The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1920-12-10

EVERETT
they operate in Bellingham is a di-
rect discrimination against certain
stevedoring companies on Puget
Sound. Through their claims that if
any company or stevedore requires
any longshoremen in Bellingham it
must obtain them Thorough the Puget
Sound Stevedoring Company. By so
doing having no competition in their
line of work, generally compelling
the steamship companies to pay
them on a percentage basis, which
is as formerly stated "the longer it
takes, the more ages they pay out,
and the more money they make"
"The refuge of the stevedore COM
pany in hiding behind the alphabetic
list of the longshoremen is only to
mislead the public, and to eliminate
competition under the same disguise
as the open shop, whereas the Grays
Harbor Stevedoring Company, en-
ploying men under the open shop
system, have a list an dthe men take
their turn the same as in Everett.
"The menace of the contracting
, stevedore is becoming more appar-
ent to the larger steamship COM
panies, who gradually are eliminat-
| ing the contracting stevedoring
companies and are doing their own
stevedoring work and hiring the men
directly.
"In regards to the cost of labor of
| loading ships: The steamship Ore
gonian loaded 2,500,000 feet of lum-
Der at cost of $3,52550 for the
labor. In confirmation of a state
ment by a local paper as to the cost
cf $4,000 in loading 100000 feet
of lumber on the Steel Ranger, we
are not surprised at the objection of
The steamship company if the other
$4,474.5O goes into the pockets of
the stevedoring company.
"The responsibility of the long
shoremen's union in diverting busi-
ness from this port to Seattle, as in
the present instance, is, in our opin-
ion only small item in comparison
with the millions of feet of lumber
sent to other ports on Puget Sound,
which never comes to the attention
of the public"
The Public Mislead
The Tribune of Friday morning
came out with a first page article
charging the longshoremen with
having driven the ship Steel Ranger
away from Everett That paper as
serted that this meant the loss of
from $4,000 to $4,000 to the bust
ness of this town. This statement
is not true. No, listen: The Steel
Ranger was to take on 100000 feet
of lumber from this port it is. The
Oregonian loaded here, taking $780,
900 feet and the labor bill was
$3,525.50.
Many longshoremen say that Alex
Carlson was under the influence of
liquor when he had the talk with
the Business Agent of the Longshore-
men, which condition is presumed to
have made him about as truthful as
the Tribune.
The longshoremen quit the ship
| because Carlson told them he would
not pay the fourth man on the sling.
| Technically this was a violation of
| the agreement, which says: Either
| party, employer or employee disir-
| ing change in working conditions
or wages shall give 80 days notice
before the change takes place. But
what were the men to do, keep on
working after their mans pay had
| been stopped?
Mr.. Carlson says the list system
used by the longshoremen results in
| getting many men who are entirely
incompetent. Yet this is the best
system for the workers and the
ships that has ever been devised,
and if Carlson is competent him
self he ought to know this.
Carlson says: at is not the sys-
tenn we are fighting; it is the sys-
tenn they have of forcing disagree
able demands on us that we object
to-"
Well! Now if the adage" in vinum
veritas" be true, what kind of stuff
was Carlson drinking?
| The longshoremen say he becomes
insulting and unreasonable when he
is in his cups.
| Carlson says many members of
the union are not in sympathy with
the system, as they mant stable con-
ditions.
The lcngshOremen say that if the
stevendores will abide by the agree
ment thief will have stable condi-
tions.
The following paragraph of Mr..
Carlson's statement needs fixing
badly:
"The floating members who are
here today and there tomorrow are
the ones who are causing most of
/ the trouble. They don't care much
whether they work steadily or not,
yet they seem to dominate affairs in
the union"
The members of the longshore-
mems union are residents, and a
majority of them citizens of Everett
A large percentage of them have
families to support and they spend
their money in their home town.
! The longshoremen say everything
has been running along smoothly
under the agreement, but they be-
lieve Carlson is trying to disrupt
the union so that he can work this
waterfront with Seattle men, several
gangs of whom are ready at all
times to work ship anywhere on
the sound. This would help Carl
! sons pocketbook, but it would short
en- up the cash in Everett's mer-
camille tills.
The Tribune didn't see that, but
whenever any trouble occurs be-
tween union labor and its employers,