Media
Issue Date
1941-11-10
Volume
3
Issue Number
22
Plaintext
11 .it .' "'Tf,
SECURITY
IM
UHITY
1
OPPIOIAL OBOAN OP THE ATLANTIC AND OTJLF DISTBICT,
SEAPARERS' INTERNATIONAL UNION OP NORTH AMERICA
VOL. Ill 448 NEW YORK, N. Y., MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10, I94I No. 22
BIGGS NEGOTIATES GULF CONTRACTS;
90c PER HOUR OVERTIME
[pK.^
Another move by the Maoritime Commission to scuttle
direct collective bargaining between the SIU and the ̂ p
^owners, 'and to substitute a form of compulsory arbitration,
smashed last week when the Union won an Iceland port
of $46 from the Eastern Steamship Company.
W^ien the, S.S; Norwalk re
turned from an Iceland run In
the middle of October, the opera
tors refused to pay the bonus, and
I«ssed. the. buck to the Maritime
Cotnmission. The Maritime Com
mission in turn requested that
the entire controversy be; submit
ted tn the National Defense Me
diation Board. This is a proceed
ure that the operators have been
trying to institute ever since the
SIU became a power on the water
front.
Union's negotiating cotn
iolitee^ headed by Brother John
Ha^k, imade it clear to the ka
Tltime Commission that it wQuId
actively resist such a proceedure
nnd that It. would insist upon con
llttued direct negotiations with
,|ie operators.
«>
While the. question of the Oc
tober trip of the Norwalk has not
yet been settled. Eastern is now
sailing its ships with a rider pro
viding for a .?45 . Iceland port
bonus on all future trips.
Again the Maritime Commis
sion's flnkey plans have been
thwarted by militant SIU action.
.Gravy
Fro i S.I.U.
Militancy
On November 5th the NMU
signed a war bonus agreement
with the AMMI. The scale is the
same as that won by the SIU
during its recent bonus strike.
Thus the NMU rides the tail of
the SIU and. comes in for . gravy
that it never fought for. Joe Cur
iian yelled "bum beef" and
"flukey" when the SIU hit the
bricks. Now he comes crawling on
his belly to the operators. But
the rank and file of the NMU
knows who won their bonus, for
them—the SIU!
Curran's strike breaking yam
mer cost his men exactly three
months' bonus to whlcEthey were
entitled. The SIU agreements
were retroactive to July 8th. The
NMU's are retroactive to Oct. Ist.
SIU Crew Defends Steward
Assaulted by Passenger
Paul Brownfield is a room steward and a Negro Brother
in the SIU. He is a good Union man and has been shipping
through SIU halls ever since the organization was founded.
From his years at sea he can tell plenty of stories about
ship's passengers who think that stewards are nothing but
dirt under their feet. Today, however, he has a different
story. ^
On his last trip a couple of bfel
ligsrent passengers actually at
tacked him with a water pitcher.
But that isn't all. The rest of
the yarn Is how his Union bro
thers aboard ship instantly ral
lied to his defense.
It all began the morning of Oc
tober 29th. The S.S. Yarmouth
was slowly steaming past iQuaran
tine in New York harbor on her
return from Bermuda. Bermuda
is quite a Society playground
these days, and the ship was full
of returning' vacationists.
Paul Brownfield had twelve
rooms to take care of and the
job of getting all those passengers
packed up and their luggage down
on deck in time for the longshore
men to handle, was no easy Job.
Ton rooms were packed up OK
by the time the Statue of Liberty
came into view. Brownfield ap
proached the eleventh room, and
ran into trouble.
DEADLim ON ^
SW NOMINATIONS
MOVED TO NOV. IS
The recommendationa of
the Committee on Candidates
regarding the extension of
nomination deadline has been
approved by a coastwise ref
erendum.
This action cf the Atlantic
and Gulf District of the SIU
means that nominations for
all elective offices will be ac
cepted up until and including
November 15th. Elections will
proceed during December and
January, and the incoming
officers will be inducted on
the first Monday In February.
J t, ?
First he knocked on the door,
then opened It with his pass key
and went inside. He found there,
three meii who were no where
near packed. Nor did they show
any inclination to dt'art packing.
The steward explained to th;^
the situation, and for his palhs
he received a few assorted curses.
He then said that if they didn't
pack right aw'ay, he might not be
able to help them with their lug
gage because other duties would
occupy ilia time later on.
This remark apparently infuri
ated the men returning from Ber
muda. They must have consid
ered the remark insubordination,
or something. Anyway, things
began to happen—fast!
One of the men ducked out^ of
the cabin to watch up and down
the alleyway: the second man
grabbed Brownfield's,. arms and
(Csfjitihuid F«ed 4}
More Lend-
Lease Ships
During the last half of October,
Great Britain received five Amer
ican ships under the LendLease
Act, and returned to this country
12 vessels she had borrowed pre
viously.
Of the five ships going to Eng
land, two of them were Navy
submarines, the others were
cargo ships.
The cargo liners were of the
fast new design being built by
the Maritime Commission. The
ships Involved were the China
Mail of the American Mail Line,
the Howell Lykes of the Lykes
Brothers' fleet, and the Extavia
of the American Export Line.
As a result of this transfer, the
total of new American ships given
to Britain was increased to seven
vessels of 50,901 gross tons.
The Extavia was a special cargo
type, dbligned so as to be able to
navigate river approaches. She
Is 400 feet long and has a beam
of 39 feet. She is fast, develop
ing 16 to 18 knots and could out
run most submarines.
It is rumored in maritime cir
cles that because of her speed,
the British will use her to trans
port certain valuable munitions
from the United States to Europe.
As these cargo liners were be
ing headed toward wartorn Eu
rope, Britain returned twelve
American flag oil tankers which
had been used in the British shutr
tie service.
Britain has indicated that she
will return 25 more American
tankers during the month of No
rember.
BULLETIN
The SIU negiotiation committee, headed
by District Representative M.D. Biggs, won
new Gulf contracts from the major opera
tors providing for a boost of $10 in the
basic scale and an overtime rate of 90 cents
per hour; benefits retroactive to October
24th. The individual contracts MTOI be pre
sented in the forthcoming issues of the
Seafarers Log
Car Ferry and P&O Agreement
New closed shop contracts to run until August 16,
1942 have been signed between the Seafarers' Interna-
tional Union and two Gulf operators — The Peninsular &
Occidental Steamship Company and the Florida East
Coast Car Ferry Company. The new agreements afford
SIU men many substantial benefits over the expired con-
tracts and raises their rate of pay a total of $10 per
month for most classification. Under the new contract
A.B.'s will receive $100 per month.
(Continued on Page 3)
Torpedoed U.S. Destroyer
Proves of Sound Design
WMle engaged in convoy duty between the United States
and Iceland, the Navy destroyer Kearny was torpedoed on
Oct. 17. At the time, it was revealed that 11 lives were lost
in the attack, but little additional information was available
until this week.
Speaking before a Navy Day banquet in Philadelphia, Under
Secretary of the Navy James V. Forrestal, told some of the details
of the submarine attack and said that the Kearny had suffered
an amount of damage which no other destroyer had ever received
and remained afloat.
"The Kearny suffered a direct
hit from a torpedo abreast of the
boiler room on the starboard
side," said Mr. Forrestal, "and
the resulting explosion not only
opened up that side of the ship,
but blew out the deck overhead
and part of the superstructure.
"Yet, In spite of this very sub
stantial damage the ship not
merely remained afloat but pro
ceeded under its own power to
port."
Mr. Forrestal revealed the fact
that the Kearny was one of the
new socalled "topheavy de
stroyers" about which there has
raged a controversy as to Its
soundness of design and ability
to meet action tests.
As a result of the torpedoing
the UnderSecretary announced
that the deslign was completely
efficient and battleworthy.
Additional details of the actual
design of the ship were revealed
the following day by the Bureau
of Ships of the Navy Depart
ment.
The survival of the Kearny
was due to the fact that it had
two entirely independent engine
rooms and boiler rooms, one set
ranged behind the other, as well
as extraordinary stability.
According to the official anal
ysis, the power for the ship was
generated by two separate plants
^in four rooms. The rooms were
tandum—boiler room, then en
gf^, room, then again a boiler
room and an engine room.
The torpedo hit the forward
(Continued on Page 2)
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PuHiahed by the
AHANITC & GULF DISTRiCr
of the
Seafmers' Intematiattaf Umoh
of North America
XJ.
AffStated with the American Federation of Lahor
HARRY LUNDEBERG, Acting International President
. WiiMi«iet Street, Room • 402, S*n Francisco, Calit.
ADDRESS ALE CORRESPONDENCE CONGEBmNG THIS
! PPBLICATIiON tOi
"THE SEAFARERS' LOG"
P. O,, Box 25» Station P, New York, N. Y.
.PAo«j?: BOwUn4. Green 98346
No
It's pretty tough for a seaman to get a raise ia
Bia union has to il^^ Mke hell to o^eezeit oht 'Ol tl^ profit
IvrpBm; 1K he teve « wam, he'4 nev^er
get a boost.
Dangerous Precedents
Labor's strength has forced respeot Ihese days from even
the most reactionary employers. Big business and even the
goiverament itself have been forced to grudgingly admit that
it is labor 's RKrHT to strike.
In these days of "national epiergency,'' however, even a
pay raise does not necessarily mean.a.man is, better off.. Big
business has a neat little trick of giving it out with one
hand ahd taking it away with the other^ th| forin of
prices for the neeessities of life.
Not only that but the profiteers try to coYer up their
tracks by blaming high pricra on increased wages. In other
wcRcds they say, "if you seamesoF miners and auto wor^
«rs cant wumglt food and o^^fhihg, it's,your own fes^
for getting sBcii high wage8»*' ftbuads screwball, bid hhat'e
their line.
However, it is one thing to recognize an abstract prin
ciple, and quite another thing to accept it in a concrete case.
Take, for instance, the p^sent,strike, of the, West Boast
welders. These men have a beef with A. iP. of L. officials
ovw; union autoncany ®M. have gone on sla^ 4o eB.lwce
their position.
Now, the seamen have little concern with the welders'
beef agaomt the top officials of • the A. F. of L., but th^y
are vitally concerned about the disturbing news that the
Seattle Selective Service officials have begun to reclassify
tiiese men into category A1.
This means that where the welders were previously de
ferred from the Draft because of their contribution to "Na
tional Defense,'' now that they have Md down their tocds,
the government is threatening to send them to war.
> THIS IS DIRECT GOVERNMENTAL INTERFERENCE
WITH THE RIGHT TO STRIKE.
It so happens that this is . an internnion equabhle and js
Rot a good, test case for labor to use in qombatu^ strike
teeaMng moves. But good case or bad, every union man, re
gardless of his affiliations, must fight this reactionary ten
dency with all his strength.
The utilization of the cry of "National Emergency" in
order to chisel labor is one of the shabbiest frauds ever
pulled on working men. Reactionary employers have been
trying to slip this one over foi: a number of years.
But it comes as a shock to see a goywnment qgeqcy ig>
to the same shady tri(hs.
Seamen ..must not be blinded nby the fjact that ̂ welders
may have a bum beef. What is involved here is "the right to
strike. That right must be protected from EVERYBODY!
Last week the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U. S. De
partment of Labot:, once and for idl scuttled this alibi ̂ Hie
profifeeqrs.. It published an eltdioraate report which revealeil
that practically all the substantial price rises have occurred
in ooinmodilies where wages were NOT an appreciable fac
tor. The Bureau's study is obviously thorough, and no econ
oBoist, would;.dare to challenge its findings.
The amount of wages paid a man determmes how he and
his fanri^ shall live. Wages are the measure of bis welfare.
For most workers it is their only income and their only claim
to food and clothing and shelter.
Higher wages mean a higher standard of living for the
working people. Higher prices, on the o^er hand, Ibww the
standard of hvpg and line the pockets\^ the profiteers,
H^Qwevjer jnucji big Ipnain^ may yell that milk and but
ter and shoes oost more because wages h^c gone upiw®
know its a lot of malarky. Prices have gone up becanse
PBOFITB bavegouc up
Wages may he the EXCDSE for high prices, but Ihey
are NOT the reason.
It 's time that Was^ngton stoppedvtalking almnt ou^
ing wage rises and put those ̂ 'ceilimgs' 'where
helong^n prices'^d f^flteers.
SUR Papen ilasts NMU s
Phof^y W©st Coast Claims
. The: National. Maritime Union has been trying to muscle
in mi tim SUP by eladming to have tied up the tanker seamen
en the We^ Coast. Curran's extravagent and phoney
are pnoctnred by the following condensation of a story
which'appeared in the Detober 24th issue of the WEST
COAST SAILORS. ^
Representative Sam Hqhhs, unionhating, laborbaiting
Alabama Democrat, is out gumshoeing around labor leader^
trying to comer some support for his "coneentration camp"
bill.
? This bill would import into America the Nazi method of
dealing with "aliens" and "trouble makers." It would
strike directly at the many refugees who came to this coun
try to escape persecution.in Europe. Aliens and lahor lead
ers alike could find their way into cqncentration ; camps
under the broad provisions of the hill.
Thi^ Hdbbs person, who is now tryiig" to butterup. labor,
is the author of tho; wiretapping bill opposed by almost every
Imanch of the lahor moyement. He voted for the May amend
ment to the. consciaption act, also opposed by labor, and he
supported the Smith amendments to cripple the National
Labor Relations Board.
Hohbs claims, of course, that the "national emergency"
requires the passage of bis concentration .camp bill. What
"national .REALLY needs is more ,democracy,
not less.
"The claims of the National
Maritime U<nioD, which were aired
at an NLRB hearing «n; .Friday
and Saturday of last, week, were
proven to be a 100% fraud, and
notwithstanding the fact that the
Union Oil attorneys battled side
by side witb Ralph Rodgers, ex
pelled from the SUP, and the at,
torneys fpr the National Mari
time Union to uphold the NMU
claim for complete jurisdiction
over firemen, sailors, cooks and
stewards on West Coast tankerg,
the Sailors' Union of the Pacific
representatives were able to prove
their cl»ln^ emnty and boUow.
"The one essential fact brought
out in the testimony, which is
now, a matter of REJCORD, was
the foHowing:
a. The National Maritime
Union has never been able to ob
tain better wages or v/orklug con
ditions for tanker seamen, than
(Continued on Page 3)
U.S. €oast Guard Captain
Tightens Labor Restrictions
There are going to be some
changes around New York harbor,
if Captain Johsi ,S. ,Bayiis has his
way. Baylis is with the Coast
Guard and acts as captain of the
port. He has made a .survey of
his domain and has decided that
marine labor needs more careful
"supei'vislon" so as to prevent
sabotage of the docks and otlrer
port facilities.
Captain Baylis explained to a
meeting of New York firemen and
policemen, that millions of dol
lars' worth of munitions are be
ing loaded and unloaded In New
York, and that they were open to
sabotage because not *mough
guai'ds bad been placed at the
piers.
As far as labor is concerned, he
revealed that he has already in
stalled a special permit system
for men working munition car
goes. He also revealed that Jo®
HYan, ijresideift of the Intemar
tional Longshoremen's Associa
tion is cooperating with him. To
date the Coast Guard has issued
permits to 6,000 men which enti
tle them to pass pier guards.
As Captain Baylis Increased his
control over waterfront labor, he
gave no indication just where he
intends to stop. Whether or not
he feels that sCamen should also
be fingerprinted and licensed by
himself, and whether he considers
h picket line as an act of sabot
age—he has not said.
^ I- 1. - ' * r
Morfe: About;
• L".; f''
U.S. Destw^rJ
(Continued from
boiler room. Within • 'df "liiihdt®,
the "New York Times'' rieport^,
the commander of dh®.
shifted the destroyerfs ;v>pp*^
suppiy f.roni the wrec^d boiler
to the second power iHant apd
had his ship under control.^
..The Kearny was stfUbk %y a
torpedo en the stiiitboaerd
abreast the forward baii«r >r®Ailih
and ciose to the tuen
bilge, weR beiofw the wate^ Jijae.
The force of the expioston liot
only open^'i up
side of the ship but, blew>®ut Abe
deckhouse above. ; The jfoi^^d
bulkhead of the boibsf; roem/.v^
broken through, flobdihg 'the
next compartment, forward, but
the afterbuikhead, although cte
dected^i held firmiy,n5esndnfl tihe
forward engine roow; 4ntect. j,.
The ship was completely cut
around from the turn of the bilge
on the starboard side, tWothirds
of the way across the main ds^
plating, excdpt for the!: heavy
de.ck edge and aide .plating
the starboard, side.
SEAFARERS' LOG
HONOR ROLL
CREW OF S.8. CORNISH;
Sutherland .......4:60
. Lange iso
Sartori ...........,. ..w ifO
. Powers
Stephens
Joerns
J. fi. Williams
Jefferson ......,.... . . .... ..i
Washington ....... . . .,.
g. Marshall (tst l^ate) ..
• .«.» • « •
H. Schiee (2nd Mate
Marrose .
Stevens .
James ..
O'Oonnaii
50
.50
.50
50
.50
.50
.. .50
. : .50
iiO
;^^.50
M
f7;80
8.8. ROBIN LOCKSLEY: ^
'C. Aibertson ........... .$1.1" C. Aibertson ........... .bl.eeil
C. Norcott 4, .V SiOL^
Wi P. Fleming ....
T..A. Thomson ...., ZiOO
iPi Mitchell 2.00
L. PearM 1.00
8J Moldyer 2.00
,$i15A0
NOTICE
The foiiowihg Brothers ..yvere
aboard the S.S. Raritan, . be
tween Nov. 30, 1940, and March
17, 1941, and failed to hand In
their Social Security , »Mm.bers.
Please forward the numbers to
the New Orleans agent, so he
will be able to square qp th® rec
ords from the, ship.
F. HATHAWAY, Oiler
L. L. OWENS, Oiler
GEORGE O'BRIEN, A.B.
ELGRED RUSHEM; A.B.
HUGH CRAWFORD, A.S. ,
TURNER LANE, Oiler
WM. J. BLAKELY, Fireman
FRANCIS D. SPLANE, Fire'n
MANUEL REGGO, Cook
JQSE MARTINEZ, 2nd. Cook
ISAAC B. NORWOOD, O.SV
in
Complete ContY^
Of AtlftiiticFpaoi^ie
Here ris the present ptatu® ,
;of the United States. .Navy In. ,
treapect to major vessets ;iOf.,
?war: .
Type ,BuUtBldg.T<tt. .
BATTLESHIPS 17 (S 3.;
PLANE CARRIERS . 7 ' 41 18 >5 ^
.CRUISERS 37 S4 91:,
DESTROYERS .......172 192 364
SUBMARINES 73 186
Total ...348 MS 691
Besides these major ships
the Navy possesses hundreds
of smaller craft, such as tof
pedo boats, mine layers, etc.
According to President
Roosevelt, the projected "two
ocean Navy" will be a reality,
by 1946.
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' MoitdiayTNwrcmber 10, .1941 THE SEAFARERS' LOG
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,A
m:^'
S':.
pge Boost
(^Qnthme^ jrom Pxifje 1)
Among the benefits under
:.the new agreement, is the fact
that initial payment of over
time his been increased from
;6ne)mif hour to one full
thour; meal allowance was
boosted from 60 to 76 cents;
payment of ar penalty owr
• time how when one f^PhcrtHr
^18 n^ given for meals; the
• payment >of one hour overtime
in case the ship does not sail
at ihe poshsd sailing time ;
and a clause tl^t prevents
the licensed officers from do
ing the. woric of imlicensed
personnel. If such work is
performed hy licensed offi^
cersj the oompany agrees to
pay overtime to the mmi
nsnaUj performing this work.
Tlie^tiidn won from the opera
tors both a regular wage InoireaBe
or S5 per. month and an addltis.na!
"emergency war Increase" of an
other ?5 per month. Overtime
rate stands at 80 cents per hour
but negotiations are continuing
on both the question of overtime
and basic wage scale. The new
Increases will boost rates for aiU
classifications as follows:
DECK OEPARTMBNT:
Boatswain ?115.00
Quartermaster • 105.00
• Watchman 100.00
....... 100,00
....... 105.00
Q. S 82.50
Qarpenter 110;00
Cardeclunan ..,.100,00
ENGINE DEPABTMEriT:
• Deck Engineer 115.00
4th Oiler : 105.00
Storekeeper 110.00
Oiler ....,105.00
Watertender 105.00
Fireman watertender 105.00
Fireman 95.00
Wiper 82.00
STEWABP DEPARTMENT:
Chief Cook .& Steward. 155.00
Second Cook 117.50
Messmah 82.50
Utility man ,8.2.50
wr Storekeeper
In addition to the increased pay
and better general rules, each de,
partment made gains m working
pohditions. The deck department
secured overtime for standing
watch over animals and passen
gers : tor going ashore to take
lines; for dumping garbage; for
cleaning steering engine; using
, paint spray gun; sounding bilges;
and for doing additional work
such as overhauling saloons, liv
ing quarters, lavatory, wash
rooms, etc.
Working rules and the duties
of each man in the engine depart
ment was .clearly defined.
The'^arangements were ratified
by the membership on the last
we^ in pctober.
The contracts, which mark an
other milestone in the struggle of
Gulf seamen for better wages and
working, conditions, was negotiat
ed for the Union by a coiiimltt'ee
under the leadership of Brother
. M. D. Biggs, Gulf representative
ofthSGIU.
Pacific Se^an Shows Wow
Curran Puts Ceiting on Wages
Editor, Seafarer's Log
Dear 'Sir and Brother:
The boys in the NMU are shre
getting restlesS. And no wonderl
Many NMU ships havesailed with
out any riders or bonus arrange
ment on the articles. The crews
aie flnpposed to be satisfied with
some stereotyped letter or resolu
tion demanding "Release Brow
der," or "Allout aid to Stalin and
a second AEP in the Caucasus,"
The boys don'V always go for
that stuff and HJB ships where the
crews. iimist upon a bonus ar
rangeme^' attached to the articles,
the patrolman' usually takes a
iimout because he te unable to
aatdsfactority e^laia what is go
ing on ashore between the Union
negotiators (?) and the IMMA.
Ofiacially, as per wire to PDB
by Curran on Oct. 8th, the NMU
has no bonus agreemmit. The pre
vious .oneno longer. was yaUd.
ILA Negotiations
Are PoiadJhdted
Negotiations between the Inter
national .Longshoremen's Associa
tion and thacoastvnse .steamship
operators on the ^sUou of a
pay raise, have reached a stale
mate. The operators' have reject^
ed the union's proposal that long
shor^en's wages be increased 15
cents an hour for regular time
and 23 cents an hour for over
time.
Under the agreement that ex
pired on Oct. 31 coastwise dock
workers received 95 .cents an
hour and |1.42 an hour for over
time. This amounts to 25 cents,
an hour less than the pay re
ceived by longshoremen working
deep sea lines. It is to partly
eliminate this dliferenitial that the
ILA has been attempting to olv
tain Increases.
Fifteen. thousand longshoremen
on coastwise piers between Port
land* Me., and Hampton Roads,
ments. The,dispute is now in the
hands of a Fedicral arbitrator.
Mace About
MONEYc DUE
The crew that made the last
complete voyage on the S.S.
Pan Atlantic, which paid off on
October 27, 1941, have $6 due
them. ,. Collect at any Water
man Line office.
SUP Blasts
fankerClaims
(Continued from Page 2)
are paid "voluntarily" by th*
Union Oil of California.
2. The Nation a. I Maritime
Union does not hold a single con
tract covering any workers on the
West Coast,
3. The. National Maritime
Union LOST every tanker election
they entered into on the East
Coast.
4. The wages and conditions
for seamen, prevailing on the
West Coast, eovering all three
departmenlis. firemen, .cooks and
stewards and sailors, under agree
ment to the Marine Firenieu'a
Union,. Marine Cooks and Stew
ards Union, and the Sailors
Union of the Pacific,, obtained
through bargaining collectively
fqr each department, are the
HIGHEST obtained .anywhere in
the world, and are far superior
to any held by the National Ma
ritime Union.
DO NOT SHIP
SUSPENDED FOR 99 YEARS:
Fred Lauritanc
William Atwood
Waiter Nye • •
REFUSED MEMBERSHIP:
J. yV Newton
' Joaquin Deudone
Until one is secured, the crgws
can hardly expect to bare i{iay
thing In the articles. It, on the
other band« the bonus is settled
on the same basis as the wage
and overtime incr^ea, then the
ranh and fife will be in a bad fix.
The NMU rank and file is deep
in the soup because the Commis
sars and their stooges have man
euvered them there. Through
their control of the MFOW and
the MC&S'on the West Coast, the
ComHiies set' certain ceilings on
vwages and hours. They did thlB
so they could use those conditions
as precedents for the East Coast.
The negotiating committee of
the NMU repeatedly stated that
they would not release any data
on negotiations until it was
known what other unions ob
tained. The MFOW ratified and
signed an agreement pEovidlag
for an increase of |10 in wages
and certain amendments to work
ing rules. This was done on ©ct.
16th and made retroactive to Oc
tober first.
The NMU was then able 'to
point out to the IMMA that an
Increase of $10 was gained by the
Pactflc Coast firemen, .using that
as a means of obtaining the .s.aipe
amount from the IMMA, who had
previously offered only $7.50. This
is "ah GsK, except for the fact ^tSiat
the NMU then gave away a lot of
wor king, conditions itcould have
won if it wasn't looking for an
easy way out.
The Commissars then bargaii^sd
for an increase in overtime at
the expense of the deck and black
gang between "5 P.M. and 8 A.M.
They secured an additional Sc in
OiVertime ratds.; The wage! and
overtime increase Were agreed
upon Oct. 23, effective as of that
date.
Briefly, to* show what thfe NMU
: negotiators gave away to get that
5 cents, listen to the following:
_ ?rhe NMU firemefl at sea ,can
be worked at any job anywhere
in the flreroom, on day or night
watches, at any height above the
floor , plates—rand with no over
time payable. In port the flremen
do not receive .overtime at any
time while on watch if cargo is
being worked—unless the firemen
work in excess of eight Jhoura
They do get paid overtime for
Saturday ufternoon, .Sundays and
holidays.
NMU oilers look after the
winches, if cargo is work0.d„
around fhe clock without payment
of overtime unless in excess of
eight hours.
The Pacific Coast flremen, ;on
the other hand, bave Breroom sta
tions and do certain types of work
between 6 AM. and 6 P.M. while
at sea. Th^.work no higher lhan
10 feet above the floor plates. On
day of arrival they get overtime
from 5 PM, until midnight, if
no cargo is worked or until 8
A.M. is cargo is worked.
The Oilers are paid overtime
for taking care of the winches
anytime cargo is w(uked day or
night.
Many more glaring differeuces
could be shown but the above is
sufficient to show that the NMU
membership is being jerked
around. ^
The Sailors Union of the Pacific
has not yet accepted a wage in;
crease because ah increase in
overtime and certain amendments
in the wovking rules are yet to
be thrashed out. However, when
the agreement is .signed, it wUl
be retroactive to October first" on
all ships.
The waterfront Commiasars
have succeeded" in establishing a
roof) above which the SUP may
not go—Curran hopes.
West Coaster.
TltJ
SEAFARERS' INTERNATIONAL UNION .
OF NORTH AMERICA
Atlantic & Gulf District
VW
SeereUayTreiasuref^s Office
Room 213 2 StonB ntceet, New York City
P.O, Biox 25, Station P Phone: BOwJingGreen 9*8346
DIRECTORY OP BRANCHES
• BRANCH
NHW^YORK i.i
BOSTON .......
FBOyRdENCB ^.
B AI..TIMORSi ..
PHILABBLFHIA
NOBFOLK
N|BW ORLEANS
SAVANNAH ...
JACKSONYiLLB
TAMPA
MOBILE .......
TMXAS CITY .;
MIAMI
SAN JUAN ....
ADDRESS
• ..'2 Stone St. ..V......
Dispatcher's Office .
. 830 Atlantic Ave. ..
. .465 South Main St .
. 14 Nuith Gay Sti ..
.6 North 6tb St
. ̂ Commercial PI. .
809 Chartres St, ...
. 218 East Bay St. ...
.136 Bast Bay St. ...
. 20.6 So. Franklin St.
. 55 So. Conception St.
. 105 ' 4th St., N
.1348 N.B. First A.ve.,
. 8 Covadonga St ...
PHONE
. BOwIing Green 98348
.BOwling Green
.LIBerty 4057
.Manning 3572
. Calvert 4539
.Lombard 7651
, Norfolk 41083
.MAgnplla 3962
.Savannah 31728
• Jacksonville B1791
.Tampa M1323
Dexter 1449
• Texas City 722
. Miami 22950
.San Juan 1885
DANIEL GINSBERG
19211941
The New York Branch meeting of Oatsber 27 .was a long
on?, an.d 50 around 11 o'clock Daniel Ginsberg and Harry
Herschkowltz too.k a brief reeees for a cup( of coffee. They
went around 4h« corner from the Union ball to the Queens
Sandwich Shop.
The two of theni • were hieoussing Ginsberg's trip to Iqe
land when a bum by the name of Dominic Tassone .drifted
into the .restaurant. Nohody .paid any particular attention to
Tassone or noticed a strange wild look in his eye.
Tassone eased past the two seamen toward the sandwich
counter. Suddenly he leaned across .the counter and grabbed
the 14inch, rarer sharp sandwich knife and swung around to
ward the unsuspecting Ginsberg. With two lightning thrusts
he had severed Ginsberg's jugular vein and punctured his
lung.
, Tassone continued to slash wildly in the air as Herschko
witr attempted to drive him away from the bleeding Ginsberp.
Tassone .backed away stowiy, keeping his .knife poised for
more bloody work.
Supported by Herschkowitz, Ginsberg ataggered out 'Of
the restaurant and back toward the Union hail. Before he
could get there be collapsed—and died from loss of blood. .
Back at the restaurant the murderer was surrendering
himself to the police. With the high pitched giggle of an
Idiotj he admitted that he had never seen Ginsberg before,
that he had no grudge against him, but that he had suddenly
felt the urge to stab him. The police took him to a hospital
for the Insane.
Daniel B,. Ginsberg, when he was murdered, was 20 years
old. He had always wanted to go to aea, but until last year
he could never get his mother's consent. When she finally
gave, in to his ple.as, Dan naturally came to4he SlU. He knew
what the SlU was and what'It stood for because his father
had joined the union when it wasfirst organized. Old Herman
Ginsberg isn't .going to sea nowadays, but he still keeps his
book which is numbered 221.
"He was mighty proud of the Union," said Herman, w'lth
tears In his eyes, after the tragery had happened. "When be
hit the beach after his first tr^p, he came runnin' up to me
and said, 'Look, Pop, see what I got?' He pulled back his
coat and showed me his Union button. That was the proudest
day of his life."
And npbody has to take just the father's word on what
kind of a seaman and Union man Dan was. He shipped less
than a ye^r before the .assassin cut him down, but in that
brief time he showed his mates he had the stuff. No assign
ment found hJm grumbling, he always carried his end of the
load. At the earne time he insisted that the bosses observe
the Union's working rules, and not exploit the men.
Dan Ginsberg dicin't spend all his shore time In gin mills.
He'd drink with his mates, but he had more serious things to
do, too. .He took his Union .obligations to heart and was al
ways one of the first to arrive for meetings and one of the
lost to .leave.
Dan Ginsberg was an honest and militant trade unionist,
he had already proved that at 20 years of age. That Is no
small accomplishment. It takes some men a lifetime to achieve
It. .Some never do.
EXTEND CHANNEL
The Port of New York Au
thority. has urged the 'War De
part;ment to continue to Port New
ark the 35 foot channel which
no,w legds through Kill Van Kull
to New Yor8 Bay..
New York authorities are sup
porting Newark's request that the
Federal Government assume the
dredging inshore from the pier
head line to the head of tlie city
docks. The present channel depth
is thirty feet in the three to four
miles between Kill Van Kull and
the Newark City docks.
The Port Authority pointed out
that the Newark Docks could bo
used for overseas shipping if the
approaches were deepened.
^3
i t •
I
• 41
"• I
•
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1/
THE SEAFARERS' LOG Rlottdayr November 10, 1941
1938 SEAFARERS INTERNATIONAL UNION 1941
Vi:.
Last week, on October 29fh, tbe Seafarers' Internatiorial Union
marked its third anniversary. Anniversaries are occasions when stock'
should be taken of the past and prospectives laid down for the future.
Such a task is an exciting one for the SlU. Few unions have enjoyed
'^Such rapid progress within a three year span as has this organiztion.^
Born under the sponsorship of the SUP, the Seafarers' Intern^ional
.Union has remained true to its birthright. It has been a militant and pro
gressive instrument used by free and proud seamen who voluntarily
; banded together to better their conditions of work.
The first year saw the SlU lay the groundwork. A constitution was
adopted by coastwise referendum; shipping by rotary system was in
stalled; and the new organization successfully resisted all union busting
^ tactics of its enemies. In ail this no step was taken and no move mad©
V which the rank and file members did not deliberate and democratically
decide. i ' • xu
4 The second year saw the consolidation of the first year s gams, the
..stabilization of the union into a compact, fighting organization ready to
t take all comers — employers or dual unions.
The third year, the one just closed, marked really phenomenal gains.
I It saw the SlU grow in size and strength until its voice possesses real
authority on the Atlantic and Gulf waterfronts. .. . , .x
Today, three years from the date of its birth, the SlU union button
is proudly worn by 21.000 seamen. Closed shop contracts
signed with 25 steamship companies, operating 250 ships running to all
During these three fateful years the SlU has fought for and
' a minimum increase in basic pay of $27.50 per month for all classifica
tions. Overtime rates have been boosted 10 cents an hour and as nigh as
*^®With thradvent%' the second World War the union, ever vigilant
to. protect its rnembaS.^ d<^ande<t. adequate wa
seamen sailing into belligerent waters. These bonuses tun trom $33 to
$80 per month and port bonuses run from $45 to $100. Beside thijvtne
seamen receive $5,000 life insurance policies on these runs. AH this
ABOVE the regular basic pay. .
But these benefits did not fall off a tree. Nor were they .acNeved
by shady political deals with the shipowners. They were won by honest
and militant union struggle — often on the picket line.
In '39 the SlU struck Eastern, Seatrain and the P & O. In w ihe
pins were pulled on the New Bedford ships. In '41 the Alcoa and Robin
ines felt the strength of determihed SlU men who knw what they wanted
and how to get it. And thfe historic bonus beef! That one really set the
waterfront (and Washington} on its ear. • • . , ^
Not air the strikes were 100% successful, but they brought gams
and were part of the overall struggle that has built the ^union to its
present strength. Moreover, not a single job was lost in the course of
these strikes. That fact shows a good deal about the solidarity of those
^'*^'fL^*the fourth year of its existence opens, the SlU looks ahead to
the future with a confidence born of a calm awareness Oi its strength
and the soundness of its program. ^ ,... ,
Whereas the NMU is continually convulsed by torturous poHtical
twists and turns, the SlU keeps an even keel and a straight course, t
is eoneemed with bettering the working conditions of the seamen an
it will fight like hell to bring that about; Increasing thousands of seamel
understand this and are flocking to the SlU banner. ^ ^ f. LX.
Yes. it's a long cry from October 1938. Nor are all the tough fights
in the background — there's plenty of stwmy weather ahead. But one
thing is dear, the men who sail the ships Hav© a powerful c..ampon m
the SlU. In the years to come they will receive an increasing share ot
the fruits of their labor. ' ''
i
« J
More About
SlU Steward
^ (Continued froin Page 1)
held them; the third man. the
one who was biggest and who
li:.: talked with a Texas drawl,
® ! " grabbed a water pitcher and be
gan to smash it over the strug
gling steward's head.
Brownficld finally broke loose
and staggered down the compan
ionway I'o his quarters where his
mates gave him first aid. The
side of his head was severely cut,
as was his neck, and he was
losing blood rapidly. The flow of
blood was finally etemned. and his
wounds were bandaged.
By now the ship had docked.
Brownfield, supported by his
mates, staggered onto the pier to
summon the police to arrest his
attackers.
Well, the police arrived, but
they arrested Brownfield along
with his attackers. The bluecoats
dumped him into a police wagon
and hauled him off to prison.
Then is when the SIU crew
• went into action.
They Immediately called a
meeting, raised money for Brown
field's bail, voted to obtain the
best legal aid for him, and even
threatened to sign off the ship if
be wasn't released from jail with
in an hour.
Needless to say, after such im
mediate and' militant action,
Brownfield was released. His bail
bond was signed by Brothers
from the dispatchers office and
tbe crew.
But even this is not the end of
the story. After being attacked
by these three men, after having
bis head bashed in and his neck
• cut, he discovered that he was go
ing to be tried in court the fol
lowing day on the charge of as
saulting the passengers!
. Fortunately, there is a happy
ending. Brownfield was acquitted
of the charge in record time.
Paul Brownfield still has a
bandaged head (so much gauze is
• wound around it that it looks
like he is wearing a turbin). and
It will probably be several weeks
b^ore he can ship again, but
: Ihings could have, been worse,
yes, if the Steward and Deck
Editor's Mail Bag
'Mfi
i.::
Editor, Seafarers Log
Dear Sir and Brother:
I wonder if you could find space
to print the following notice so
that the brothers will know that
one of their pals is down in his
luckf
Shipmates Attention:
All brothers who were on the
picket line in Jacksonville, Flor
ida, will remember little Richard
McKee. He contracted T.B.
while doinfl thirty days "Blue
Jay" for the Uniqn. ''Please be
advised that he has spent the
past four and onehaif years at
the Boston Sanitarium, Matt^
pan, Mass.
Brother McKee now weighs 92
pounds, has had his lungs col
lapsed and has been cut and
carved up so many times that he
has lost count. The only reason
"Mickey" Is alive today Is be
cause of his fighting spirit and
wiii to struggle oh. in his letter
to me two^months ago he con
fided that his hospital mates are
dying on the average of twelve
a week. He confessed that It Is
mighty hard to face the future
with optimism because it seems
that his former shipmates have
forgotten ail about him.
Mickey isn't giving much airs
to his feelings. He probably feels
too deeply to talk much about it.
But of ail his two hundred side
kicks from the picket line only
four or five of them have found
time to drop him a letter or a
card.
His widowed mother has k^pt
him in cigarettes throughout the
years, otherwise he would have
been out of luck altogether.
I just received a letter from
her the other day, saying that
Mickey is now too weak to write.
and Engine departments on the
S.S. Yarmouth had not stood be
hind him to a manrthings might
have been much worse.
From now on nobody had bet
ter try to tell Paul Brownfield
that he'd be better off without a
Ufiionrhe knows differently! ,
He had a severe nervous break
down 'so his motber had to bring
him home to take care of him.
She had to give up her Job to do
this.
Mickey was, as yoQ all remem
ber, a real rank and flier who
never thought of deserting his
'brothers on the picket line or
anywhere else. He took his
union obligations too seriously
for that.
Would it be too much to ask
all you shipmates who knew him
to show that your heart Is in the
right spot? How about a little
"tarpaulin muster" aboard the
ships to get the bail rolling?
A card of greeting, a few lines
of encouragement and a few dol
lars thrown in for good measure
now and then. We'll never miss
it and never regret it. Let's give
littie Mickey half a chance.
His address is Richard McKee,
92 Pleasant St., Dorchester,
Mass. Thanking you one and all
in advance, 1 remain,
Fraternally,
Odd Fagertvedt,
SUP No. 1607
P.S. — Anyone knowing the
whereabouts of C. W. Wilson,
who received critical and perma
nent injuries on the picket line
in Jacksonville in 1937, please
write and let me know. Write
me at the Royal Hotel In San
dro, Caltfornta.
New York City,
November 6th, 1941 ;
Editor, Seafarers' Log,
Dear Sir & Brothers:
In the October 24th issue of the
N.M.U, Pilot is an article signed
by Warnar, who claims the Negro
is being JimCrowed in tke S.I.U.
Warner is either blind with
hate or a paid stooge of the
Party Line when he makes such a
foolish statement concerning the
Seafarers' International Union.
Since Warnai* wishes to carry
his statement back into history to
slander the S.I.U., I will en
ligUten 'him '^on the subject of an
occurence in the socalled undis^
criminated union he So loudly de
fends for its purity on this racial
subject.
February 6th, 1939 1 shipped
from the N.M.N, hair in the port
6f New York, While yet a member
of the P.C. Marine Firemen, Book
No. 4015.
Warnar, the N.M.U. Is ho more
fair to the Negro today than it
was when I fought the entire crew
to keep a member af the Negro
Scahtlc Line, as Chief Cook. The
crew said they did not want any
"NIGGERS" sailing this same ship
with a 'White Crew and the
N.M.U. Patrolman Joseph Stack
backed their argument 100%.
The Communist Party has been
harping on the subject for years,
using it for.political .gains, not' to
assist tbe Negro; either' socially
or economically. You cannot deny
the Checkerboard rsystem as. tried
in the.N.M.U. and Proved a faU
ure bwause of the membership
opposition. WHO then practiced
Racial Hatred wlthlh your own
ranks?
In .your .article, 'Waniar, you
claim the Communistic controlled
N.M.U. protects workers from Im
perialist Governmentff, especially
those who ; exploitthe . .Negro
Race. Who in ftkl exploits them
.more than the English Govern
ment who you': Audi the'^bfllcials
now proclaim as .SAyiOURS of
Democracy?
Take a trip to the British West
Indies, rtte^t p.ebtire of the Negro
race, ask them thbir • opinion of
Bngllah exploitation. Inquire
from them as to the hosip pay
under'these Great 'Protectors of
World DeiiiocrafeY.^ TYheri the
American rjcbntractor • • wished to
raise the pay to .two dollars' per
day, it was ibese same SA
VIOURS Who protested and told
the .American contractors that
eight to eighteen' cents per hour
was s'ufflcient, because tke Eng
lish claimed the'Negrbies^were ig
norant and unworthy of any de
oeRt ;ppjrpider.^tlen^. r.'
Answer, ttv^se question.s, fllUTH
PULLY as you defend these great
L^ra o^.I)eiE^(^y.
wSrAt^lsf#!' :iiiu ant^I^Bve
becomeNiktorians^ the ©fcoiiomic
field, I'll try to enlighten you of
some , pommunisiic pfoyaBanda..
On Deeember 27th. 1946, this Was
before the N.M.U. became Ptb
British and Joey Stalin ' was
flopping iwith. Adolphus Hitter.
Here's what the Pilot said:
"W» have nothing to gain from
this war. This is a question that
concerns not only seametti biit
every American regardless ' of
race, color or creed. Sixteen mil
lion American boys and young
men, including seamen, have been
roistered for the flrfif peacetime LU JVCCy <1. x'v... WM. ~ .
race aboard the S.S. Mormacport, draft in our history. Doesn't that
mean anything? Doesn't that
mean we • are" preparing for • WAR
to enter on the side with Britain?
"Doesn't it mean that as in
191718 Americans will be sent
abroad to fight British WARS to
save their Colonies and British
Marketh?
"There is no more RUTJILESS
EXPLOITATION in tbe World. ..
than that of India and other Cblo
nies of Great'Britain. AND ^we ' ^ '
are asked to protect and preserve
the POWERS which mftke. .
Exploitaition possible." ̂ ^ _. ', ^ ^
How times change " with the
"SAVIOURS of the' Wtirkittg ,
Class" now that Joey ̂ Stalln,.;te: •
getting his Fanny spanked by
Poppa Hitler, TSK, TSK,. . ,
They hide tkelr "Yaniis are not
coming" buttons, and"fun
through the streets of New York,
trembling for fear of the, day^^.,^f.^
RETRIBUTION that is slowly ^
but surely to'^arrive for the Ibri "J; j;:
rible damage they havd' done
American Labor. 'OtfJt i ^
J. Buckley
PERSONALS
JOE TURNER: Get 1
• with your pal Pat MulcabJ"., fib Ar
te at Hogan's Irish House in
Now York City.
FRANK ROGERS
SGOTT: You shipped in I
Steward's department of the S.S. '
Tulsa at the time Robert '
drowned at Maainloc, P.. L.J'tef^e t Jc *
communicate with Soi^ Beren ;
holtz, 312 Equitable ''Dlitldifii^ 5 v'
Payette & Calvert Streetsjjjall^fc
more, Md.
RICHARD ROWAN: Please ̂ t|
in touch with your motb%.*^b''
is worried about you. Acldre&Ef
Mrs. Maggie Rowan, General De
livery, Ardniurei Oklshoma.,. ; '
I'i':: .v.:
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SECURITY
IM
UHITY
1
OPPIOIAL OBOAN OP THE ATLANTIC AND OTJLF DISTBICT,
SEAPARERS' INTERNATIONAL UNION OP NORTH AMERICA
VOL. Ill 448 NEW YORK, N. Y., MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10, I94I No. 22
BIGGS NEGOTIATES GULF CONTRACTS;
90c PER HOUR OVERTIME
[pK.^
Another move by the Maoritime Commission to scuttle
direct collective bargaining between the SIU and the ̂ p
^owners, 'and to substitute a form of compulsory arbitration,
smashed last week when the Union won an Iceland port
of $46 from the Eastern Steamship Company.
W^ien the, S.S; Norwalk re
turned from an Iceland run In
the middle of October, the opera
tors refused to pay the bonus, and
I«ssed. the. buck to the Maritime
Cotnmission. The Maritime Com
mission in turn requested that
the entire controversy be; submit
ted tn the National Defense Me
diation Board. This is a proceed
ure that the operators have been
trying to institute ever since the
SIU became a power on the water
front.
Union's negotiating cotn
iolitee^ headed by Brother John
Ha^k, imade it clear to the ka
Tltime Commission that it wQuId
actively resist such a proceedure
nnd that It. would insist upon con
llttued direct negotiations with
,|ie operators.
«>
While the. question of the Oc
tober trip of the Norwalk has not
yet been settled. Eastern is now
sailing its ships with a rider pro
viding for a .?45 . Iceland port
bonus on all future trips.
Again the Maritime Commis
sion's flnkey plans have been
thwarted by militant SIU action.
.Gravy
Fro i S.I.U.
Militancy
On November 5th the NMU
signed a war bonus agreement
with the AMMI. The scale is the
same as that won by the SIU
during its recent bonus strike.
Thus the NMU rides the tail of
the SIU and. comes in for . gravy
that it never fought for. Joe Cur
iian yelled "bum beef" and
"flukey" when the SIU hit the
bricks. Now he comes crawling on
his belly to the operators. But
the rank and file of the NMU
knows who won their bonus, for
them—the SIU!
Curran's strike breaking yam
mer cost his men exactly three
months' bonus to whlcEthey were
entitled. The SIU agreements
were retroactive to July 8th. The
NMU's are retroactive to Oct. Ist.
SIU Crew Defends Steward
Assaulted by Passenger
Paul Brownfield is a room steward and a Negro Brother
in the SIU. He is a good Union man and has been shipping
through SIU halls ever since the organization was founded.
From his years at sea he can tell plenty of stories about
ship's passengers who think that stewards are nothing but
dirt under their feet. Today, however, he has a different
story. ^
On his last trip a couple of bfel
ligsrent passengers actually at
tacked him with a water pitcher.
But that isn't all. The rest of
the yarn Is how his Union bro
thers aboard ship instantly ral
lied to his defense.
It all began the morning of Oc
tober 29th. The S.S. Yarmouth
was slowly steaming past iQuaran
tine in New York harbor on her
return from Bermuda. Bermuda
is quite a Society playground
these days, and the ship was full
of returning' vacationists.
Paul Brownfield had twelve
rooms to take care of and the
job of getting all those passengers
packed up and their luggage down
on deck in time for the longshore
men to handle, was no easy Job.
Ton rooms were packed up OK
by the time the Statue of Liberty
came into view. Brownfield ap
proached the eleventh room, and
ran into trouble.
DEADLim ON ^
SW NOMINATIONS
MOVED TO NOV. IS
The recommendationa of
the Committee on Candidates
regarding the extension of
nomination deadline has been
approved by a coastwise ref
erendum.
This action cf the Atlantic
and Gulf District of the SIU
means that nominations for
all elective offices will be ac
cepted up until and including
November 15th. Elections will
proceed during December and
January, and the incoming
officers will be inducted on
the first Monday In February.
J t, ?
First he knocked on the door,
then opened It with his pass key
and went inside. He found there,
three meii who were no where
near packed. Nor did they show
any inclination to dt'art packing.
The steward explained to th;^
the situation, and for his palhs
he received a few assorted curses.
He then said that if they didn't
pack right aw'ay, he might not be
able to help them with their lug
gage because other duties would
occupy ilia time later on.
This remark apparently infuri
ated the men returning from Ber
muda. They must have consid
ered the remark insubordination,
or something. Anyway, things
began to happen—fast!
One of the men ducked out^ of
the cabin to watch up and down
the alleyway: the second man
grabbed Brownfield's,. arms and
(Csfjitihuid F«ed 4}
More Lend-
Lease Ships
During the last half of October,
Great Britain received five Amer
ican ships under the LendLease
Act, and returned to this country
12 vessels she had borrowed pre
viously.
Of the five ships going to Eng
land, two of them were Navy
submarines, the others were
cargo ships.
The cargo liners were of the
fast new design being built by
the Maritime Commission. The
ships Involved were the China
Mail of the American Mail Line,
the Howell Lykes of the Lykes
Brothers' fleet, and the Extavia
of the American Export Line.
As a result of this transfer, the
total of new American ships given
to Britain was increased to seven
vessels of 50,901 gross tons.
The Extavia was a special cargo
type, dbligned so as to be able to
navigate river approaches. She
Is 400 feet long and has a beam
of 39 feet. She is fast, develop
ing 16 to 18 knots and could out
run most submarines.
It is rumored in maritime cir
cles that because of her speed,
the British will use her to trans
port certain valuable munitions
from the United States to Europe.
As these cargo liners were be
ing headed toward wartorn Eu
rope, Britain returned twelve
American flag oil tankers which
had been used in the British shutr
tie service.
Britain has indicated that she
will return 25 more American
tankers during the month of No
rember.
BULLETIN
The SIU negiotiation committee, headed
by District Representative M.D. Biggs, won
new Gulf contracts from the major opera
tors providing for a boost of $10 in the
basic scale and an overtime rate of 90 cents
per hour; benefits retroactive to October
24th. The individual contracts MTOI be pre
sented in the forthcoming issues of the
Seafarers Log
Car Ferry and P&O Agreement
New closed shop contracts to run until August 16,
1942 have been signed between the Seafarers' Interna-
tional Union and two Gulf operators — The Peninsular &
Occidental Steamship Company and the Florida East
Coast Car Ferry Company. The new agreements afford
SIU men many substantial benefits over the expired con-
tracts and raises their rate of pay a total of $10 per
month for most classification. Under the new contract
A.B.'s will receive $100 per month.
(Continued on Page 3)
Torpedoed U.S. Destroyer
Proves of Sound Design
WMle engaged in convoy duty between the United States
and Iceland, the Navy destroyer Kearny was torpedoed on
Oct. 17. At the time, it was revealed that 11 lives were lost
in the attack, but little additional information was available
until this week.
Speaking before a Navy Day banquet in Philadelphia, Under
Secretary of the Navy James V. Forrestal, told some of the details
of the submarine attack and said that the Kearny had suffered
an amount of damage which no other destroyer had ever received
and remained afloat.
"The Kearny suffered a direct
hit from a torpedo abreast of the
boiler room on the starboard
side," said Mr. Forrestal, "and
the resulting explosion not only
opened up that side of the ship,
but blew out the deck overhead
and part of the superstructure.
"Yet, In spite of this very sub
stantial damage the ship not
merely remained afloat but pro
ceeded under its own power to
port."
Mr. Forrestal revealed the fact
that the Kearny was one of the
new socalled "topheavy de
stroyers" about which there has
raged a controversy as to Its
soundness of design and ability
to meet action tests.
As a result of the torpedoing
the UnderSecretary announced
that the deslign was completely
efficient and battleworthy.
Additional details of the actual
design of the ship were revealed
the following day by the Bureau
of Ships of the Navy Depart
ment.
The survival of the Kearny
was due to the fact that it had
two entirely independent engine
rooms and boiler rooms, one set
ranged behind the other, as well
as extraordinary stability.
According to the official anal
ysis, the power for the ship was
generated by two separate plants
^in four rooms. The rooms were
tandum—boiler room, then en
gf^, room, then again a boiler
room and an engine room.
The torpedo hit the forward
(Continued on Page 2)
• • • SS
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2 > THE F A R E?R S ' O'G
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PuHiahed by the
AHANITC & GULF DISTRiCr
of the
Seafmers' Intematiattaf Umoh
of North America
XJ.
AffStated with the American Federation of Lahor
HARRY LUNDEBERG, Acting International President
. WiiMi«iet Street, Room • 402, S*n Francisco, Calit.
ADDRESS ALE CORRESPONDENCE CONGEBmNG THIS
! PPBLICATIiON tOi
"THE SEAFARERS' LOG"
P. O,, Box 25» Station P, New York, N. Y.
.PAo«j?: BOwUn4. Green 98346
No
It's pretty tough for a seaman to get a raise ia
Bia union has to il^^ Mke hell to o^eezeit oht 'Ol tl^ profit
IvrpBm; 1K he teve « wam, he'4 nev^er
get a boost.
Dangerous Precedents
Labor's strength has forced respeot Ihese days from even
the most reactionary employers. Big business and even the
goiverament itself have been forced to grudgingly admit that
it is labor 's RKrHT to strike.
In these days of "national epiergency,'' however, even a
pay raise does not necessarily mean.a.man is, better off.. Big
business has a neat little trick of giving it out with one
hand ahd taking it away with the other^ th| forin of
prices for the neeessities of life.
Not only that but the profiteers try to coYer up their
tracks by blaming high pricra on increased wages. In other
wcRcds they say, "if you seamesoF miners and auto wor^
«rs cant wumglt food and o^^fhihg, it's,your own fes^
for getting sBcii high wage8»*' ftbuads screwball, bid hhat'e
their line.
However, it is one thing to recognize an abstract prin
ciple, and quite another thing to accept it in a concrete case.
Take, for instance, the p^sent,strike, of the, West Boast
welders. These men have a beef with A. iP. of L. officials
ovw; union autoncany ®M. have gone on sla^ 4o eB.lwce
their position.
Now, the seamen have little concern with the welders'
beef agaomt the top officials of • the A. F. of L., but th^y
are vitally concerned about the disturbing news that the
Seattle Selective Service officials have begun to reclassify
tiiese men into category A1.
This means that where the welders were previously de
ferred from the Draft because of their contribution to "Na
tional Defense,'' now that they have Md down their tocds,
the government is threatening to send them to war.
> THIS IS DIRECT GOVERNMENTAL INTERFERENCE
WITH THE RIGHT TO STRIKE.
It so happens that this is . an internnion equabhle and js
Rot a good, test case for labor to use in qombatu^ strike
teeaMng moves. But good case or bad, every union man, re
gardless of his affiliations, must fight this reactionary ten
dency with all his strength.
The utilization of the cry of "National Emergency" in
order to chisel labor is one of the shabbiest frauds ever
pulled on working men. Reactionary employers have been
trying to slip this one over foi: a number of years.
But it comes as a shock to see a goywnment qgeqcy ig>
to the same shady tri(hs.
Seamen ..must not be blinded nby the fjact that ̂ welders
may have a bum beef. What is involved here is "the right to
strike. That right must be protected from EVERYBODY!
Last week the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U. S. De
partment of Labot:, once and for idl scuttled this alibi ̂ Hie
profifeeqrs.. It published an eltdioraate report which revealeil
that practically all the substantial price rises have occurred
in ooinmodilies where wages were NOT an appreciable fac
tor. The Bureau's study is obviously thorough, and no econ
oBoist, would;.dare to challenge its findings.
The amount of wages paid a man determmes how he and
his fanri^ shall live. Wages are the measure of bis welfare.
For most workers it is their only income and their only claim
to food and clothing and shelter.
Higher wages mean a higher standard of living for the
working people. Higher prices, on the o^er hand, Ibww the
standard of hvpg and line the pockets\^ the profiteers,
H^Qwevjer jnucji big Ipnain^ may yell that milk and but
ter and shoes oost more because wages h^c gone upiw®
know its a lot of malarky. Prices have gone up becanse
PBOFITB bavegouc up
Wages may he the EXCDSE for high prices, but Ihey
are NOT the reason.
It 's time that Was^ngton stoppedvtalking almnt ou^
ing wage rises and put those ̂ 'ceilimgs' 'where
helong^n prices'^d f^flteers.
SUR Papen ilasts NMU s
Phof^y W©st Coast Claims
. The: National. Maritime Union has been trying to muscle
in mi tim SUP by eladming to have tied up the tanker seamen
en the We^ Coast. Curran's extravagent and phoney
are pnoctnred by the following condensation of a story
which'appeared in the Detober 24th issue of the WEST
COAST SAILORS. ^
Representative Sam Hqhhs, unionhating, laborbaiting
Alabama Democrat, is out gumshoeing around labor leader^
trying to comer some support for his "coneentration camp"
bill.
? This bill would import into America the Nazi method of
dealing with "aliens" and "trouble makers." It would
strike directly at the many refugees who came to this coun
try to escape persecution.in Europe. Aliens and lahor lead
ers alike could find their way into cqncentration ; camps
under the broad provisions of the hill.
Thi^ Hdbbs person, who is now tryiig" to butterup. labor,
is the author of tho; wiretapping bill opposed by almost every
Imanch of the lahor moyement. He voted for the May amend
ment to the. consciaption act, also opposed by labor, and he
supported the Smith amendments to cripple the National
Labor Relations Board.
Hohbs claims, of course, that the "national emergency"
requires the passage of bis concentration .camp bill. What
"national .REALLY needs is more ,democracy,
not less.
"The claims of the National
Maritime U<nioD, which were aired
at an NLRB hearing «n; .Friday
and Saturday of last, week, were
proven to be a 100% fraud, and
notwithstanding the fact that the
Union Oil attorneys battled side
by side witb Ralph Rodgers, ex
pelled from the SUP, and the at,
torneys fpr the National Mari
time Union to uphold the NMU
claim for complete jurisdiction
over firemen, sailors, cooks and
stewards on West Coast tankerg,
the Sailors' Union of the Pacific
representatives were able to prove
their cl»ln^ emnty and boUow.
"The one essential fact brought
out in the testimony, which is
now, a matter of REJCORD, was
the foHowing:
a. The National Maritime
Union has never been able to ob
tain better wages or v/orklug con
ditions for tanker seamen, than
(Continued on Page 3)
U.S. €oast Guard Captain
Tightens Labor Restrictions
There are going to be some
changes around New York harbor,
if Captain Johsi ,S. ,Bayiis has his
way. Baylis is with the Coast
Guard and acts as captain of the
port. He has made a .survey of
his domain and has decided that
marine labor needs more careful
"supei'vislon" so as to prevent
sabotage of the docks and otlrer
port facilities.
Captain Baylis explained to a
meeting of New York firemen and
policemen, that millions of dol
lars' worth of munitions are be
ing loaded and unloaded In New
York, and that they were open to
sabotage because not *mough
guai'ds bad been placed at the
piers.
As far as labor is concerned, he
revealed that he has already in
stalled a special permit system
for men working munition car
goes. He also revealed that Jo®
HYan, ijresideift of the Intemar
tional Longshoremen's Associa
tion is cooperating with him. To
date the Coast Guard has issued
permits to 6,000 men which enti
tle them to pass pier guards.
As Captain Baylis Increased his
control over waterfront labor, he
gave no indication just where he
intends to stop. Whether or not
he feels that sCamen should also
be fingerprinted and licensed by
himself, and whether he considers
h picket line as an act of sabot
age—he has not said.
^ I- 1. - ' * r
Morfe: About;
• L".; f''
U.S. Destw^rJ
(Continued from
boiler room. Within • 'df "liiihdt®,
the "New York Times'' rieport^,
the commander of dh®.
shifted the destroyerfs ;v>pp*^
suppiy f.roni the wrec^d boiler
to the second power iHant apd
had his ship under control.^
..The Kearny was stfUbk %y a
torpedo en the stiiitboaerd
abreast the forward baii«r >r®Ailih
and ciose to the tuen
bilge, weR beiofw the wate^ Jijae.
The force of the expioston liot
only open^'i up
side of the ship but, blew>®ut Abe
deckhouse above. ; The jfoi^^d
bulkhead of the boibsf; roem/.v^
broken through, flobdihg 'the
next compartment, forward, but
the afterbuikhead, although cte
dected^i held firmiy,n5esndnfl tihe
forward engine roow; 4ntect. j,.
The ship was completely cut
around from the turn of the bilge
on the starboard side, tWothirds
of the way across the main ds^
plating, excdpt for the!: heavy
de.ck edge and aide .plating
the starboard, side.
SEAFARERS' LOG
HONOR ROLL
CREW OF S.8. CORNISH;
Sutherland .......4:60
. Lange iso
Sartori ...........,. ..w ifO
. Powers
Stephens
Joerns
J. fi. Williams
Jefferson ......,.... . . .... ..i
Washington ....... . . .,.
g. Marshall (tst l^ate) ..
• .«.» • « •
H. Schiee (2nd Mate
Marrose .
Stevens .
James ..
O'Oonnaii
50
.50
.50
50
.50
.50
.. .50
. : .50
iiO
;^^.50
M
f7;80
8.8. ROBIN LOCKSLEY: ^
'C. Aibertson ........... .$1.1" C. Aibertson ........... .bl.eeil
C. Norcott 4, .V SiOL^
Wi P. Fleming ....
T..A. Thomson ...., ZiOO
iPi Mitchell 2.00
L. PearM 1.00
8J Moldyer 2.00
,$i15A0
NOTICE
The foiiowihg Brothers ..yvere
aboard the S.S. Raritan, . be
tween Nov. 30, 1940, and March
17, 1941, and failed to hand In
their Social Security , »Mm.bers.
Please forward the numbers to
the New Orleans agent, so he
will be able to square qp th® rec
ords from the, ship.
F. HATHAWAY, Oiler
L. L. OWENS, Oiler
GEORGE O'BRIEN, A.B.
ELGRED RUSHEM; A.B.
HUGH CRAWFORD, A.S. ,
TURNER LANE, Oiler
WM. J. BLAKELY, Fireman
FRANCIS D. SPLANE, Fire'n
MANUEL REGGO, Cook
JQSE MARTINEZ, 2nd. Cook
ISAAC B. NORWOOD, O.SV
in
Complete ContY^
Of AtlftiiticFpaoi^ie
Here ris the present ptatu® ,
;of the United States. .Navy In. ,
treapect to major vessets ;iOf.,
?war: .
Type ,BuUtBldg.T<tt. .
BATTLESHIPS 17 (S 3.;
PLANE CARRIERS . 7 ' 41 18 >5 ^
.CRUISERS 37 S4 91:,
DESTROYERS .......172 192 364
SUBMARINES 73 186
Total ...348 MS 691
Besides these major ships
the Navy possesses hundreds
of smaller craft, such as tof
pedo boats, mine layers, etc.
According to President
Roosevelt, the projected "two
ocean Navy" will be a reality,
by 1946.
n
http://www.pdfcompressor.org/buy.html
' MoitdiayTNwrcmber 10, .1941 THE SEAFARERS' LOG
;#?'• .V, ^
f .
r*
• ^4 ^
; :;
,A
m:^'
S':.
pge Boost
(^Qnthme^ jrom Pxifje 1)
Among the benefits under
:.the new agreement, is the fact
that initial payment of over
time his been increased from
;6ne)mif hour to one full
thour; meal allowance was
boosted from 60 to 76 cents;
payment of ar penalty owr
• time how when one f^PhcrtHr
^18 n^ given for meals; the
• payment >of one hour overtime
in case the ship does not sail
at ihe poshsd sailing time ;
and a clause tl^t prevents
the licensed officers from do
ing the. woric of imlicensed
personnel. If such work is
performed hy licensed offi^
cersj the oompany agrees to
pay overtime to the mmi
nsnaUj performing this work.
Tlie^tiidn won from the opera
tors both a regular wage InoireaBe
or S5 per. month and an addltis.na!
"emergency war Increase" of an
other ?5 per month. Overtime
rate stands at 80 cents per hour
but negotiations are continuing
on both the question of overtime
and basic wage scale. The new
Increases will boost rates for aiU
classifications as follows:
DECK OEPARTMBNT:
Boatswain ?115.00
Quartermaster • 105.00
• Watchman 100.00
....... 100,00
....... 105.00
Q. S 82.50
Qarpenter 110;00
Cardeclunan ..,.100,00
ENGINE DEPABTMEriT:
• Deck Engineer 115.00
4th Oiler : 105.00
Storekeeper 110.00
Oiler ....,105.00
Watertender 105.00
Fireman watertender 105.00
Fireman 95.00
Wiper 82.00
STEWABP DEPARTMENT:
Chief Cook .& Steward. 155.00
Second Cook 117.50
Messmah 82.50
Utility man ,8.2.50
wr Storekeeper
In addition to the increased pay
and better general rules, each de,
partment made gains m working
pohditions. The deck department
secured overtime for standing
watch over animals and passen
gers : tor going ashore to take
lines; for dumping garbage; for
cleaning steering engine; using
, paint spray gun; sounding bilges;
and for doing additional work
such as overhauling saloons, liv
ing quarters, lavatory, wash
rooms, etc.
Working rules and the duties
of each man in the engine depart
ment was .clearly defined.
The'^arangements were ratified
by the membership on the last
we^ in pctober.
The contracts, which mark an
other milestone in the struggle of
Gulf seamen for better wages and
working, conditions, was negotiat
ed for the Union by a coiiimltt'ee
under the leadership of Brother
. M. D. Biggs, Gulf representative
ofthSGIU.
Pacific Se^an Shows Wow
Curran Puts Ceiting on Wages
Editor, Seafarer's Log
Dear 'Sir and Brother:
The boys in the NMU are shre
getting restlesS. And no wonderl
Many NMU ships havesailed with
out any riders or bonus arrange
ment on the articles. The crews
aie flnpposed to be satisfied with
some stereotyped letter or resolu
tion demanding "Release Brow
der," or "Allout aid to Stalin and
a second AEP in the Caucasus,"
The boys don'V always go for
that stuff and HJB ships where the
crews. iimist upon a bonus ar
rangeme^' attached to the articles,
the patrolman' usually takes a
iimout because he te unable to
aatdsfactority e^laia what is go
ing on ashore between the Union
negotiators (?) and the IMMA.
Ofiacially, as per wire to PDB
by Curran on Oct. 8th, the NMU
has no bonus agreemmit. The pre
vious .oneno longer. was yaUd.
ILA Negotiations
Are PoiadJhdted
Negotiations between the Inter
national .Longshoremen's Associa
tion and thacoastvnse .steamship
operators on the ^sUou of a
pay raise, have reached a stale
mate. The operators' have reject^
ed the union's proposal that long
shor^en's wages be increased 15
cents an hour for regular time
and 23 cents an hour for over
time.
Under the agreement that ex
pired on Oct. 31 coastwise dock
workers received 95 .cents an
hour and |1.42 an hour for over
time. This amounts to 25 cents,
an hour less than the pay re
ceived by longshoremen working
deep sea lines. It is to partly
eliminate this dliferenitial that the
ILA has been attempting to olv
tain Increases.
Fifteen. thousand longshoremen
on coastwise piers between Port
land* Me., and Hampton Roads,
ments. The,dispute is now in the
hands of a Fedicral arbitrator.
Mace About
MONEYc DUE
The crew that made the last
complete voyage on the S.S.
Pan Atlantic, which paid off on
October 27, 1941, have $6 due
them. ,. Collect at any Water
man Line office.
SUP Blasts
fankerClaims
(Continued from Page 2)
are paid "voluntarily" by th*
Union Oil of California.
2. The Nation a. I Maritime
Union does not hold a single con
tract covering any workers on the
West Coast,
3. The. National Maritime
Union LOST every tanker election
they entered into on the East
Coast.
4. The wages and conditions
for seamen, prevailing on the
West Coast, eovering all three
departmenlis. firemen, .cooks and
stewards and sailors, under agree
ment to the Marine Firenieu'a
Union,. Marine Cooks and Stew
ards Union, and the Sailors
Union of the Pacific,, obtained
through bargaining collectively
fqr each department, are the
HIGHEST obtained .anywhere in
the world, and are far superior
to any held by the National Ma
ritime Union.
DO NOT SHIP
SUSPENDED FOR 99 YEARS:
Fred Lauritanc
William Atwood
Waiter Nye • •
REFUSED MEMBERSHIP:
J. yV Newton
' Joaquin Deudone
Until one is secured, the crgws
can hardly expect to bare i{iay
thing In the articles. It, on the
other band« the bonus is settled
on the same basis as the wage
and overtime incr^ea, then the
ranh and fife will be in a bad fix.
The NMU rank and file is deep
in the soup because the Commis
sars and their stooges have man
euvered them there. Through
their control of the MFOW and
the MC&S'on the West Coast, the
ComHiies set' certain ceilings on
vwages and hours. They did thlB
so they could use those conditions
as precedents for the East Coast.
The negotiating committee of
the NMU repeatedly stated that
they would not release any data
on negotiations until it was
known what other unions ob
tained. The MFOW ratified and
signed an agreement pEovidlag
for an increase of |10 in wages
and certain amendments to work
ing rules. This was done on ©ct.
16th and made retroactive to Oc
tober first.
The NMU was then able 'to
point out to the IMMA that an
Increase of $10 was gained by the
Pactflc Coast firemen, .using that
as a means of obtaining the .s.aipe
amount from the IMMA, who had
previously offered only $7.50. This
is "ah GsK, except for the fact ^tSiat
the NMU then gave away a lot of
wor king, conditions itcould have
won if it wasn't looking for an
easy way out.
The Commissars then bargaii^sd
for an increase in overtime at
the expense of the deck and black
gang between "5 P.M. and 8 A.M.
They secured an additional Sc in
OiVertime ratds.; The wage! and
overtime increase Were agreed
upon Oct. 23, effective as of that
date.
Briefly, to* show what thfe NMU
: negotiators gave away to get that
5 cents, listen to the following:
_ ?rhe NMU firemefl at sea ,can
be worked at any job anywhere
in the flreroom, on day or night
watches, at any height above the
floor , plates—rand with no over
time payable. In port the flremen
do not receive .overtime at any
time while on watch if cargo is
being worked—unless the firemen
work in excess of eight Jhoura
They do get paid overtime for
Saturday ufternoon, .Sundays and
holidays.
NMU oilers look after the
winches, if cargo is work0.d„
around fhe clock without payment
of overtime unless in excess of
eight hours.
The Pacific Coast flremen, ;on
the other hand, bave Breroom sta
tions and do certain types of work
between 6 AM. and 6 P.M. while
at sea. Th^.work no higher lhan
10 feet above the floor plates. On
day of arrival they get overtime
from 5 PM, until midnight, if
no cargo is worked or until 8
A.M. is cargo is worked.
The Oilers are paid overtime
for taking care of the winches
anytime cargo is w(uked day or
night.
Many more glaring differeuces
could be shown but the above is
sufficient to show that the NMU
membership is being jerked
around. ^
The Sailors Union of the Pacific
has not yet accepted a wage in;
crease because ah increase in
overtime and certain amendments
in the wovking rules are yet to
be thrashed out. However, when
the agreement is .signed, it wUl
be retroactive to October first" on
all ships.
The waterfront Commiasars
have succeeded" in establishing a
roof) above which the SUP may
not go—Curran hopes.
West Coaster.
TltJ
SEAFARERS' INTERNATIONAL UNION .
OF NORTH AMERICA
Atlantic & Gulf District
VW
SeereUayTreiasuref^s Office
Room 213 2 StonB ntceet, New York City
P.O, Biox 25, Station P Phone: BOwJingGreen 9*8346
DIRECTORY OP BRANCHES
• BRANCH
NHW^YORK i.i
BOSTON .......
FBOyRdENCB ^.
B AI..TIMORSi ..
PHILABBLFHIA
NOBFOLK
N|BW ORLEANS
SAVANNAH ...
JACKSONYiLLB
TAMPA
MOBILE .......
TMXAS CITY .;
MIAMI
SAN JUAN ....
ADDRESS
• ..'2 Stone St. ..V......
Dispatcher's Office .
. 830 Atlantic Ave. ..
. .465 South Main St .
. 14 Nuith Gay Sti ..
.6 North 6tb St
. ̂ Commercial PI. .
809 Chartres St, ...
. 218 East Bay St. ...
.136 Bast Bay St. ...
. 20.6 So. Franklin St.
. 55 So. Conception St.
. 105 ' 4th St., N
.1348 N.B. First A.ve.,
. 8 Covadonga St ...
PHONE
. BOwIing Green 98348
.BOwling Green
.LIBerty 4057
.Manning 3572
. Calvert 4539
.Lombard 7651
, Norfolk 41083
.MAgnplla 3962
.Savannah 31728
• Jacksonville B1791
.Tampa M1323
Dexter 1449
• Texas City 722
. Miami 22950
.San Juan 1885
DANIEL GINSBERG
19211941
The New York Branch meeting of Oatsber 27 .was a long
on?, an.d 50 around 11 o'clock Daniel Ginsberg and Harry
Herschkowltz too.k a brief reeees for a cup( of coffee. They
went around 4h« corner from the Union ball to the Queens
Sandwich Shop.
The two of theni • were hieoussing Ginsberg's trip to Iqe
land when a bum by the name of Dominic Tassone .drifted
into the .restaurant. Nohody .paid any particular attention to
Tassone or noticed a strange wild look in his eye.
Tassone eased past the two seamen toward the sandwich
counter. Suddenly he leaned across .the counter and grabbed
the 14inch, rarer sharp sandwich knife and swung around to
ward the unsuspecting Ginsberg. With two lightning thrusts
he had severed Ginsberg's jugular vein and punctured his
lung.
, Tassone continued to slash wildly in the air as Herschko
witr attempted to drive him away from the bleeding Ginsberp.
Tassone .backed away stowiy, keeping his .knife poised for
more bloody work.
Supported by Herschkowitz, Ginsberg ataggered out 'Of
the restaurant and back toward the Union hail. Before he
could get there be collapsed—and died from loss of blood. .
Back at the restaurant the murderer was surrendering
himself to the police. With the high pitched giggle of an
Idiotj he admitted that he had never seen Ginsberg before,
that he had no grudge against him, but that he had suddenly
felt the urge to stab him. The police took him to a hospital
for the Insane.
Daniel B,. Ginsberg, when he was murdered, was 20 years
old. He had always wanted to go to aea, but until last year
he could never get his mother's consent. When she finally
gave, in to his ple.as, Dan naturally came to4he SlU. He knew
what the SlU was and what'It stood for because his father
had joined the union when it wasfirst organized. Old Herman
Ginsberg isn't .going to sea nowadays, but he still keeps his
book which is numbered 221.
"He was mighty proud of the Union," said Herman, w'lth
tears In his eyes, after the tragery had happened. "When be
hit the beach after his first tr^p, he came runnin' up to me
and said, 'Look, Pop, see what I got?' He pulled back his
coat and showed me his Union button. That was the proudest
day of his life."
And npbody has to take just the father's word on what
kind of a seaman and Union man Dan was. He shipped less
than a ye^r before the .assassin cut him down, but in that
brief time he showed his mates he had the stuff. No assign
ment found hJm grumbling, he always carried his end of the
load. At the earne time he insisted that the bosses observe
the Union's working rules, and not exploit the men.
Dan Ginsberg dicin't spend all his shore time In gin mills.
He'd drink with his mates, but he had more serious things to
do, too. .He took his Union .obligations to heart and was al
ways one of the first to arrive for meetings and one of the
lost to .leave.
Dan Ginsberg was an honest and militant trade unionist,
he had already proved that at 20 years of age. That Is no
small accomplishment. It takes some men a lifetime to achieve
It. .Some never do.
EXTEND CHANNEL
The Port of New York Au
thority. has urged the 'War De
part;ment to continue to Port New
ark the 35 foot channel which
no,w legds through Kill Van Kull
to New Yor8 Bay..
New York authorities are sup
porting Newark's request that the
Federal Government assume the
dredging inshore from the pier
head line to the head of tlie city
docks. The present channel depth
is thirty feet in the three to four
miles between Kill Van Kull and
the Newark City docks.
The Port Authority pointed out
that the Newark Docks could bo
used for overseas shipping if the
approaches were deepened.
^3
i t •
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1/
THE SEAFARERS' LOG Rlottdayr November 10, 1941
1938 SEAFARERS INTERNATIONAL UNION 1941
Vi:.
Last week, on October 29fh, tbe Seafarers' Internatiorial Union
marked its third anniversary. Anniversaries are occasions when stock'
should be taken of the past and prospectives laid down for the future.
Such a task is an exciting one for the SlU. Few unions have enjoyed
'^Such rapid progress within a three year span as has this organiztion.^
Born under the sponsorship of the SUP, the Seafarers' Intern^ional
.Union has remained true to its birthright. It has been a militant and pro
gressive instrument used by free and proud seamen who voluntarily
; banded together to better their conditions of work.
The first year saw the SlU lay the groundwork. A constitution was
adopted by coastwise referendum; shipping by rotary system was in
stalled; and the new organization successfully resisted all union busting
^ tactics of its enemies. In ail this no step was taken and no move mad©
V which the rank and file members did not deliberate and democratically
decide. i ' • xu
4 The second year saw the consolidation of the first year s gams, the
..stabilization of the union into a compact, fighting organization ready to
t take all comers — employers or dual unions.
The third year, the one just closed, marked really phenomenal gains.
I It saw the SlU grow in size and strength until its voice possesses real
authority on the Atlantic and Gulf waterfronts. .. . , .x
Today, three years from the date of its birth, the SlU union button
is proudly worn by 21.000 seamen. Closed shop contracts
signed with 25 steamship companies, operating 250 ships running to all
During these three fateful years the SlU has fought for and
' a minimum increase in basic pay of $27.50 per month for all classifica
tions. Overtime rates have been boosted 10 cents an hour and as nigh as
*^®With thradvent%' the second World War the union, ever vigilant
to. protect its rnembaS.^ d<^ande<t. adequate wa
seamen sailing into belligerent waters. These bonuses tun trom $33 to
$80 per month and port bonuses run from $45 to $100. Beside thijvtne
seamen receive $5,000 life insurance policies on these runs. AH this
ABOVE the regular basic pay. .
But these benefits did not fall off a tree. Nor were they .acNeved
by shady political deals with the shipowners. They were won by honest
and militant union struggle — often on the picket line.
In '39 the SlU struck Eastern, Seatrain and the P & O. In w ihe
pins were pulled on the New Bedford ships. In '41 the Alcoa and Robin
ines felt the strength of determihed SlU men who knw what they wanted
and how to get it. And thfe historic bonus beef! That one really set the
waterfront (and Washington} on its ear. • • . , ^
Not air the strikes were 100% successful, but they brought gams
and were part of the overall struggle that has built the ^union to its
present strength. Moreover, not a single job was lost in the course of
these strikes. That fact shows a good deal about the solidarity of those
^'*^'fL^*the fourth year of its existence opens, the SlU looks ahead to
the future with a confidence born of a calm awareness Oi its strength
and the soundness of its program. ^ ,... ,
Whereas the NMU is continually convulsed by torturous poHtical
twists and turns, the SlU keeps an even keel and a straight course, t
is eoneemed with bettering the working conditions of the seamen an
it will fight like hell to bring that about; Increasing thousands of seamel
understand this and are flocking to the SlU banner. ^ ^ f. LX.
Yes. it's a long cry from October 1938. Nor are all the tough fights
in the background — there's plenty of stwmy weather ahead. But one
thing is dear, the men who sail the ships Hav© a powerful c..ampon m
the SlU. In the years to come they will receive an increasing share ot
the fruits of their labor. ' ''
i
« J
More About
SlU Steward
^ (Continued froin Page 1)
held them; the third man. the
one who was biggest and who
li:.: talked with a Texas drawl,
® ! " grabbed a water pitcher and be
gan to smash it over the strug
gling steward's head.
Brownficld finally broke loose
and staggered down the compan
ionway I'o his quarters where his
mates gave him first aid. The
side of his head was severely cut,
as was his neck, and he was
losing blood rapidly. The flow of
blood was finally etemned. and his
wounds were bandaged.
By now the ship had docked.
Brownfield, supported by his
mates, staggered onto the pier to
summon the police to arrest his
attackers.
Well, the police arrived, but
they arrested Brownfield along
with his attackers. The bluecoats
dumped him into a police wagon
and hauled him off to prison.
Then is when the SIU crew
• went into action.
They Immediately called a
meeting, raised money for Brown
field's bail, voted to obtain the
best legal aid for him, and even
threatened to sign off the ship if
be wasn't released from jail with
in an hour.
Needless to say, after such im
mediate and' militant action,
Brownfield was released. His bail
bond was signed by Brothers
from the dispatchers office and
tbe crew.
But even this is not the end of
the story. After being attacked
by these three men, after having
bis head bashed in and his neck
• cut, he discovered that he was go
ing to be tried in court the fol
lowing day on the charge of as
saulting the passengers!
. Fortunately, there is a happy
ending. Brownfield was acquitted
of the charge in record time.
Paul Brownfield still has a
bandaged head (so much gauze is
• wound around it that it looks
like he is wearing a turbin). and
It will probably be several weeks
b^ore he can ship again, but
: Ihings could have, been worse,
yes, if the Steward and Deck
Editor's Mail Bag
'Mfi
i.::
Editor, Seafarers Log
Dear Sir and Brother:
I wonder if you could find space
to print the following notice so
that the brothers will know that
one of their pals is down in his
luckf
Shipmates Attention:
All brothers who were on the
picket line in Jacksonville, Flor
ida, will remember little Richard
McKee. He contracted T.B.
while doinfl thirty days "Blue
Jay" for the Uniqn. ''Please be
advised that he has spent the
past four and onehaif years at
the Boston Sanitarium, Matt^
pan, Mass.
Brother McKee now weighs 92
pounds, has had his lungs col
lapsed and has been cut and
carved up so many times that he
has lost count. The only reason
"Mickey" Is alive today Is be
cause of his fighting spirit and
wiii to struggle oh. in his letter
to me two^months ago he con
fided that his hospital mates are
dying on the average of twelve
a week. He confessed that It Is
mighty hard to face the future
with optimism because it seems
that his former shipmates have
forgotten ail about him.
Mickey isn't giving much airs
to his feelings. He probably feels
too deeply to talk much about it.
But of ail his two hundred side
kicks from the picket line only
four or five of them have found
time to drop him a letter or a
card.
His widowed mother has k^pt
him in cigarettes throughout the
years, otherwise he would have
been out of luck altogether.
I just received a letter from
her the other day, saying that
Mickey is now too weak to write.
and Engine departments on the
S.S. Yarmouth had not stood be
hind him to a manrthings might
have been much worse.
From now on nobody had bet
ter try to tell Paul Brownfield
that he'd be better off without a
Ufiionrhe knows differently! ,
He had a severe nervous break
down 'so his motber had to bring
him home to take care of him.
She had to give up her Job to do
this.
Mickey was, as yoQ all remem
ber, a real rank and flier who
never thought of deserting his
'brothers on the picket line or
anywhere else. He took his
union obligations too seriously
for that.
Would it be too much to ask
all you shipmates who knew him
to show that your heart Is in the
right spot? How about a little
"tarpaulin muster" aboard the
ships to get the bail rolling?
A card of greeting, a few lines
of encouragement and a few dol
lars thrown in for good measure
now and then. We'll never miss
it and never regret it. Let's give
littie Mickey half a chance.
His address is Richard McKee,
92 Pleasant St., Dorchester,
Mass. Thanking you one and all
in advance, 1 remain,
Fraternally,
Odd Fagertvedt,
SUP No. 1607
P.S. — Anyone knowing the
whereabouts of C. W. Wilson,
who received critical and perma
nent injuries on the picket line
in Jacksonville in 1937, please
write and let me know. Write
me at the Royal Hotel In San
dro, Caltfornta.
New York City,
November 6th, 1941 ;
Editor, Seafarers' Log,
Dear Sir & Brothers:
In the October 24th issue of the
N.M.U, Pilot is an article signed
by Warnar, who claims the Negro
is being JimCrowed in tke S.I.U.
Warner is either blind with
hate or a paid stooge of the
Party Line when he makes such a
foolish statement concerning the
Seafarers' International Union.
Since Warnai* wishes to carry
his statement back into history to
slander the S.I.U., I will en
ligUten 'him '^on the subject of an
occurence in the socalled undis^
criminated union he So loudly de
fends for its purity on this racial
subject.
February 6th, 1939 1 shipped
from the N.M.N, hair in the port
6f New York, While yet a member
of the P.C. Marine Firemen, Book
No. 4015.
Warnar, the N.M.U. Is ho more
fair to the Negro today than it
was when I fought the entire crew
to keep a member af the Negro
Scahtlc Line, as Chief Cook. The
crew said they did not want any
"NIGGERS" sailing this same ship
with a 'White Crew and the
N.M.U. Patrolman Joseph Stack
backed their argument 100%.
The Communist Party has been
harping on the subject for years,
using it for.political .gains, not' to
assist tbe Negro; either' socially
or economically. You cannot deny
the Checkerboard rsystem as. tried
in the.N.M.U. and Proved a faU
ure bwause of the membership
opposition. WHO then practiced
Racial Hatred wlthlh your own
ranks?
In .your .article, 'Waniar, you
claim the Communistic controlled
N.M.U. protects workers from Im
perialist Governmentff, especially
those who ; exploitthe . .Negro
Race. Who in ftkl exploits them
.more than the English Govern
ment who you': Audi the'^bfllcials
now proclaim as .SAyiOURS of
Democracy?
Take a trip to the British West
Indies, rtte^t p.ebtire of the Negro
race, ask them thbir • opinion of
Bngllah exploitation. Inquire
from them as to the hosip pay
under'these Great 'Protectors of
World DeiiiocrafeY.^ TYheri the
American rjcbntractor • • wished to
raise the pay to .two dollars' per
day, it was ibese same SA
VIOURS Who protested and told
the .American contractors that
eight to eighteen' cents per hour
was s'ufflcient, because tke Eng
lish claimed the'Negrbies^were ig
norant and unworthy of any de
oeRt ;ppjrpider.^tlen^. r.'
Answer, ttv^se question.s, fllUTH
PULLY as you defend these great
L^ra o^.I)eiE^(^y.
wSrAt^lsf#!' :iiiu ant^I^Bve
becomeNiktorians^ the ©fcoiiomic
field, I'll try to enlighten you of
some , pommunisiic pfoyaBanda..
On Deeember 27th. 1946, this Was
before the N.M.U. became Ptb
British and Joey Stalin ' was
flopping iwith. Adolphus Hitter.
Here's what the Pilot said:
"W» have nothing to gain from
this war. This is a question that
concerns not only seametti biit
every American regardless ' of
race, color or creed. Sixteen mil
lion American boys and young
men, including seamen, have been
roistered for the flrfif peacetime LU JVCCy <1. x'v... WM. ~ .
race aboard the S.S. Mormacport, draft in our history. Doesn't that
mean anything? Doesn't that
mean we • are" preparing for • WAR
to enter on the side with Britain?
"Doesn't it mean that as in
191718 Americans will be sent
abroad to fight British WARS to
save their Colonies and British
Marketh?
"There is no more RUTJILESS
EXPLOITATION in tbe World. ..
than that of India and other Cblo
nies of Great'Britain. AND ^we ' ^ '
are asked to protect and preserve
the POWERS which mftke. .
Exploitaition possible." ̂ ^ _. ', ^ ^
How times change " with the
"SAVIOURS of the' Wtirkittg ,
Class" now that Joey ̂ Stalln,.;te: •
getting his Fanny spanked by
Poppa Hitler, TSK, TSK,. . ,
They hide tkelr "Yaniis are not
coming" buttons, and"fun
through the streets of New York,
trembling for fear of the, day^^.,^f.^
RETRIBUTION that is slowly ^
but surely to'^arrive for the Ibri "J; j;:
rible damage they havd' done
American Labor. 'OtfJt i ^
J. Buckley
PERSONALS
JOE TURNER: Get 1
• with your pal Pat MulcabJ"., fib Ar
te at Hogan's Irish House in
Now York City.
FRANK ROGERS
SGOTT: You shipped in I
Steward's department of the S.S. '
Tulsa at the time Robert '
drowned at Maainloc, P.. L.J'tef^e t Jc *
communicate with Soi^ Beren ;
holtz, 312 Equitable ''Dlitldifii^ 5 v'
Payette & Calvert Streetsjjjall^fc
more, Md.
RICHARD ROWAN: Please ̂ t|
in touch with your motb%.*^b''
is worried about you. Acldre&Ef
Mrs. Maggie Rowan, General De
livery, Ardniurei Oklshoma.,. ; '
I'i':: .v.:
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