New-York tribune., 1921-01-29
Labor Likely to
Aid Shipping
By Cutting Pay
10000 Workers Employed
in American Shipyards
May Voluntarily Take 10
Per Cent Wage Reduction
Sea Labor May Aid Also
Ship Owners Seek a Cut of
25Per Cent; Compromise
Expected To Be Arranged

Further steps are being taken in the
movement to bring about lower ship
building and ship operating costs, with
$ view to enabling the American mer-
chant marine to meet foreign ccmpe-
tition.
Representatives Of union labor en-
ploy.d in the shipyards of the Atlantic
Coast. Shipbuilders' Association have
tentatively agreed to a reduction in
sagss, and the matter will be voted
upon by the workers. Other shipyards.
not members of the association, are
proceeding along similar lines.
Representatives of the officers on
American ships are considering the
proposition Of the American Steamship
Owners Association and the Shipping
Board for voluntary acceptance Of Is
per cent reduction in wages. The pres
ent agreement on wages will not ex-
pire until May /. but in view of the
necessity Of laying up ships because of
the high operating costs in comparison
with the low level of freights, it is be-
lieved that the officers will be disposed
to accept some reduction that will make
it possible to operate more ships and
reduce unemployment, which has be-
come acute. Thousands Of officers and
seamen are out Of work at present.
Ship Officers Attitude
Neptune Association. representing
many Of the officers on American ships,
opposes the reduction. The Marine En-
gineers' Beneficial Association has de-
cided to leave the matter to the wage
committee in the Atlantic and Gulf
Pacific and Great Lakes districts Elm
inatien of overtime pay is also sought,
and it is believed that a compromise
will be reached eventually by which
the officers will take some reduction in
pay.
The action in regard to shipbuiiding
labor was taken by the Atlantic Coast
Shipbuilders' Industrial Board in a
meeting at Philadelphia. w. T. Smith.
Of the Merchant Shipbuilding Corpora
ton, presided over the meeting. and
the spokesman for the workers was j. j.
0'Conneii, president of the metal trades
department. of the American Federation
Of Labor. A plan for a 10 per cent
reduction IN all piece work and per
diem rates was tentatively adopted,
subject to approval by the vote Of the
workers in the shipyards of the asso-
iation. The ballot will be taken as
soon as possible, and if the cut is ap-
proved it will be put into effect on
March l.
The shipyards represented are those
Of the New York Shipbuiiding Corpora
ton, at Camden, N. j.; the Merchant
Miphuilding Corporation, Hartman
snd Chester, Pa; the Sun Shipbuildins
Company, Chester, Pa; the Pusey
Jones Company, Gloucester, N. j., and
Wilmington, Del; the Mobile Ship
building Company, Mobile, Ala; the
Pensacola Shipbuilding Company, Pen
saeola, Fla; the Downey Shipbu:ldine
Corporation, New York; the Alabama
Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Company
Mobile, Ala; the American Interna
tional Shipbuilding Corporation, Hos
Island; Doullut & Williams, New Or
leans, La. and the George A. Fuller
Company. Wilmington, N. c.
Sixty Thousand Workers Affected
The number Of workers at present
employed at these shipyards is abou,
5000. A similar plan for a wage re.
trction Of 10 per cent is reported tc
have been tentatively adopted by repre-
sntatives OF the workers at the plants
II the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corpo.
rstion, and vote of the men is expect
ed to be taken early next month, with
sas reduction effective on February Ia
i accepted by the workers. These
4 plants employ about $4,000 men. so tina;
about 10000 workers in all will be af-
fected IL the reduction IS put into oD-
d sration.
Other shipbuiiding concerns not
members of tie Atlantic Coast Associa.
i ten probably will follow suit, includ-
isg the Federal Shipbuilding Company
.isociated with the United States Stee,
Corporation.
:is also expected that the reduction
4 fsn will be taken up in the drydoci
shd ship repair plants. Nominally a
ssrike has been on in connection with
nese plants since October I last, when
sae ship painters connected with Loca'
SO Ct the Broth erhood of Painters
Decorators and Paperhangers walked
ct following the refusal Of their de.
sand for an increase in pay from the
Prevailing rate Of 80 cents an hour tc
u. This labor is under the supervision
VI outside contractors, and they at once
epened headquarters and proceeded te
ere men on an open shop basis at Sl
TITS an hour. The supply WAS found
= ezceed the demand, and, althougf
Ias s.rike nominally is still on, the
Yras have not been held UP on thel'
ga