The San Francisco call., 1906-06-06
OWNERS READY
TO MAKE FIGHT
Crews Will Not Return
to Steam Schooners
at the Old Pay.
Entire Shipping of Port
May Be Tied Up In
definitely.

The sailors. fremen. cooks and wait
ers employed on steam vessels engaged
in the coast trade have decided to work
no longer at the wages paid before the
disaster OF April is. The managers and
owners Of these vessels have declined
10 make the demanded advance. The
anal word was said yesterday by each
side and the war is Or.
Tho owners maintain that 10 advance
wages now would mean adding to the
cost Of material for rebuilding the city
They point 10 the fact that the sailors
enaa eeI in the coast lumber trade are
already better paid than any seamen in
any other part of the world Taking
-he average for the year. the seamen
who are now holding out for more pay
receive SIS a month. and In adoltloh
board and lodging. The seaman IN the
coast lumber trade makes smore money
than the salary paid the master OF
big British sailing ship and more than
any of his own officers except his cap
tain.
The owners say the sailors are trying
10 1lse the recent calamity as lever 10
raise wages. and under the circum-
stances have decided 10 refuse all de-
rnands in this direction. In the words
of Andrew Furuseth, secretary OF the
sailors Union, they stand pat
The probable result OF yesterday De
cistor win be to tie up the entire ship
ping Of the port for an indefinite period
as none Of the other ship owners are IN
sympathy with the action Of the sailors
An effort may be made TO run the steam
schooners with non-union crews Out
for the present the vessels are neo up
and The owners are not declaring their
inteutions beyond saying they VIII not
accede 10 the demand Of the unions
The other side of the case is presented
Sn tho following statement issued yes
rerdav by Andrew Furuseth;
san Francisco. Cal. June ;. 1905
Members of the Sailors Union lhs
E'iremen's Union and the Cooks ana
Stewards Association viii san IN any
vessel the owner Of which agrees 70
the wages and conditions asked liOill
the steamship Association. II TINS Is
refused we will find work elsewhere
The agreement for 1905 between the
Steamship Association and these unions
expired BIZ limitation on January 81,
1905 Prior thereto the unions had
presented 10 the association request
for an increase or wages amo uhNlhs =
in some cases TO So per month per
man. in others 10 some changes IN
rbe working rules relative TO over
time work According TO last year
agreement we worked twelve hours
per day at sea. and nine hours in port,
and. at any time or any Ml4CI6 NAACn
necessary for the safety OF the Nessel,
her passengers, cargo and crew fhty
cents per hour was paid for Wor
performed while IN port between the
hours Of 5 p. m. and Z g. m, or on
Sundays and legal holidays Work
in this case was defined TO mean load
ing and discharging OF freight and
baggage. coaIing, cleaning and moving
Of vessel. Moving vessel within GER
tain limits only was paid for as over
time.
These rules had been IN force since
1898 The changes asked for had been
made necessary by rulings during the
year. A number of conferences were held
during the spring months, all with
out any result. In q meeting held
on April we were informed that the
Steamship Association was affiliated
with the United Shipping and Trans
pOrtatiOn Association. and that no in
crease could be granted by the former
except with the consent Of the board
OF directors of the latter body. From
our information obtained from other
sources, we were aware that Herbert
George had acted with the board of
directors when they met the longshore-
men, and we had seen written evi-
oence that the membership of the
United Shipping and Transportation As
sOciatiOn must have the consent of the
executive board Of the association be-
fore granting any increase OF wages,
and that such permission must be
Nsigned by the president of the Citizens
Alliance.
In the same meeting we were in
formed that our matter had been sub
mitted TO the board Of directors of the
United shipping and Transportation
association, and that its consent had
been withheld. We asked whether any
such request would not have to be
passed upon by the Citizens Alliance
and were answered no. This answer
very much surprised US, because we
had seen copies of what purported to
be an agreement and a bond to that
effect If thus be not the fact let the
Steamship Association produce agree
ment and bond.
A vote was taken by the unions in
the various ports along the coast on
April Is, and it was decided that wages
and conditions asked for be put into
effect on May l. The calamity to San
Francisco coming IN the meantime. thv
unions at headquarters decided to da-
lay the order from the coast and en-
ceaVor TO come TO an agreement with
the owners. We tried and failed By
order Of the unions the wages and con-
1itlons were put into effect on May 29
ne sailors earnings are forty-five
dollars per month TO inside ports, fifty
dollars per month to outside ports
When any more money is received ii
is because the sailors. even while in
port are working while other men are
eiJhef resting or sleeping. The Ra-
Naln has been mentioned as paying
thirty-three dollars for ten DAYS work
The vessel trades TO Eureka Giving
her Lhree days at sea, il leaves seven
days IN port-seven days in which TO
more than i've hours per day in excess
OF the daily hours of labor. This ex-
plains how the vessel on this particular
trip happened to pay the sailors of
with thirty-three dollars. We steer
the vessel keep her in order and keen
lockout during night time and work
lumber while in port for $150.
me owners have raised the price of
lumber from three TO ten dollars per
thousand, either directly or Indirectly.
trights have been raised seventy-five
cents per thousand since the disaster
Our request would cost them at the
NEST two dollars per day 1t would
seem that X anybody is trying to loot
the city, II IS surely not the seamen.
The owners committee suggested to
our committee on Monday that if we
would submit TO them a request for a
raise of $3.50 per month, and corr.-
spending alterations otherwise. tnev
would submit same 70 the board Of
directors of the United Shipping and
Transportation Association, and they
hoped that they might be permitted to
grant IT.
The organizations met and decided
that they had no such new request TO
make. When this information was Civ
en- them this morning, the owners in
formed US that we would lose the syn-
pathy Of everybody and would have 10
take the responsibility for what might
follow We told them we would leave
that TO the public. We further said
aor,1 aarTfr,oanf ...5-.- =