The New York herald., 1921-10-05
iSECEDING DOCKMEN
APPEALTO MAYORS
Strike Loses Force as Fifteen
Locals Quit the Interna-
tiOnal Association.

The longshoremen's strike, which be-
gan on Saturday when reduced wage
scale was put into effect. lost a good
deal Of It's force yesterday when fifteen
of the twenty mine unions which COM
pose the International Longshoremen's
Association voted to secede from the
organization. With the strikers thus
definitely established as outlaws" the
steamship companies are at liberty 70
employ other men In their places TO
bring the strike to a close without
violating the agreement with the long
shoremen's association.
The strikers who ultimately declared
themselves out of the association
reached their decision at a meeting at
422 West street while Anthony ]. Chol-
pek and other union officials were in
conference with steamship men and en-
ployers endeavoring to formulate some
plan to get the strikers back to work.
Cholpek would not admit last night
that practically half the unions which
make up the association of which he Is
head had gone out Of II. He said that
all the members OF nine unions had quit
work, but that the other unions which
were supposed to be out were not prop
erly represented at the strike meeting
and that no action takn there could
bind them.
The secessionists, however. are so far
in earnest that they have appointed a
committee to wait upon Mayor Hylan
to ask him to open negotiations with
the steamship companies as a friend not
only of the strikers but of the plain
people at large. Similar action was
taken by union meeting In Hoboken.
at which 1t was decided to ask Mayor
Hague of Jersey City and Mayor Grif-
fin of Hoboken to act with Mayor
Hylan. The men voted to withdraw
from the International Association and
form a new organization.
Joseph A. Ryan. first vice-p.esident Of
the organization. warned the strikers
that their best interest lay In returning
to work. He said:
THE men on strike are listening to
false prophets and to promises that can
not be fulfilled. The action of the en-
ployers yesterday in asking for police
protection indicates that II the men fail
to go back to work the open shop Will
be put In effect in the port Of New York
The men on strike know that they have
violated the very principles on which the
organization is built. The majority rules
and the majority accepted the wage cut"
Frederick C. Toppin. vice-presdent Of
the lrternatiOnal .MercantHe Marlne, Saiu
there would be no employment Of nom
unior labor by the steamship companies
so long as their agreement with the as
sociation remained fact There would
be men moved to the Chelsea and Hobo
ken piers. which are short handed. and
for a reasonable period their places were
open to the men who had struck.
The steamship America of the Italian
Royal Mail Line. was berthed at the Bush
docks In South Brooklyn yesterday instead
Of at her pier on the Hudson River. The
steamship Guglielmo Peirce of the Peirce
Line, which sailed yesterday for the
Mediterranean with more than 600 pas
sengers and $50 sacks of mail for Italy.
got away without the help OF longshore-
men. officials of the line. clerks at the
pier and the officers and crew Of the
ship taking care of the loading of bag
gage and the mails.