The New York herald., 1920-01-20
boa ATMEN's UNION
AGAIN. ON STRIKE;
MORE PAY SOUGHT
Deck Hands, Firemen, Oilers
and Cooks Join in the
Walkout.

Between twenty-five and seventy-five per
cent OF the deck hands. firemen, oilers and
cooks out of the four thousand members of
the Harbor Boatmen's Union went on
strike yesterday for increased wages,
threatening the crippling of the delivery of
coal and foodstuffs to the markets of Man
haitian. Union officials declared that sew
enty-five per cent of their men were out.
The employers representatives said that
from twenty-five per cent to fifty per cent
were out The captains and engineers did
not strike.
Dissatisfied with the award of additional
wages made to them by the New York
Harbor Arbitration Board last summer. re-
troactive to April q, 1919. and effective
until December 81, 1919, the Barbor Boat
( mems Union. without giving the thirty
days notice agreed upon, demanded an
advance in wages amounting approXi-
nately to S35 a month for each man, a
reduction in working hours from ten a
day to eight and other concessions.
Blames the Union.
At the offices of the New York Towboat
Exchange, Inc. No. II Broadway, the
blame for the situation was put up to the
, Union Frederick A. Russell. chairman OF
the Arbitration Board and president of the
exchange declared that in the first place
the union had ignored the following pro-
vision OF the agreement
This wage scale and working condi-
tions shall be retroactive from April Y,
1919, and shall remain in force until Decem-
Der 81 1919, and thereafter, unless thirty
days notice. is given by either party to
terminate same
I Mr.. Russell said that no action was taken
:. by the men to indicate that they were not
fcfta l,A
ular monthly meeting early in January.
At that meeting, Mr.. Russell said, new
contract was offered, but the men refused
TO accept it.
~ The meeting was adjourned until last
Friday, when the masters. mates and pilots
refused to participate, because William j..
Fink, secretary of the Harbor Boatmen's
Union. who. they said, had been suspended,
had sat in the meeting week before. \
letter was received also, Mr.. Russell said
from the business manager of the Inter-
national Union of Steam Operating Engi-
neers Local. No S9, refusing to participate
iR, the deliberations il Fink and another
taan were allowed to attend.
81 strike without Notice.
Three cooks, three deckhands and three
7 fTemen Mr. Russell said. attended the
2 board meeting last Friday as represen-
tatives of the union. This, he said. was
three short OF a quorum. Notwithstanding
this, he said, the Board agreed to discuss
differences with three representatives of
the union. This the members of the union
present refused to do. and the meeting
adjourned without result.
= Nothing further was heard from the
men, Mr.. Russell said. until yesterday.
when he learned that perhaps fifty per
cent of the exchanges tugs were tied up
The captains and engineers recognized
the' contract as still in force, Mr. Russell
said and were sticking to their posts. This
was confirmed by. Frank w. Korb, secre-
tary of the Consolidated Marine Engineers
beneficial Association. No. 20 Park place,
VINO said that the engineers were living
I. up TO. the contract and were not likely to
so out
Arthur Rosen, chairman of the strike
committee OF the Harbor Boatmen's Union,
. No. So West street. said that the men on
Railroad Administration tugs are not out,
but men on the tugs of the Mallory. South
crn- Pacific, Savannah. New England Navi-
CATION and Old Dominion lines. which are
under the Jurisdiction Of the Railroad Adj
ministration, are affected.