The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1916-03-31
FIVE HUNDRED MEN TIE vi
WATER TRAFFIC

Following iut dCIlOll anu iNNNA44
mendation of the Seattle Central La.
Dor Council, the Everett Trades Coun-
ell last Wednesday evening went on
record as giving its full moral sup
port to the strike of the Puget Sound
Steamshipmen's Union composed OF
deckhands firemen. water tenders,
oilers. walters, porters, cooks, pantry
men. watchmen and messmen, called
out all of its members Monday night.
In response to the call, several hun
dred men quit work in Seattle and
other Sound boats when they locked
The men demand recognition of
their union and wage increases OF 50
TO SIS a month and overtime at the
rate of 80 cents an hour The demand
for the overtime provision, however,
has been dropped by the union, in ac-
cordance with a decision reached at a
strike meeting Tuesday.
A membership of 45O is claimed by
the union. Its officers say that there
are approximately 1000 men on the
Sound eligible to membership.
MANY COMPANIES INVOLVED
The strike is directed against the
following companies, most of them
with Headquarters in Seattle: Puget
Sound Navigation Co., Border Line
! TRANSPORTATION Co., Navy Yard Route,
Merchants Transportation Co., Eagle
Harbor transportation Co., Kitsap
County Transportation Co., Island
/ Transportation Co., Bremerton Trans
portation Co., Lillico Transportation
| Co., Kingston Transportation Co.,
Olympia G. Tacoma Navigation Co.,
| Mcdonald Transportation Co., West
| Pass Transportation Co. and smaller
concerns. In addition the men on the
steam freighter Morning Star, operat
ed by Frank Waterhouse & Co., Inc,
in the Seattle-British Columbia route,
and the steamboat Harvester, operat-
ed in the Skagit River-Mount Vernon
run, are affected by the strike. The
Morning Stars crew quit Tuesday
morning. leaving the vessel tied up.
THE UNION DEMAND
The unions demands were set forth
as follows in a circular letter to the
companies:
Deck Department-Wag shall be
$50 per month. Overtime 80 cents
per hour. When working watch and
watch. the men shall perform their
regular duties, without charge of over
time. but when called upon to do any
other work, between the hours OF
pm. and : am. on week days, and
q all day Sundays and holidays, they
shall be paid therefor at overtime
rate, (Other work in this case is
= defined to mean: Loading and dis
charging OF freight, baggage, mail
: stores. fuel and cleaning of vesseD
. When called from their watch below
} the men shall be paid at overtime
2 rate. When not working watch ant
watch. nine hours shall constitute
DAYS work. On Sundays and holidays
2 all work performed except what il
: absolutely necessary for the imme
S date safety OF the vessel, her pas
e sengers and crew, shall be paid TO
= at overtime rate. None but member
/ Of the union shall be employed, if oh
tainable.
/. Engineers Department - Firemen
e water tenders and all men doing CON
l. bination work shall receive $55 pc
l. month Wipers and coal passer
q shall receive $50 per month. Non
j. but members of the union shall b
It employed if obtainable.
stewards Departments Stewards
e S75 per month; chief cooks, $40; sec
d ond cook, sac; pantryman, $40; mess
g men, $50; porters, $85; watchmer
k s35. and walters, $50. None but men
bers of the union shall be employed
II if obtainable.'
ORGANIZED TWO NUN fS
The Puget Sound Steamboat Men
Union was organized about tw
months ago and was formed, accord
ing to the strikers, by the steamboa
G men themselves without outside az
vice or assistance, purely as protes
81, against repeated failures to obtai
h, wage increases and working cond
= lions to which they believed then
selves entitled. AS proof of their a.
sertions they cite that their organic
-, ton is still unaffiliated with the Sal
- ers' Union of the Pacific or with tn
- American Federation Of Labor, thong
- such affiliation is contemplated.
- So tar the unions only publicity d.