Media
Issue Date
1943-08-27
Volume
5
Issue Number
22
Plaintext
p
OFFICIAL GROAN OF THE ATLANTIC AND OULF DISTRICT,
SEAFARERS' INTERNATIONAL UNION OF NORTH AMERICA
NEW YORK, N. Y., FRIDAY. AUGUST 27, 1943 No. 22
Vigilance Needed To Protect Halls
We Purchase
More War
Bonds
(This resolulion was pass
ed last Monday night up and
down the coast by member
ship vote.)
RESOLUTION
August 19, 1943.
WHEREAS: The Atlantic &
Gulf District of the Seafarers In-
ternationaL Union of North Am
erica has in the Hospit^, Burial,
and General Funds more than
sufficient cash to meet the ordi
nary disbursements required of
these funds, and
WHEREAS: This cash is lying
idle in the hank, and
WHEREAS: United States De
fense Bonds constitute the safest
investment in the world, the en
tire integrity of the government
being their guarantee, and
.WHEREAS: The government
has urgent need of this money to
finance a war in which our mem
bers are frontline fighters, there
fore be it
RESOLVED: That the Secre
tary-Treasurer of the Atlantic
and Gulf District be instructed to
withdraw $15,000 from the Gen
eral Fund and $10,160 from the
Hospital and Burial Fund, and
with this money purchase war
bonds, and be it further
RESOLVED: That a banking
committee of 3 men be elected at
the New York Branch meeting to
go with the Secretary-Treasurer
to deposit these bonds in the safe
deposit box. These bonds shall
be examined by each Quarterly
Finance Committee.
Herbert Messervy, No. 2076
John D. Lewis, No. 477
John Smalls, No. 22163
AFL Opens
Political
Campaign
CHICAGO, 111.—The American
Federation of Labor has launched
a nation-wide political drive to
elect members of Congress in
1944 who are friendly to labor's
cause. President William Green
announced that the Executive
Council had authorized a concert
ed campaign to get out the labor
vote in every city. Instructions
will be sent to all affiliated unions
including city central bodies and
State Federations, to see "to it
thdt all AFL members register in
accordance with local laws so
that thej' may be eligible to vote.
Likewise, local campaign com
mittees will be under orders to
follow up on the membership and
make certain they go to the polls
on election day.
A national, non-partisan poli
tical committee .will be set up in
Washington to check the records
of all candidates for public of
fice and to decide whether the
AFL will endorse or oppose them
in accordance with their attitude
on labor questions.
This committee will be com
posed of President Green, Secre
tary - Treasurer George Meany
and the legislative representa
tives on the AFL staff.
Wooden Lifeboats
Banned On Tankers
Installation of wooden lifeboats
on tankers was prohibited by the
Coast Guard yesterday in an or
der effective September 1. After
that date all lifeboats installed on
tankers must be constructed of
metal.
No Victory Tax Levied
On Transportation Money
In a letter to SIU Washington
Representative Matthew Du-
shane. Internal Revenue Com
missioner Guy T. Helvering ruled
officially that shipowners, are not
to deduct the 5% Victory Tax
from the transportation money
paid crews.
The Commissioner made it
elear, however, that transporta
tion money must be included in
the gross .income , of the seamen
when filing income returns at the
end of the year.
The text of the letter follows:
TREASURY DEPARTMENT
Washington, D. C.
August 19, 1943
Mr. Matthew Dushane, -
Washington Representative
Seafarers Int. Union &
The Sailors Union of the Pacific
^24—5th St., N. W.
Washington, D. C.
Sir:
Reference is made to your let
ter dated Jxme 15, 1943, regarding
a ruling with respect to the with
holding of the 5 percent victory
tax under the circumstances
stated therein which, briefiy, are
as follows:
The Sudden and Christsenson
steamship company of San Fran
cisco, California, operates the
steamship W. R. Howells. The
vessels articles terminated in the
port of New York. Under the
terms of an agreement between
the Sailors Union of the Pacific
and the American Steamship
owners, of which the Sudden and
Christenson steamship company
is a member. Any seamen who
signs on a vessel on the Pacific
{Continued on Page 2)
High Praise For SIU Crew
Comes From Skipper
Sezdarers International Union
Gentlemen:
I am not the kind of man that looks for praise, but when
I do a job well, I sometimes like to be commended. And in
as much, as when a crew gets out of line there is plenty of
noise in general, I think that it should be fair to commend a
crew when it stays in line.
I have just brought the S.S. Sarazen in with a full SIU
crew and I thought that I would show my appreciation by
commending the entire crew. I have been going to sea for the
past iweniy-iwo years. I have sailed in the focs'l, in every
department of the unlicensed personnel. I have sailed as of
ficer with crews from every organization, including the Ship
ping Board and non-union ships. And I can truthfully say
* that the crew of the Sarazen was the most efficient and re
liable crew that I have .ever sailed with. If the SIU keeps
putting out crews like this, they have reached the aim to make
seamanship an honorable and respectable vocation which it
rightfully should be.
I have endeavored to do my part, and the crew and of
ficers have shown their appreciation by cooperation. If we
keep this cooperation going together, we can keep them sailing.
Steady as she goes, •
CAPT. H. E. HELLER,
S.S. Sarazen.
Founder Of Labor Day
ReceivesAnnualHonor
Early in May of 1882 the newly
formed Central Labor Union of
New York City was holding a
meeting that would have been
forgotten decades ago but for one
piece of business transacted on
that occasion. At that meeting
Labor Day was born.
Among those present at the
meeting was a man in his middle
thirties named Peter J. McGuire.
A native of New York City, he
had gone to work in a dry goods
store while still a child. Later he
had been apprenticed to the car
penter's trade, and at the age .of
twenty he had become a imion
man.
It was McGuire who sent out a
call for a conference of represen
tatives of the various scattered
groups of organized carpenters.
This conference, staged at
Chicago, established, the United
Bratherhood of Carpenters and
Joiners, now known as one of the
largest and strongest of Ameri
can trade unions. McGuire had
long thought that a day should
be set aside to honor "those who
from rude nature have delved
and carved all the comfort and
grandeur we behold."
So, on the eighth of May of the
year 1882, he stood up before his
fellow-delegates at the meeting
of the Central Labor Union and
proposed that one day in the
year should be designated as a
general holiday for the toiling
PETER J. McGUIRE
millions. This day, he suggested,
should be known as Labor Day.
The delegate from the Chicago
Trades and Labor Assembly, A.
C. Cameron, proposed and the
convention adopted the follow
ing:
"Resolved, That the first Mon
day in September of each year be
set apart as a laborers' national
holiday, and that- we recommend
its observance by all wake work
ers, irrespective of sex, calling or
nationality."
Keep In Touch With
Your Local Draft Board,
By John Hawk
(The following instructions
were sent to all branch Agents by
the Secretary-Treasurer, and are
being printed in the LOG be>
cause of the importance that
each SIU man understand fully
the positions of the Union on
such questions as the RMO
trainees, fink halls, pier head
jumps, etc.)
Let's not forget for one mom
ent that one of the main points
that the Sailors Union of the Pa
cific fought hardest for and won
in the Pacific Coast Strikes of
1934, 1936 and 1937 was the abol
ishment of the Pacific American
Shipowners Fink hall, and after
that ' was accompished they
blocked the setting up of Gov
ernment Fink halls on the Paci
fic Coast in order to preserve
their own Union hiring hall. And
let us not forget that militant
union seamen gave their lives,
and have stood many long cold
and hungry picket watches in or
der to make possible the SUP
and the SIU, of today with its
own Union hiring halls and the
best working conditions in the
history of the Maritime Industry^
MAIN LIFELINE
Our main life line is our
hiring hall, aU our contracts with
the shipowners call for a closed
shop which means that every un
licensed job aboard contracted
ships shall be filled from our
Union hiring halls. At times, we
might not have enough of our
own members ip a certain ,port
to fill all jobs, however, ratings
with the exception of messmen,.
ordinary seamen and wipers, ar
rangements can be made with the
operators at their expense to
transport rated men from one of
our Branches to another if the
rated men are available in other
Branches. In any event, when an
Agent cannot supply a crew
through the above sources, he
can call the RMO and they will
send their trainees or misfits to
our Union hall to be dispatched
to a ship. The Union has the
right to reject any man the
{Continued an Page 4)
Far-Fetched Ruse To
Ban Union Buttons
A brand new wrinkle in em
ployer arguments against work
ers wearing union buttons, was
put forward by the Campbell
Soup Company.
The management of the com
pany's Chicago plant claimed the
buttons might "faU into the soup"
and thus "contaminate" the pro
duct. It souglit to ban them on
that ground.
Rejecting that argument, the
War Labor Board specfiically
authorized the wearing of but
tons, but added that both sides
should by collective bargaining
agree on a type that could not
fall off.
•sm
"N-
http://www.pdfcompressor.org/buy.html
' Page Two THE SEAFARERS LOG Friday, August 27, 1943
SEAFARERS
Published by the
SEAFARERS' INTERNATIONAL UNION
OF NORTH AMERICA
Atlantic and Gulf District
Affiliated with the American Federation of Labor
HARRY LUNDEBERG - - - - - - President
110 Market Street, San Francisco, Calif.
JOHN HAWK ------- Secy-Treas.
P. O. Box 25, Station P., New York City
JMATTHEW DUSHANE - - Washington Rep,
424 5 th Street, N.W., Washington, D. C.
Directory of Branches
BRANCH ADDRESS PHONE
NEW YORK (4) 2 Stone St .••••*-«
Deck & Engine Dispatcher.. BOwIing Green 9-3430
Steward Dispatcher BOwling Green 9-6786
Agent BOwling Green 9-3437
BOSTON (10) 330 Atlantic Ave Liberty 4057
BALTIMORE (2) 14 North <^y St. .^vert 4539
PHILADELPHIA 6 North 6th St Lombard 7651
NORFOLK..?. Commercial PI Norfolk 4-1083
NEW ORLEANS (16)... 309 Chartroe SL Canal 3336
SAVANNAH 218 East Bay St- Savannah 3-1728
TAM^ fr:423^Ea^^puu st.. ... Tampa^-1323
MOBILE 65 So. Conception St Dial 2-1392
PUERTO RICO 45 Ponce da Leon Puerto de Tlem
GALVESTON 219 20th Street Galveston 2-8043
FT. LAUDERDALE 2021 S. Federal Highway. .Ft. Lauderdale 1601
• • w
PUBLICATION OFFICE:
ROOM 213, 2 STONE STREET
New York City BOwling Green 9-834^
No Victory Tax Levied
On Transportation Money
{Continued from Page 1)
Coast and is discharged on the
Atlantic Coast, or vice versa, is
entitled to transportation back
to the port of employment. Pur
suant thereto each member of
the crew of such vessel was paid
the sum of $125.00 to cover the
cost of transportation and sub-
sistance from New York to San
Francisco.
The withholding for victory
tax for purposes prescribed by
sectidn 466 of the internal rev
enue code, as amended by the
revenue act of 1942, is applicable
to "wages", which are defined in
section 465(b) to mean "all re
muneration *** for services per
formed by an employee for his
employer, *** "Section 19.465 (c)
of regulation 103 further provides
with respect to "wages."
"Traveling and other expenses
—amounts paid or reimburse
ments made to employees speci
fically for traveling or other ex
penses incurred in the business
of the employer are not subject
to withholding."
It is the opinion of this office
that the amounts payable to dis
charged seamen under the pro
visions of the contracts outlined
above are paid for expenses in
curred in the business of the em
ployer and do not constitute re
muneration for services or
"wages" within the meaning of
the code or regulations. There
fore such payments are not sub
ject to withholding for victory
tax pm-poses. Furthermore, under
the compaiable definition o f
"Wages" which is found in sec
tion 1621 (a) of the internal rev
enue code and the regulations
applicable thereto, it is also be
lieved that similar payments,
which may he made subsequent
to the effective date of the cur
rent tax payments act of 1943,
are not includible in "wages"
within the meaning of the Act.
However, the amounts so paid
must be included in the gross in
come of the seamen when filing
income victory tax returns for
th.e taxable year in which they
are received, and the seamen will
be entitled to deductions on such
returns for the amounts actually
expended during the taxable year
in returning to^ the port of em
ployment.
Respectfully,
GUY T. HELVERING,
Commissioner
f-r^^SOHfils
RONALD EDNIE
Stop in and see the Secretary-
Treasurer next time you are in
New York City.
Keep In Touch With
Your Local Draft Board.
fR€POi?T or\.
^ASHIt\GTOtV
NATIONAL WAR LABOR
BOARD
On July 8, 1943, the Board set
up a panel for the maritime in
dustry. This panel is known as
the War Shipping Panel and
shall have jurisdiction over all
cases involving the personnel of
relief and regular crews employ
ed on all ships, dry cargo, tank
ers, barges and towboats, en
gaged in offshore, coastwise, har
bor, and inland waterways.
The panel consists of six mem
bers, two from labor, two from
the employers, and two shall
represent the public. The board
may also appoint alterpates.
The two labor members are
yours truly, representing the AFL
and Bjorne Hailing representing
the CIO. Both the AFL and the
CIO have alternates on the panel.
The board states that dases shall
he heard as follows: "THE LA
BOR MEMBER OF THE PANEL
SITTING IN EACH CASE
SHALL BE A MEMBER CHO
SEN FROM THE CRAFT OR IN
DUSTRIAL GROUP INVOLVED
BEFORE THE PANEL, OR
SUCH LABOR MEMBER AS HE
MAY DESIGNATE."
This panel is only an advisory
panel, and can only make recom
mendations to the NWLB on all
applications for wage and salary
adjustments and on all labor dis
putes referred to it.
The panel met on August 16,
17, and 18, and handled fifty
ca.ses that were on the agenda.
Ilhe cases involved Union and
non-Union requests for adjust
ments.
The determination for all set
tlements depends on executive
order No. 9328, copies of which
are being sent to the respective
headquarters of the union. The
main effect of executive order No.
9328 in the maritime industry in
the offshore and coastwise trade,
is that it sets up a supposedly
standard scale of wages—its ef
fect on the SIU Atlantic and Gulf
agreements is in that some of
them do not come under what is
generally termed as the standard,
and are above the code of stand
ard wages.
Example: In the Waterman and-
other agreements the AB's quar
termasters receive $110.00 per
month, the majority of all the
other agreements in the inrustry
the AB's receive $100.00 per
month. If the SIU or any other
Union negotiate an agreement
with the operators, and they both
reach an agreement whereby the
AB's are to receive $110.00 per
month, the wage rate under ex
ecutive order No. 9328 would not
be approved by the Board, and
the best that the AB's would get
would be $100.00 per month. Of
course the labor member wouAd
approve of the negotiated rate of
$110, but the Board would turn
it down.
It can readily be seen that in
the interest of future organiza
tion and expansion of both the
SUP and the SIU, that in all fu
ture agreements that they nego
tiate, they limit their demands to
the employers to the^ standard
agreements that they now have
in effect. The SUP has a stand
ard agreement so they would not
encounter any difficulties in hav
ing the Board approve of any
new agreements that they may
negotiate in the future. However
the SIU would be stymied by the
Board if they negotiated a wage
agreement similiar to the wages
of the Waterman and other com
panies whereby the AB's would
receive $110.00 per month. There
is nothing that I nor any one else
sitting on a ^anel can do that
can upset this ruling, unless the
President issues a new executive
order. This does not mean that
AB's who now receive $110.()0
per month on some ships will
not receive it in the future, this
order only applies to new agree
ments, that may be submitted to
the Board. ,
The majority of the employes
of the NWLB are members of the
CIO, and from all indications the
SUP and the SIU are being given
the works on the QT by some of
the employes. For instance, the
SIU signed an agreement with
Smith & Johnson on the 28th of
January, 1943. The company sub
mitted the contract to the WSA,
which was approved by them and
sent to the NWLB for their ap
proval. This contract was not on
the agenda, and the staff mem
ber who handles the cases stated
that this case was not through
being processed, and was not
ready. The SUP also has cases
here for approval and-yours truly
was given the same answer on
them, although the CIO and sev
eral non union cases that were
submitted to the Board after the
SUP and SIU cases were submit
ted, were on the agenda and
some non uniSh cases were class
ed as emergency cases and were
given priority. They were sent in
as late as August 3rd to the board
for approval.
LEGISLATION;
This completes the history of
the gaUant fight led by Andrew
Furuseth for seamen's rights, and
the action that was taken at the
{Continued on Page 3)
m
i:
i '•
I*'
1
ATLANTIC AND GULF SHIPPING FOR
WEEK OF AUG. 9 TO 14 INCLUSIVE
DECK ENGINE STEWARD TOTAL
SHIPPED 282 243 219 744
REGISTERED 250 231 127 608
Freddy Benson, SIU old timer known to hundreds of seamen up and down the Atlantic, is
traveling in high society these days. He spent a few weeks at the USS rest home in Gladstone.
N. J., and was on hand when the Duke and Duchess of Windsor came out to see how the other
half lives. Freddie is third from the left, the guy almost resting his chin on the Duchess' shoulder.
"So I says to the Duchess . . .
http://www.pdfcompressor.org/buy.html
Friday, August 27, 1943 THE SEAFARERS LOG Page Three
WHArS DOING
Around the Ports
Washington Report
BALTIMORE
Just about the time you get in
the rut in this business, some
thing hcippens to jerk you out
.again. The beefs, growls, real and
imaginary, are the expected lot
of our loc^ trio-Brothers, Dickey,
McCaulley, and yours truly Flan
agan. Along with crew's quar
ters, grub, and milk, the current
major issue seems to be this new
rider 64 issued by the WSA. A
little birdie whom is well up on
maritime law h^s informed me
this rider is more or less illegal,
as it is contrary to the wording
of the law pertaining to the al
lowed period of paying off.
The biggest jolt we got this
week was when our dispatcher.
Bill Attwood, received an order
for an entire crew for the SS.
• John J. Hawk. The natural re
action to this was to be insulted
as the ship was an infamous Iron
Maiden (Liberty Ship), So we
get our wires hot cheeking up on
the authencity of this attact on
our venerated Scratch, (Sec'ty.-
Treas.) and were relieved to be
informed that an error was made
in reference to the name of the
vessel. I withdrew our demand
for an apology from the WSA
and Calmar Line, but informed
them to never scare us that way
again, and if they wanted to in
sult all big shots like Charlie
Schwab and such it was O.K., but
never to desecrate our Scratch's
name on that type of ship.
As we understand it the Vic
tory ships are due to be under
construction soon and in view of
the fact that the plans for them
are supposed to be at least in ac
cordance with an American idea
of what a ship should be like. We
suggest they all be named after
our seamen whom have lost their
lives through enemy action in
stead of some politician or use
less money monger. The ship
owners can at least tfhow that
much deferance for these heros
all.
Narrow-minded Westbrook
Pegler is at it again. He takes a
couple of isolated cases of mis
conduct by crew members to use
as a basis of calling all seamen,
particularly American seamen,
TRASH. I would like to invite
this jerk to make a trip on one
of .these ships as member of the
crew or even as a passenger,
don't think he would work up
enough -courage to do so. I don't
even think he would have enough
bafekbone to work in some war
industry. Mr. Pegler, this coun
try doesn't need useless jerks like
you to write trash. You can't help
to win this war by sitting on your
fannie and criticizing the real
backbone of this war effort. So
nerts, Mr. Pegler, to you.
JOSEPH FLANAGAN
..Agent
MOBILE
Well, Brothers it seems like we
struck the doldrums in this port
as far as shipping goes.
But here is a little item I want
printed in a conspicuous place for
, the benefit of the men. The mon
opolistic capitalistic publication
known as the Mobile Press-Reg
ister on Sunday, August 8th,
1943, carried this item in a very
inconspicuous place. Now broth
ers this paper is one of the most,
if not the most, erratic reaction
ary publication in the nation to
day. I am^ going to give you one
little sentence from the letter and
you will readily understand why
the article was handled the way
it was.
The letter was from Captain
Walter C. Ernest, Jr., serving in
the New Guinea in the United
States Army, to Representative
Frank Boykin, United States
Congress, his cousin. Capt. Er
nest stated in the letter that he
had taken one Engineer company
and built a dock to work all five
hatches of a Liberty ship. He al
so stated in the letter: "Oh yes. I
must tell you that one Sunday
the ship had turkey for dinner,
ice cream, etc. The sailors went
out on deck and each one picked
out a soldier who was working
the cargo and gave him his own
place at the table and the sailors
went without dinner. These were
the sailors of the merchant mar
ine. the same old sailors down on
Government Street in Mobile.
Don't you think that was a won
derful gesture toward the ser
vice? I happened to be a guest
of the Captain for dinner emd
that was how I knew it. So the
Sailors Union isn't so bad after
all and I can vouch for it."
You can readily understand
why any letters with words of
that nature was printed in a very
inconspicuous place of any Pub
lication as reactionary as the
Press-Register. This letter was
too significant to get any public
ity in the Capitalist press. So
brothers from here on in you may
as well prepare yourselves for
any eventuality that may con
front your
OLDEN BANKS. Agent
GALVESTON
What is this Fakeroo Curran
coming to? Give him an inch:
Joe Curran far left leader of the
NMU has a new idea. He wants
the government to take up the
seamen's papers who have been
suspended by tliC^MU for what
he calls misconduct. By suspend
ing a union member, old "Keep
'Em Sailing Joe" can deprive him
of working rights wherever the
NMU has contracts. But now he
(Curran, who was against this
war until his pal Mustache Joe in
Russia was attacked) wants some
of the fellow moscovietes in
Washington to give him a hand
to set ashore everywhere any
seaman whose conduct offends
old Hamhead Curran.
Well, the NMU in Galveston
has started the ball rolling,
none other than a lady seaman
as dig^patcher.
Brother J. P. Schuler, who is
well known by the membership,
has arrived in Texas ports aboard
a ship that the crew states is the
best feeder afloat today. He
wants Casey Jones to leave Col
lins in control of Philadelphia,
and fly down here to join his
ship. Here is a note that was
handed to me by the crew of
the S.S
"Re. Austin Brown shipped
from the RMO, New Orleans, La.
Brothers: The above mentioned
Austin Brown has just completed
a trip aboard the S.S
and has proved to be the lousiest
man that has ever be^n or will
be shipihates with. In port he
stays drunk all the time, and at
sea he sucks to make up for lost
time. If he gets a book there is
no use of ever having another in
vestigating committee."
Twelve full book members
signed the letter, which is being
sent to headquarters. Have two
new ships out at the end of the
month. Need good men.
E. R. WALLACE. Agent
MONEY DUE
Crew of S.S. Able Stearns can
collect port bonus for Sydney.
See Captain Respess. Bull Line.
New York City.
J. Pantoja has money coming
from the Bull Line for the last
voyage of the Eleanor.
The following crew members
of the S.S. Ironclad have bonus
money .coming from the Water
man Line: L. Hall. A. DeFelice.
E. Bright. J. Lafaso. J. Narovas.
G. Small. J. Naylor. J. McKenna.
and E. Talbot.
INGEBRITSEN: You have 61
hours overtime coming from the
Robin Line.
MCLAUGHLIN: YOU have 8
hours overtime coming from the
Robin Line.
Any members of crews of fol
lowing vessels at time of attack,
should collect $125 attack bonus
from companies: Benjamin La-
trobe. Robin Gray. Panama City.
Richard Henry Lee. John Daven
port. Pan Gulf. Kofresi. John
Sevens. Francis Marion.
KEEP CLEAR WITH YOUR DRAFT BOARD
By observing the following simple instructions you will
continue to receive deferment from military service. Fail
to observe these rules and you may wind up in the army.
WHEN SIGNING ON: Give the clerk or skipper all the
information necessary to fill out RMO Card Na. 47 (Green
Card).
WHEN SIGNING OFF: See that Card No. 48-A is prop-
perly filled out by skipper or clerk.
Ship out befoio your allotted time ashore has expired.
If you have not yet hlled out the Green Card, contact your
draft board and let them Imow that you are sailing.
{Continued from Page 2)
conventions of the American
Federation of Labor.
1915
THE SEAMEN'S BILL WAS
PASSED BY CONGRESS AND
SIGNED BY THE PRESIDNT.
This measure marks a great for
ward step in the march of human
freedom and progress. It removes
the last vestige of involuntary
servitude from the laws of the
U.S. It is one of the first measures
that the AFL urged Congress to
enact into law. It wiU improve
the working conditions of the
seamen. Opportunities for organ
ization will be extended, seamen
in other countries will enj«y its
beneficent influence, the general
public who travel on the high
seas will be afforded a larger
measure of safety provisions.
We feel confident in asserting
that the passage of this wise and
necessary legislation by the Sixty
Third Congress was one of its
distinctions. Nevertheless, we find
it to be a painful duty to call at
tention to the fact that a great
danger still confronts this valu
able piece of legislation. The
cupidity and greed of not only
the shipping interests of the U.S.
but the shipping interests of the
whole maritime world are so
aroused that they will leave no
stone unturned nor hesitate to
stoop to any subterfuge to defeat
the law and the wise, humanitar
ian and safety provisions that it
contains. A continuous, persis
tant campaign has been made
against the measure by the great
financial interests of the nation
under the management of the
Chamber of Commerce.
The national Chamber of Com
merce submitted for referendum
vote of its six hundred affiliated
local Chambers of Commerce,
and other trade bodies represent
ing some 300,000 business men,
several propositions, including
the following "Subsidies from the
government sufficient to offset
differences in the cost between
operation of vessels under the
American flag, and operation in
the same deep sea trades under
foreign flags." The vote upon
these propositions was over
whelmingly in favor of the one
quoted. It is therefore necessary
that our membership be alert to
the dangers confronting the peo
ple of the U. S., because there is
no question that the vested inter
ests will exert themselves to the
fullest extent to defeat the mer
itorious principles contained in
the seamen's act.
The licensed officers bill also
becomes a law. It affords greater
protection to officers in the mer
chant marine when complying
with their necessary public duty
in reporting defects in their ves
sels to the proper federal inspec
tion officials. The act also more
clearly defines and extends the
right to licensed officers in the
merchant marine to quit the ser
vices of the shipowner at the ex
piration of their contract with
out intimidation or risk of im
prisonment. It is believed that
all of the former elements of
compulsion on the part of the
shipowners against the licensed
officers have be?n removed by
the passage of this measure. This
act is a valuable addition to the
legislation contained in the act
protecting the I'ights of seafaring
men and extending greater safe
ty measures for those who go
down to the sea in ships.
Although the seamen's law wai
enacted after twenty years agi
tation, during which time it was
endorsed in the platform of tho
two great political parties, at
tempts were already being made
for its discredit and repeal. The
law was supposed to have gone
into effect November 4th. The
shipowners had eight months te
prepare, and nothing was done
until three days before that time.
The law provides for issuing cer
tificates to able seamen. No cer
tificates were issued until within
four or five days of the 4th of
November. This caused a tre
mendous congestion in the differ
ent seaports, of men who wanted
to obtain certificates. As a result
of that, or for some other reason,
the examinations as to physical
fitness did not work altogether
well or even reasonably satisfac
torily in some places. In other
places it seems to be going along
pretty smoothly. When the law
shall have been in operation long
enough so that the smaller offi
cials shall be prepared to carry
it out in an honest and faithftd
way. It will probably prove the
most successful legislation that
has been adopted in half a cen
tury.
1918
The Shipping Board Emer
gency Fleet Corporation, fully'
appreciative of the fact that
workers must be dealt with as
human beings, reached the con
clusion that labor managers must
deal with the shipping employes
in an intelligent mamier and
thereby reduce the turnover and
the causes of discontent and fric
tion. Under the agreement be
tween the seamen's union and
the shipping board, schools for
training of men who wish to be
come seamen have been estab
lished. However, this plan has_
met with difficulty as certain
shipping companies have refused
to employ these men even after
they have been trained, although
the members of the seamen's
union have asked that places be
made for these men.
1919
Two bills proposing to strike
out sections 4 and 5 of the sea
men's act was protested against
by the AFL. Both failed of pas
sage. Called upon the committee
on merchant marine and fisheries
to investigate violations of the
seamen's act and take such steps
as would compel its enforcement.
EDWIN L. WEAVER
EUGENE C. RICHEY
CLIFFORD F. GRIFFEN
RICHARD D. FRANKHAUSER
SAMUEL A. FOWLER
FRANKLIN G. HENDERSON
LESLIE B. REED
FRANK GREENE
JAMES THOMPSON
LEROY LONNON
WILLIE SMITH
WILLIE NELSON
WILLIAM BAKER
JOSE HERNANDEZ
ARTHUR YOUNG
THOMAS W. DIMMWIDE
G. KING
G. KASE
J. CLAHERTY
W. CHAWONICE
.-vr,
http://www.pdfcompressor.org/buy.html
Page Four THE SEAFARERS LOG Fridays August 27. 1943
Vigilance Needed To Protect Halls
Union Or Collection Agency—-Which?
for^snipping, paid- fine, 6/24/43.
^ Vilbeieto.'E. S, —1715 — Okayed
for
fn^ing, •®Pn/43,
'charges Filed, Trials Pending, De
cisions of Trial Committees, etc.
Baresic, Frank—Contact National
Treasurer before registering or
shipping regarding $125 owed Lyfces
Brothers.
Barker, William—Charges: Anti-
. conduct; refu
Not to be issued a union book or
shipped through NMU.
Beer, H. W.—8832—Charges: De
serted ship after signing foreign
Articles. Action: fi tnnnthg' nrnha-
tinn: alloweiiiim
in six months
wasnig^t the trial.
Behmer, George S.—Contact Na
tional Treasurer before registering
Or shipping regarding $125 ov/ed
Lykes Brothers.
Blsquerra, Amada — 61309
es: Inefficien '
5ne year; during probation to ob
tain letter from ship's ,committee
I'egarding work and conduct^
Bodenes^^Tripca
Bugh NMU.
Boone, Kirby D. —Contact Na
tional Treasurer before registering
£r shipping regarding $125 owed
ykes Brothers.
Brinton, Charles—38737—Charges:
Conduct unbecoming a union mem^
" 3ot do his wotr
III, I, .
leave. A«ion. ExpeTiea indefinite
ly frbm Union.
Formerl;
not com not com ..
to carrych**^ bctotc 5. \ 5S.\«
Eote* . — slfftce "
tiona
or sh:
Lykes
Fr
Ch
or . shipp .
Lykes Brl
GniazdC
National ''
te
ing or ^ H
Iress, IMM IT
,for 99o;^'-^
uillen
t®ial Tr
shippi
lykes Brv.
Gnlston/
National ^'
OT shippii/ Pto
Heel
TreaSuii
.shippir
Broth '
Sby
Of, '^e.-
ripping.
Herold,
tional Tr>
or shinni
°Ofr;
Believe it or not, seamen in the NMU are being prevented from shipping put if they owe
the shipowner dough. Take a look at the above clippings—and they are only part of what ap
peared in the Aug. 20th issues of THE PILOT. In all, 28 men were listed to be beached if they
didn't pay off the shipowner. Several of them owed as little as $1.50.
Just what in hell is this NMU—a trade union or a collection agency for the shipowner?
Curran and his cabal are trying to get the check-off-from the shipowners. It looks like the ship
owners already have the check-oR from' the union.
{Continued from Page 1)
RMO sends and can call for an
other man in the rejected man's
Every Agent should check the
discharges of men other than
trainees that the RMO send to
them, because here is where the
RMO stooges for the NMU and
there are plenty of them in this
outfit, sneak over thpir dirty
work on the SIU by sending
NMU commies to us or directly
to the ship to disrupt the ship
and attempt to organize the crew,
this is exactly what happened on
the 2 ships that paid off here with
the NMU organizers aboard. The
RMO slid these men through
when our Agents were not on the
job.
JERK ALL PHONIES
On examining a guy's dis
charges you can get a line on a
guy if he looks the least fishy. The
Agent should immediately reject
him. It might be a better policy
to reject every man that the
RMO sends to the Union except
bonifide trainees. At least we
know the trainee isn't a fink or
disrupter and we have a chance
of making him a good Union
man and a good seamen. On the
other hand, any guy thats been
around the waterfront a year or
more knows what the score is
and if he continues to ship out
the RMO Fink hall he is a fink
at heart and he is a detriment to
us, therefore, we don't want that
type.
One thing for all Agents to re
member is that the RMO fink
hall is supposed only to supple
ment the Union hiring hall man
power needs and also the man
power needs of non-union com
panies such as Isthmian and
Standard Oil.
Of course, I know that some
RMO officials try to impress the
Union officials that the Union
Hiring halls are supplementary
Dear Editor:
Here is a little article I read in
an AFL paper which I think it
would be wise to print. All the
brothers should call it to the at
tention of the WSA , trainees
When they ride our ships. It has
some good common sense in it.
Yours,
R. G. L.
Would you give odds of a
thousand to one against your
self?
Nb?
Well, you're doing it when you
"buck the boss" alone.
Here you are, one of a thous
and employees under one man
agement. Your pay, we'll say,
averages $1,200 a year. But the
corporation is capitalized at,
we'll say, two or three or four
millions of dollars and is pay
ing, let us suppose, five, six, sey-
en or eight per cent on its cap
italization.
If it is run on conventional
business principles, it has a
"bock log" of half a million or
more. That is, theoretically, to
provide for dull business periods,
etc. Actually it is seldom needed
for those dull business periods,
for then wages are slashed, help
is ruthlessly laid off, and ex
penses are cut in many other
ways—all of which result in un
employment.
YOUR GRUB STAKE
You, imorganized, have per
haps been so thrifty as to have
Editor's
a month's pay saved up; perhaps
even two or three hundred dol
lars in the bank — if so, you're
the lucky exception — probably
you're just a hop, skip and jump
ahead of three or four install
ment collectors.
So what? So, the boss decides
to cut your pay—just as you ex
pected a. raise—or he decides af
ter consultmg a "deficiency en
gineer" to make two persons do
three persons' work, or he finds
business is too good and orders
you to work overtime with no
extra pay or at the regular
drawing for your daily eight
hours.
TRUMP TAKES ACE
What can YOU do? He has a
backlog of half a million dollars;
you may, as we said, have as
much as a himdred for your lit
tle old ace in the hole!
What'Il chance have you got?
You are la free-bom American
citizen; you can^tell the son of
a packsaddle that he is a son of
a packsaddle and then quit.
Sure! It may cost him a few
nickels to break in somebody to
take your place—and how these
capital-management boys can
squawk about the "cost of labor
turnover," and how much it
takes out of the corporation
bankroll to train new help! But
he'll stick to his "principles" and
tell you to go to hell.
Which you may do—go to the
hell of the jobless and broke—
for the old days of easy-to-get
jobs have gone. Oh, yes! Today
if you're in a town full of war
industries tand you're not "fro
zen," it's fairly easy to get some
thing else to do; but, remember,
that's purely, even damnably,
temporary.
When this war is over, we'll go
back more or less to things as
they were in the "dirty thirties,"
as they even were In the early
twenties.
So, you see, the odds against
you are at least a thousand to
one. You—poor little you, with
your hundred bucks — are up
against a bankroll of two or
three millions, with half a mil
lion or so handy just to "take
care" of little things like you.
BE A BLUE CHIP
But, suppose you join a union!
Then you are not one little white
cliip up against a big stack of'
blues—you are part of a big
stack of blues yourself. You have
a trained man to fight for your
rights. You have two or three
hundred, or perhaps a thousand
fellow "chips" in the stack, all
bound togethei; by the iwwerful
tie of labor unionism;
Behind you there is a collec
tive bankroll, amassed from the
initiation fees and dues you and
your fellow workers have paid
into the local's treasury.
When trouble comes you carry
your "beef" to the union's busi
ness agent. He goes to see the.
boss—or ex-boss, as'the case
may be—and says:
"See here, mister! You can't
do that to a member "of Local
1313!"
And if the Big Boss Man gets
all swelled up and says,' "Why
not?"—^why, then, the business
agent gets him told, and in no
uncertain terms.
"Because," he says, "I'm not
just speaking for Bill Jones. I'm
speaking for all of the thousand
members of Local 1313 who are
employed here. Either you give
Bill la square deal or else—!"
Then Bill gets a square deal
because the odds were even in
stead of a thousand to one.
That's why you, brothers and
sisters, lare better off in the
union, and that's why your fel
low workers who are now unor
ganized are fools to give odds
when they could have an even
break.
—\ !
to the RMO Fink hall. And in
most every port you can take it '
for granted that they are making
every sneak move that they can
with the hope of eventually un
dermining breaking the Union in
order that their fink halls and
their fink herding jobs will be
sure.
ALL THROUGH HALL
There is no excuse for allowing
the RMO to dispatch men direct
ly to our ships at anytime. It is '
up to every Agent to be on his
toes to safeguard our hiring hall
rights by demanding that the
companies live up to their agree
ments and order all men through
our Union hiring halls. If we need
RMO men then the^ Agent can
order the men from the RMO di
rectly with the absolute under
standing with the RMO that they
are to send the men to our Union
Hall and we will dispatch the
men ̂ to the ships. If the Com
pany or the RMO dispatch men
directly to a ship, take these men
off the ship and make them go to
the Union Hall if you see fit to
clear these men or else reject
them and chase them off the ship.
The ships generally sail in
convoy now days and are in port
•long enough so that plenty of
time is available to crew up even
if you have to fill up with
trainees. Don't let the RMO hold
you off for a pier head that is
one of their main angles to look
for the excuse that our hall was
closed. For they know that once
their trainee is shipped through
our Union hall that man is lost to
them and 9 chances out of 10 ha
will become a member of this
Union.
Bring it to the attention of the
members that it is their duty as
well as the ship's delegate to
make sure that all crew members
of the ship they are on have
cleared through the Union hall
and if not notify the local Branch
Agent. ' ,
DOUBLE CHECK
Do your duty and make it your
business to see that all replace
ments for SIU and SUP ships in
your port are shipped and cleared
through our- Union hall.
Every month the RMO sends
out figures on the number of
Able Seamen, Oilers, Firemen
and Cooks, etc.; that • they have '
dispatcher to SIU ships. In order
to check on the accuracy of their
figures, I am hereby requesting
that every branch Agent forward
to me weekly the RHiO shipping
cards that they give to each man
that they dispatch to our Halls. .
FDR Puts Teeth
WASHINGTON, D. C.—Presi
dent Roosevelt imposed sanctions
against unions refusing to comply
with decisions of the National
War Labor Board.
In the case of labor refusing to
comply with WLB directives, the
Selective Service System was
authorized to cancel draft defer
ments of recalcitrant individual
employes. Power was also grant
ed to withhold in escrow ,union
dues collected under union agree
ments by employers in plants
seized by the Government be
cause of strikes.
The latter provision was wide
ly interpreted as an attempt to
forestaU any further strike action
by the United Mine Workers
Union whose case is , still pend
ing before the War Labor Board. -
..III
http://www.pdfcompressor.org/buy.html
OFFICIAL GROAN OF THE ATLANTIC AND OULF DISTRICT,
SEAFARERS' INTERNATIONAL UNION OF NORTH AMERICA
NEW YORK, N. Y., FRIDAY. AUGUST 27, 1943 No. 22
Vigilance Needed To Protect Halls
We Purchase
More War
Bonds
(This resolulion was pass
ed last Monday night up and
down the coast by member
ship vote.)
RESOLUTION
August 19, 1943.
WHEREAS: The Atlantic &
Gulf District of the Seafarers In-
ternationaL Union of North Am
erica has in the Hospit^, Burial,
and General Funds more than
sufficient cash to meet the ordi
nary disbursements required of
these funds, and
WHEREAS: This cash is lying
idle in the hank, and
WHEREAS: United States De
fense Bonds constitute the safest
investment in the world, the en
tire integrity of the government
being their guarantee, and
.WHEREAS: The government
has urgent need of this money to
finance a war in which our mem
bers are frontline fighters, there
fore be it
RESOLVED: That the Secre
tary-Treasurer of the Atlantic
and Gulf District be instructed to
withdraw $15,000 from the Gen
eral Fund and $10,160 from the
Hospital and Burial Fund, and
with this money purchase war
bonds, and be it further
RESOLVED: That a banking
committee of 3 men be elected at
the New York Branch meeting to
go with the Secretary-Treasurer
to deposit these bonds in the safe
deposit box. These bonds shall
be examined by each Quarterly
Finance Committee.
Herbert Messervy, No. 2076
John D. Lewis, No. 477
John Smalls, No. 22163
AFL Opens
Political
Campaign
CHICAGO, 111.—The American
Federation of Labor has launched
a nation-wide political drive to
elect members of Congress in
1944 who are friendly to labor's
cause. President William Green
announced that the Executive
Council had authorized a concert
ed campaign to get out the labor
vote in every city. Instructions
will be sent to all affiliated unions
including city central bodies and
State Federations, to see "to it
thdt all AFL members register in
accordance with local laws so
that thej' may be eligible to vote.
Likewise, local campaign com
mittees will be under orders to
follow up on the membership and
make certain they go to the polls
on election day.
A national, non-partisan poli
tical committee .will be set up in
Washington to check the records
of all candidates for public of
fice and to decide whether the
AFL will endorse or oppose them
in accordance with their attitude
on labor questions.
This committee will be com
posed of President Green, Secre
tary - Treasurer George Meany
and the legislative representa
tives on the AFL staff.
Wooden Lifeboats
Banned On Tankers
Installation of wooden lifeboats
on tankers was prohibited by the
Coast Guard yesterday in an or
der effective September 1. After
that date all lifeboats installed on
tankers must be constructed of
metal.
No Victory Tax Levied
On Transportation Money
In a letter to SIU Washington
Representative Matthew Du-
shane. Internal Revenue Com
missioner Guy T. Helvering ruled
officially that shipowners, are not
to deduct the 5% Victory Tax
from the transportation money
paid crews.
The Commissioner made it
elear, however, that transporta
tion money must be included in
the gross .income , of the seamen
when filing income returns at the
end of the year.
The text of the letter follows:
TREASURY DEPARTMENT
Washington, D. C.
August 19, 1943
Mr. Matthew Dushane, -
Washington Representative
Seafarers Int. Union &
The Sailors Union of the Pacific
^24—5th St., N. W.
Washington, D. C.
Sir:
Reference is made to your let
ter dated Jxme 15, 1943, regarding
a ruling with respect to the with
holding of the 5 percent victory
tax under the circumstances
stated therein which, briefiy, are
as follows:
The Sudden and Christsenson
steamship company of San Fran
cisco, California, operates the
steamship W. R. Howells. The
vessels articles terminated in the
port of New York. Under the
terms of an agreement between
the Sailors Union of the Pacific
and the American Steamship
owners, of which the Sudden and
Christenson steamship company
is a member. Any seamen who
signs on a vessel on the Pacific
{Continued on Page 2)
High Praise For SIU Crew
Comes From Skipper
Sezdarers International Union
Gentlemen:
I am not the kind of man that looks for praise, but when
I do a job well, I sometimes like to be commended. And in
as much, as when a crew gets out of line there is plenty of
noise in general, I think that it should be fair to commend a
crew when it stays in line.
I have just brought the S.S. Sarazen in with a full SIU
crew and I thought that I would show my appreciation by
commending the entire crew. I have been going to sea for the
past iweniy-iwo years. I have sailed in the focs'l, in every
department of the unlicensed personnel. I have sailed as of
ficer with crews from every organization, including the Ship
ping Board and non-union ships. And I can truthfully say
* that the crew of the Sarazen was the most efficient and re
liable crew that I have .ever sailed with. If the SIU keeps
putting out crews like this, they have reached the aim to make
seamanship an honorable and respectable vocation which it
rightfully should be.
I have endeavored to do my part, and the crew and of
ficers have shown their appreciation by cooperation. If we
keep this cooperation going together, we can keep them sailing.
Steady as she goes, •
CAPT. H. E. HELLER,
S.S. Sarazen.
Founder Of Labor Day
ReceivesAnnualHonor
Early in May of 1882 the newly
formed Central Labor Union of
New York City was holding a
meeting that would have been
forgotten decades ago but for one
piece of business transacted on
that occasion. At that meeting
Labor Day was born.
Among those present at the
meeting was a man in his middle
thirties named Peter J. McGuire.
A native of New York City, he
had gone to work in a dry goods
store while still a child. Later he
had been apprenticed to the car
penter's trade, and at the age .of
twenty he had become a imion
man.
It was McGuire who sent out a
call for a conference of represen
tatives of the various scattered
groups of organized carpenters.
This conference, staged at
Chicago, established, the United
Bratherhood of Carpenters and
Joiners, now known as one of the
largest and strongest of Ameri
can trade unions. McGuire had
long thought that a day should
be set aside to honor "those who
from rude nature have delved
and carved all the comfort and
grandeur we behold."
So, on the eighth of May of the
year 1882, he stood up before his
fellow-delegates at the meeting
of the Central Labor Union and
proposed that one day in the
year should be designated as a
general holiday for the toiling
PETER J. McGUIRE
millions. This day, he suggested,
should be known as Labor Day.
The delegate from the Chicago
Trades and Labor Assembly, A.
C. Cameron, proposed and the
convention adopted the follow
ing:
"Resolved, That the first Mon
day in September of each year be
set apart as a laborers' national
holiday, and that- we recommend
its observance by all wake work
ers, irrespective of sex, calling or
nationality."
Keep In Touch With
Your Local Draft Board,
By John Hawk
(The following instructions
were sent to all branch Agents by
the Secretary-Treasurer, and are
being printed in the LOG be>
cause of the importance that
each SIU man understand fully
the positions of the Union on
such questions as the RMO
trainees, fink halls, pier head
jumps, etc.)
Let's not forget for one mom
ent that one of the main points
that the Sailors Union of the Pa
cific fought hardest for and won
in the Pacific Coast Strikes of
1934, 1936 and 1937 was the abol
ishment of the Pacific American
Shipowners Fink hall, and after
that ' was accompished they
blocked the setting up of Gov
ernment Fink halls on the Paci
fic Coast in order to preserve
their own Union hiring hall. And
let us not forget that militant
union seamen gave their lives,
and have stood many long cold
and hungry picket watches in or
der to make possible the SUP
and the SIU, of today with its
own Union hiring halls and the
best working conditions in the
history of the Maritime Industry^
MAIN LIFELINE
Our main life line is our
hiring hall, aU our contracts with
the shipowners call for a closed
shop which means that every un
licensed job aboard contracted
ships shall be filled from our
Union hiring halls. At times, we
might not have enough of our
own members ip a certain ,port
to fill all jobs, however, ratings
with the exception of messmen,.
ordinary seamen and wipers, ar
rangements can be made with the
operators at their expense to
transport rated men from one of
our Branches to another if the
rated men are available in other
Branches. In any event, when an
Agent cannot supply a crew
through the above sources, he
can call the RMO and they will
send their trainees or misfits to
our Union hall to be dispatched
to a ship. The Union has the
right to reject any man the
{Continued an Page 4)
Far-Fetched Ruse To
Ban Union Buttons
A brand new wrinkle in em
ployer arguments against work
ers wearing union buttons, was
put forward by the Campbell
Soup Company.
The management of the com
pany's Chicago plant claimed the
buttons might "faU into the soup"
and thus "contaminate" the pro
duct. It souglit to ban them on
that ground.
Rejecting that argument, the
War Labor Board specfiically
authorized the wearing of but
tons, but added that both sides
should by collective bargaining
agree on a type that could not
fall off.
•sm
"N-
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' Page Two THE SEAFARERS LOG Friday, August 27, 1943
SEAFARERS
Published by the
SEAFARERS' INTERNATIONAL UNION
OF NORTH AMERICA
Atlantic and Gulf District
Affiliated with the American Federation of Labor
HARRY LUNDEBERG - - - - - - President
110 Market Street, San Francisco, Calif.
JOHN HAWK ------- Secy-Treas.
P. O. Box 25, Station P., New York City
JMATTHEW DUSHANE - - Washington Rep,
424 5 th Street, N.W., Washington, D. C.
Directory of Branches
BRANCH ADDRESS PHONE
NEW YORK (4) 2 Stone St .••••*-«
Deck & Engine Dispatcher.. BOwIing Green 9-3430
Steward Dispatcher BOwling Green 9-6786
Agent BOwling Green 9-3437
BOSTON (10) 330 Atlantic Ave Liberty 4057
BALTIMORE (2) 14 North <^y St. .^vert 4539
PHILADELPHIA 6 North 6th St Lombard 7651
NORFOLK..?. Commercial PI Norfolk 4-1083
NEW ORLEANS (16)... 309 Chartroe SL Canal 3336
SAVANNAH 218 East Bay St- Savannah 3-1728
TAM^ fr:423^Ea^^puu st.. ... Tampa^-1323
MOBILE 65 So. Conception St Dial 2-1392
PUERTO RICO 45 Ponce da Leon Puerto de Tlem
GALVESTON 219 20th Street Galveston 2-8043
FT. LAUDERDALE 2021 S. Federal Highway. .Ft. Lauderdale 1601
• • w
PUBLICATION OFFICE:
ROOM 213, 2 STONE STREET
New York City BOwling Green 9-834^
No Victory Tax Levied
On Transportation Money
{Continued from Page 1)
Coast and is discharged on the
Atlantic Coast, or vice versa, is
entitled to transportation back
to the port of employment. Pur
suant thereto each member of
the crew of such vessel was paid
the sum of $125.00 to cover the
cost of transportation and sub-
sistance from New York to San
Francisco.
The withholding for victory
tax for purposes prescribed by
sectidn 466 of the internal rev
enue code, as amended by the
revenue act of 1942, is applicable
to "wages", which are defined in
section 465(b) to mean "all re
muneration *** for services per
formed by an employee for his
employer, *** "Section 19.465 (c)
of regulation 103 further provides
with respect to "wages."
"Traveling and other expenses
—amounts paid or reimburse
ments made to employees speci
fically for traveling or other ex
penses incurred in the business
of the employer are not subject
to withholding."
It is the opinion of this office
that the amounts payable to dis
charged seamen under the pro
visions of the contracts outlined
above are paid for expenses in
curred in the business of the em
ployer and do not constitute re
muneration for services or
"wages" within the meaning of
the code or regulations. There
fore such payments are not sub
ject to withholding for victory
tax pm-poses. Furthermore, under
the compaiable definition o f
"Wages" which is found in sec
tion 1621 (a) of the internal rev
enue code and the regulations
applicable thereto, it is also be
lieved that similar payments,
which may he made subsequent
to the effective date of the cur
rent tax payments act of 1943,
are not includible in "wages"
within the meaning of the Act.
However, the amounts so paid
must be included in the gross in
come of the seamen when filing
income victory tax returns for
th.e taxable year in which they
are received, and the seamen will
be entitled to deductions on such
returns for the amounts actually
expended during the taxable year
in returning to^ the port of em
ployment.
Respectfully,
GUY T. HELVERING,
Commissioner
f-r^^SOHfils
RONALD EDNIE
Stop in and see the Secretary-
Treasurer next time you are in
New York City.
Keep In Touch With
Your Local Draft Board.
fR€POi?T or\.
^ASHIt\GTOtV
NATIONAL WAR LABOR
BOARD
On July 8, 1943, the Board set
up a panel for the maritime in
dustry. This panel is known as
the War Shipping Panel and
shall have jurisdiction over all
cases involving the personnel of
relief and regular crews employ
ed on all ships, dry cargo, tank
ers, barges and towboats, en
gaged in offshore, coastwise, har
bor, and inland waterways.
The panel consists of six mem
bers, two from labor, two from
the employers, and two shall
represent the public. The board
may also appoint alterpates.
The two labor members are
yours truly, representing the AFL
and Bjorne Hailing representing
the CIO. Both the AFL and the
CIO have alternates on the panel.
The board states that dases shall
he heard as follows: "THE LA
BOR MEMBER OF THE PANEL
SITTING IN EACH CASE
SHALL BE A MEMBER CHO
SEN FROM THE CRAFT OR IN
DUSTRIAL GROUP INVOLVED
BEFORE THE PANEL, OR
SUCH LABOR MEMBER AS HE
MAY DESIGNATE."
This panel is only an advisory
panel, and can only make recom
mendations to the NWLB on all
applications for wage and salary
adjustments and on all labor dis
putes referred to it.
The panel met on August 16,
17, and 18, and handled fifty
ca.ses that were on the agenda.
Ilhe cases involved Union and
non-Union requests for adjust
ments.
The determination for all set
tlements depends on executive
order No. 9328, copies of which
are being sent to the respective
headquarters of the union. The
main effect of executive order No.
9328 in the maritime industry in
the offshore and coastwise trade,
is that it sets up a supposedly
standard scale of wages—its ef
fect on the SIU Atlantic and Gulf
agreements is in that some of
them do not come under what is
generally termed as the standard,
and are above the code of stand
ard wages.
Example: In the Waterman and-
other agreements the AB's quar
termasters receive $110.00 per
month, the majority of all the
other agreements in the inrustry
the AB's receive $100.00 per
month. If the SIU or any other
Union negotiate an agreement
with the operators, and they both
reach an agreement whereby the
AB's are to receive $110.00 per
month, the wage rate under ex
ecutive order No. 9328 would not
be approved by the Board, and
the best that the AB's would get
would be $100.00 per month. Of
course the labor member wouAd
approve of the negotiated rate of
$110, but the Board would turn
it down.
It can readily be seen that in
the interest of future organiza
tion and expansion of both the
SUP and the SIU, that in all fu
ture agreements that they nego
tiate, they limit their demands to
the employers to the^ standard
agreements that they now have
in effect. The SUP has a stand
ard agreement so they would not
encounter any difficulties in hav
ing the Board approve of any
new agreements that they may
negotiate in the future. However
the SIU would be stymied by the
Board if they negotiated a wage
agreement similiar to the wages
of the Waterman and other com
panies whereby the AB's would
receive $110.00 per month. There
is nothing that I nor any one else
sitting on a ^anel can do that
can upset this ruling, unless the
President issues a new executive
order. This does not mean that
AB's who now receive $110.()0
per month on some ships will
not receive it in the future, this
order only applies to new agree
ments, that may be submitted to
the Board. ,
The majority of the employes
of the NWLB are members of the
CIO, and from all indications the
SUP and the SIU are being given
the works on the QT by some of
the employes. For instance, the
SIU signed an agreement with
Smith & Johnson on the 28th of
January, 1943. The company sub
mitted the contract to the WSA,
which was approved by them and
sent to the NWLB for their ap
proval. This contract was not on
the agenda, and the staff mem
ber who handles the cases stated
that this case was not through
being processed, and was not
ready. The SUP also has cases
here for approval and-yours truly
was given the same answer on
them, although the CIO and sev
eral non union cases that were
submitted to the Board after the
SUP and SIU cases were submit
ted, were on the agenda and
some non uniSh cases were class
ed as emergency cases and were
given priority. They were sent in
as late as August 3rd to the board
for approval.
LEGISLATION;
This completes the history of
the gaUant fight led by Andrew
Furuseth for seamen's rights, and
the action that was taken at the
{Continued on Page 3)
m
i:
i '•
I*'
1
ATLANTIC AND GULF SHIPPING FOR
WEEK OF AUG. 9 TO 14 INCLUSIVE
DECK ENGINE STEWARD TOTAL
SHIPPED 282 243 219 744
REGISTERED 250 231 127 608
Freddy Benson, SIU old timer known to hundreds of seamen up and down the Atlantic, is
traveling in high society these days. He spent a few weeks at the USS rest home in Gladstone.
N. J., and was on hand when the Duke and Duchess of Windsor came out to see how the other
half lives. Freddie is third from the left, the guy almost resting his chin on the Duchess' shoulder.
"So I says to the Duchess . . .
http://www.pdfcompressor.org/buy.html
Friday, August 27, 1943 THE SEAFARERS LOG Page Three
WHArS DOING
Around the Ports
Washington Report
BALTIMORE
Just about the time you get in
the rut in this business, some
thing hcippens to jerk you out
.again. The beefs, growls, real and
imaginary, are the expected lot
of our loc^ trio-Brothers, Dickey,
McCaulley, and yours truly Flan
agan. Along with crew's quar
ters, grub, and milk, the current
major issue seems to be this new
rider 64 issued by the WSA. A
little birdie whom is well up on
maritime law h^s informed me
this rider is more or less illegal,
as it is contrary to the wording
of the law pertaining to the al
lowed period of paying off.
The biggest jolt we got this
week was when our dispatcher.
Bill Attwood, received an order
for an entire crew for the SS.
• John J. Hawk. The natural re
action to this was to be insulted
as the ship was an infamous Iron
Maiden (Liberty Ship), So we
get our wires hot cheeking up on
the authencity of this attact on
our venerated Scratch, (Sec'ty.-
Treas.) and were relieved to be
informed that an error was made
in reference to the name of the
vessel. I withdrew our demand
for an apology from the WSA
and Calmar Line, but informed
them to never scare us that way
again, and if they wanted to in
sult all big shots like Charlie
Schwab and such it was O.K., but
never to desecrate our Scratch's
name on that type of ship.
As we understand it the Vic
tory ships are due to be under
construction soon and in view of
the fact that the plans for them
are supposed to be at least in ac
cordance with an American idea
of what a ship should be like. We
suggest they all be named after
our seamen whom have lost their
lives through enemy action in
stead of some politician or use
less money monger. The ship
owners can at least tfhow that
much deferance for these heros
all.
Narrow-minded Westbrook
Pegler is at it again. He takes a
couple of isolated cases of mis
conduct by crew members to use
as a basis of calling all seamen,
particularly American seamen,
TRASH. I would like to invite
this jerk to make a trip on one
of .these ships as member of the
crew or even as a passenger,
don't think he would work up
enough -courage to do so. I don't
even think he would have enough
bafekbone to work in some war
industry. Mr. Pegler, this coun
try doesn't need useless jerks like
you to write trash. You can't help
to win this war by sitting on your
fannie and criticizing the real
backbone of this war effort. So
nerts, Mr. Pegler, to you.
JOSEPH FLANAGAN
..Agent
MOBILE
Well, Brothers it seems like we
struck the doldrums in this port
as far as shipping goes.
But here is a little item I want
printed in a conspicuous place for
, the benefit of the men. The mon
opolistic capitalistic publication
known as the Mobile Press-Reg
ister on Sunday, August 8th,
1943, carried this item in a very
inconspicuous place. Now broth
ers this paper is one of the most,
if not the most, erratic reaction
ary publication in the nation to
day. I am^ going to give you one
little sentence from the letter and
you will readily understand why
the article was handled the way
it was.
The letter was from Captain
Walter C. Ernest, Jr., serving in
the New Guinea in the United
States Army, to Representative
Frank Boykin, United States
Congress, his cousin. Capt. Er
nest stated in the letter that he
had taken one Engineer company
and built a dock to work all five
hatches of a Liberty ship. He al
so stated in the letter: "Oh yes. I
must tell you that one Sunday
the ship had turkey for dinner,
ice cream, etc. The sailors went
out on deck and each one picked
out a soldier who was working
the cargo and gave him his own
place at the table and the sailors
went without dinner. These were
the sailors of the merchant mar
ine. the same old sailors down on
Government Street in Mobile.
Don't you think that was a won
derful gesture toward the ser
vice? I happened to be a guest
of the Captain for dinner emd
that was how I knew it. So the
Sailors Union isn't so bad after
all and I can vouch for it."
You can readily understand
why any letters with words of
that nature was printed in a very
inconspicuous place of any Pub
lication as reactionary as the
Press-Register. This letter was
too significant to get any public
ity in the Capitalist press. So
brothers from here on in you may
as well prepare yourselves for
any eventuality that may con
front your
OLDEN BANKS. Agent
GALVESTON
What is this Fakeroo Curran
coming to? Give him an inch:
Joe Curran far left leader of the
NMU has a new idea. He wants
the government to take up the
seamen's papers who have been
suspended by tliC^MU for what
he calls misconduct. By suspend
ing a union member, old "Keep
'Em Sailing Joe" can deprive him
of working rights wherever the
NMU has contracts. But now he
(Curran, who was against this
war until his pal Mustache Joe in
Russia was attacked) wants some
of the fellow moscovietes in
Washington to give him a hand
to set ashore everywhere any
seaman whose conduct offends
old Hamhead Curran.
Well, the NMU in Galveston
has started the ball rolling,
none other than a lady seaman
as dig^patcher.
Brother J. P. Schuler, who is
well known by the membership,
has arrived in Texas ports aboard
a ship that the crew states is the
best feeder afloat today. He
wants Casey Jones to leave Col
lins in control of Philadelphia,
and fly down here to join his
ship. Here is a note that was
handed to me by the crew of
the S.S
"Re. Austin Brown shipped
from the RMO, New Orleans, La.
Brothers: The above mentioned
Austin Brown has just completed
a trip aboard the S.S
and has proved to be the lousiest
man that has ever be^n or will
be shipihates with. In port he
stays drunk all the time, and at
sea he sucks to make up for lost
time. If he gets a book there is
no use of ever having another in
vestigating committee."
Twelve full book members
signed the letter, which is being
sent to headquarters. Have two
new ships out at the end of the
month. Need good men.
E. R. WALLACE. Agent
MONEY DUE
Crew of S.S. Able Stearns can
collect port bonus for Sydney.
See Captain Respess. Bull Line.
New York City.
J. Pantoja has money coming
from the Bull Line for the last
voyage of the Eleanor.
The following crew members
of the S.S. Ironclad have bonus
money .coming from the Water
man Line: L. Hall. A. DeFelice.
E. Bright. J. Lafaso. J. Narovas.
G. Small. J. Naylor. J. McKenna.
and E. Talbot.
INGEBRITSEN: You have 61
hours overtime coming from the
Robin Line.
MCLAUGHLIN: YOU have 8
hours overtime coming from the
Robin Line.
Any members of crews of fol
lowing vessels at time of attack,
should collect $125 attack bonus
from companies: Benjamin La-
trobe. Robin Gray. Panama City.
Richard Henry Lee. John Daven
port. Pan Gulf. Kofresi. John
Sevens. Francis Marion.
KEEP CLEAR WITH YOUR DRAFT BOARD
By observing the following simple instructions you will
continue to receive deferment from military service. Fail
to observe these rules and you may wind up in the army.
WHEN SIGNING ON: Give the clerk or skipper all the
information necessary to fill out RMO Card Na. 47 (Green
Card).
WHEN SIGNING OFF: See that Card No. 48-A is prop-
perly filled out by skipper or clerk.
Ship out befoio your allotted time ashore has expired.
If you have not yet hlled out the Green Card, contact your
draft board and let them Imow that you are sailing.
{Continued from Page 2)
conventions of the American
Federation of Labor.
1915
THE SEAMEN'S BILL WAS
PASSED BY CONGRESS AND
SIGNED BY THE PRESIDNT.
This measure marks a great for
ward step in the march of human
freedom and progress. It removes
the last vestige of involuntary
servitude from the laws of the
U.S. It is one of the first measures
that the AFL urged Congress to
enact into law. It wiU improve
the working conditions of the
seamen. Opportunities for organ
ization will be extended, seamen
in other countries will enj«y its
beneficent influence, the general
public who travel on the high
seas will be afforded a larger
measure of safety provisions.
We feel confident in asserting
that the passage of this wise and
necessary legislation by the Sixty
Third Congress was one of its
distinctions. Nevertheless, we find
it to be a painful duty to call at
tention to the fact that a great
danger still confronts this valu
able piece of legislation. The
cupidity and greed of not only
the shipping interests of the U.S.
but the shipping interests of the
whole maritime world are so
aroused that they will leave no
stone unturned nor hesitate to
stoop to any subterfuge to defeat
the law and the wise, humanitar
ian and safety provisions that it
contains. A continuous, persis
tant campaign has been made
against the measure by the great
financial interests of the nation
under the management of the
Chamber of Commerce.
The national Chamber of Com
merce submitted for referendum
vote of its six hundred affiliated
local Chambers of Commerce,
and other trade bodies represent
ing some 300,000 business men,
several propositions, including
the following "Subsidies from the
government sufficient to offset
differences in the cost between
operation of vessels under the
American flag, and operation in
the same deep sea trades under
foreign flags." The vote upon
these propositions was over
whelmingly in favor of the one
quoted. It is therefore necessary
that our membership be alert to
the dangers confronting the peo
ple of the U. S., because there is
no question that the vested inter
ests will exert themselves to the
fullest extent to defeat the mer
itorious principles contained in
the seamen's act.
The licensed officers bill also
becomes a law. It affords greater
protection to officers in the mer
chant marine when complying
with their necessary public duty
in reporting defects in their ves
sels to the proper federal inspec
tion officials. The act also more
clearly defines and extends the
right to licensed officers in the
merchant marine to quit the ser
vices of the shipowner at the ex
piration of their contract with
out intimidation or risk of im
prisonment. It is believed that
all of the former elements of
compulsion on the part of the
shipowners against the licensed
officers have be?n removed by
the passage of this measure. This
act is a valuable addition to the
legislation contained in the act
protecting the I'ights of seafaring
men and extending greater safe
ty measures for those who go
down to the sea in ships.
Although the seamen's law wai
enacted after twenty years agi
tation, during which time it was
endorsed in the platform of tho
two great political parties, at
tempts were already being made
for its discredit and repeal. The
law was supposed to have gone
into effect November 4th. The
shipowners had eight months te
prepare, and nothing was done
until three days before that time.
The law provides for issuing cer
tificates to able seamen. No cer
tificates were issued until within
four or five days of the 4th of
November. This caused a tre
mendous congestion in the differ
ent seaports, of men who wanted
to obtain certificates. As a result
of that, or for some other reason,
the examinations as to physical
fitness did not work altogether
well or even reasonably satisfac
torily in some places. In other
places it seems to be going along
pretty smoothly. When the law
shall have been in operation long
enough so that the smaller offi
cials shall be prepared to carry
it out in an honest and faithftd
way. It will probably prove the
most successful legislation that
has been adopted in half a cen
tury.
1918
The Shipping Board Emer
gency Fleet Corporation, fully'
appreciative of the fact that
workers must be dealt with as
human beings, reached the con
clusion that labor managers must
deal with the shipping employes
in an intelligent mamier and
thereby reduce the turnover and
the causes of discontent and fric
tion. Under the agreement be
tween the seamen's union and
the shipping board, schools for
training of men who wish to be
come seamen have been estab
lished. However, this plan has_
met with difficulty as certain
shipping companies have refused
to employ these men even after
they have been trained, although
the members of the seamen's
union have asked that places be
made for these men.
1919
Two bills proposing to strike
out sections 4 and 5 of the sea
men's act was protested against
by the AFL. Both failed of pas
sage. Called upon the committee
on merchant marine and fisheries
to investigate violations of the
seamen's act and take such steps
as would compel its enforcement.
EDWIN L. WEAVER
EUGENE C. RICHEY
CLIFFORD F. GRIFFEN
RICHARD D. FRANKHAUSER
SAMUEL A. FOWLER
FRANKLIN G. HENDERSON
LESLIE B. REED
FRANK GREENE
JAMES THOMPSON
LEROY LONNON
WILLIE SMITH
WILLIE NELSON
WILLIAM BAKER
JOSE HERNANDEZ
ARTHUR YOUNG
THOMAS W. DIMMWIDE
G. KING
G. KASE
J. CLAHERTY
W. CHAWONICE
.-vr,
http://www.pdfcompressor.org/buy.html
Page Four THE SEAFARERS LOG Fridays August 27. 1943
Vigilance Needed To Protect Halls
Union Or Collection Agency—-Which?
for^snipping, paid- fine, 6/24/43.
^ Vilbeieto.'E. S, —1715 — Okayed
for
fn^ing, •®Pn/43,
'charges Filed, Trials Pending, De
cisions of Trial Committees, etc.
Baresic, Frank—Contact National
Treasurer before registering or
shipping regarding $125 owed Lyfces
Brothers.
Barker, William—Charges: Anti-
. conduct; refu
Not to be issued a union book or
shipped through NMU.
Beer, H. W.—8832—Charges: De
serted ship after signing foreign
Articles. Action: fi tnnnthg' nrnha-
tinn: alloweiiiim
in six months
wasnig^t the trial.
Behmer, George S.—Contact Na
tional Treasurer before registering
Or shipping regarding $125 ov/ed
Lykes Brothers.
Blsquerra, Amada — 61309
es: Inefficien '
5ne year; during probation to ob
tain letter from ship's ,committee
I'egarding work and conduct^
Bodenes^^Tripca
Bugh NMU.
Boone, Kirby D. —Contact Na
tional Treasurer before registering
£r shipping regarding $125 owed
ykes Brothers.
Brinton, Charles—38737—Charges:
Conduct unbecoming a union mem^
" 3ot do his wotr
III, I, .
leave. A«ion. ExpeTiea indefinite
ly frbm Union.
Formerl;
not com not com ..
to carrych**^ bctotc 5. \ 5S.\«
Eote* . — slfftce "
tiona
or sh:
Lykes
Fr
Ch
or . shipp .
Lykes Brl
GniazdC
National ''
te
ing or ^ H
Iress, IMM IT
,for 99o;^'-^
uillen
t®ial Tr
shippi
lykes Brv.
Gnlston/
National ^'
OT shippii/ Pto
Heel
TreaSuii
.shippir
Broth '
Sby
Of, '^e.-
ripping.
Herold,
tional Tr>
or shinni
°Ofr;
Believe it or not, seamen in the NMU are being prevented from shipping put if they owe
the shipowner dough. Take a look at the above clippings—and they are only part of what ap
peared in the Aug. 20th issues of THE PILOT. In all, 28 men were listed to be beached if they
didn't pay off the shipowner. Several of them owed as little as $1.50.
Just what in hell is this NMU—a trade union or a collection agency for the shipowner?
Curran and his cabal are trying to get the check-off-from the shipowners. It looks like the ship
owners already have the check-oR from' the union.
{Continued from Page 1)
RMO sends and can call for an
other man in the rejected man's
Every Agent should check the
discharges of men other than
trainees that the RMO send to
them, because here is where the
RMO stooges for the NMU and
there are plenty of them in this
outfit, sneak over thpir dirty
work on the SIU by sending
NMU commies to us or directly
to the ship to disrupt the ship
and attempt to organize the crew,
this is exactly what happened on
the 2 ships that paid off here with
the NMU organizers aboard. The
RMO slid these men through
when our Agents were not on the
job.
JERK ALL PHONIES
On examining a guy's dis
charges you can get a line on a
guy if he looks the least fishy. The
Agent should immediately reject
him. It might be a better policy
to reject every man that the
RMO sends to the Union except
bonifide trainees. At least we
know the trainee isn't a fink or
disrupter and we have a chance
of making him a good Union
man and a good seamen. On the
other hand, any guy thats been
around the waterfront a year or
more knows what the score is
and if he continues to ship out
the RMO Fink hall he is a fink
at heart and he is a detriment to
us, therefore, we don't want that
type.
One thing for all Agents to re
member is that the RMO fink
hall is supposed only to supple
ment the Union hiring hall man
power needs and also the man
power needs of non-union com
panies such as Isthmian and
Standard Oil.
Of course, I know that some
RMO officials try to impress the
Union officials that the Union
Hiring halls are supplementary
Dear Editor:
Here is a little article I read in
an AFL paper which I think it
would be wise to print. All the
brothers should call it to the at
tention of the WSA , trainees
When they ride our ships. It has
some good common sense in it.
Yours,
R. G. L.
Would you give odds of a
thousand to one against your
self?
Nb?
Well, you're doing it when you
"buck the boss" alone.
Here you are, one of a thous
and employees under one man
agement. Your pay, we'll say,
averages $1,200 a year. But the
corporation is capitalized at,
we'll say, two or three or four
millions of dollars and is pay
ing, let us suppose, five, six, sey-
en or eight per cent on its cap
italization.
If it is run on conventional
business principles, it has a
"bock log" of half a million or
more. That is, theoretically, to
provide for dull business periods,
etc. Actually it is seldom needed
for those dull business periods,
for then wages are slashed, help
is ruthlessly laid off, and ex
penses are cut in many other
ways—all of which result in un
employment.
YOUR GRUB STAKE
You, imorganized, have per
haps been so thrifty as to have
Editor's
a month's pay saved up; perhaps
even two or three hundred dol
lars in the bank — if so, you're
the lucky exception — probably
you're just a hop, skip and jump
ahead of three or four install
ment collectors.
So what? So, the boss decides
to cut your pay—just as you ex
pected a. raise—or he decides af
ter consultmg a "deficiency en
gineer" to make two persons do
three persons' work, or he finds
business is too good and orders
you to work overtime with no
extra pay or at the regular
drawing for your daily eight
hours.
TRUMP TAKES ACE
What can YOU do? He has a
backlog of half a million dollars;
you may, as we said, have as
much as a himdred for your lit
tle old ace in the hole!
What'Il chance have you got?
You are la free-bom American
citizen; you can^tell the son of
a packsaddle that he is a son of
a packsaddle and then quit.
Sure! It may cost him a few
nickels to break in somebody to
take your place—and how these
capital-management boys can
squawk about the "cost of labor
turnover," and how much it
takes out of the corporation
bankroll to train new help! But
he'll stick to his "principles" and
tell you to go to hell.
Which you may do—go to the
hell of the jobless and broke—
for the old days of easy-to-get
jobs have gone. Oh, yes! Today
if you're in a town full of war
industries tand you're not "fro
zen," it's fairly easy to get some
thing else to do; but, remember,
that's purely, even damnably,
temporary.
When this war is over, we'll go
back more or less to things as
they were in the "dirty thirties,"
as they even were In the early
twenties.
So, you see, the odds against
you are at least a thousand to
one. You—poor little you, with
your hundred bucks — are up
against a bankroll of two or
three millions, with half a mil
lion or so handy just to "take
care" of little things like you.
BE A BLUE CHIP
But, suppose you join a union!
Then you are not one little white
cliip up against a big stack of'
blues—you are part of a big
stack of blues yourself. You have
a trained man to fight for your
rights. You have two or three
hundred, or perhaps a thousand
fellow "chips" in the stack, all
bound togethei; by the iwwerful
tie of labor unionism;
Behind you there is a collec
tive bankroll, amassed from the
initiation fees and dues you and
your fellow workers have paid
into the local's treasury.
When trouble comes you carry
your "beef" to the union's busi
ness agent. He goes to see the.
boss—or ex-boss, as'the case
may be—and says:
"See here, mister! You can't
do that to a member "of Local
1313!"
And if the Big Boss Man gets
all swelled up and says,' "Why
not?"—^why, then, the business
agent gets him told, and in no
uncertain terms.
"Because," he says, "I'm not
just speaking for Bill Jones. I'm
speaking for all of the thousand
members of Local 1313 who are
employed here. Either you give
Bill la square deal or else—!"
Then Bill gets a square deal
because the odds were even in
stead of a thousand to one.
That's why you, brothers and
sisters, lare better off in the
union, and that's why your fel
low workers who are now unor
ganized are fools to give odds
when they could have an even
break.
—\ !
to the RMO Fink hall. And in
most every port you can take it '
for granted that they are making
every sneak move that they can
with the hope of eventually un
dermining breaking the Union in
order that their fink halls and
their fink herding jobs will be
sure.
ALL THROUGH HALL
There is no excuse for allowing
the RMO to dispatch men direct
ly to our ships at anytime. It is '
up to every Agent to be on his
toes to safeguard our hiring hall
rights by demanding that the
companies live up to their agree
ments and order all men through
our Union hiring halls. If we need
RMO men then the^ Agent can
order the men from the RMO di
rectly with the absolute under
standing with the RMO that they
are to send the men to our Union
Hall and we will dispatch the
men ̂ to the ships. If the Com
pany or the RMO dispatch men
directly to a ship, take these men
off the ship and make them go to
the Union Hall if you see fit to
clear these men or else reject
them and chase them off the ship.
The ships generally sail in
convoy now days and are in port
•long enough so that plenty of
time is available to crew up even
if you have to fill up with
trainees. Don't let the RMO hold
you off for a pier head that is
one of their main angles to look
for the excuse that our hall was
closed. For they know that once
their trainee is shipped through
our Union hall that man is lost to
them and 9 chances out of 10 ha
will become a member of this
Union.
Bring it to the attention of the
members that it is their duty as
well as the ship's delegate to
make sure that all crew members
of the ship they are on have
cleared through the Union hall
and if not notify the local Branch
Agent. ' ,
DOUBLE CHECK
Do your duty and make it your
business to see that all replace
ments for SIU and SUP ships in
your port are shipped and cleared
through our- Union hall.
Every month the RMO sends
out figures on the number of
Able Seamen, Oilers, Firemen
and Cooks, etc.; that • they have '
dispatcher to SIU ships. In order
to check on the accuracy of their
figures, I am hereby requesting
that every branch Agent forward
to me weekly the RHiO shipping
cards that they give to each man
that they dispatch to our Halls. .
FDR Puts Teeth
WASHINGTON, D. C.—Presi
dent Roosevelt imposed sanctions
against unions refusing to comply
with decisions of the National
War Labor Board.
In the case of labor refusing to
comply with WLB directives, the
Selective Service System was
authorized to cancel draft defer
ments of recalcitrant individual
employes. Power was also grant
ed to withhold in escrow ,union
dues collected under union agree
ments by employers in plants
seized by the Government be
cause of strikes.
The latter provision was wide
ly interpreted as an attempt to
forestaU any further strike action
by the United Mine Workers
Union whose case is , still pend
ing before the War Labor Board. -
..III
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