New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1921-04-29
'SEAmEN REFUSE
WAGE REDUCTION
us 5000 ". S. SHIP WORKERS RI.
JECT NEW CONTRACT PRO-
POSAL BY OWNERS.
MARINE STRIKE MAY |
ALL OVERSEAS AND COASTWISE
SHIPPING is INVOLVED IN
LABOR STRUGGLE.
Western Newspaper Union News Serrice.l

New York, April 26.-Iines tending
toward IA nationwide strike Oh May l
of more than 115,0D0 u~nioniZed marine
engineers. firemen and Seamen, were
closely drawn here when the unions
refused To consider n new contract
proposed by the owners carrying wage
cuts averaging - to 81 per cent.
The engineers, through their ma
tional president, William X. Ryan, fol-
lowed their refusal by issuing Il strike
order effective that date if the cut is
put into effect. The firemen and ser
men, through Andrew F%uruseth, presi-
dent of the International Seamen's
Union, said their men had voted on
the matter and They, too, would quit
work if the wage cut was made effect
i've. Overseas and coastwise .Ameri-
can flag ships ON the Atlantic, Gulf Of
Mexico and Pacific will be involved
unless the differences are adjusted.
The conferences were the culmina-
ton of Il series of meetings between
representatives of the unions and The
ownerS. The engineers last week an
nounced II wage cut would not be ac-
cepted and the declaration was reit-
Grated. Al previous conferences, the
firemen and seamen insisted that wage
questions he made secondary to en-
forcement of alleged violations of the
La Toilette law, abolishment of the
Shipping Boards Sea Service Bureau,
and preference in employment of union
men.
The answer of the owners vas that
the La Toilette seamen'S law was u
federal statute, and the sea- service bu-
reau was Il government agency. II was
further stated that This bureau was
furnishing American ships with sea
men, 50 per cpnt of whom were Amer
lean citizens. while the seamen's
unions were furnishing II negligible
percentage of Americans. Preference
in employment of union men was de-
clared TO be discrimination against
Americans and the demands were re-
fused.
As "A result of the refusal, Mr.. Furu-
seth and his associates left the meet
ing and declared that the men would
refuse To work after May /, if the wage
reduction was put into effect.
Ships on the Great Lakes and tugs,
barges and other craft employed In
hnrbor transportation would not he af-
fected by the strike, union leaders said,
as they are under separate contracts.
A tieup of deep sea and coastwise
ships would be felt by several hundred
thousand men. Recent reports Of
American shipping show that the
United States shipping board owns l.
7T3 ocean going ships. of 7,I9O,736
gross tons, the majority in the hands
of private operators.
In addition there are 1.911 ships of
5,125,213 gross tons owned by private
companies. The American flag pas
senger vessels which possibly would be
the International Mercantile Marine,
Hamburg and Antwerp service; the
United States Mail Steamship Com
pany and the United American lines
in the European trade, and all coast
wise lines operated on the Atlantic and
Pacific coasts and between cities on
the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.
The engineer representatives de-
that the American strike would
throw out of work approximately
100000 men of the allied marine