Media
Issue Date
1943-12-03
Volume
5
Issue Number
35
Plaintext
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OFFICIAL OEGAN OF THE ATLANTIC AND GULF DISTRICT,
SEAFARERS' INTERNATIONAL UNION OF NORTH AMEETCA
Vol. V. NEW YORK. N.Y., FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1943 No. 34
Macauley Whips Up Strike
Scare In Smearing SlU-SUP
VSS Is Picketed By
Angry Merchantmen
The United Seamen's Service,
that super-dooper, stream-lined,
guilt-edged charity outfit, was
picketed this week in New York
- by a group of seamen who were
fed up with the anti-union moves
of this reformer outfit. Picket
lines appeared on Monday eve
ning before the Andrew Furuseth
Glub and on Tuesday-before the
USS headquarters at 39 Broad
way. The signs carried by the
pickets centered their attacks
upon Mr. James Moore, a union-
baiting character who is now
New York Port Director for the
USS.
The immediate cause of the
picket line was the firing by
Moore of Jerry McGlade, a sea-
xnen employed at the Andrew
Furuseth Club. Ever since
Moore has been in charge of the
club he has been house-cleaning
the organization in an effort to
eliminate all those who fail to
lick his boots or who show any
real sympathy for the seamen
and their problems. McGlade is
a disabled seaman, having lost
an arm and a leg abroad, and
was employed at the club before
Moore took over.
"The very fact that I was a
seaman seemed to iritate Moore,"
McGlade said, "and I could see
that he was determined to ease
me out and put in some boys'
club reformer."
Mooi-e's way of easing McGlade
out of his job was to demand
that he run for the cops each
time one of the boys in the bar
got gassed up a bit. McGlade
naturally objected to calling the
cops just because the boys had
heaved a few too many—and he
was fired.
Mr. Marshall Dimock's mother-
in-law also came in for some
blasting on the picket cards. She
is the one who demanded that a
seaman be arrested when he ab
sent-mindedly walked off with
her fountain pen a few weeks
ago. This was reported in Du-
shane's column week before last.
The picket signs labeled
Moore a "Little Ceasar" and de
manded that the "USS Be Staff
ed With Seamen—Not With Di
mock's Relatives."
Captain Edward Macauley called reporters into his office early this week and
issued hysterical charges that the SIU-SUP was planning to strike and announced that
the WSA was laying plans to use the Army, the Navy and the RMO trainees to break
the strike. This deliberate smear of the SIU-SUP was immediately given a big play by
the nation's press—all the major papers in New York devoting scare headlines to the
^ story. •
New 'Luxury'
Life Rafts
Tested
OAKLAND, Calif., Nov. 29 —
The latest "luxury" raft which
will carry torpedoed soldiers and
seamen away from their trans
ports and merchant vessels in en
emy-infested waters is designed
to help meet the recreational
needs of the survivors as well as
to make life easier for any seri
ously wounded men aboard.
A Bible, a deck of playing
cards, a carton of cigarettes and
two canvas berth beds, on which
men in a critical condition may
lie in comparative comfort, are
standard equipment on every
raft. And when the new arc-
welded steel life-saving appar
atus underwent its final inspec
tion test at the L. • A. Young
Spring and Wire Corporation's
plant in Oakland, a stove and
(CotiUntud on Page 4)
This was, of course, just as
Macauley planned. His deliber
ate slander' against our union
was couched in language design
ed to make it appear that the
union was sabotaging the war
effort, thus assuring that the em
ployer press would give it a big
play.
Actually no strike threat had
been made by the union. What
raised Macauley's ire was Harry
Lundeberg's letter of protest
against the Stalinist inspired
move to eliminate many old-
time seamen from their trade by
establishing rigid physical re
quirements. Macauley, with a
long record of supporting the
Stalinists in maritime, took the
Lundeberg letter as a personal
affront and rushed tO"'"the press
with his hysterical threats.
What is significant in Macaul
ey's performance is not so much
that his snottyness is due to the
weakness of his arguments, but
that for the first time the vmions
are threatened by a government
The Saga Of
Alcoa Scout
Told Is
The heroic story of the S.S.
Alcoa Scout and its SIU crew
was released this week, almost a
year to the day after it occured.
It is a story of a small, slow ship
of World War I vintage, facing
one of the most vicious North
Atlantic storms in recent year's,
and because of the seamanship
of the crew, coming through with
flying colors.
The Alcoa Scout steamed into
an east coast port at the end of
her tussle with the elements last
winter with only six inches of
free-board aft and four feet for
ward. Examination of the ship
revealed that she was twisted
completely out of alignment, the
holds carried a large quantity of
water, all lifeboats had been
swept away, one anchor was gone
and several ventilators were se
verely battered.
The report of the master, Capt.
Charles B. Dunn, said that enemy
action could not have hurt his
ship any more than the wild,
winter storms he had encounter
ed in carrying vital supplies to
remote. northern air bases estab
lished by the Army.
bureau with the use of the RMO
trainees as strike-breakers. The
SIU-SUP has predicted from the
very beginning that the WSA
would attempt to use the thous
ands of government trained kids
as finks once the war ended and
the shipowners and the unions
come to grips. Now, even before
the war ends, the WSA whips up
a fake strike scare just to give it
an excuse to threaten the unions
with its trainees.
Macauley told reporters that
the government has 28,000 sea
men available to break strikes.
That's a lot of bunk. What he
didn't tell the reporters is that
the great majority of the train
ees have joined the various mari
time unions and are not' the do
cile finks he considers them, and
that the men he proposes to man
the ships with have had no ac
tual sea experience and are prac
tically aU unrated men. When
the real test of strength comes
between the. unions and the ship
owners (and their controlled
government boards), we can
promise Mr. Macauley that the
great majority of his trainees
will wind up on the side of the
unions. He shouldn't be too
cocky about how many strike
breakers he can throw into the
waterfront.
So much for Macauley's diver
sionary tactic—now for the real
issues between us.
This move to eliminate the old
timers from the industry arises
from a need on the part of both
the Stalinists and the shipowners
to pick off the old and tested
militants in the unions. Both the
Stalinists and the shipowners
find themselves in irreconcilable
opposition to the old-timers and
hope to supplant them with the
more tractable kids now coming
out of the government schools.
They have seized upon the
scheme of physical examinations
as the easiest and cleanest meth
od of eliminating the militant
union men.
This plan was approved by Joe
Curran last month. It was im
mediately picked up by the fel
low travelers in the WSA and a
directive order was drawn which
would become operative on De
cember 1, 1943.
Immediately a wave of pro
test swept the waterfront, not
only in the SIU-SUP, but within
the NMU itself. It was to coun
ter this protest that Macauley
and the fellow travelers charged
{Continued on Page 4)
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'1 r Page Two THE SEAFARERS LOG Friday. December 3. 1943 ^
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III
SEAFARERS LOG
Pulrlished by the
SEAFARERS' INTERNATIONAL UNION
OF NORTH AMERICA
Atlantic and Gulf IMstrict
Affiliated with the American Federation o/ Labor ,
HARRY LUNDEBERG ------ "President
110 Maricct Street, San Francisco, Calif.
JOHN HAWK ------- Secy-Treas,
P. O. Box 25, Station P., New York Gty
MATTHEW DUSHANE - - - Washington Rep.
424 5tli Street, N. W., Washington, D. C.
*! W W!
Directory of Branches
BRANCH ADDRESS PHONE
NEW YORK (4) 2 Stono St BOwKng Green 9-3437
BOSTON (10) 330 Atlantic Ave Liberty 4057
BALTIMORE (2) 14 North Cay St.. Calvert 4539
PHILADELPHIA ...6 North 6th SL Lombard 765 I
NORFOLK 25 Commercial PI Norfolk 4-1083
NEW ORLEANS (16) ..309 Chartrea St ^nal 3336
SAVANNAH 218 East Bay St Savannah 3-1728
TAMPA 423 East Piatt St..
MOBILE 55 So. Conception St Dial 2-1392
PUERTO RICO 45 Ponce de Leon .Puerto de Tierra
GALVESTON 219 20th Street... ^Iveston 2-8043
FT. LAUDERDALE 2021 S. Federal Highway. .. Ft. Lauderdale 160 1
PUBLICATION OFFICE:
ROOM 213, 2 STONE STREET
New York City BOwling Green 9-8345
~ Z67
The NY Times And
Crocodile Tears
The New York Times has suddenly developed a crying
jag over the plight of some fifteen million "white collar"
workers who, because they are not organized, have failed to
Obtain wage increases permitted under the "Little Steel
formula.
|4iC:
When a conservative ncwspa-|
per like the New York Times
sheds walrus tears over the mis
fortune of any group of workers,
we begin suspecting that some
one is spreading something on
too thick.
The strategy of the newspaper
is obvious. It isn't even faintly
interested in the welfare of these
workers. Otherwise it would ad
vise them to join a union which
could get them all the rights
they are entitled to under the
law and the regulations of the
War Labor Board.
Of course, the New York Times
isn't handing out any such ad
vice. Its purpose is merely to in
flame unorganized workers
against the justified demands of
union workers for immediate re
vision of the "Little Steel" for-
mula to make up for increases in
living costs since May, 1942.
"THE BLAME LIES IN
OURSELVES'
Moreover, we don't for one
minute accept the figures offered
•by the New York Times. We have
extreme doubts that there are as
many as fifteen million workers
in America whose wages or sal
aries have not increased as much
as 15 per cent since Jan. 1, 1941.
The fact is that many white
collar workers are organized into
trade unions affiliated with the
American Federation of Labor
which have protected their inter
ests fully. Thousands of office
workers, for instance, are mem^
bers of the AFL Office Employesj
Unions, which have been grouped;
together in a national council.!
Additional thousands of white
collar workers belong to the va
rious AFL unions in the Federal
Government service and in the
State, County and Municipal
Employes Union. Government
employes, of course, must depend
on legislation to receive wage
adjustments and their unions
have succeeded in-obtaining such
legislation for them in most in
stances.
If the unorganized white col
lar workers have failed to make
similar gains, they have no one
to blame but themselves. That
does not mean to say that we
lack sympathy for them. Sym
pathy is too mild a word. For
many years the American Feder
ation of Labor has told these
workers that they are bound to
suffer unless they organize. Their
present plight proves the wisdom
of this advice. Nor is it too late
for them to act upon it. The
unions of the AFL are glad to
welcome new members at any
time. In fact, they spend consid
erable sums each year trying to
orgaaize the unorganized.
Lest this be considered a pre
judiced point of view, we would
like to call attention to what
WLB Chairman Davis had to say
when he was asked what under
paid white collar workers should
do to get wage increases they are
entitled to.
GET WISE—ORGANIZE
"Well, one way," said Mr. Da
vis, "is to join an organization.
That is the way I would do."
Yes, the white collar workers
should take this lesson to heart.
They should realize by now that
no worker can afford to be a
{Continued on Fage 4)
fRtPOUT or\.
n, >^ASH irvGiprv.,
• BV MATT-HEW DMSMAME-*
Several months ago I reported
that the War Shipping Adminis
tration was working on a plan
whereby all rherchant seamen
would be required to take a med-
cal examination. Mr. Marshall E.
Dimock, Assistant Deputy Direc-
;or for Recruitment and Man
ning, has sent me a communica
tion advising me that 4he WSA
has proposed a general order on
this matter. The RMO will hold
a meeting to discuss the order on
November 30th.
The WSA proposed order ap
plies to all ships owned by or
under bareboat charter to the
WSA, and states this -medical ex
amination must be taken to
safeguard the health of seagoing
personnel and to avoid delays
which are caused by illness of
crew members while vessels are
on voyage. Dimock certainly
knows how to line up the angles
when he wants to put something
across.
The standards for medical ex
aminations shall be approved by
the U.S. Public Health Service
upon the recommendation of the
Medical Director of the WSA.
Standards will be set by the
WSA.
All general agents of the WSA
who have doctors on their staff
may continue examining seamen
as in the past. Those who have
no doctors, arrangements will be
made to provide medical exaip-;
inations by doctors desiginated
by the medical director of the
WSA. Evidently the shortage of
doctors that we read so much
about is aU hooey.
If a seamen is turned down
or employment by the sawbones,
he may appeal the decision in
accordance to the collective
bargaining agreement. Another
appeal is by a doctor satisfactory
to both parties. No mention is
made as to who is going to foot
the bill for the sawbones that
would be satisfactory (?) to both
parties.
A seaman will be advised ver
bally by the sawbones why he
was rejected, a full report on his
rejection will be supplied upon
his request, and will be in con
formance with established regu
lations and practices of the U.S.
Public Health Service.
Mr. Dimock states that this
examination is primarily to stop
delays in vessels, however, it
seems to me that with all this
red tape, it will be a wonder if
they sail any vessels at all.
This looks to me like a contest
to eliminate all the old timers
and set up a super duper class of
seamen. It wasn't such a long
time back that several companies
refused to hire any seamen over
thirty-five years of age, and the
medical examination was the
weapon that they employed to
enforce their rules. It also ap
pears that the WSA is centraliz
ing more of its power into the
RMO, which indicates that this
centralization of power is the
forerunner for the preparation
by the WSA to jettison all col
lective bargaining agreements
that the maritime unions have
with the employers.
The United States Shipping
Board was the 1921 version of
the present Wai- Shipping Ad
ministration, and like the present
WSA, during world war No.
cooperated with and supplement
ed the work of the ISU. Then in
1921 the Shipping Board used
taxpayers' money to break the
b a etc s of organized seamen
-through the infamous lockout,
and inagurated their open shop
program, and made seamen flie
chattels of the shipowners until
1943, when the Pacific Coast
Maritime Unions broke their
chains of bondage.
My opinion is that Mr. Dimock
is preparing to line himself up
and become the Captain Peter
son of the 1921 era. We have all
read Jack London's definition of
a scab. To my knowledge no one
has defined a scab herder, in all
probability the English language
does not contain the words that
would adequately define such
subject matters.
U.S. COAST GUARD:
Several cases are coming in!
regarding suspension and revo-,
cation of seamen's certificates.
Latest Coast Guard order is:
Temporary wartime rules gov
erning investigations of accidents
and casualties, as amended
through October 22, 1943 — Title
46 Shipping — Chapiex II Coast
Guard: Inspection and Naviga
tion—Part 133-"A" Marine In
vestigation Board Rules" — Ad
vise all agents to go to the near
est C.G. office and get copies so
that they can intelligently advise
our membership as to their
rights, privileges, and immunities
under the Constitution.
SEC. 136.107 Appeal, (a)
Any person whose license or
certificate of service or effici
ency is revoked or suspended
may, within thirty days after
the decision of the hearing of
ficer, take an appeal to the dis
trict C.G. officer of the district
in which the hearing was held.
Every appeal shall set forth as
briefly as possible the name of
the appellant, the nature of the
charge, the name of the hear
ing officer who made the de
cision, the substance of the de
cision, and a statement of each
separate ground for appeal.
(b) The district C.G. officer
on appeal may affirm, reverse,
or modify the decision of the
hearing officer or remand the
case for further hearing. The
District C.G. officer will not
consider evidence which is not
part of the record of the hear
ing and will not consider- any
ground for appeal which is not
specified by the accused. The
decision of the District C.G. of
ficer on appeal will be in writ
ing and will contain his find
ings and conclusions. The de
cision of the District C.G. of-
ATLANTIC AND GULF SHIPPING FOR
WEEK OF NOVEMBER 15th TO 20th
DECK ENGINE STEWARD TOTAL
SHIPPED 361 180 275 816
REGISTERED 270 218 246 784
I 4
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ficer on appeal will be in wrii<
ing and will contain his find*
ings and conclusions. The de-*
cision of the District C.G. of
ficer on appeal shall be final
and shall be binding on tha
parties for all purposes.
(c) A iranscript ofdhe record
before the hearidg officer shall
be made available to any per
son whose license or certificala
is revoked or suspended for
the purpose of making an ap
peal pursuant to fhe provision^
of this section.
(d) Any person whose li
cense or certificate is revoked
or suspended and who intends
to appeal from the decision of
revocation or suspension may
file with the heuing officer a
request for a temporary lieensa
or certificate valid during iha
pendency of the appeal. Sudt
temporary license or certificate
shall contain such terms SBA
conditions as the issuing officer
may prescribe and shall con
tain a definite expiration date
fixed by the issuing officer
which date, however, may be
extended from lime to time by
the issuing officer."
I am of the opinion that the
membership should fully ao-,
quaint themselves with the C.G.
orders on revocation and suspen
sions of certificates. Particularly
the above section, as there may
he some cases wherein a menir
her may he ordered to appear
before a hearing officer, and he
may not have the opportunity to
contact one of our agents for ad
vice. If possible, they should
have the services of a lawyer.
Brothers, don't forget that when
your certificates are revoked or
suspended, your draft hoard is
notified. So if you do not want
to go into the Army, you should
make every effort to see that you
get a fair and just trial. Have
been advised that this whole pro-
ceedure may he illegal.
GULF COAST FISHERMEN
On November 9 and 10th—^The
CPA held a meeting in Jackson
ville, Florida on the question of
ceiling prices on fish.
The general consensus of op
inion of the industry representa
tives and the SIU Fishermen's
representatives was that the ceil
ing prices on Mullet for the pro
ducers should he seven cents.
The CPA representatives refused
to give, any consideration on the
increased cost of nets and other ,
material connected with the cat
ching of fish, and stated that the
ceiling price should he three
cents.
The low down on why the
OPA is insisting, on a ceiling of
three cents is that the New Eng-
(Conthined on Page 3)
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http://www.pdfcompressor.org/buy.html
Friday. December 3, 1943 THE SEAFARERS LOG
Page Threa
WHArS DOING
Arounil the Ports
NEW ORLEANS
Tomorrow 1 s Thanksgiving
Day. We have to be thankful for
the fact that in this land of ours
all kinds can live and breath and
carry on in the manner to which
they are accustomed.
We are honored by having in
"our fair city a ship which is op=
-Grated by our old friend Mr.
-Squires. After being in port for
five days they got around to pay-
-Ihg off, at this time it was sud-
^^denly brought to the attention of
-the above named gentleman that
there were some men aboard the
-scow who had not made the trip.
These men were ordered by the
-First Engineer after the Master
had made the statement that he
was paying off (this was Friday)
even though the men reported
and worked. The deck engineer
:%vOTked forty-four straight hours.
Mr. Squires stated that he would
not pay these men. The whole
•question came down to whether
!or not we should take orders
from anyone but the office. This
;mihd you, after the run around
•we got here from the Firmore
•last summer.
The men that were shipped
from this hall were theh inform
ed by yours truly that as they
•were not going to get paid they
need not work and at the same
time I told Mr. Squires that he
, was breaking the agreement. Of
course he did not agree.
Next day, after considerable
discussion in the office of the
Company which is the acting
agent, it was agreed to pay these
men for the days they worked
and also for their lodging. When
ready to leave, Mr. Squires in
formed us that he wanted a
white Stewards department
aboard this ship, even though
she had come in with a colored
department and there had beeri
a colored department shipped. I
informed him that I would put
the jobs on the board.
The colored crew went to the
ship the next day and turned to.
Later this evening Mr. Squires
called and stated that he had or
dered a white department and
how come that we had sent a col
ored one. When I asked the gent
if he would order me to pull off
these guys he hedged and stated
that he would not be put on the
spot. The next move in the
game is the gentleman trying to
sign the ship on while she lays in
drydock, even though she will be
here some time. Have already
several calls from members of
the ship's crew who think that
this is a lot of old-fashioned
bunk and that they are not going
to sign on.
Every time that we get one of
this company's ships in here we
have a lot of unneeded trouble.
There is more static involved in
trying to care for a couple of
these lousy packets than any
other company that operates. I
1
i .-i
SIU And Tanker Members
On West Coast
Central Registering: and Dispatching Office
Open in SUP Headquarters at San Francisco
For SIU Members and T, C*s in
Deck, Engine and Steward Departments
Increased shipping on West Coast by SIU members
has made it necessary to open a separate and complete
business office to be devoted solely to registering and car
ing for the needs of SIU members in all departments.
All SIU members in San Francisco are required to im
mediately register in SIU office at 59 Clay St. SIU members
in SUP Branches on the West Coast are to register in the
respective SUP Office and receive an SIU shipping card.
- SIU shipping cards will have preference on SIU ships and
will be recognized by all SUP Dispatchers. SIU Deck mem
bers will have second preference when SUP members are
available.
For Further Information:
Call your union offices and tanker organizers at the
addresses listed below. You will always finds somebody at
these numbers excepting at night.
SEATTLE, WASH.—86 Seneca St.—Phone Elliott 6752.
—^E. Coester or Johnson.
PORTLAND, OREGON—111 West Burnside St.—Phone
Beacon 4336—John Massey or C. Atkins.
RICHMOND, CALIFORNIA—257 Fifth St.—Phone Rich
mond 4021—Louie Glebe or Banks.
VANCOUVER, B. C.—340 B. Gamble St.—Phono Pacific
7824—Hugh Murphy.
WILMINGTON, California—440 Avalon Blvd. —Phone
4449.
NEW YORK crry — 105 Broad St. — Phone BOwUng
Green 9-9530—Morris Weisberger.
SAN FRANCISCO—59 Clay St.—Phone Exbrook 8229—
Pha Coriley.
believe that we would be in or
der to bring to the attention of
the powers that be the way that
this outfit works and ask them to
compile one of those files that
they delight in forming on sea
men.
In closing I would like to be
able to cast a glance into the old
crystal glass and see what the
second cook who is coming from
New York to take the Paca does
when he finds that we still ship
from the union hall.
So thanks for Thanksgiving, in
Berlin those still alive are very,
very thankful that their bali-
wicks are still standing. In
Tokyo the slant-eyes are thank
ful that there are no more
Shangri-la's. We here in New
Orleans in the SIU are thankful
that there are no Calmar Steam
ship companies doing business.
Thanks.
I wonder how I would stack
up for a Thanksgiving job.
ARMY, Ageni
Editor's Mail Bag
SAVANNAH
Shipping in this port has been
slow the last 10 days. I had a
lot of the boys come up from
Tampa and New Orleans but
most of them went right on to
Norfolk in as much as Brother
Rogers was in need of men in
all departments in that port.
Shipping at the present time is
very good here as we have one
West Coast ship in Wilmington
and one in Charleston. Shipping
also looks very good for the com
ing week. Nothing more to re
port for now.
CHARLES WAID, Agent
HAWK TELEGRAPHS
PROTEST TO LAND
ON MEDICAL EXAM.
Telegram sent to WSA on day
of meeting to consider the phy
sical exams.
Admiral E. S. Land,
Administrator
War Shipping Administration
Department of Commerce Bldg.
Washington, D. C.
Dimock of Recruitment and
Manning Organization is attempt
ing to make compulsory a phy
sical examination for all men in
the merchant marine. Any rigid
physical rules would inevitably
eliminate many old-time seamen,
usually rated men, so vitally
needed in this war emergency.
Compulsory physical examina
tions would play into the hands
of labor's enemies and give them
an opportunity to deal us and the
war effort a blow by black-ball
ing many men from their trade.
Dimock says that ships have
missed sailing schedules due to
ill health of crews. We brand
this a lie and challenge him to
prove statement. For morale of
men sailing the ships, for the
best interest of the industry, we
appeal for. your aid in defeating
this proposal.
JOHN HAWK
Secretary-Treasurer,
Atlantic & Gulf District
Seafarers International Union
Editor
Dear Sir;
P-erhaps you couH helij me. Is
there some sort of pin I could
wear for my husband who died
in the merchant marine in
March? Isn't there something
that I could wear to show that
my husband did his part?
I noticed in your paper of
April 30, 1943, that my husband's
name was listed "In Mcmoriam."
Any information you could give
ihe would help.
Mrs. Herbert Zumpft
(Relatives of merchant seamen
killed in action are entitled to
wear and display the regular gold
service star.—^Editor).
• • •
Traffic Det. Hangar 6
National Airport
Washington, D. C.
Editor,
Dear Brother:
This is just to tell you (in case
you don't already know) that in
the current issue of Fortune Mag
azine there is an article on
unions—and a full page picture
of the "Hall" with Paul reading
off the jobs and a gang of the
fellows standing ai'ound. If I re
member it's in color.
Again, as usual unfortunately,
there isn't any credit given to
our union. But I got quite a kick
seeing Paul (some of the boys tell
me that he's been going to sea
again) and that now famous ship
ping board again.
I quit the sea in March for a
special assignment with Air
Transport Command (from cargo
to cargo) and the work here is ad
exciting (and as secret) as hell.
Every General and every big-
shot comes through here and wa
get to see them all.
But every so often I miss tha
water and the ships and tha
steady clanging of the engine
room from below deck. And
some how flying is a sleepy busi
ness.
Incidentally, in the next issue
(probably hits the newstands on
January 1st) of World At War
Magazine, there is the story of
my voyage to Murmansk in the
days when it was stiU something
to talk about. I mention it be
cause I deliberately mentioned
the SIU in it twice; I'll get a per
sonal kick seeing our name in
print after getting sick of aU the
hot air the Curranumist were
throwing out.
Then there's another magazine
story coming out soon in which I
quoted Paul and again mentioned
the Union. (This time they would
only aUow one mention.)
Got a note from Brother Joe
Whelen the other day. Joe fol
lowed in my footsteps (and our
advice is don't anybody else do
it) and joined the Army to "get
away from the sea for awhile."
So they stuck him in the Rescue
Boat Squadron of the Air Corps.
He was just born for salt water!
Writing this because he men
tioned getting his retirement card
•and I remember Uiat in the ex
citement I forgot to put in for
mine. I'd like to now.
Best regards to all the
Brothers,
Pvt. LIONEL SIMON
REPORT FROM
Washington
{Continued from Page 2)
land operators do not want fish
ermen from up north to go south
this year. The practice in the past
has been for fishermen from
around Glocester, Mass., to go to
the southern fishing fields in the
winter. Now if the CPA set a
low ceiling on southern fish, this
will have the tendency to not en
courage fishermen to go to the
usual southern fishing grounds.
The New England fishermen
are at present on strike against
the OPA boondongling on the
fish ceiling set up in the New
England Area.
Mr. Charles Trigg, Chief Fish
Consultant in the OPA, was
formerly a • fish dealer, and his
policy has been to give all the
gravy to the fish dealers. He has
given them so much gravy in the
New Englaiid aiea that the deal
ers themselves have made the
statement that the fishermen
should be given a better share of
the proceeds of the catch. In
statements made before the War
Labor Board the dealers admit-
ed that they are making more
money now than before the ceil
ing prices were set up, and that
the fishermen should be entitled
Keep In Touch With
Your Draft Board
to a better share than they are
now receiving.
The New England fish dealers
are cleaning up and do not want
their fishermen to go south. Prob
ably the only way to put the
skids on Mr. Trigg is a general
strike of fishermen.
MONEY DUE
R. H. TAURIN has overlime
coming from the Calmar Line.
See patrolman Sheehan about it.
n- «
R. McLAURIN has overtime
coming from the New York of
fice of the Calmar Line.
« • •
Crew which paid off S.S. Alcoa
Voyager in Sept. 1943, has $10
linen money coming. Collect 17
Battery Place. New York City.
» » •
Steward Department of S.S.
Cape Henlopen which paid oft
November 1943, has overtime
coming from the Bull Line.
» » »
The logging of the Steward's
Department of the S.S. Daniel
Willard has been reversed by the
Commissioner after a length]^
triid. The men involved can col- ^
lect their extra meal money and
log refund from Calmar Line
Office.
/
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Page Four THE SEAFARERS LOG Friday. December 3, 1943
I
!•
•
'••f'
Macauley Whips Up Strike
Scare In Smearing SIU-SUP
The NY Times And
Crocodile Tears
letting men go to sea with ven
ereal diseases and other contag-
eous ailments.
To set the record straight once
more—we are in favor of ven
ereal inspection. We are in favor
of eliminating from the crews
any man who has a disease that
constitutes a health menace lo
his shipmates.
We are opposed to the rigid
physical standards proposed by
Macauley and the Stalinists
which would eliminate the old-
timers suffering from minor in
capacities which do not effect
their efficiency on the job. The
proposed physical requirements
could be construed to eliminate
from the industry many men who
receive "battle shock", impaired
hearing, etc., caused from bomb
ings while delivering the goods
-to the war fronts. Fine gratitude
to show these men who have
risk their very lives in this war.
No provisions are being made to
rehabilitate them in-shore jobs—
but they would become victims
of the government's war upon
the unions.
There is no question in any-
. one's mind about how the rank
and file seamen stand on this is
sue. The NMU leadership know
that there is a near-revolt in the
NMU. Macauley knows how the
other unions feel because a flood
of telegrams has been descend
ing upon his office. Almost every
port on both cojists has been
heard from, and in no uncertain
terms.
If Macauley can twist this into
a strike threat—let him do so.
» » »
Following is the text of Lunde-
berg's letter which sent Macaul-
ey's blood-pressure to such dizzy
heights:
San Francisco, Calif.,
November 2-3, 1943
Captain Edward Macauley,
Deputy War Shipping
. Administrator
c/o War Shipping
Administration,
Department of Commerce Bldg,
Washington, (25) D.C.
(Copies to House Merchant
Marine and
Fisheries Committee.
William Green, President,
A. F. of L.
Mathew Dushane, Wash.
^ Rep., SIU of N.A.
John Hawk, Scc'y.-Treas.,
Atlantic-Gulf District,
SIU of N.A.
Marshall Dimock, Asst.
Deputy Adm.
Recruitment-Manning,
WSA and others.)
Dear Sir;
On November 23, 1943, we re
ceived a communication from one
of your men, Mr. Marshall E.
Dimock, Asst. Deputy Adminis
trator for Recruitment and Man
ning. This communication con
tained a copy of a Proposed Gen
eral Order regarding medical ex
aminations for crews on War
Shipping Administration's ves
sels. Mr. Dimock's letter goes on
r-' C to say—"The suggestions made
• by the Maritime Labor Unions to
• Dr. Daniel Blain, in response to
his letter sent to the Presidents
{Continued from Page 1) jef a" unions several months ago
that the SIU-SUP was in favor of been incorporated wherever
possible, in this proposed Gener
al Order." This statement is un
true, insofar as we arc concern
ed, because we are definitely and
absolutely opposed to this pro
posed program dealing with
medical examinations for sea
men, beyond what already exists
and has been functioning so well
for many years past.
Mr. Dimock further states: "I
believe that this program of
medical examinations is an im
portant step in safeguarding the
health of sea-going personnel and
in avoiding ship delays which
are caused by illness of crew
members while vessels are on a
voyage."
NO SHIPS DELAYED
We do not know of a cheaper
way of trying to put over a pro
gram such as this Proposed Gen
eral Order has in view, than by
stating it will "avoid delaying
ship,S caused by illness of crew
members." To our knowledge,
(and we thing it is pretty exten
sive covering 40,000 Merchant
Seamen, covering some 900 ships
on the West Coast, not counting
those on the East Coast) at no
time has any vessel been delay
ed due to illness of the crew
since the war started!
We challenge you to refute this
statement!
This Proposed General Order
for merchant seamen will mean
nothing but the elimination of
old-time seamen from the indus
try. You know, of course, that
there are thousands of men be
tween the ages of 40 and 60—and
over—who still go to sea. Ex
cepting when someone is after
their scalps, they are called "Old
Sea Dogs." You know too that
these men are not all 100 per
cent physical specimens. How
could they be, after spending 30
to 40 years of their life in some
of the rotten, vermin-ridden,
leaky and unsanitary fo'cstles,
which were so prevalent until
the Unions were able to adjust
these conditions?
PLEA FOR OLD-TIMERS
Now, there are many old-tim
ers, whose eyes might not be so
strong at 50, as they were at 20
—whose hearing might not be so
good—his blood pressure, might
be a little higher—he might be
It looks like this Proposed Order
has been very carefully set up so
there can be no come-back in
case of discrimination.
flat-footed — or there might be
any number of small physical
defects which an aspiring medi
cal officer might use as an excuse
to turn a man down for "physical
disability."
In the Proposed General Order
it also states that if a man is re
jected by "your medical officer"
—he can appeal to the Public
Health Service. This evidently is
iviearit as a bit of satire—because,
as we understand it, the medical
examining officer will be ap
pointed through the public health
office. So, how far is a man's
appeal going to go?
You further state in your pro
posed General Order that a man
who has been rejected shall be
verbally advised, if he requests
it, as to the reasons for his rejec
tion. This is also a joke—because
if a man is rejected for medical
reasons, why don't the medical
officers put it down in writing?
EXISTING PROVISIONS
AMPLE SAFEGUARDS
You are well aware of the fact
that every merchant seaman who
goes to sea today must pass a
Public Health examination be
fore he is issued his certificate of
seamanship. You are also aware
that if a man gets sick aboai-d
ship, he is entitled to go to the
Marine Hospital. You should
give the merchant seamen a lit
tle credit to this extent that no
man who is really ill will go
aboard a ship and take a chance
on his own health! We realize
the Washington Bureaucrats who
spend their time and the tax
payers' money drafting these
Proposed General Orders do not
have too much respect for a mer
chant seamen's intelligence, but
a seaman has that much sense, I
can assure you.
What is wrong with the pres-
sent et-up? Today some steam
ship companies have physical
examinations. Others have not.
But, as stated before, and as you
well know, every merchant sea
man must pass a Public Health
examination before he is issued
his certificate of seamanship.
For years the shipowners have
attempted to discriminate against
seamen through company doc
tors, and seamen have been able
to appeal to the Public Health
officers if they felt they were be
ing discriminated against, and in
many cases company doctor's de
cisions have been repudiated by
Public Health Service.
Now, the shipowners will be in
a -different position. The ship
owners through this Proposed
General Order, will set War
Shipping Administration, (man
aged and controlled by them
selves, up to do the dirty work
for the shipowners, and thru this
procedure, eliminate old-timers
from the industry.
MAKE WAY FOR YOUR
TRAINEES
There is a reason for it. The
War Shipping Administration has
spent millions of the tax-payers'
money enrolling "new men" for
the Shipping industry, and it is
no secret that in most cases they
are being taught to hate the
Union seamen. What would be
sweeter for the shipowners and
politicians, who run this set-up,
than to be able to show that the
Union man gets off the ship, and
is being replaced by the WSA-
trained newcomer? Do you ex
pect to justify your expenditures
in this fashion?
How do we know we're going
to get a square deal from the
medical-appointees of the WSA?
It is a certainty he won't get ap
pointed unless he is "right" in
politics with the crowd running
the WSA, and therefore he will
owe his loyalty to whoever ap
points him—and the appoint
ment comes from the WSA.
NO PROTECTION FOR
SEAMEN
Now, you can not deny that
the WSA is largely controlled by
the shipowners. Where does the
seamen's protection come in? Not
in this deal! He's up against a
{Continued from Page 2)
rugged individualist. Theyshoulc
see the futility of bargaining as
individuals in an industrial
economy which is highly organ
ized.
Isn't it just a silly manifests
tion of false pride for an office
worker to consider himself above
his fellow workers? Isn't he cut
ting off his nose to spite his face
if he fails to join with other of
fice workers in a union to protect
the interest of all white collar
workers?
It seems shameful to us that
office workers, who have the
benefits of better education,
should be so far behind workers
in overalls when it comes to ad
vancement of. their economic
status through organization.
Potentially^ the office workers
could have one of the largest and
strongest unions in the country if
they would only throw off the
ridiculous mental hazards against
joining a union which have been
cleverly set up by employer
propaganda.
As a member of an AFL Office
Workers Union ourself, we can
testify that such union member
ship has not interfered in the
slightest degree with our inde
pendence of thought or action.
We can also testify from our
personal observation that union
office workers are better paid
and work under better conditions
than non-union office workers.
So we say to the unorganized
office workers of the country—
don't envy union members who
are better paid. Get wise and
join an AFL union yourselves!
—Philip Pearl
New ̂ Luxury'
Life Rafts
Tested
{Continued from Page 1) •
frying pan with fifteen pounds of
fuel also took the forty-five-foo|
drop required by USCG regula
tions, into San Francisco Bay.
The stove and fuel are avail«
able as extra equipment if th«
armed forces or Maritime Com
mission want them.
Like other standard rafts de
veloped during the war, it car
ries signaling and safety equip
ment required by the Coasf
Guard, including distress signal^
signal pistols, signaling mirrors*
illuminating oil, drinking cups,
matches, fishing tackle, blanketSJ
compass and electric waterlight.
Measuring 8 by 16 feet by 41,
inches, the reversible raft is de
signed for twenty persons, but
thirty-six have been aboard at
one time. There are the usual ten
quarts of water per person, four
teen ounces of pemmican and thd
same amounts of malted millc
tablets, chocolate and "C" Army
ration biscuit. Protective cur
tains, sails and canopy are all
painted orange to make them
visible long distances from sea ox;
air.
Irhe Young company expects to
lit top production for its new
raft at its Oakland assemply line
about Jan. 1, holding econtracts to
furnish various Liberty shipa;
other types of cargo vessels,
tankers and transports. s
stonewall.
In our frank opinion, this is
part of a long range program
adopted by the bureaucrats of
the WSA, in conjunction with
certain shipowners, to move in
and eliminate old-time union
seamen. This is directly in line
with your training program, and
with your Recruitment and Man
ning Organization — and how
comes your "medical program."
It will work handily in using
the taxpayei's money to build up
and guarantee jobs for the fu
ture for the "right" guys—pro
viding they do their dirty work
against the American seamen,
and if the people in your Bu
reaus spent a little less time in
figuring out ways and means of
putting seamen behind the eight
ball, and a little more for the
war effort, we would be much
further ahead. This proposed
General Order, worked out by a
bunch of $10,000.00 a year stiffs,
with nothing to do but scheme to
keep themselves in office, will
disrupt the now-efficient sailing
of American ships.
Should any ships be delayed
through this proposed medical
scheme of yours, we will lay the
responsibility right in your lap.
Our organization will absolute
ly and definitely not cooperate in
this respect.
We challenge your authority to
sit back in Washington, D. C. and
lay down laws and regulations
affecting hundreds and thousands
of men, and involving the spend
ing of millions of taxpayers'
'£^%cnals
AUGUST DAUM:
Your wife has been injured^*
and would like to hear from you.
She is at the Huntington Valley
Country Club, Abington, Pa.
«• » »
WALLACE H. SMOKE. Jr.
Contact the Tampa Agent. He
has important information for
you.
money, in the high-handed man
ner in which you people are do-
ng.
We are sending copies of this
letter to all members of the Mer
chant Marine and Fisheries Com
mittee of our Senate and Con- J_
gress, who so ably managed and
laid down the law for the Mer
chant Seamen, and whose wise
handling of the merchant marine p! |
affairs is directly responsible for fg
the role the merchant marine has ®
played in this war — and even
you cannot deny that it has been
a noble one.
Our representative in Wash
ington, D. C., Mr. Dushane, wiH
appear at the November 30tb
meeting and further outline
opposition to this program.
By Orders of the Membership,
Harry Lundeberg, Secy.-Treas,,,
Sailors Union of the Pacific.
President, Seafarers Interna
tional Union of North Americd
(Representing 40,000 American |
Merchant seamen.)
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OFFICIAL OEGAN OF THE ATLANTIC AND GULF DISTRICT,
SEAFARERS' INTERNATIONAL UNION OF NORTH AMEETCA
Vol. V. NEW YORK. N.Y., FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1943 No. 34
Macauley Whips Up Strike
Scare In Smearing SlU-SUP
VSS Is Picketed By
Angry Merchantmen
The United Seamen's Service,
that super-dooper, stream-lined,
guilt-edged charity outfit, was
picketed this week in New York
- by a group of seamen who were
fed up with the anti-union moves
of this reformer outfit. Picket
lines appeared on Monday eve
ning before the Andrew Furuseth
Glub and on Tuesday-before the
USS headquarters at 39 Broad
way. The signs carried by the
pickets centered their attacks
upon Mr. James Moore, a union-
baiting character who is now
New York Port Director for the
USS.
The immediate cause of the
picket line was the firing by
Moore of Jerry McGlade, a sea-
xnen employed at the Andrew
Furuseth Club. Ever since
Moore has been in charge of the
club he has been house-cleaning
the organization in an effort to
eliminate all those who fail to
lick his boots or who show any
real sympathy for the seamen
and their problems. McGlade is
a disabled seaman, having lost
an arm and a leg abroad, and
was employed at the club before
Moore took over.
"The very fact that I was a
seaman seemed to iritate Moore,"
McGlade said, "and I could see
that he was determined to ease
me out and put in some boys'
club reformer."
Mooi-e's way of easing McGlade
out of his job was to demand
that he run for the cops each
time one of the boys in the bar
got gassed up a bit. McGlade
naturally objected to calling the
cops just because the boys had
heaved a few too many—and he
was fired.
Mr. Marshall Dimock's mother-
in-law also came in for some
blasting on the picket cards. She
is the one who demanded that a
seaman be arrested when he ab
sent-mindedly walked off with
her fountain pen a few weeks
ago. This was reported in Du-
shane's column week before last.
The picket signs labeled
Moore a "Little Ceasar" and de
manded that the "USS Be Staff
ed With Seamen—Not With Di
mock's Relatives."
Captain Edward Macauley called reporters into his office early this week and
issued hysterical charges that the SIU-SUP was planning to strike and announced that
the WSA was laying plans to use the Army, the Navy and the RMO trainees to break
the strike. This deliberate smear of the SIU-SUP was immediately given a big play by
the nation's press—all the major papers in New York devoting scare headlines to the
^ story. •
New 'Luxury'
Life Rafts
Tested
OAKLAND, Calif., Nov. 29 —
The latest "luxury" raft which
will carry torpedoed soldiers and
seamen away from their trans
ports and merchant vessels in en
emy-infested waters is designed
to help meet the recreational
needs of the survivors as well as
to make life easier for any seri
ously wounded men aboard.
A Bible, a deck of playing
cards, a carton of cigarettes and
two canvas berth beds, on which
men in a critical condition may
lie in comparative comfort, are
standard equipment on every
raft. And when the new arc-
welded steel life-saving appar
atus underwent its final inspec
tion test at the L. • A. Young
Spring and Wire Corporation's
plant in Oakland, a stove and
(CotiUntud on Page 4)
This was, of course, just as
Macauley planned. His deliber
ate slander' against our union
was couched in language design
ed to make it appear that the
union was sabotaging the war
effort, thus assuring that the em
ployer press would give it a big
play.
Actually no strike threat had
been made by the union. What
raised Macauley's ire was Harry
Lundeberg's letter of protest
against the Stalinist inspired
move to eliminate many old-
time seamen from their trade by
establishing rigid physical re
quirements. Macauley, with a
long record of supporting the
Stalinists in maritime, took the
Lundeberg letter as a personal
affront and rushed tO"'"the press
with his hysterical threats.
What is significant in Macaul
ey's performance is not so much
that his snottyness is due to the
weakness of his arguments, but
that for the first time the vmions
are threatened by a government
The Saga Of
Alcoa Scout
Told Is
The heroic story of the S.S.
Alcoa Scout and its SIU crew
was released this week, almost a
year to the day after it occured.
It is a story of a small, slow ship
of World War I vintage, facing
one of the most vicious North
Atlantic storms in recent year's,
and because of the seamanship
of the crew, coming through with
flying colors.
The Alcoa Scout steamed into
an east coast port at the end of
her tussle with the elements last
winter with only six inches of
free-board aft and four feet for
ward. Examination of the ship
revealed that she was twisted
completely out of alignment, the
holds carried a large quantity of
water, all lifeboats had been
swept away, one anchor was gone
and several ventilators were se
verely battered.
The report of the master, Capt.
Charles B. Dunn, said that enemy
action could not have hurt his
ship any more than the wild,
winter storms he had encounter
ed in carrying vital supplies to
remote. northern air bases estab
lished by the Army.
bureau with the use of the RMO
trainees as strike-breakers. The
SIU-SUP has predicted from the
very beginning that the WSA
would attempt to use the thous
ands of government trained kids
as finks once the war ended and
the shipowners and the unions
come to grips. Now, even before
the war ends, the WSA whips up
a fake strike scare just to give it
an excuse to threaten the unions
with its trainees.
Macauley told reporters that
the government has 28,000 sea
men available to break strikes.
That's a lot of bunk. What he
didn't tell the reporters is that
the great majority of the train
ees have joined the various mari
time unions and are not' the do
cile finks he considers them, and
that the men he proposes to man
the ships with have had no ac
tual sea experience and are prac
tically aU unrated men. When
the real test of strength comes
between the. unions and the ship
owners (and their controlled
government boards), we can
promise Mr. Macauley that the
great majority of his trainees
will wind up on the side of the
unions. He shouldn't be too
cocky about how many strike
breakers he can throw into the
waterfront.
So much for Macauley's diver
sionary tactic—now for the real
issues between us.
This move to eliminate the old
timers from the industry arises
from a need on the part of both
the Stalinists and the shipowners
to pick off the old and tested
militants in the unions. Both the
Stalinists and the shipowners
find themselves in irreconcilable
opposition to the old-timers and
hope to supplant them with the
more tractable kids now coming
out of the government schools.
They have seized upon the
scheme of physical examinations
as the easiest and cleanest meth
od of eliminating the militant
union men.
This plan was approved by Joe
Curran last month. It was im
mediately picked up by the fel
low travelers in the WSA and a
directive order was drawn which
would become operative on De
cember 1, 1943.
Immediately a wave of pro
test swept the waterfront, not
only in the SIU-SUP, but within
the NMU itself. It was to coun
ter this protest that Macauley
and the fellow travelers charged
{Continued on Page 4)
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'1 r Page Two THE SEAFARERS LOG Friday. December 3. 1943 ^
•hf
i-'S
• 1:
III
SEAFARERS LOG
Pulrlished by the
SEAFARERS' INTERNATIONAL UNION
OF NORTH AMERICA
Atlantic and Gulf IMstrict
Affiliated with the American Federation o/ Labor ,
HARRY LUNDEBERG ------ "President
110 Maricct Street, San Francisco, Calif.
JOHN HAWK ------- Secy-Treas,
P. O. Box 25, Station P., New York Gty
MATTHEW DUSHANE - - - Washington Rep.
424 5tli Street, N. W., Washington, D. C.
*! W W!
Directory of Branches
BRANCH ADDRESS PHONE
NEW YORK (4) 2 Stono St BOwKng Green 9-3437
BOSTON (10) 330 Atlantic Ave Liberty 4057
BALTIMORE (2) 14 North Cay St.. Calvert 4539
PHILADELPHIA ...6 North 6th SL Lombard 765 I
NORFOLK 25 Commercial PI Norfolk 4-1083
NEW ORLEANS (16) ..309 Chartrea St ^nal 3336
SAVANNAH 218 East Bay St Savannah 3-1728
TAMPA 423 East Piatt St..
MOBILE 55 So. Conception St Dial 2-1392
PUERTO RICO 45 Ponce de Leon .Puerto de Tierra
GALVESTON 219 20th Street... ^Iveston 2-8043
FT. LAUDERDALE 2021 S. Federal Highway. .. Ft. Lauderdale 160 1
PUBLICATION OFFICE:
ROOM 213, 2 STONE STREET
New York City BOwling Green 9-8345
~ Z67
The NY Times And
Crocodile Tears
The New York Times has suddenly developed a crying
jag over the plight of some fifteen million "white collar"
workers who, because they are not organized, have failed to
Obtain wage increases permitted under the "Little Steel
formula.
|4iC:
When a conservative ncwspa-|
per like the New York Times
sheds walrus tears over the mis
fortune of any group of workers,
we begin suspecting that some
one is spreading something on
too thick.
The strategy of the newspaper
is obvious. It isn't even faintly
interested in the welfare of these
workers. Otherwise it would ad
vise them to join a union which
could get them all the rights
they are entitled to under the
law and the regulations of the
War Labor Board.
Of course, the New York Times
isn't handing out any such ad
vice. Its purpose is merely to in
flame unorganized workers
against the justified demands of
union workers for immediate re
vision of the "Little Steel" for-
mula to make up for increases in
living costs since May, 1942.
"THE BLAME LIES IN
OURSELVES'
Moreover, we don't for one
minute accept the figures offered
•by the New York Times. We have
extreme doubts that there are as
many as fifteen million workers
in America whose wages or sal
aries have not increased as much
as 15 per cent since Jan. 1, 1941.
The fact is that many white
collar workers are organized into
trade unions affiliated with the
American Federation of Labor
which have protected their inter
ests fully. Thousands of office
workers, for instance, are mem^
bers of the AFL Office Employesj
Unions, which have been grouped;
together in a national council.!
Additional thousands of white
collar workers belong to the va
rious AFL unions in the Federal
Government service and in the
State, County and Municipal
Employes Union. Government
employes, of course, must depend
on legislation to receive wage
adjustments and their unions
have succeeded in-obtaining such
legislation for them in most in
stances.
If the unorganized white col
lar workers have failed to make
similar gains, they have no one
to blame but themselves. That
does not mean to say that we
lack sympathy for them. Sym
pathy is too mild a word. For
many years the American Feder
ation of Labor has told these
workers that they are bound to
suffer unless they organize. Their
present plight proves the wisdom
of this advice. Nor is it too late
for them to act upon it. The
unions of the AFL are glad to
welcome new members at any
time. In fact, they spend consid
erable sums each year trying to
orgaaize the unorganized.
Lest this be considered a pre
judiced point of view, we would
like to call attention to what
WLB Chairman Davis had to say
when he was asked what under
paid white collar workers should
do to get wage increases they are
entitled to.
GET WISE—ORGANIZE
"Well, one way," said Mr. Da
vis, "is to join an organization.
That is the way I would do."
Yes, the white collar workers
should take this lesson to heart.
They should realize by now that
no worker can afford to be a
{Continued on Fage 4)
fRtPOUT or\.
n, >^ASH irvGiprv.,
• BV MATT-HEW DMSMAME-*
Several months ago I reported
that the War Shipping Adminis
tration was working on a plan
whereby all rherchant seamen
would be required to take a med-
cal examination. Mr. Marshall E.
Dimock, Assistant Deputy Direc-
;or for Recruitment and Man
ning, has sent me a communica
tion advising me that 4he WSA
has proposed a general order on
this matter. The RMO will hold
a meeting to discuss the order on
November 30th.
The WSA proposed order ap
plies to all ships owned by or
under bareboat charter to the
WSA, and states this -medical ex
amination must be taken to
safeguard the health of seagoing
personnel and to avoid delays
which are caused by illness of
crew members while vessels are
on voyage. Dimock certainly
knows how to line up the angles
when he wants to put something
across.
The standards for medical ex
aminations shall be approved by
the U.S. Public Health Service
upon the recommendation of the
Medical Director of the WSA.
Standards will be set by the
WSA.
All general agents of the WSA
who have doctors on their staff
may continue examining seamen
as in the past. Those who have
no doctors, arrangements will be
made to provide medical exaip-;
inations by doctors desiginated
by the medical director of the
WSA. Evidently the shortage of
doctors that we read so much
about is aU hooey.
If a seamen is turned down
or employment by the sawbones,
he may appeal the decision in
accordance to the collective
bargaining agreement. Another
appeal is by a doctor satisfactory
to both parties. No mention is
made as to who is going to foot
the bill for the sawbones that
would be satisfactory (?) to both
parties.
A seaman will be advised ver
bally by the sawbones why he
was rejected, a full report on his
rejection will be supplied upon
his request, and will be in con
formance with established regu
lations and practices of the U.S.
Public Health Service.
Mr. Dimock states that this
examination is primarily to stop
delays in vessels, however, it
seems to me that with all this
red tape, it will be a wonder if
they sail any vessels at all.
This looks to me like a contest
to eliminate all the old timers
and set up a super duper class of
seamen. It wasn't such a long
time back that several companies
refused to hire any seamen over
thirty-five years of age, and the
medical examination was the
weapon that they employed to
enforce their rules. It also ap
pears that the WSA is centraliz
ing more of its power into the
RMO, which indicates that this
centralization of power is the
forerunner for the preparation
by the WSA to jettison all col
lective bargaining agreements
that the maritime unions have
with the employers.
The United States Shipping
Board was the 1921 version of
the present Wai- Shipping Ad
ministration, and like the present
WSA, during world war No.
cooperated with and supplement
ed the work of the ISU. Then in
1921 the Shipping Board used
taxpayers' money to break the
b a etc s of organized seamen
-through the infamous lockout,
and inagurated their open shop
program, and made seamen flie
chattels of the shipowners until
1943, when the Pacific Coast
Maritime Unions broke their
chains of bondage.
My opinion is that Mr. Dimock
is preparing to line himself up
and become the Captain Peter
son of the 1921 era. We have all
read Jack London's definition of
a scab. To my knowledge no one
has defined a scab herder, in all
probability the English language
does not contain the words that
would adequately define such
subject matters.
U.S. COAST GUARD:
Several cases are coming in!
regarding suspension and revo-,
cation of seamen's certificates.
Latest Coast Guard order is:
Temporary wartime rules gov
erning investigations of accidents
and casualties, as amended
through October 22, 1943 — Title
46 Shipping — Chapiex II Coast
Guard: Inspection and Naviga
tion—Part 133-"A" Marine In
vestigation Board Rules" — Ad
vise all agents to go to the near
est C.G. office and get copies so
that they can intelligently advise
our membership as to their
rights, privileges, and immunities
under the Constitution.
SEC. 136.107 Appeal, (a)
Any person whose license or
certificate of service or effici
ency is revoked or suspended
may, within thirty days after
the decision of the hearing of
ficer, take an appeal to the dis
trict C.G. officer of the district
in which the hearing was held.
Every appeal shall set forth as
briefly as possible the name of
the appellant, the nature of the
charge, the name of the hear
ing officer who made the de
cision, the substance of the de
cision, and a statement of each
separate ground for appeal.
(b) The district C.G. officer
on appeal may affirm, reverse,
or modify the decision of the
hearing officer or remand the
case for further hearing. The
District C.G. officer will not
consider evidence which is not
part of the record of the hear
ing and will not consider- any
ground for appeal which is not
specified by the accused. The
decision of the District C.G. of
ficer on appeal will be in writ
ing and will contain his find
ings and conclusions. The de
cision of the District C.G. of-
ATLANTIC AND GULF SHIPPING FOR
WEEK OF NOVEMBER 15th TO 20th
DECK ENGINE STEWARD TOTAL
SHIPPED 361 180 275 816
REGISTERED 270 218 246 784
I 4
'-i.-
•fV--
ficer on appeal will be in wrii<
ing and will contain his find*
ings and conclusions. The de-*
cision of the District C.G. of
ficer on appeal shall be final
and shall be binding on tha
parties for all purposes.
(c) A iranscript ofdhe record
before the hearidg officer shall
be made available to any per
son whose license or certificala
is revoked or suspended for
the purpose of making an ap
peal pursuant to fhe provision^
of this section.
(d) Any person whose li
cense or certificate is revoked
or suspended and who intends
to appeal from the decision of
revocation or suspension may
file with the heuing officer a
request for a temporary lieensa
or certificate valid during iha
pendency of the appeal. Sudt
temporary license or certificate
shall contain such terms SBA
conditions as the issuing officer
may prescribe and shall con
tain a definite expiration date
fixed by the issuing officer
which date, however, may be
extended from lime to time by
the issuing officer."
I am of the opinion that the
membership should fully ao-,
quaint themselves with the C.G.
orders on revocation and suspen
sions of certificates. Particularly
the above section, as there may
he some cases wherein a menir
her may he ordered to appear
before a hearing officer, and he
may not have the opportunity to
contact one of our agents for ad
vice. If possible, they should
have the services of a lawyer.
Brothers, don't forget that when
your certificates are revoked or
suspended, your draft hoard is
notified. So if you do not want
to go into the Army, you should
make every effort to see that you
get a fair and just trial. Have
been advised that this whole pro-
ceedure may he illegal.
GULF COAST FISHERMEN
On November 9 and 10th—^The
CPA held a meeting in Jackson
ville, Florida on the question of
ceiling prices on fish.
The general consensus of op
inion of the industry representa
tives and the SIU Fishermen's
representatives was that the ceil
ing prices on Mullet for the pro
ducers should he seven cents.
The CPA representatives refused
to give, any consideration on the
increased cost of nets and other ,
material connected with the cat
ching of fish, and stated that the
ceiling price should he three
cents.
The low down on why the
OPA is insisting, on a ceiling of
three cents is that the New Eng-
(Conthined on Page 3)
Ifti-• r-,-- -- : •" - '' ' '' '
http://www.pdfcompressor.org/buy.html
Friday. December 3, 1943 THE SEAFARERS LOG
Page Threa
WHArS DOING
Arounil the Ports
NEW ORLEANS
Tomorrow 1 s Thanksgiving
Day. We have to be thankful for
the fact that in this land of ours
all kinds can live and breath and
carry on in the manner to which
they are accustomed.
We are honored by having in
"our fair city a ship which is op=
-Grated by our old friend Mr.
-Squires. After being in port for
five days they got around to pay-
-Ihg off, at this time it was sud-
^^denly brought to the attention of
-the above named gentleman that
there were some men aboard the
-scow who had not made the trip.
These men were ordered by the
-First Engineer after the Master
had made the statement that he
was paying off (this was Friday)
even though the men reported
and worked. The deck engineer
:%vOTked forty-four straight hours.
Mr. Squires stated that he would
not pay these men. The whole
•question came down to whether
!or not we should take orders
from anyone but the office. This
;mihd you, after the run around
•we got here from the Firmore
•last summer.
The men that were shipped
from this hall were theh inform
ed by yours truly that as they
•were not going to get paid they
need not work and at the same
time I told Mr. Squires that he
, was breaking the agreement. Of
course he did not agree.
Next day, after considerable
discussion in the office of the
Company which is the acting
agent, it was agreed to pay these
men for the days they worked
and also for their lodging. When
ready to leave, Mr. Squires in
formed us that he wanted a
white Stewards department
aboard this ship, even though
she had come in with a colored
department and there had beeri
a colored department shipped. I
informed him that I would put
the jobs on the board.
The colored crew went to the
ship the next day and turned to.
Later this evening Mr. Squires
called and stated that he had or
dered a white department and
how come that we had sent a col
ored one. When I asked the gent
if he would order me to pull off
these guys he hedged and stated
that he would not be put on the
spot. The next move in the
game is the gentleman trying to
sign the ship on while she lays in
drydock, even though she will be
here some time. Have already
several calls from members of
the ship's crew who think that
this is a lot of old-fashioned
bunk and that they are not going
to sign on.
Every time that we get one of
this company's ships in here we
have a lot of unneeded trouble.
There is more static involved in
trying to care for a couple of
these lousy packets than any
other company that operates. I
1
i .-i
SIU And Tanker Members
On West Coast
Central Registering: and Dispatching Office
Open in SUP Headquarters at San Francisco
For SIU Members and T, C*s in
Deck, Engine and Steward Departments
Increased shipping on West Coast by SIU members
has made it necessary to open a separate and complete
business office to be devoted solely to registering and car
ing for the needs of SIU members in all departments.
All SIU members in San Francisco are required to im
mediately register in SIU office at 59 Clay St. SIU members
in SUP Branches on the West Coast are to register in the
respective SUP Office and receive an SIU shipping card.
- SIU shipping cards will have preference on SIU ships and
will be recognized by all SUP Dispatchers. SIU Deck mem
bers will have second preference when SUP members are
available.
For Further Information:
Call your union offices and tanker organizers at the
addresses listed below. You will always finds somebody at
these numbers excepting at night.
SEATTLE, WASH.—86 Seneca St.—Phone Elliott 6752.
—^E. Coester or Johnson.
PORTLAND, OREGON—111 West Burnside St.—Phone
Beacon 4336—John Massey or C. Atkins.
RICHMOND, CALIFORNIA—257 Fifth St.—Phone Rich
mond 4021—Louie Glebe or Banks.
VANCOUVER, B. C.—340 B. Gamble St.—Phono Pacific
7824—Hugh Murphy.
WILMINGTON, California—440 Avalon Blvd. —Phone
4449.
NEW YORK crry — 105 Broad St. — Phone BOwUng
Green 9-9530—Morris Weisberger.
SAN FRANCISCO—59 Clay St.—Phone Exbrook 8229—
Pha Coriley.
believe that we would be in or
der to bring to the attention of
the powers that be the way that
this outfit works and ask them to
compile one of those files that
they delight in forming on sea
men.
In closing I would like to be
able to cast a glance into the old
crystal glass and see what the
second cook who is coming from
New York to take the Paca does
when he finds that we still ship
from the union hall.
So thanks for Thanksgiving, in
Berlin those still alive are very,
very thankful that their bali-
wicks are still standing. In
Tokyo the slant-eyes are thank
ful that there are no more
Shangri-la's. We here in New
Orleans in the SIU are thankful
that there are no Calmar Steam
ship companies doing business.
Thanks.
I wonder how I would stack
up for a Thanksgiving job.
ARMY, Ageni
Editor's Mail Bag
SAVANNAH
Shipping in this port has been
slow the last 10 days. I had a
lot of the boys come up from
Tampa and New Orleans but
most of them went right on to
Norfolk in as much as Brother
Rogers was in need of men in
all departments in that port.
Shipping at the present time is
very good here as we have one
West Coast ship in Wilmington
and one in Charleston. Shipping
also looks very good for the com
ing week. Nothing more to re
port for now.
CHARLES WAID, Agent
HAWK TELEGRAPHS
PROTEST TO LAND
ON MEDICAL EXAM.
Telegram sent to WSA on day
of meeting to consider the phy
sical exams.
Admiral E. S. Land,
Administrator
War Shipping Administration
Department of Commerce Bldg.
Washington, D. C.
Dimock of Recruitment and
Manning Organization is attempt
ing to make compulsory a phy
sical examination for all men in
the merchant marine. Any rigid
physical rules would inevitably
eliminate many old-time seamen,
usually rated men, so vitally
needed in this war emergency.
Compulsory physical examina
tions would play into the hands
of labor's enemies and give them
an opportunity to deal us and the
war effort a blow by black-ball
ing many men from their trade.
Dimock says that ships have
missed sailing schedules due to
ill health of crews. We brand
this a lie and challenge him to
prove statement. For morale of
men sailing the ships, for the
best interest of the industry, we
appeal for. your aid in defeating
this proposal.
JOHN HAWK
Secretary-Treasurer,
Atlantic & Gulf District
Seafarers International Union
Editor
Dear Sir;
P-erhaps you couH helij me. Is
there some sort of pin I could
wear for my husband who died
in the merchant marine in
March? Isn't there something
that I could wear to show that
my husband did his part?
I noticed in your paper of
April 30, 1943, that my husband's
name was listed "In Mcmoriam."
Any information you could give
ihe would help.
Mrs. Herbert Zumpft
(Relatives of merchant seamen
killed in action are entitled to
wear and display the regular gold
service star.—^Editor).
• • •
Traffic Det. Hangar 6
National Airport
Washington, D. C.
Editor,
Dear Brother:
This is just to tell you (in case
you don't already know) that in
the current issue of Fortune Mag
azine there is an article on
unions—and a full page picture
of the "Hall" with Paul reading
off the jobs and a gang of the
fellows standing ai'ound. If I re
member it's in color.
Again, as usual unfortunately,
there isn't any credit given to
our union. But I got quite a kick
seeing Paul (some of the boys tell
me that he's been going to sea
again) and that now famous ship
ping board again.
I quit the sea in March for a
special assignment with Air
Transport Command (from cargo
to cargo) and the work here is ad
exciting (and as secret) as hell.
Every General and every big-
shot comes through here and wa
get to see them all.
But every so often I miss tha
water and the ships and tha
steady clanging of the engine
room from below deck. And
some how flying is a sleepy busi
ness.
Incidentally, in the next issue
(probably hits the newstands on
January 1st) of World At War
Magazine, there is the story of
my voyage to Murmansk in the
days when it was stiU something
to talk about. I mention it be
cause I deliberately mentioned
the SIU in it twice; I'll get a per
sonal kick seeing our name in
print after getting sick of aU the
hot air the Curranumist were
throwing out.
Then there's another magazine
story coming out soon in which I
quoted Paul and again mentioned
the Union. (This time they would
only aUow one mention.)
Got a note from Brother Joe
Whelen the other day. Joe fol
lowed in my footsteps (and our
advice is don't anybody else do
it) and joined the Army to "get
away from the sea for awhile."
So they stuck him in the Rescue
Boat Squadron of the Air Corps.
He was just born for salt water!
Writing this because he men
tioned getting his retirement card
•and I remember Uiat in the ex
citement I forgot to put in for
mine. I'd like to now.
Best regards to all the
Brothers,
Pvt. LIONEL SIMON
REPORT FROM
Washington
{Continued from Page 2)
land operators do not want fish
ermen from up north to go south
this year. The practice in the past
has been for fishermen from
around Glocester, Mass., to go to
the southern fishing fields in the
winter. Now if the CPA set a
low ceiling on southern fish, this
will have the tendency to not en
courage fishermen to go to the
usual southern fishing grounds.
The New England fishermen
are at present on strike against
the OPA boondongling on the
fish ceiling set up in the New
England Area.
Mr. Charles Trigg, Chief Fish
Consultant in the OPA, was
formerly a • fish dealer, and his
policy has been to give all the
gravy to the fish dealers. He has
given them so much gravy in the
New Englaiid aiea that the deal
ers themselves have made the
statement that the fishermen
should be given a better share of
the proceeds of the catch. In
statements made before the War
Labor Board the dealers admit-
ed that they are making more
money now than before the ceil
ing prices were set up, and that
the fishermen should be entitled
Keep In Touch With
Your Draft Board
to a better share than they are
now receiving.
The New England fish dealers
are cleaning up and do not want
their fishermen to go south. Prob
ably the only way to put the
skids on Mr. Trigg is a general
strike of fishermen.
MONEY DUE
R. H. TAURIN has overlime
coming from the Calmar Line.
See patrolman Sheehan about it.
n- «
R. McLAURIN has overtime
coming from the New York of
fice of the Calmar Line.
« • •
Crew which paid off S.S. Alcoa
Voyager in Sept. 1943, has $10
linen money coming. Collect 17
Battery Place. New York City.
» » •
Steward Department of S.S.
Cape Henlopen which paid oft
November 1943, has overtime
coming from the Bull Line.
» » »
The logging of the Steward's
Department of the S.S. Daniel
Willard has been reversed by the
Commissioner after a length]^
triid. The men involved can col- ^
lect their extra meal money and
log refund from Calmar Line
Office.
/
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http://www.pdfcompressor.org/buy.html
smm ??>•- •,
Page Four THE SEAFARERS LOG Friday. December 3, 1943
I
!•
•
'••f'
Macauley Whips Up Strike
Scare In Smearing SIU-SUP
The NY Times And
Crocodile Tears
letting men go to sea with ven
ereal diseases and other contag-
eous ailments.
To set the record straight once
more—we are in favor of ven
ereal inspection. We are in favor
of eliminating from the crews
any man who has a disease that
constitutes a health menace lo
his shipmates.
We are opposed to the rigid
physical standards proposed by
Macauley and the Stalinists
which would eliminate the old-
timers suffering from minor in
capacities which do not effect
their efficiency on the job. The
proposed physical requirements
could be construed to eliminate
from the industry many men who
receive "battle shock", impaired
hearing, etc., caused from bomb
ings while delivering the goods
-to the war fronts. Fine gratitude
to show these men who have
risk their very lives in this war.
No provisions are being made to
rehabilitate them in-shore jobs—
but they would become victims
of the government's war upon
the unions.
There is no question in any-
. one's mind about how the rank
and file seamen stand on this is
sue. The NMU leadership know
that there is a near-revolt in the
NMU. Macauley knows how the
other unions feel because a flood
of telegrams has been descend
ing upon his office. Almost every
port on both cojists has been
heard from, and in no uncertain
terms.
If Macauley can twist this into
a strike threat—let him do so.
» » »
Following is the text of Lunde-
berg's letter which sent Macaul-
ey's blood-pressure to such dizzy
heights:
San Francisco, Calif.,
November 2-3, 1943
Captain Edward Macauley,
Deputy War Shipping
. Administrator
c/o War Shipping
Administration,
Department of Commerce Bldg,
Washington, (25) D.C.
(Copies to House Merchant
Marine and
Fisheries Committee.
William Green, President,
A. F. of L.
Mathew Dushane, Wash.
^ Rep., SIU of N.A.
John Hawk, Scc'y.-Treas.,
Atlantic-Gulf District,
SIU of N.A.
Marshall Dimock, Asst.
Deputy Adm.
Recruitment-Manning,
WSA and others.)
Dear Sir;
On November 23, 1943, we re
ceived a communication from one
of your men, Mr. Marshall E.
Dimock, Asst. Deputy Adminis
trator for Recruitment and Man
ning. This communication con
tained a copy of a Proposed Gen
eral Order regarding medical ex
aminations for crews on War
Shipping Administration's ves
sels. Mr. Dimock's letter goes on
r-' C to say—"The suggestions made
• by the Maritime Labor Unions to
• Dr. Daniel Blain, in response to
his letter sent to the Presidents
{Continued from Page 1) jef a" unions several months ago
that the SIU-SUP was in favor of been incorporated wherever
possible, in this proposed Gener
al Order." This statement is un
true, insofar as we arc concern
ed, because we are definitely and
absolutely opposed to this pro
posed program dealing with
medical examinations for sea
men, beyond what already exists
and has been functioning so well
for many years past.
Mr. Dimock further states: "I
believe that this program of
medical examinations is an im
portant step in safeguarding the
health of sea-going personnel and
in avoiding ship delays which
are caused by illness of crew
members while vessels are on a
voyage."
NO SHIPS DELAYED
We do not know of a cheaper
way of trying to put over a pro
gram such as this Proposed Gen
eral Order has in view, than by
stating it will "avoid delaying
ship,S caused by illness of crew
members." To our knowledge,
(and we thing it is pretty exten
sive covering 40,000 Merchant
Seamen, covering some 900 ships
on the West Coast, not counting
those on the East Coast) at no
time has any vessel been delay
ed due to illness of the crew
since the war started!
We challenge you to refute this
statement!
This Proposed General Order
for merchant seamen will mean
nothing but the elimination of
old-time seamen from the indus
try. You know, of course, that
there are thousands of men be
tween the ages of 40 and 60—and
over—who still go to sea. Ex
cepting when someone is after
their scalps, they are called "Old
Sea Dogs." You know too that
these men are not all 100 per
cent physical specimens. How
could they be, after spending 30
to 40 years of their life in some
of the rotten, vermin-ridden,
leaky and unsanitary fo'cstles,
which were so prevalent until
the Unions were able to adjust
these conditions?
PLEA FOR OLD-TIMERS
Now, there are many old-tim
ers, whose eyes might not be so
strong at 50, as they were at 20
—whose hearing might not be so
good—his blood pressure, might
be a little higher—he might be
It looks like this Proposed Order
has been very carefully set up so
there can be no come-back in
case of discrimination.
flat-footed — or there might be
any number of small physical
defects which an aspiring medi
cal officer might use as an excuse
to turn a man down for "physical
disability."
In the Proposed General Order
it also states that if a man is re
jected by "your medical officer"
—he can appeal to the Public
Health Service. This evidently is
iviearit as a bit of satire—because,
as we understand it, the medical
examining officer will be ap
pointed through the public health
office. So, how far is a man's
appeal going to go?
You further state in your pro
posed General Order that a man
who has been rejected shall be
verbally advised, if he requests
it, as to the reasons for his rejec
tion. This is also a joke—because
if a man is rejected for medical
reasons, why don't the medical
officers put it down in writing?
EXISTING PROVISIONS
AMPLE SAFEGUARDS
You are well aware of the fact
that every merchant seaman who
goes to sea today must pass a
Public Health examination be
fore he is issued his certificate of
seamanship. You are also aware
that if a man gets sick aboai-d
ship, he is entitled to go to the
Marine Hospital. You should
give the merchant seamen a lit
tle credit to this extent that no
man who is really ill will go
aboard a ship and take a chance
on his own health! We realize
the Washington Bureaucrats who
spend their time and the tax
payers' money drafting these
Proposed General Orders do not
have too much respect for a mer
chant seamen's intelligence, but
a seaman has that much sense, I
can assure you.
What is wrong with the pres-
sent et-up? Today some steam
ship companies have physical
examinations. Others have not.
But, as stated before, and as you
well know, every merchant sea
man must pass a Public Health
examination before he is issued
his certificate of seamanship.
For years the shipowners have
attempted to discriminate against
seamen through company doc
tors, and seamen have been able
to appeal to the Public Health
officers if they felt they were be
ing discriminated against, and in
many cases company doctor's de
cisions have been repudiated by
Public Health Service.
Now, the shipowners will be in
a -different position. The ship
owners through this Proposed
General Order, will set War
Shipping Administration, (man
aged and controlled by them
selves, up to do the dirty work
for the shipowners, and thru this
procedure, eliminate old-timers
from the industry.
MAKE WAY FOR YOUR
TRAINEES
There is a reason for it. The
War Shipping Administration has
spent millions of the tax-payers'
money enrolling "new men" for
the Shipping industry, and it is
no secret that in most cases they
are being taught to hate the
Union seamen. What would be
sweeter for the shipowners and
politicians, who run this set-up,
than to be able to show that the
Union man gets off the ship, and
is being replaced by the WSA-
trained newcomer? Do you ex
pect to justify your expenditures
in this fashion?
How do we know we're going
to get a square deal from the
medical-appointees of the WSA?
It is a certainty he won't get ap
pointed unless he is "right" in
politics with the crowd running
the WSA, and therefore he will
owe his loyalty to whoever ap
points him—and the appoint
ment comes from the WSA.
NO PROTECTION FOR
SEAMEN
Now, you can not deny that
the WSA is largely controlled by
the shipowners. Where does the
seamen's protection come in? Not
in this deal! He's up against a
{Continued from Page 2)
rugged individualist. Theyshoulc
see the futility of bargaining as
individuals in an industrial
economy which is highly organ
ized.
Isn't it just a silly manifests
tion of false pride for an office
worker to consider himself above
his fellow workers? Isn't he cut
ting off his nose to spite his face
if he fails to join with other of
fice workers in a union to protect
the interest of all white collar
workers?
It seems shameful to us that
office workers, who have the
benefits of better education,
should be so far behind workers
in overalls when it comes to ad
vancement of. their economic
status through organization.
Potentially^ the office workers
could have one of the largest and
strongest unions in the country if
they would only throw off the
ridiculous mental hazards against
joining a union which have been
cleverly set up by employer
propaganda.
As a member of an AFL Office
Workers Union ourself, we can
testify that such union member
ship has not interfered in the
slightest degree with our inde
pendence of thought or action.
We can also testify from our
personal observation that union
office workers are better paid
and work under better conditions
than non-union office workers.
So we say to the unorganized
office workers of the country—
don't envy union members who
are better paid. Get wise and
join an AFL union yourselves!
—Philip Pearl
New ̂ Luxury'
Life Rafts
Tested
{Continued from Page 1) •
frying pan with fifteen pounds of
fuel also took the forty-five-foo|
drop required by USCG regula
tions, into San Francisco Bay.
The stove and fuel are avail«
able as extra equipment if th«
armed forces or Maritime Com
mission want them.
Like other standard rafts de
veloped during the war, it car
ries signaling and safety equip
ment required by the Coasf
Guard, including distress signal^
signal pistols, signaling mirrors*
illuminating oil, drinking cups,
matches, fishing tackle, blanketSJ
compass and electric waterlight.
Measuring 8 by 16 feet by 41,
inches, the reversible raft is de
signed for twenty persons, but
thirty-six have been aboard at
one time. There are the usual ten
quarts of water per person, four
teen ounces of pemmican and thd
same amounts of malted millc
tablets, chocolate and "C" Army
ration biscuit. Protective cur
tains, sails and canopy are all
painted orange to make them
visible long distances from sea ox;
air.
Irhe Young company expects to
lit top production for its new
raft at its Oakland assemply line
about Jan. 1, holding econtracts to
furnish various Liberty shipa;
other types of cargo vessels,
tankers and transports. s
stonewall.
In our frank opinion, this is
part of a long range program
adopted by the bureaucrats of
the WSA, in conjunction with
certain shipowners, to move in
and eliminate old-time union
seamen. This is directly in line
with your training program, and
with your Recruitment and Man
ning Organization — and how
comes your "medical program."
It will work handily in using
the taxpayei's money to build up
and guarantee jobs for the fu
ture for the "right" guys—pro
viding they do their dirty work
against the American seamen,
and if the people in your Bu
reaus spent a little less time in
figuring out ways and means of
putting seamen behind the eight
ball, and a little more for the
war effort, we would be much
further ahead. This proposed
General Order, worked out by a
bunch of $10,000.00 a year stiffs,
with nothing to do but scheme to
keep themselves in office, will
disrupt the now-efficient sailing
of American ships.
Should any ships be delayed
through this proposed medical
scheme of yours, we will lay the
responsibility right in your lap.
Our organization will absolute
ly and definitely not cooperate in
this respect.
We challenge your authority to
sit back in Washington, D. C. and
lay down laws and regulations
affecting hundreds and thousands
of men, and involving the spend
ing of millions of taxpayers'
'£^%cnals
AUGUST DAUM:
Your wife has been injured^*
and would like to hear from you.
She is at the Huntington Valley
Country Club, Abington, Pa.
«• » »
WALLACE H. SMOKE. Jr.
Contact the Tampa Agent. He
has important information for
you.
money, in the high-handed man
ner in which you people are do-
ng.
We are sending copies of this
letter to all members of the Mer
chant Marine and Fisheries Com
mittee of our Senate and Con- J_
gress, who so ably managed and
laid down the law for the Mer
chant Seamen, and whose wise
handling of the merchant marine p! |
affairs is directly responsible for fg
the role the merchant marine has ®
played in this war — and even
you cannot deny that it has been
a noble one.
Our representative in Wash
ington, D. C., Mr. Dushane, wiH
appear at the November 30tb
meeting and further outline
opposition to this program.
By Orders of the Membership,
Harry Lundeberg, Secy.-Treas,,,
Sailors Union of the Pacific.
President, Seafarers Interna
tional Union of North Americd
(Representing 40,000 American |
Merchant seamen.)
, . .r .
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