Standby woi'k. . .
A few oiitside snips caired at
this port With"a few T>eefs, all
settled O.K. Tiir neltt Week,
adios,
Your Boston Reporter,
February 27, 1941
Sdltor, Seafarers' Log
Dear Sir and Brother:
Shipping has slowed up here
somewhat during the last week.
Several ships showed up which
had not one replacement on
them. To lead the list was the
Warrior of tiie Waterman outfit.
She came in last Saturday and
sailed Wednesday in the long
trek.
Talking to the gang on there,
and what a gang, we decided that
last trip must have been a honey.
No playing of cards Ih the mess
room, no this and no that, just
one of those skippers that figures
that now he has reached the ex
alted position of Master of a
floating rustheap he is account
able to the Maker for the men's
souls. TIsh, tish. . ,
The Caroline of the Bull family
dropped in here with an assort
ment of beefs, messed up with a
cargo bf sugar. To give you an
idea of what goes on: Fruit was
set on the dock, a couple of cases
of oranges, grapefruit.s, h.ampers
of fresh vegetables for the trip
North and the Mate tells the
serang to get them aboard. Said
Bos'n. knowing His Honor the
Mate, tells hini that it would be
overtime. Me being there, the
Mate appeals to me that it would
be a shame to have to pay over
time for such a few crates and
sacks. When informed that under
no circumstances could such
quantities of stores be considered
as day'.s stores, he I'eally slarted
to town.
Carrying hls^argument through
'to Its logical conclusion, every
sack of spuds and pound df but
ter put aboard a ship Is day's
stories. The companies know
What is and what is not, or they
would not have sighed the agree
ment, but still these officers try.
to save the doreml for the out
fits thAt would sooner pay and
not have any trouble with such
smhil things.
When it Was figured out that
32 oranges was all the Steward
needed for one day, and I told
Sir Mate that any man could
bring them aboard without over
time, he consented to pay over
time to one man. When It was
pointed out that one man to bring
those stores aboard would re
quire two Or three'^iours, as the'
stores were aft at the poopdeck,
the shoreside gang had skids all
ovOr the dock, and he would have
to he ducking ii'll around the
trucks taking vhe sugar from the
ship, "he told the Bos'n to get the
stores aboard and walked mid
ships. Such is tlie life of a sailor
on the pride of the Bull fleet!
The Marsodak in and out. iNo
changes, no beefs. The crew have
got her sold to Mallory now. Col
lins Is going to lose part of his,
navy yet! ,
The Alcoa F'ilot in and out,
short of a chief cook. The Ruth
(Bull) Calling for A.B.'s from
Beatimorit. The Del Rio in and
ont. "Of Htsuston; wiper waitting
overtitiae fbr packing the engi
neer's gear on and off the ship.
I agree. When a man gets that
piece of ])aper from the inspector,
does that make all liands on the
ship his BUttkey? Maybe, in the
next agrbemeht, We will have to
include a Couple of redcaps to
haildle this work!
All hands hbt and 'bothered
Over the Dirksen bill. Most sen
sible solution that I've heard yet:
Take'Oltkshh, jJiit him on a ship,
fake a composite of all the worst
skippers, and tnake a sailor (if
SEAFARERS' INTERNATIONAL UNION
OF NORTH AMERICA
A'tldfrtic i? Gulf District
HEADQUARTERS
Room 918, Washington Loan & Trust Co. Building,
9th and F Street, N.W., Washington, D. C.
P. O. Box 6180 Phone: District 5963
• • •
DIRECTORY OF BRANCHES
BRANCH ADDRESS PHONE
NEW YORK 2 Stone St BOwling Green 93437
BOSTON 330 Atlantic Ave. ...LIBerty 4057
PRO"VIDENCB .. 465 South Main St. ..Manning 3572
BALTIMORE ... 14 North Gay St. ...Calvert 4539
PHILADELPHIA ,6 North 6th St Lombard 7651
NORFOLK 60 Commercial PI. ..Norfolk 41083
NEW ORLEANS 309 Chartres St MAgnolia 3962
SAVANNAH .... 218 East Bay St Savannah 31728
JACKSONVILLE 436 East Bay St Jacksonville 59724
TAMPA 206 So. Franklin St. .Tampa M1323
MOBILE 55 So. Conception St. Dextei 1449
TEXAS CITY ... 105 4th St., N Texas City 722
MIAMI 1348 N.E. First Ave.. Miami 22950
SAN JUAN 8 Covadonga St San Juan 1885
L
• '4
A Resolution from NMU Men
That the ''Pilot" Doesn't Print
We have been waiting for
weeks now to see the "Pilot"
print a resolution copies of which
were addressed to the following:
"Pilot ,(NMU), National Bocie
tary (NMU), Voice of Federation,
West Coast Sailors, Seafarers
Log."
So far not a word about this
I'eaoliitioii in the "Pilot." It is a
resolution pa.ssed by the NMU
crew of the S.S. Dorothy Lucken
bacli at a Joint Meeting'at .sea oh
February 16, 1941 and reads as
follows:
WHERE.tS, in view of the
impending attacks on union
hiring halls and threatened
governmental regimentation of
merchant seamen, uhited action
by all union seamen i.s more iir
gent than ever, and
WHEREAS, vicious hills have
been introduced by Congress
man Dirksen and others to
l)ring about the.se antilabor
measures, therefore he it
RESOLVED, that we recpiest
the national officers of the
NMU to communicate by mail,
or other means, with the
MPOW, SUP, SIU. and other
maritime unions proposing
joint action of all maritime la
bor to defeat these hills and to
prepare a common front of ac
tivity in defense of union con
ditions in "the merchant marine,
(signed) Sliip's Committee
I. F. Roberts, E'6835
Y. Templeman. 016785
L. Williams, P7958
Now, at first glance, this reso
lution seems to fall right in line
with the NMU officialdom's "uni
ty" campaign and so it is rather
puzzling that the "Pilot"" does
not print it—along with all the
• spurious "rank and file" letter.s,
telegrams and resolutions it does
print—as part of this phoney
campaign. But, closer examina
tion of the "Dorothy Lucken
hach's" resolntion shOws why the.
"Top Fraction" suppresses all
mention of this action, instead of
playing it up.
"Hamhead Curran's idea of a
"unity" campaigii Is to instruct
the rank and file OJ the NMu to
slander the other unions and
write resolutions along that line
to the officials of these other
unions. The "Dorothy's" resolu
tion. on the other hand, is direct
ed tb the NMU officialdom and
instead of slhndering the SIU.
SUP, etc., it calls fbr Uhited ac
tion with them. 'ObVibusly, this
kind of a sincere expjession of
rank and file sentiment in the
possible) out of the fierit; then
itet him redraft his blurb,
Yourk, till Dii'ksoYi 'cOihbs in:
here looking for a. trip card!
' . Army.
NMU doe.s not fall in line with
Hamhead's "unity," and there
fore cannot he printed in the
"Pilot."
No doubt there are many sea
men in the NMU who really want
united action and a "common
front of activity" with the mili
tant SIU and SUP against the
attacks of the shipowners and
the vicious unionbusting steps
outlined in the Dirksen Bill, H.R.
2662. They want action, not wotiis,
just as the SIU and SUP do. Is
the "Dorothy's" resolution an ex
pression of that militant spirit?
Is that why the "Top Fraction"
has 'suppressed it and banned it
from the pages of the "Pilot"?
Is it too hot for Curran and Co.?
Doe.s it expose the disruptive
character of their own phoney
"unity" campaign too much?
It seems as if the rank and file
in the NMU are beginning to
wake up.
• ja
.ll
• 'H
_
Sandbogs Figbt
For Jobs with
Picket tine
• '• rf
(.Continued from Ihuje 1)
and Shaft workers fought for
and have maintained a scale of
$12 per day. The characters now
working are paid S?'/. cents per
hour, and lahOr under conditions
just as fiiiky. j
The Sandbogs, a tested buhChof,
militant Union mgn, are on the '
picket line for still another rea.
son. Through the collusion be
tween the racketeering offiblaL
dom of Hod Carriers No. 29 and' "
the Tunnel job contractor, abet
ted by local politicians and po
lice, It is also In the plans that
through the finks possibly the
Unionized Tunnel workers could
In time be dominated or com
pletely wrecked as a militant
factor.
So Local No. 147 is fighting fof *
jobs rightfully theirs at an estab
lished rate of pay and working
conditions and also to preserve
the life of their milita!nt "Union.
The odds are great, but the
Sandbogs are putting up a powdt
fnl fight—as other rank and file"
unions have done in the past and
will do again if ilecessary.
The SUP Branch of New York
is Just a couple blocks from the
scene of ba'ttfe. Sdme cff the SfCl
and BUP members "have seen the
Sandhogs rn action and' "hfso
'know ohe oc • more of the men in
the picket line. It is 'reedlfhieed »
as a dedperate batvie to retain
• theft jobs and the life of their
Union and is worthy of support.
M. Korenblatt, SUP, 2354
5
• • • • J
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. T H E<S E A F A RE R S ' LOG ' ' • " Tuesday, March 11, 194^
Heavy Vote Cast In Election
Of S.I.U. Officers for 1941
xConiinwd from Paffe 1)
HEW YORK—DECK PATROLMAN
Douglas Muncastev. No. ;}97 1567
,Void 61
NEW YORK—ENGINE PATROLMAN^.
Writeins;
J. Scotto
A1 Splllers
N. Y.—STEWARD PATROLMEN (2)
Claude Fisher, No. 362
Ferdinand Hart, No. 488
977
1014
902
136
(2)
J 499,
56
18
13
52
1690
59
1540
41
144
17
.41
201
17
32
909
696
65
Frank Williams, No. 6161
Yoid
NEW YORK—JOINT PATROLMEN
W. J Lee, No. 633
. .W^riteins:
' J. Scotto
A. Thompson
C. Serrano
Void
BOSTON—JOINT AGENT
Jnlui Mogan, No. 216
.Void
BOSTON—DECK PATROLMAN
.Vincent Yakavonis, No. 1774
Void
BOSTON—ENGINE PATROLMAN
.J. Sweenej', (writein)
C. Coburn (writein)
Void
BOSTON—STEWARD PATROLMAN
Bayne (writein)
C. Coburn. (writein)
Void
PROVIDENCE—JOINT AGENT
Joseph Lapliam, No. 247
Anthonv Russo, No. 5730
Void
PHILADELPHIA—JOINT AGENT
Harrv Collins. No. 496
Void"
PHILADELPHIA
Joseph Flanagan, No. 542
Void
BALTIMORE—JOINT AGENT
William Elkins, No. 748 4.99
James MeCaiilev, No. 1 439
WiUiam MeKav, No. 8 926
Void 137
BALTIMORE—DECK PATROLMAN
Rexford Diekev, No. 652 1552
Void " 48
BALTIMORE—ENGINE PATROLMAN
Lee Deutsch, No. 2860 810
John Kupta, No. 429 819
Void 73
. BALTIMORE—STEWARD PATROLMAN
John Veciiio, No. 1616 1413
C. Doxiglas (writein) 103.
Void 40
NORFOLK—JOINT AGENT
Berger Hansen, No. 3135 1454
F,' Sorenseii (writein) 95
Void. 46
NORFOLK—JOINT PATROLMAN
Bud Ray, No. 647 1311
L. Paradeau (writein) 40
Void .. 36
1684
39
JOINT PATROLMAN
1544
31
1570
19
45
826
924
96
751
1074
96
1001
753
105
" 389
766
573
345
465
584
178
SAN JUAN—JOINT AGENT
Daniel Butts, No. 190
P. Aeree (writein)
Void
SAVANNAH—JOINT AGENT
Charles Martin, No. G16
Charles Waid. No. G54
Void
JACKSONVILLE—JOINT AGENT
F. Lauritano, No. G143
C. M. Rogers, No. G2
Void
MOBILE—JOINT AGENT
Olden Banks, No. G~1
D L. Parker, No. G160
Void
MOBILE—JOINT PATROLMAN
W. J. Lombard, No. G17
Robert Matthews, No. G118
J. K. Shaugbnessy, No. G118
J. Shelton, No. G71
Oscar Stevens, No. G115
Red Sweenev, No. G20
Void
NEW ORLEANS—JOINT AGENT
A. W. Armstrong, No. G136 1185
H. J. Sehrcincr. No. G308 536
Void 169
NEW ORLEANS—DECK PATROLMAN
P. P. Jason, No. Gll 915
E. Jack Vorel, No. G10 627
Void 104
NEW ORLEANS—ENGINE PATROLMAN
C. J. Stephens, No. G76 873
L. E. Wossels, No. G1 724
Void 154
NEW ORLEANS—STEWARD PATROL.
Terrington (writein) 83
Widergreen (writein) 7
E. Coulton 13
Void 35
TEXAS CITY^OINT AGENT
E. A. Boyd, No. G217 782
E. R. Mallaee, No. G237 869
Void .. 95
* » »
RESOLUTION BALLOT
Yes 1590
No 877
Void 53
* * ».
We, the duly elected General Tallying Com
mittee elected at the Baltimore Branch meeting
of February 24, 1941, for the purpose of tally
ing all ballots cast in the 1940 Annual Election
of Officers herebj' render this General Tally
Report to the membership as an accurate and
correct tabulation of all ballots cast in all
Branches of the Atlantic and Gulf District.
(Signed:)
Thomas Hippie, No. 327i
Frank Balger, No. 6186
Cliarles Sj'kes, No. G309
Thomas Macek, No. 493
John R. Taurin, No. 780
Note: Brother Paul Hall served on this com
mittee but shipped out immediately after the
tallying was completed and did not sign the
report.
IMPORTANT RESOLUTION!
WHEREAS, it costs our organization approximately 55,000.00
per year in various taxes, such as the Social Security, State Unem
ploytoCftt, 'and Federal Excise Tax, and , .
' WHEREAS, our per capita tax to the Internatiohar Is how ap
proximately $700,00 "per month, and , .
' WHEREASr'the of the former Atlantic with the
yormer Gulf Dlatrfct. and the establishment of a centrally located
Headciuarters Office in Washington necessitates further weekly op
erating expenses; and , ,
""^"WHEREAS, the Atlantic & "Gulf IJisirict, in omef to
members true represehtatlon on the Atlantic and Ghlf (ToastS,' Is >)'
forced to maintain and operate 14 separate Branches, and . .
WHEREAS, the recent conference held at Wnshihgton revealed ^
that any further curtailment of our present operatfnj^ expenses, or
any furthej' decreases in staff, would result in serious "Impairthent
to the efficient operation of the organization as a whole, and
WHEREAS, our organization has at the present time dutErtarid
Ing liabilities of well over $3,000.00 for such items a.s unpaid per
capita tax. Federal tax, etc., and
WHEREAS, at the present lime It is of paramount importance
that we publish the "Seafarers Log" on a strict regular weekly basis^
and . •
WHEREAS, in all probability bur organization will filrther ex
pand and ICvelop during the next few months, thus entailing adili
tlon.al operating e.xpenses, and ' . '
WHEREAS, in the last guarter of 1940 tile operating expenses
of our organization exceeded the income by $2,590.85, and
WHEREAS, this condition of insufficient income to meet current .
operating expenses continued during the month of January, 1941,
with a consequent rapid decrease in our General Fund balance, and
WHEREAS, the vital expenses necessary to operate our organb*
zation in an efficient and uptodate manner cannot be met by the
revenue received from dues and initiation fees, and as a result the
organization is operating with an everincreasing deficit, and
WHEREAS, in order to fully protect our organization, it is of
vital importance that the General Fund always has on hand a balance •
of at least $3,000.00 or $4,000.00 to meet any emergency which may
arise, and
WHEREAS, In the last two years the earning capacity of each
Individual member has increased approximately 50 per cent and
more, d.ue directly to the successful negotiating and signing of better
agreements calling for substantial wage and overtime increases, the
broadening of overtime hours, and war bonuses second to none,
therefore be it
RESOLVED, that the monthly clues be increased, at least t(>m
porarlly, to $2,00 per ineinb^r per month, and Ire it further
RESOLV^ED, that this Rf^soIutioIl be voted upon by the
Branches at four coiisecuHve .meetings, beginning with the regw.
lar business meeting of March .3, 1941, and that a standing "yes=
andno" vote be taken with the actual "yes" and "no" count being
recorded in the minutes, and be it further
RESOLVED, tliat upon the concurrence witli this Restrlutitrn
of a majority total vote, tire herein mentioned increase in dues
shall go into effect beginning with the month of May, 1041, and
be it further
RESOLVED, that as of March .3 of tliis year no authorized col'
lector^hall be permitted to collect dues for any montlis jtast April,
Out of the Mailbag
ARGVES FOR PAY
BOOST TO A.B.'S
City of Birmingham
February 18, 1941
Dear Sir and Brother:
For SMne time I have been
thinking of calling the A.B.'s at
tention to the fact that we are
getting underpaid. Here is my
story. Let's hear from anyone
pro and con.
To get'an A.B. ticket, a green
ticket, we must first have three
years' sea service. Our examina
tion includes physical fitness,
plus ability to distinguish be
tween colors plus good bearing.
Then we must know knots and
splices, both rope and wires; also
the compass,, not mentioning
knowledge of the ports of boats.
That's why I say an A.B. should
get at least a $10 per month in
crease.
Here's to better wages on the
rustpots.
Fraternally yours,
C. Martin, G16.
MIAMI
1941
lli
March 1,
Editor, Seafarers' Log
To the many seagoing friends
of Gilbert (JoJo) Adkins;.
It is with the greatest Of sor?
row that we report the death of
JoJo Adkins, piano player for the
past three years on the S.S. Flo
rida.
JoJo was missing at sea the
morning of. February 22, while
the ship was en route to Cuba.
The. ship, .was .stopped ..and a,
#eai'ch of qvei' an hour Avas made
but no trace of JoJo could be
found.
On the S.S. Florida's return to
Miami the night of February £'3,
services, were held at sea by the
master. Captain Harrington, A
floral wreath donated by the en
tire personnel of the S.S. Florida
was cast overboard. The S.S.
Cuba also held services at sea.
Gilbert (JoJo) Adkins was
bom in Americus. Ga., in 1915,
and was a member of the Amer
ican Federation of Musicians Lo
cal No; 655 of Miami, Florida, an
A. F. of L. aflfiiiate.
Fraternally,
' Gordon Hales.
1941, and be it fnrtlier
RESOLVED, tliat as of March 3 of this year all
advance of April, 1941, sliall be honored, and be it
RESOLVED, that this Resolution lie printed' In i
all issues of tlic "Seafarcr.s Log' publislicd during
liod specified herein.
Respectfully submitted,
John Hawk, District Representative
M. D. Biqgs, District Representative
Sydney Gretcher, SecretaryTreasurer
les paid in
iiy
entirety in
le voting pe
Pted Pipers of the Naval Reserve
After getting only 339 enlistments in a fouryear plan to recruit
30,000 into the Merchant Marine Naval Reserve—on the basis of the
scabby naval reserve wage scale—the Brass Hats are using another
taek in their rotten unionbusting scheme.
Knowing that on the basis of $54 tops for ssilors, $60 for fire
men and so on down the line, they can expect still less enthusiasm
for the Navy now than in the four previous years, the Admirals have
developed an entirely new tune. They know that seamen have no
greater enthusiasm for serving in the Army at $21 a month than
in the Naval Reserve at from $21$54 a jnonth, being against scab
wages and against regimentation in principle and determined to hang
on to the union .wages and vmion conditions long fought for. They
also know, however, that seamen are hedng drafted into the Army
agaist.their wilLthese days. So the Pied Pipers of the Navy chant:
"Enlist in4he Nhvial Reserve! .,^en enlisted in the Merchant
Maiiiie Naval Reserve: .will ..not be iequljeU to serve under the Selec
tive Service Act!"
Circulars which blare forth this witchsong are being handed
around in all ports. It looks like a cinch, but—of course, they say
nothing whatsoever about wages and conditions in the Naval Re '
serve. ' ;
Now, the real object of the Brass Hats is to establish the
wage and the nonunion conditions of the Naval Reserve system
throughout the entire merchant marine. So, union seamen miist be
on guard against this Pied Piper's song.
The merchant marine is becoming more shorthanded of trained
PQ^rsorihel every day. The Bureau of Inspection and Navigation has
admitted thht " the situation is becoming critical and has recom
mended that the Draft Boards merchant aeamen becausb of
thisshortage.
Don't fall for the siren song of the Navy's Pied Pipers! Plg^t
with yoar Union for draft deferment for aU mercl^t seamen
for maintaining and extending union wages and union coriAf.
tlons on all ships!.
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^^OlERS JOQ
OFFICIAL OEGAN OP THE ATLANTIC AND GULP DISTRICT,
SEAFARERS' INTERNATIONAL UNION OF NORTH AMERICA
VOL. Ill NEW YORK, N. Y„ TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 1941 440 No. 5
S.I.U. Officers at Washington:
Conference Acts On
Organizing Program
Acting after a two days' conference wliich thrashed out
all major problems facing the organization, officials of the
Atlantic and (Jxdf District of the Seafarers' International
Union of North America decided on a number of important
steps to speed up the rate of rnion progress. International
President Harry Lundeberg .sat'in on the conference in an ad
visory capacity, while District Representatives John Hawk
and M. D. Biggs and SecretaryTreasxirer Sydney Gretchei
presented facts and figures and proposed recommendations
for action. The c()nferenee was lield at "\Va,shington, D. C., on
February 20 and 21. The conference deeisiotis are now being
taken up at the brancir meetings for ratification by the rank
^and file of the SITJ.
Among the recommenda
tions submitted to the mem
bership for their considera
tion, the conference decided
on the following proposals;
Admission of New Members
Due to the treiiienclous growth
of tlie organization in recent
inontlis, it lias become necessary
to facilitate the admission of new
membeis. It is therofoic proposed
that tite present sixmonths sea
spi vicc clau.se regarding the ad
mitting of permit men be waived
and that the organization accept
for membership any permit man
who has sailed thirty (30) days or
more on his permit on a recog
nized SlU ship or ships. Natural
ly. such an applicant will have to
go through the usual procedure
before beiiig finally being admit
ted to membership, as per previ
ous decisions.
Strike Blocks
Unloading At
Bermuda Base
HAMILTON. Bermuda. — Al
coa's Pathfinder and Ranger ar
rived here this week, the former
with etiuipment and material for
the new American Naval base
and the latter to pick some 1,200
gasoline barrels. Both ships were
prevented from loading and un
load ing by a strike of longshore
men over wages.
While the longshoremen in Ber
muda have lip to the present
been unorganized, the picketing
has been fully effective, and the
Governor of the Island has had
to turn down a demand to use the
military for strikebreaking. The
strikers are demanding three
shillings an hour in place of the
miserable ten shillings ($2) per
day which they have been get.
ting. About 150 men are involved
^ in the strike.
P.S Three days of militant
.picketing, with SlU men honor
I ing the picket lines, won the
strike for the longshoremen at a
substantial wage increase. '
Organizing Program and
Financing
The conference further decided
that the membership's previous
action, authorizing the appoint-
ment of four (4) organizers, shall
be i)Ut in effect immediately. In
order to finance an organizational
drive among the unorganized
Lines properly, it is recommended
that the proper financial arrange-
(Continiird on Paye 2)
NOJjCE
New West Coast
S.I.U. Organizer
S.I.U. men on the inter
coastal runs are hereby
informed that B r o t li e r
Charles Brenner is the
new organizer of Ihe Sea
farers International luiion
of N.A. stationed at San
Pedro, (California and oper
ating front that port.
Unions Floor Dirksen
Bill In First Round
Lundeberg Slams Measure As
Out to "Break the Unions;" Coils
On Congress to "Kill This Bill!"
Appearing before the House Committee on Merchant Ma
rine and Fisheries on Friday, March 7, President Harry Lun
deberg of the Seafarers International Union of North Amer
ica, slammed the Dirksen Bill. H.R. 2662, as an effort to
"break the unions and take away the right of seamen to pro
tect themselves and the conditions under which they must
work." In a rousing appeal he called upon the committee to
o —
Sandhogs Fight
For Jobs with
Picket Line
New York, March 5, 1941.
Editor, Seafarers' Log
Dear Sir and Brother
To the uninitiated passerby
and casual reader of the press it
seems as though chnrtGied AFL
unions are engaged in a jurisdic
tional raid."
The case in question deals
with a recently started longtime
job on the new BrooklynBattery
tunnel. The work being done has
for many years come under the
sole Jurisdiction of the Shaft and
Tunnel Workers, Local No. 147,
of the AFL. The membership of
Local 147 have established a
strong fighting picket line In an
effort to prevent recruited finks
from working in the job. The
finks are supposedly members of
a paper union, established by the
big chiefs (selfelected) of the
International Hod Carriers,
which is called Hod Carriers No.
29.
The" real Sandhogg or Tunnel
(Continued on Paye 3)
"kill this bill."
"Thi.s tjpe of Iogi.sbitioii,"
Brother Lundeberg said, "is
absolutely unnecessary and
will only create more trouble
limn there ever lias been in
the niaritiinc field. The Amer
ican seamen have fought for
years, and some have died
fighting, to abolish the fink
halls. And now tbc govern
inent will help establish the
fink halls, wliicli absolutely,
in llie long rtin, will break the
unions.. .
Recalls 1936 Fight on
Fink Book
Of the section in the" Bill
dealing with the Continuous
they wanted to carry a continu
ous discharge book or a certifi
cate of Identification. As a conse
quence, most American seamen
today carry a certificate of iden
tification issued by the United
States Government through the
Steamboat Inspection Service,
which has worked quite satisfac
torily."
Raps Censorship of Reading
Matter
Brother Lundeberg attacked
the provision in the Bill giving
the master of a vessel full cen
sorship over printed and written
matter as making possible efforts
to "stop a Union from organizing
an unorganized ship by stopping
the union organizer from distrib
Heavy'Vote Cast In Election
Of S.I.U. Officers for 1941
Over 2,500 members of the Atlantic and Gulf District participated in the election of
officers of the Seafarers International Union of North America for 19411^More than twice
as many SIU men voted this year than last, when the organization sifas made up of two
separate districts, indicating the tremendous growth in membership that has taken place m
1940 as well as the growing interest of the militant Union men in the affairs of the or
ganization.
Taking full advantage of the thoroughly democratic procedure provided by the con
stitution for the election of officials, the membership turned out in greater numbers than
ever before to ea«t their votes for the men they considered best qualified to represent
them. The vote proves that, fully realizing that in the SIU the seamen in the East, have a'
d^mpcratie rank and file organization run by and for the membership, the Seafarers' Union
^ere is well advanced toward making their organization second to none in the maritime
Vy
I'e following is the complete report of the Tallying Committee:
ATLANTIC DISTR. REFRESENTATIVE
John Rawk, No. 2212 1899
Void S*
GULF DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVE
M, D. BiggS; No. G373 1718
Void J ^49
sr agt
—Ed.] Brb
NEW YORK—JOINT AGENT
Paul Gonsorchik, No. 749
Arthur H. O'Niel, No. 436
Arthur Thompson, No. 2888
Void
• ' (Continued, on Page 4)
453
500
878
176
Flash!
.'r ;• r
H.R. 2662 to Be Shelvedi
In a telegram from Washington this Monday. IMareli 10,
Brother Lundeberg v ires, in jiart: "Confident Bill is,
licked. Have . assurances various Congressmen thatoul
liiriug halls ivill not be touched and no fink books insti'
tiited."
This information is confirmed «by Clinton L. Doggett,
Shipping Editor of the Journal of Commerce. Writing in
that paper on ]\Ionday, Mr. Doggett says: "During the
past few days there have been hearings on the socalled
Dirksen Bill before the House Committee on Merchant Ma
rine and Fisheries. . . This department understands that
the House Committee will NOT report the bill favorably."
The vicious Dirksen Bill thus appears to have been
floored in the first round of the fight. But, strong enemies
of the_ Union seamen are the forces behind the antiLabor
provisions in it. They ivill not rest. They will continue to
press their attack against the seamen. The Union seamen
have w.on the first .round; but .that is not enough—they
must remain alert.and iii fighting trim, prepared to deliver
the knockout blow to any attempt at regimentation!
Discharge (Fink) Book, Brother
Lundeberg said: "This can be
used as the worst kind of black
listing and there is nothing
in this law which stops . it
from, becoming a blacklisting
system. ... In 1936, under the
Merchant Marine Act, when the
(Copeland) discharge books were
established for seamen, organized
seamen Immediately objected to
it and fought It bitterly and as a
result, Congress, in January 1937,
amended the law making it op
tional with the seamen whether
uting organizing material such as
leaflets, union papers, etc."
On Citizenship Requirements
. He blasted the citizenship re
quirements under H.R. 2662, say
ing that "we feel that if a man
has been given the right and
privilege by the United States
Government to enter this coun:
try, he should not be barred from
making a" living in his chosen
calling until he has become a cit
izen. That rip'it has never been
(Continued on Page 2)
1 n.
iSJ
ill I
•
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http://www.pdfcompressor.org/buy.html
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THE S E A F A R E R S ' L G G Tuesday, March 11; 1941
!r
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fe
Iw'^
If
I XV*"
a^
Published by the
ATLANTIC & GULF DISTRICT
of the
Seafarers' International Union
of North America
Affiliated with the American Federation of Labor
HARRY LUNDEBERG. Acting International President
110 Market Street, Room 402, San rrancisco, Calif.
ADDRESS ALL CORRESPONDENCE CONCERNING THIS
PUBLICATION TO:
"THE SEAFARERS' EGG"
P, G. Box 522, Church St. Annex, New Yorlt, N. Y.
BOwling Green 93437
Defer Seamen from Draft!
Foi sonic liino now, the soanieifs unions luivo called tlie
dangerous sliorlage of trained Amerioan seamen to the alien
tmn of tiic Draft Boards, calling for the deferment of their
Union iiiemhcrs on that hasis. So far. the Selective Service
administ ralTon lias, with all too few exceptions, turned a deaf
ear to lliis crying need. Now the voice of the shipowners has
come out admiltiiig that our claims are completely juslified.
tu, its issue of iVfarch d. ]!)41. the Journal of Commerce
says editojially:
"Wliilc most of the attention directed to shipping has been
I'oeu.sed on jios.sible sliortages of space and advancing freight
• rates, the item of lucn to inan the boats 1in.s bcoii largely ovcr
lookcil. II is perhaps hccan.se no real sliortages have devel
oped so far and the marine labor unions liave been able to
furnish an adenuate supply of competent sailors of all ratings.
However, 'iiitbc very near future, it looks as though flicre will
be .scarcilii's in iiartiiular divisions, notably citizen able nea
' men, fireiiieii, oilers, cooks and radio opei'ator.s. The available
supply of these, and other ratiiig.s, is likely to be reduced I'ur
4b<>r by the fact that many of the men arc Within tlie draft
ages. The Bcjiartnumt of Commerce Bureau of Marine Inspec
tion and Navigation lias been studying the problem and is
understood to have taken it up with the draft board with the
the rcHiilt that the local boards have been directed to give con
sideration for deferment in all cases where seamen are needed
to man Ain(>rican merchant vessels. .
If llic Drafl Boards have been direeled lo defer seamen,
they certainly doiri siiow it by their actions. Union seamoii
arc being lianlcd into the Army every day. The Ibiion Halls
are less and less iible lo ship comiietent men due to this. The
shortage of which the Journal of Commerce speaks is heading
towards a crisis.
Unle.ss the I'lirean of Marine Tnspeetiori and Navigation
aet.s witli grealer force and di.spatcli, this crisis is bonml to
hit tlie mereliaiit marine ivith a tremendons smack. Defer
ment of all trained merchant seamen from the Draft is the
only logical way to prevent such a paralyzing shortage of
ship's personnel as is admittedly in the cards.
If mendiant seamen must get armed training, there is no
reason why lliey should not get it on board ship and throngli
the union halls, while retaining their nsefnlnes.s to tlie mer
chaiil marine, working at union wages and under tmion con
ditions.
Conference Acts
On Program of
Orgaoizalion .4
(Continued from Paye J)
mehts be made. Tlie Secretary
Tieasurer and tlie two District
Representatives are to be author
ized to (ievise ways and means of
organizing the unorganized Uines,
having full supervision over the
special organizers and tiieir work.
finances of the Organization
In view'of the fact that our or
ganization has outstanding liabili
ties for back per capita, unpaid ex
cise tax, etc., and in view of the'
fact tliat the present small bal
ance in the General Fund is bare
ly siifncieiit to meet tlie mo.st im'
mediate operating expenses, the
conference deemed it advisable to|
recommend that $5,000 be drawn
from file Organization Fund andi
deposited in the General Fund, in
order to stabilize this Fund for,
the time being. This sum of'
.$5,000.00 is to be repaid to the Or
ganizational Fund whenever the
condition of tiie General Fuiid
permits such reimbiir.sement.
' "SDP transfers
On tiie matter of transfers
from the SUP to tiie SlU, the
coiifefeiice decided lo recoinnieiid
that ally 'S'UP mem her in • good
standing may transfer info the
SIU witiiout payment d£ a trans
fer fee, and shall be given credit
in his SIU book for all dues and
assessments paid to tlie SUP.
TTpon transfer, however, all dues,
elllier in tlie member's SUP or
SIU book, must lie paid to and
for the current niontii: likewise,
all unpaid assessments. He must
also turn over his SUP book in
exchange for his SIU hook.
(Note: This is the same system
now pursued by tlie SUT in re
gard to SIU men transferiiig into
tlie SUP.)
More About
Unions floor Dirkson
BilMh first Round
(Continued from Pane J)
taken away from any other alien
in any other industry."
Opposes "Mediation Board"
As AntiUnion
He ohjecled to the "Maritime
Mediation Board" in the B'ill aS
"a club with mandatory powers
for compulsory mediation , . .
that will prolong imlustiial strife
ill the industry until the labor
unions are broken."
Lufide'berg's Conclusions
Excerpts from statement of opposition to H.R. 2662 by
Harry Liindeberg on behalf of all seamen in the' United
States aflaiiated with the American Federation di Labor
(Sailors Union of the Pacific; Seafarers International Union,
Atlantic, Gulf and the Great Lakes) and on behalf of the
American Federation of Labor.
Seafarers' Log
Seafarers' Log Honor Roll
S.S. KE.\'MAI{
Dock DcpL: Aibertson $1.00. DeMoy $1.50, Slim Tay
lor .$1.00. E. F. Howe (SUP) .$5.00, J. E. Taylor, $1, "
Fienung .$1.00, De Frank $1.00, Seastrom $1.00, Gol
dt'iiherg .$1.00, Sawyer $1.00, Kiug $1.00.
JSiigiiu Di'pt.: I'erry .$1.00, Peterson $1, Marccile $1.
'Slewai'iJ I)e|h.: Harasty $1.00, F. Taylor 75c, Bowen
25c, Turner 75c. Total collected _ _ jjjO'] 2.1
S.S. ANDREW JAUK.SON 12.00
S.S. PAN OR LEANS : .. 4 00
S.S. FLORIDA P,.25
S.S. UATAHOITLA .T52
S.S. IPSWKTI 11.50
Charle.s (JuiKfuincl . .* 1 OB
s.s: CUBA 2;oo
H. SohkOrz 1 00
(T: W. Jerrkins ., 1 00
S.S. FRANCIS SALMON ; . . . 4.35
J. E. Foi iplliiu ;.. 1.00
A. Dawson .... . i OO
Total $66.88;
lift
WANTED
DBY THE ©RAFT
S" Coimiiimicate with Local
C ; Board No. 180, located at
2;.;' 449 2iid St.^ Brooklyn, N.y.
jerry L.L^ahy
Formerly flremati on the
S.S. Algic. C. W. Core, former
Radio 'Operator on the Algic,
would ilke you to get In touch
with him at once. Very urgent.
Brother Core can he reached
c.o, Rolnlck ^ Asofsky, Attor^
nays,, 11 Broadway, N.Y.C.
Finally, the conference took
the following action in reSpect to
the Seafarers' Loff:
"Inasmuch as some Agents
have, in the past, been neglecting
to submit weekly news reports to
the Seafarers' Log, relating to ac
tivities In and around their re
spective branches, viihich would
be a source of great interest and
information to the membership,
and which would greatly aid in
raising our official pMblication to
a high and informative standard,
we therefore recommend that ev
ery Branch Agent rbe held reapofn
sible fdr the slfbmfesion of a
weekly report of Brahch and Port
activities to the Editor of the
Seafarers' Log by sending In
news of general and lochl in
terest."
Resolution on Raisuig Dues
A resolution proposing u raise
in dues, adopted by the confer
ence, is printed elsewhere in this
issue of the Log.
A program of closer coopera
tion between tlie two District
Representath'es, the Secretary
Treasurer and all 'Branches was
djscussed at length ahd a vvbrk
able ipolicy 'to this effect was'fori
mulated and adopted.
Important strides towards the
advancement of the Union were
elaborated by the conference. The^
recommendations adopted there
are now up for the.democratic de;
cision of the rank and file of 4he'
SItJ. By giving the closest atten
tion to these recomttiendaltlonS
ahd by participating to action ofi
theni, every member of the Union
Is doing his dhaCe 'to haelke the
54111 a bigger and better organi
zation for militant' seamen.
Summarizing his views on be
lialf of the seamen in a in ief sub
mitted to the committee. Brother
Limdeberg said;
"After carefully analyzing this
bill, having been actively engaged
in file seamen'.s field for a period
of 26 years, 20 years as an active
seaman and six years as a union
official, I can .say that this Bill.
H.R. 2662, Introdiieed by Coii
gresSttiffn Dirksen, will only ac
coinplish one thing, namely, the
destruction of bona fide .seamen's
trade unions. We do not qiie.«f ion
the motive of Congressman Dirk
sen, but anyone who knows tlie
ATnerican .seamen will realize
tliat this bill will raise iiavoc and
create more turmoil t.iian we have
liad for years in the American
iiierciiant marine.
What's the Meaning of
"Subversive"?
"Tlie American seaiiieu resent,
this Bill bitterly. Tbey resent the
attempt, to saddle this severe law
upon fhern' This would make
thousands of American seamen,
the vast majority, suffer for the
sake of, as the Bill states, con
trolling the subversive elements
in the American mercliaut ma
rine. Upon examining the Bill
carefully, we cannot find a place
in the Bill where the words '"sub
versive" are defined. In our opin
ion it leaves wide ripen the use
of the word "subversive" against
any act of the merchant seamen,
such as legitimate union actlvi
ties, et cetera.
Bill Is No Safeguard Against
"Sabotage" .
"If the Bill is intended to clean
out the American merchant ma
rine of people wlio advocate,
work for, .follow and preach the
doctrfhes of hostile foreign na
tions Mio have for their purpose
the destruetion df the American
form of government as expressed
in the United States 'Constitution,
then We have rto qiihrrel with the
intent of the Bill. However, we
are absrilUtely certain that this
Bill will not clean out any sub
versive elements. On the contrary,
it will entrench subversive ele
nierits toore flrtnly, for after all,
if tlioy .seek to sabotage the
American meicliaiil, marine, tliey
don't cai'e wliother tliey ship ohf
of a goveimmcnl liiiing iiull or a
union liiring hall, and no captain
can (letermiue whether a man Is
a saboteur or not by looking at
liim in tlie government liiring
hall. We. firmly beliiwe that under
the provisions of this Bill, the
subversive elements will still be
sailing tlie sliijis ami bona fide
competent Union seanleh will be
blacklisted, and in the long run,
our Unions will lose their effec
tiveness and decay into govern
tiieiiicrintrolled company Unions,
"In dealing witii tiie subject of
subversive elements, Congressmali
Dii'ksen did not, mention the Na
zis and the Communists as bein^
subversive. We'll go liim one bet
ter. Tlie Unions 1 represent and the
seamen 1 represeni: are bitterly
opposed to anyone following, and
anyone iieddlnig any of Joe Sta
lin's and Adolpli Hitler's phoney
doctrines here in tlie United
.States or elsewiiere. We are prob
ably more in favor of getting rid
of tliese disrupters tlian anyone
else in the country. After all, the
bona fide trade union movements
are the ones who are constantly
and have been constantly at
tacked by the Comniiiiiifits and
the Nazis.
"Tlie I'ecords will show that
our unions have, for years, con
stantly fought these sabateurs, and
have been successful in eliminat
ing tlieni from our unions. We
liave no pity on them. We know
what they stand for, and as fur
as we are concerned, they should
also be cleaned out Of all the
other places where they are in a
position to do their dirty work.
"lYc. firmly believe that fhis
country, its Constitution and its
form of government are far su
perior to any other country in
the world, and we say this—that
anyone advocating aUtl adhering
to Stalin's or Hitler's rotten sys
tems aliouUl get out'of here and
fttay out. We know through bit
ter experience tliat they have
nothing else but misery to sell us.
"Gentlemen, on behalf of the
bona fide American seamen, we
ask that you hear the plea of the
seamen and KILL THIS BILL."
a
vViSi
Now It's ''Patriot" Joe Curran
Everybody knows how the shipowhers, their stOoges and theti*
agents In the governmeul' have been fluuiillug their "patriotism"
around as a cover for the more nefarious scheme of whacking away
at seamen's conditibna. Now, it's Halnllead Curran who .joifas 'this
hypocritical parade of spoUting "patriots," At the hearings dn the
Dirksen Bill he declaimed;
"No uriprojudiced person could for a moment believe that
arte tmii^ridtic . . .'dtft enftre'h1stor,v' is oiie df grdttt pa
' (See the "Pilot," March 7, 1941).
iV
'i.
li
' • > i
I si
• We
tiiotistu.
tJndoubtediy Hato^Head had his support' of the Copeland Book
and df the' .finky 1938 MarititoeCdrnmiddfonIi^l scheme to 'inina
when he spoke'of liis h'idt'ory as "one of great patriotism.'?; Who Was
'ft that said: Patriottem is the last refuge of a scoundrel? Well, he ^
he was right. And we wonder what soundrellv game HamHe.au,Jr?^
up to now, that he has to cover It up with this flow of patriot'"
http://www.pdfcompressor.org/buy.html
:.« • • fM
Tuesday, March 11, 1941 THE SEAFARERS' LOG 3
a
What's Doing —
Around The Potts
PIULADELPHIA
February 28, 1941
Editor, Seafarers' Log
Dear Sir and Brother:
Uouiul and round she goes, and
here we go again trying to put
old Phllly on the map. We tried
to do so, and I am sure that we
succeeded. The port of Philadel
phia really poured the protests
against the Dirksen Bill, H.R.
2662. Into the House of Represen
tullves. If all other ports of the
Atlantic, Gulf and West Coasts
did as good, then away goes that
rotten, piece of legislation to the
incinerator.
The S.S. Kenmar came through
in fine style, and sent close to
thirty telegrams of protest
agialnst the abovemehtloned bill.
Even the beachcombers got to
(• ^ether and poured the tefegrPms
into Washlgtoh. Well done, boys!
Thfv S.S. Losmar left "Old Sea
weed" behind and he is now
threatening suit against the oops
of Philadelphia for arreStiriig him
and holding him overilight, and
causing him to mi.ss the "Grey
liound of the Pacific." The judge
said to him: "I'll let ydu go if
you promise to catch the next
train leaving Philly; Seaweed
said: ".Tudge. if you let me go,
I'll catch the train that left
Philly two hours ago.
Quite a few rustbuckets com
ing in here and the Agent add
Patrolman are really shaking
their, fannies trying to get a mil
lion beefs settled on this long,
lonesome waterfront.
Shipping has been good, and
quite a few members are coming
in to register. "Dothebestyou
can Hlllman" has done it again;
he made a trip around the world;
from Paulsboro, New Jersey, to
phester. Pa.
The Waterman sislp Tiksalle
ha« finally arrived in this port
and is paying off today. All beefs
have been settled to the satis
faction of the entire crew, and
tiaere will probably be a bunch of
the brothers heading South in Or
der to duck this blizzard of snow
and rain. .
' f the raise of $7.50 was given'by
/ the Range Lines, but only after a
L/ Committee of three, Mike Lynn,
Harry Collins and E. Reed, did
everything but a toe dance. The
help in the "Drexel Building"
(the Range Lines have their of
fice there) had a picket line
around the building, and the com
mittee had to have"* the Range
Lines officials meet them m a
Union Restaurant, and debate
the, raise. 'Phe Galloping Commit
tee refused to go through the
picket line under any cii'cutn
stances. So after mtich pfersua
tion blahblah and a lot of wind
blowing by Collins and the inimi
table Mike Lynn, the "Range Line
gang said you can have the rui^e.
Brothers.
Aa soon as tnetn1)EvS hit the
hall from a trip, the first thing
that they ask is: "How's the elec
tion coming along, and did the
Strike^ Assessment pass?" I sus
pect that we are all a little anx
lomf'to learn the results.
There's a scarcity of rope
chokers (A.B.'s) in this port. (All
others also.)
"A Waterman vessel came into
this port and there WaS not a
bePf. The paitrdlmah nehrl^
flwopried, and yelped to the top
ofjiis stentorian voice, "Holy
iCow • " miracles do happen.
It! 8 good to see «o many letters
pouf • Wfl
fno4e th* merriei:, or does the
lOr agree with that? [you
Ed.] Brothers,'fiend all of
your letters and watch the Log
pick up. You can't make the Edi
tor of the Log angry, or can you?
[Not by pouring In the "letters,
lads, not by a long shot!—Ed.]
JoJo (the clogfaced boy) Flan
agan is having plenty of car trou
ble. One day his radiator Is caved
in, and .the next, one of the fend
ers are crumpled, etc. JoJo
states that he was only going 65
miles an hour when a big white
truck backed into his radiator
and squashed same. Hire a
watchman, Joey!
Fraternally,
The Four (4) Horsemen.
W. R. B., No. 1994
J. F. P., No. 542
H. J. C., No. 496
D. C. J., No. G116
BOStOlS
February 28, 1941
Editor, Seafarers' Log
Dear Sir and Brother:
One of our few rertiairting old
timers passed away oh February
24. Me was Hans Martin Ander
sen, late watchman on the S.S.
Yarmouth. In conjunction with
Minister Geggin, the Union gave
our late brother a decent burial.
He vvas a member In good stand
ing, liked and respected by all, a
proud union man.
The Eastern Steamship Co. is
starting to bring out the Summer
boats, the S.S. Boston pad the
S.S. New York. If they secure full
crew.s for tlie al)ove boats, surely
a miracle will be performed—
what with all other lines paying
from ten to twentyfive dollars
over and above their scale.
How long do they think the
Eastern boys are going to work
for such rotten wages? Surely
the men on the Eastern ships
will bestir themselves, especially
when tliere are many jobs on the
other lines paying way above
what they are making. Take the
P and O or the Savannah Line,
for instance. They have sur
passed Eastern by far.
So leUs get a little of the old
time Uhiob spirit and bring the
Eastern on a par with our other
agreements. Get set, you Eastern
'boys, add be ready!
Your Bostofi Reporter.
TEXAS CITY
Why, Oh Why Do They Wall
By Boston Bard
Why do the shipowners wail
When they rake in money by the
pail
And cry out loud about times be
ing tough
Yet treat the workers niiglity
rough?
With their pouches wide and
stuffed right full
They have the ucirve to throw you*^
the "bull"
About timek being bad and bifki
ness slow
Though cliitchiiig tightly their
sOftearried dough.
March 3. 1941
At present Writing there are
over 40 jobs on the board, a,ll in
the deck and engine departtaettts
"of'the S;S. Boston and the S.S."
New Y'oik. with no takers. Prob
abiy, the bOys fife beginning tb|
Tealize theft ecohonilp ppsitiPn.'
At anjr rate, they 'are ' fco'iisciibtle;
that the other lines pay |6;80 per
day for "Standby woi'k. . .
A few oiitside snips caired at
this port With"a few T>eefs, all
settled O.K. Tiir neltt Week,
adios,
Your Boston Reporter,
February 27, 1941
Sdltor, Seafarers' Log
Dear Sir and Brother:
Shipping has slowed up here
somewhat during the last week.
Several ships showed up which
had not one replacement on
them. To lead the list was the
Warrior of tiie Waterman outfit.
She came in last Saturday and
sailed Wednesday in the long
trek.
Talking to the gang on there,
and what a gang, we decided that
last trip must have been a honey.
No playing of cards Ih the mess
room, no this and no that, just
one of those skippers that figures
that now he has reached the ex
alted position of Master of a
floating rustheap he is account
able to the Maker for the men's
souls. TIsh, tish. . ,
The Caroline of the Bull family
dropped in here with an assort
ment of beefs, messed up with a
cargo bf sugar. To give you an
idea of what goes on: Fruit was
set on the dock, a couple of cases
of oranges, grapefruit.s, h.ampers
of fresh vegetables for the trip
North and the Mate tells the
serang to get them aboard. Said
Bos'n. knowing His Honor the
Mate, tells hini that it would be
overtime. Me being there, the
Mate appeals to me that it would
be a shame to have to pay over
time for such a few crates and
sacks. When informed that under
no circumstances could such
quantities of stores be considered
as day'.s stores, he I'eally slarted
to town.
Carrying hls^argument through
'to Its logical conclusion, every
sack of spuds and pound df but
ter put aboard a ship Is day's
stories. The companies know
What is and what is not, or they
would not have sighed the agree
ment, but still these officers try.
to save the doreml for the out
fits thAt would sooner pay and
not have any trouble with such
smhil things.
When it Was figured out that
32 oranges was all the Steward
needed for one day, and I told
Sir Mate that any man could
bring them aboard without over
time, he consented to pay over
time to one man. When It was
pointed out that one man to bring
those stores aboard would re
quire two Or three'^iours, as the'
stores were aft at the poopdeck,
the shoreside gang had skids all
ovOr the dock, and he would have
to he ducking ii'll around the
trucks taking vhe sugar from the
ship, "he told the Bos'n to get the
stores aboard and walked mid
ships. Such is tlie life of a sailor
on the pride of the Bull fleet!
The Marsodak in and out. iNo
changes, no beefs. The crew have
got her sold to Mallory now. Col
lins Is going to lose part of his,
navy yet! ,
The Alcoa F'ilot in and out,
short of a chief cook. The Ruth
(Bull) Calling for A.B.'s from
Beatimorit. The Del Rio in and
ont. "Of Htsuston; wiper waitting
overtitiae fbr packing the engi
neer's gear on and off the ship.
I agree. When a man gets that
piece of ])aper from the inspector,
does that make all liands on the
ship his BUttkey? Maybe, in the
next agrbemeht, We will have to
include a Couple of redcaps to
haildle this work!
All hands hbt and 'bothered
Over the Dirksen bill. Most sen
sible solution that I've heard yet:
Take'Oltkshh, jJiit him on a ship,
fake a composite of all the worst
skippers, and tnake a sailor (if
SEAFARERS' INTERNATIONAL UNION
OF NORTH AMERICA
A'tldfrtic i? Gulf District
HEADQUARTERS
Room 918, Washington Loan & Trust Co. Building,
9th and F Street, N.W., Washington, D. C.
P. O. Box 6180 Phone: District 5963
• • •
DIRECTORY OF BRANCHES
BRANCH ADDRESS PHONE
NEW YORK 2 Stone St BOwling Green 93437
BOSTON 330 Atlantic Ave. ...LIBerty 4057
PRO"VIDENCB .. 465 South Main St. ..Manning 3572
BALTIMORE ... 14 North Gay St. ...Calvert 4539
PHILADELPHIA ,6 North 6th St Lombard 7651
NORFOLK 60 Commercial PI. ..Norfolk 41083
NEW ORLEANS 309 Chartres St MAgnolia 3962
SAVANNAH .... 218 East Bay St Savannah 31728
JACKSONVILLE 436 East Bay St Jacksonville 59724
TAMPA 206 So. Franklin St. .Tampa M1323
MOBILE 55 So. Conception St. Dextei 1449
TEXAS CITY ... 105 4th St., N Texas City 722
MIAMI 1348 N.E. First Ave.. Miami 22950
SAN JUAN 8 Covadonga St San Juan 1885
L
• '4
A Resolution from NMU Men
That the ''Pilot" Doesn't Print
We have been waiting for
weeks now to see the "Pilot"
print a resolution copies of which
were addressed to the following:
"Pilot ,(NMU), National Bocie
tary (NMU), Voice of Federation,
West Coast Sailors, Seafarers
Log."
So far not a word about this
I'eaoliitioii in the "Pilot." It is a
resolution pa.ssed by the NMU
crew of the S.S. Dorothy Lucken
bacli at a Joint Meeting'at .sea oh
February 16, 1941 and reads as
follows:
WHERE.tS, in view of the
impending attacks on union
hiring halls and threatened
governmental regimentation of
merchant seamen, uhited action
by all union seamen i.s more iir
gent than ever, and
WHEREAS, vicious hills have
been introduced by Congress
man Dirksen and others to
l)ring about the.se antilabor
measures, therefore he it
RESOLVED, that we recpiest
the national officers of the
NMU to communicate by mail,
or other means, with the
MPOW, SUP, SIU. and other
maritime unions proposing
joint action of all maritime la
bor to defeat these hills and to
prepare a common front of ac
tivity in defense of union con
ditions in "the merchant marine,
(signed) Sliip's Committee
I. F. Roberts, E'6835
Y. Templeman. 016785
L. Williams, P7958
Now, at first glance, this reso
lution seems to fall right in line
with the NMU officialdom's "uni
ty" campaign and so it is rather
puzzling that the "Pilot"" does
not print it—along with all the
• spurious "rank and file" letter.s,
telegrams and resolutions it does
print—as part of this phoney
campaign. But, closer examina
tion of the "Dorothy Lucken
hach's" resolntion shOws why the.
"Top Fraction" suppresses all
mention of this action, instead of
playing it up.
"Hamhead Curran's idea of a
"unity" campaigii Is to instruct
the rank and file OJ the NMu to
slander the other unions and
write resolutions along that line
to the officials of these other
unions. The "Dorothy's" resolu
tion. on the other hand, is direct
ed tb the NMU officialdom and
instead of slhndering the SIU.
SUP, etc., it calls fbr Uhited ac
tion with them. 'ObVibusly, this
kind of a sincere expjession of
rank and file sentiment in the
possible) out of the fierit; then
itet him redraft his blurb,
Yourk, till Dii'ksoYi 'cOihbs in:
here looking for a. trip card!
' . Army.
NMU doe.s not fall in line with
Hamhead's "unity," and there
fore cannot he printed in the
"Pilot."
No doubt there are many sea
men in the NMU who really want
united action and a "common
front of activity" with the mili
tant SIU and SUP against the
attacks of the shipowners and
the vicious unionbusting steps
outlined in the Dirksen Bill, H.R.
2662. They want action, not wotiis,
just as the SIU and SUP do. Is
the "Dorothy's" resolution an ex
pression of that militant spirit?
Is that why the "Top Fraction"
has 'suppressed it and banned it
from the pages of the "Pilot"?
Is it too hot for Curran and Co.?
Doe.s it expose the disruptive
character of their own phoney
"unity" campaign too much?
It seems as if the rank and file
in the NMU are beginning to
wake up.
• ja
.ll
• 'H
_
Sandbogs Figbt
For Jobs with
Picket tine
• '• rf
(.Continued from Ihuje 1)
and Shaft workers fought for
and have maintained a scale of
$12 per day. The characters now
working are paid S?'/. cents per
hour, and lahOr under conditions
just as fiiiky. j
The Sandbogs, a tested buhChof,
militant Union mgn, are on the '
picket line for still another rea.
son. Through the collusion be
tween the racketeering offiblaL
dom of Hod Carriers No. 29 and' "
the Tunnel job contractor, abet
ted by local politicians and po
lice, It is also In the plans that
through the finks possibly the
Unionized Tunnel workers could
In time be dominated or com
pletely wrecked as a militant
factor.
So Local No. 147 is fighting fof *
jobs rightfully theirs at an estab
lished rate of pay and working
conditions and also to preserve
the life of their milita!nt "Union.
The odds are great, but the
Sandbogs are putting up a powdt
fnl fight—as other rank and file"
unions have done in the past and
will do again if ilecessary.
The SUP Branch of New York
is Just a couple blocks from the
scene of ba'ttfe. Sdme cff the SfCl
and BUP members "have seen the
Sandhogs rn action and' "hfso
'know ohe oc • more of the men in
the picket line. It is 'reedlfhieed »
as a dedperate batvie to retain
• theft jobs and the life of their
Union and is worthy of support.
M. Korenblatt, SUP, 2354
5
• • • • J
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".v."'' •
. T H E<S E A F A RE R S ' LOG ' ' • " Tuesday, March 11, 194^
Heavy Vote Cast In Election
Of S.I.U. Officers for 1941
xConiinwd from Paffe 1)
HEW YORK—DECK PATROLMAN
Douglas Muncastev. No. ;}97 1567
,Void 61
NEW YORK—ENGINE PATROLMAN^.
Writeins;
J. Scotto
A1 Splllers
N. Y.—STEWARD PATROLMEN (2)
Claude Fisher, No. 362
Ferdinand Hart, No. 488
977
1014
902
136
(2)
J 499,
56
18
13
52
1690
59
1540
41
144
17
.41
201
17
32
909
696
65
Frank Williams, No. 6161
Yoid
NEW YORK—JOINT PATROLMEN
W. J Lee, No. 633
. .W^riteins:
' J. Scotto
A. Thompson
C. Serrano
Void
BOSTON—JOINT AGENT
Jnlui Mogan, No. 216
.Void
BOSTON—DECK PATROLMAN
.Vincent Yakavonis, No. 1774
Void
BOSTON—ENGINE PATROLMAN
.J. Sweenej', (writein)
C. Coburn (writein)
Void
BOSTON—STEWARD PATROLMAN
Bayne (writein)
C. Coburn. (writein)
Void
PROVIDENCE—JOINT AGENT
Joseph Lapliam, No. 247
Anthonv Russo, No. 5730
Void
PHILADELPHIA—JOINT AGENT
Harrv Collins. No. 496
Void"
PHILADELPHIA
Joseph Flanagan, No. 542
Void
BALTIMORE—JOINT AGENT
William Elkins, No. 748 4.99
James MeCaiilev, No. 1 439
WiUiam MeKav, No. 8 926
Void 137
BALTIMORE—DECK PATROLMAN
Rexford Diekev, No. 652 1552
Void " 48
BALTIMORE—ENGINE PATROLMAN
Lee Deutsch, No. 2860 810
John Kupta, No. 429 819
Void 73
. BALTIMORE—STEWARD PATROLMAN
John Veciiio, No. 1616 1413
C. Doxiglas (writein) 103.
Void 40
NORFOLK—JOINT AGENT
Berger Hansen, No. 3135 1454
F,' Sorenseii (writein) 95
Void. 46
NORFOLK—JOINT PATROLMAN
Bud Ray, No. 647 1311
L. Paradeau (writein) 40
Void .. 36
1684
39
JOINT PATROLMAN
1544
31
1570
19
45
826
924
96
751
1074
96
1001
753
105
" 389
766
573
345
465
584
178
SAN JUAN—JOINT AGENT
Daniel Butts, No. 190
P. Aeree (writein)
Void
SAVANNAH—JOINT AGENT
Charles Martin, No. G16
Charles Waid. No. G54
Void
JACKSONVILLE—JOINT AGENT
F. Lauritano, No. G143
C. M. Rogers, No. G2
Void
MOBILE—JOINT AGENT
Olden Banks, No. G~1
D L. Parker, No. G160
Void
MOBILE—JOINT PATROLMAN
W. J. Lombard, No. G17
Robert Matthews, No. G118
J. K. Shaugbnessy, No. G118
J. Shelton, No. G71
Oscar Stevens, No. G115
Red Sweenev, No. G20
Void
NEW ORLEANS—JOINT AGENT
A. W. Armstrong, No. G136 1185
H. J. Sehrcincr. No. G308 536
Void 169
NEW ORLEANS—DECK PATROLMAN
P. P. Jason, No. Gll 915
E. Jack Vorel, No. G10 627
Void 104
NEW ORLEANS—ENGINE PATROLMAN
C. J. Stephens, No. G76 873
L. E. Wossels, No. G1 724
Void 154
NEW ORLEANS—STEWARD PATROL.
Terrington (writein) 83
Widergreen (writein) 7
E. Coulton 13
Void 35
TEXAS CITY^OINT AGENT
E. A. Boyd, No. G217 782
E. R. Mallaee, No. G237 869
Void .. 95
* » »
RESOLUTION BALLOT
Yes 1590
No 877
Void 53
* * ».
We, the duly elected General Tallying Com
mittee elected at the Baltimore Branch meeting
of February 24, 1941, for the purpose of tally
ing all ballots cast in the 1940 Annual Election
of Officers herebj' render this General Tally
Report to the membership as an accurate and
correct tabulation of all ballots cast in all
Branches of the Atlantic and Gulf District.
(Signed:)
Thomas Hippie, No. 327i
Frank Balger, No. 6186
Cliarles Sj'kes, No. G309
Thomas Macek, No. 493
John R. Taurin, No. 780
Note: Brother Paul Hall served on this com
mittee but shipped out immediately after the
tallying was completed and did not sign the
report.
IMPORTANT RESOLUTION!
WHEREAS, it costs our organization approximately 55,000.00
per year in various taxes, such as the Social Security, State Unem
ploytoCftt, 'and Federal Excise Tax, and , .
' WHEREAS, our per capita tax to the Internatiohar Is how ap
proximately $700,00 "per month, and , .
' WHEREASr'the of the former Atlantic with the
yormer Gulf Dlatrfct. and the establishment of a centrally located
Headciuarters Office in Washington necessitates further weekly op
erating expenses; and , ,
""^"WHEREAS, the Atlantic & "Gulf IJisirict, in omef to
members true represehtatlon on the Atlantic and Ghlf (ToastS,' Is >)'
forced to maintain and operate 14 separate Branches, and . .
WHEREAS, the recent conference held at Wnshihgton revealed ^
that any further curtailment of our present operatfnj^ expenses, or
any furthej' decreases in staff, would result in serious "Impairthent
to the efficient operation of the organization as a whole, and
WHEREAS, our organization has at the present time dutErtarid
Ing liabilities of well over $3,000.00 for such items a.s unpaid per
capita tax. Federal tax, etc., and
WHEREAS, at the present lime It is of paramount importance
that we publish the "Seafarers Log" on a strict regular weekly basis^
and . •
WHEREAS, in all probability bur organization will filrther ex
pand and ICvelop during the next few months, thus entailing adili
tlon.al operating e.xpenses, and ' . '
WHEREAS, in the last guarter of 1940 tile operating expenses
of our organization exceeded the income by $2,590.85, and
WHEREAS, this condition of insufficient income to meet current .
operating expenses continued during the month of January, 1941,
with a consequent rapid decrease in our General Fund balance, and
WHEREAS, the vital expenses necessary to operate our organb*
zation in an efficient and uptodate manner cannot be met by the
revenue received from dues and initiation fees, and as a result the
organization is operating with an everincreasing deficit, and
WHEREAS, in order to fully protect our organization, it is of
vital importance that the General Fund always has on hand a balance •
of at least $3,000.00 or $4,000.00 to meet any emergency which may
arise, and
WHEREAS, In the last two years the earning capacity of each
Individual member has increased approximately 50 per cent and
more, d.ue directly to the successful negotiating and signing of better
agreements calling for substantial wage and overtime increases, the
broadening of overtime hours, and war bonuses second to none,
therefore be it
RESOLVED, that the monthly clues be increased, at least t(>m
porarlly, to $2,00 per ineinb^r per month, and Ire it further
RESOLV^ED, that this Rf^soIutioIl be voted upon by the
Branches at four coiisecuHve .meetings, beginning with the regw.
lar business meeting of March .3, 1941, and that a standing "yes=
andno" vote be taken with the actual "yes" and "no" count being
recorded in the minutes, and be it further
RESOLVED, tliat upon the concurrence witli this Restrlutitrn
of a majority total vote, tire herein mentioned increase in dues
shall go into effect beginning with the month of May, 1041, and
be it further
RESOLVED, that as of March .3 of tliis year no authorized col'
lector^hall be permitted to collect dues for any montlis jtast April,
Out of the Mailbag
ARGVES FOR PAY
BOOST TO A.B.'S
City of Birmingham
February 18, 1941
Dear Sir and Brother:
For SMne time I have been
thinking of calling the A.B.'s at
tention to the fact that we are
getting underpaid. Here is my
story. Let's hear from anyone
pro and con.
To get'an A.B. ticket, a green
ticket, we must first have three
years' sea service. Our examina
tion includes physical fitness,
plus ability to distinguish be
tween colors plus good bearing.
Then we must know knots and
splices, both rope and wires; also
the compass,, not mentioning
knowledge of the ports of boats.
That's why I say an A.B. should
get at least a $10 per month in
crease.
Here's to better wages on the
rustpots.
Fraternally yours,
C. Martin, G16.
MIAMI
1941
lli
March 1,
Editor, Seafarers' Log
To the many seagoing friends
of Gilbert (JoJo) Adkins;.
It is with the greatest Of sor?
row that we report the death of
JoJo Adkins, piano player for the
past three years on the S.S. Flo
rida.
JoJo was missing at sea the
morning of. February 22, while
the ship was en route to Cuba.
The. ship, .was .stopped ..and a,
#eai'ch of qvei' an hour Avas made
but no trace of JoJo could be
found.
On the S.S. Florida's return to
Miami the night of February £'3,
services, were held at sea by the
master. Captain Harrington, A
floral wreath donated by the en
tire personnel of the S.S. Florida
was cast overboard. The S.S.
Cuba also held services at sea.
Gilbert (JoJo) Adkins was
bom in Americus. Ga., in 1915,
and was a member of the Amer
ican Federation of Musicians Lo
cal No; 655 of Miami, Florida, an
A. F. of L. aflfiiiate.
Fraternally,
' Gordon Hales.
1941, and be it fnrtlier
RESOLVED, tliat as of March 3 of this year all
advance of April, 1941, sliall be honored, and be it
RESOLVED, that this Resolution lie printed' In i
all issues of tlic "Seafarcr.s Log' publislicd during
liod specified herein.
Respectfully submitted,
John Hawk, District Representative
M. D. Biqgs, District Representative
Sydney Gretcher, SecretaryTreasurer
les paid in
iiy
entirety in
le voting pe
Pted Pipers of the Naval Reserve
After getting only 339 enlistments in a fouryear plan to recruit
30,000 into the Merchant Marine Naval Reserve—on the basis of the
scabby naval reserve wage scale—the Brass Hats are using another
taek in their rotten unionbusting scheme.
Knowing that on the basis of $54 tops for ssilors, $60 for fire
men and so on down the line, they can expect still less enthusiasm
for the Navy now than in the four previous years, the Admirals have
developed an entirely new tune. They know that seamen have no
greater enthusiasm for serving in the Army at $21 a month than
in the Naval Reserve at from $21$54 a jnonth, being against scab
wages and against regimentation in principle and determined to hang
on to the union .wages and vmion conditions long fought for. They
also know, however, that seamen are hedng drafted into the Army
agaist.their wilLthese days. So the Pied Pipers of the Navy chant:
"Enlist in4he Nhvial Reserve! .,^en enlisted in the Merchant
Maiiiie Naval Reserve: .will ..not be iequljeU to serve under the Selec
tive Service Act!"
Circulars which blare forth this witchsong are being handed
around in all ports. It looks like a cinch, but—of course, they say
nothing whatsoever about wages and conditions in the Naval Re '
serve. ' ;
Now, the real object of the Brass Hats is to establish the
wage and the nonunion conditions of the Naval Reserve system
throughout the entire merchant marine. So, union seamen miist be
on guard against this Pied Piper's song.
The merchant marine is becoming more shorthanded of trained
PQ^rsorihel every day. The Bureau of Inspection and Navigation has
admitted thht " the situation is becoming critical and has recom
mended that the Draft Boards merchant aeamen becausb of
thisshortage.
Don't fall for the siren song of the Navy's Pied Pipers! Plg^t
with yoar Union for draft deferment for aU mercl^t seamen
for maintaining and extending union wages and union coriAf.
tlons on all ships!.
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