Los Angeles daily herald., 1890-02-14
WEST COAST NEWS.
Union Steamship Sailors on
q Strike.
WON'T WORK BETWEEN PORTS.
NOn-Uni0n Men Put in Their Places,
Departure Of Vessels
Delayed.

Associated Press Dispatches to the HERALD
SAN FRANc1sco, February 13.-Ihe
trouble which had been bre wing 10
some time between the Pacific Coast
Steamship Company and the Steamship
Sailors' Union, eliminated this morn
ING in the discharge Of all the union
sailors on the Corona and State OF Cali
fornia, in consequence of which the de-
parture of both vessels was delayed sew
eral hours. The union sailors state that
they were employed principally to
handle freight at terminal and way ports,
and should not have been expected to
work between ports.
The Corona was to ssil at II o'clock
for Southern coast ports, but before that
hour the men informed the officers that
they would clean no more decks and do
no more painting and roustabout work on
the trip. The officers informed them that
they would have to do this work, and as
the men still declined, they were dis
charged, and efforts were commenced at
once to secure new crew. The
crew of the State of California, which
was to sail for Portland at 10 o'clock,
also left for the same reason.
Large crowds soon collected on the
docks and detail of officers was sta
toned there to preserve order. A full
complement of non-union men was se-
cured in few hours and both vessels
sailed soon after noon.
The officers of the company say the
men have dictated to them long enough,
and they have become tired of it. They
do not think they have ever required the
men to do anything unreasonable.
Captain Goodall said: eve pay these
men $45 per month, which is about 10
per cent. more than any one else pays,
and aside from debating they refuse to
work between ports. If they work over
time they get so cents an hour. On
Sunday they work in this port from 7 to
8 O'Clock q. M, and get paid for full
day. 1t is fact that during busy and
dull times the wages have never been
changed or in anywise affected. We
simply want our sailors to work as
sailors should in cleaning ships, and so
on. They refused, and were discharged.
The men were to have left here today,
and did not want to do any more work
until tomorrow. We wanted them to
work during the afternoon, cleaning the
ship. A vessel gets begrimed with dirt
in port, and it is necessary to have her
cleaned while on the trip. Heretofore
the men have done this work. 1
do not think we have asked any
more than always is asked of
coast seamen on steamboats,, but they
have become very Independent, and we
have always humored them. Last year
when we were crowded with business the
men would come to the officers and say
they would not work between this port
and that. The officers would reply that
they would have to work, and the men
would say: I'VE will leave you.' We
were very busy, and rather than be
bothered with strike, we gave in
time after time, until now we have
become tired of that sort of thing and
will employ no union men. We have
had men of this union all along, and we
have pretty near the entire union in our
employ"
The strike will probably affect no
other lines. 1t ia understood that all the
members OF the Steamship Seamen's
Union employed on vessels of the Pa
cific Coast Steamship Company, running
out of this port, have been ordered out
bv the union.