The New York herald., 1921-05-19
FIGHT AGAINST PAY
CUT GIVEN UP BY
MARINE STRIKERS
Secretary Davis Gets Full
Authority to Name Scale
for Seamen by Com
mittee.
WILL ACT AS MEDIATOR
Likely to Grant Owners De-
mands on Wage Scale, but
to Favor Men on Over.
time Question.
EMPLOYERS ISSUE EDICT
Say No More Signed Agree
ments Will Be Made With
Employees on Their
Vessels.
EMPLOYERS ISSUE EDIC1

Leaders of the marine strike went to
Washington yesterday and, after a
conference with Secretary of Labor
Davis. announced early this morning
that they had given the Secretary full
power to reach a settlement for them
with the ship owners and the United
States Shipping Board in the marine
controversy. Secretary Davis, the
union leaders said, received full au-
thority to accept for the men such
wage reductions as he shall deem
proper. The understanding with Mr..
Davis was reached after a conference
lasting several hours.
The proposals it is expected Secre-
tary Davis will make will provide for
a 10 per cent. wage reduction, but
changes upward in overtime and work.
ing conditions may make the reduc-
tons actually from 10 to 22h per
cent. The cooks and stewards were
not represented at last nights meet
ing, but it is understood that although
their case will be handled separately,
an agreement will quickly follow.
Secretary Davis will likely endeavor
to have the ship owners and the Ship
ping Board agree to time and a half
on Sundays for engineers while at
sea and double time Sundays in port.
qn New York yesterday afternoon,
while the union men were comforting
with the Secretary and several hours
before their agreement with him be-
came known, the American Steamship
Owners Association, as represented in
New York by it's executive committee
on wages and working conditions, met
at IL Broadway and adopted an open
has existed heretofore. In spite of this
fact, however 1t was felt here that the
prospects of reaching a settlement are
now much brighter than at any other
time since the strike began, in view
Of the action of the men in Washing
ton.
1T was unanimously voted" said
President II. Fl. Raymond Of the as
sociatiosl, reporting the result of the
meeting, that the association will not
hereafter have any signed agreements
with any seagoing labor organization.
thereby assuring protection in employ
ment and preference in promotion to
engineer officers who stand by their
ships or sign on anew in the American
merchant service"
The American Steamship Owners As
sociation has about eighty member COM
panies or individuals operating about
100000 tons of shipping. For several
years It not only has recognized the
unions as the representatives OF the
workers In collective bargaining, but has
made contracts with them as unions. 1t
was upon the expiration of contracts
with all except the masters mates and
pilots that the engineers, seamen and
unlicensed men generally went on strike
on May 1, because the association and
the Shipping Board had decreed a wage
cut OF Is per cent. and elimination of
overtime.
The agreement with the masters,
mates and pilots union does not end
until August l. which fact explains that
these classes of mariners are not par
ties to the strike
Union leaders professed to believe that
the action of the owners was not in
tended to be taken seriously.
"They know they're licked said
President MARITIME of the Marine Engi-
neers Beneficial Association. Local No.
so, "and this is the last grand stand
play. made with the idea of soaring U.S.
But we can't be scared. Mr.. Raymond
saws the owners will not sign with the
unions, but they will. There are 10000
union engineers in the United States,
400 of whom are In New York, and as
they won't go to sea without union
contract to protect them Mr. Raymond's
announcement doesn't mean anything"
The engineers strike committee which
went to Washington yesterday to see
Secretary of Labor Davis was made up
OF Y. l.. Todd OF New York. w. H. Hy-
man of Baltimore and Clinton f. Thurs
ton of Norfolk. Mr.. Davis. who talked
with them here on Tuesday night. asked
them TO go and they said they were
doing II 'out of courtesy" TO him.
The engineers before leaving drafted
tentative proposals They said that Mr..
Davis would take any fair proposal
they might make direct to President
Harding He told them the Shipping
Board and private owners seemed de-
tcTHlncu 10 tIiVTCS lle ~ per tNht.
wage reduction, but he hoped by his
personal effort to have some of the
other terms modified.
Nine American ships sailed from New
York yesterday. az against seven on
Tuesday week ago. The nine were
the Fred w. Wells, Standard OIL
tanker; Dartford. United States Mexi-
can oil Corporation Atlantic Fruit
steamship Cananova, Clyde liner Al
gonauin, Ward liner AgwilalSe, Creole
southern Pacific Company; Hamilton
Old Dominion line. and Shipping Board
vessel Editor. operated by the Cosmo-
politan ship Company
utIIAT do You do when YOU loae somethlnE