The Washington times., 1923-08-16
PROTESTED
by.LABOR
UNIONS
Claim Rights and Traditions
Violated-congress Blamed
for Lack of Funds.

The appearance of twenty-five
enlisted sailors to do the work
Of skilled mechanics at the Alex
andria torpedo station has created
q furore in union labor circles in
Washington.
These sailors, it is asserted, are
doing the work done by machin-
lists before the recent series of
discharges, totaling several hun
dred workers, took. place at the
Alexandria station. They have
been transferred to civilian work
In; the face of naval regulations
and traditions which are against
the practice.
Other Navy Yards Affected.
There are several other navy
yards in the country which have
suffered heavy reductions in their
skilled personnel since July /, when
the new wage scale went into effect,
In which enlisted men have been
taken off battleships and destroyccs
to do repair work which hereto
fore has always been done by skilled
civilian labor. Protest against this
policy at the Mare Island Navy
Yard, in San Francisco, already has
been made to the Navy Department
by the officials of District No. "A,
of the International Association of
Machinists.
So far the Washington Navy
Yard has not been affected, but
rumors are current that sailors
will also be brought here to do
various forms of skilled work and
to supplant the machinists and
other craftsmen recently furloughed.
This policy is against all navy
tradition" says n. p. Alias, head
of the machinists' organization.
IF enlisted sailors on the battle.
ships can be brought into the navy
yards to do skilled work there is
no reason why the whole navy yard
labor organization should not be
abandoned, wage scales scrapped.
and the entire force put on a $50
a month basis, which is the pay the
sailors receive. This policy If per-
sisted in will be destructive Of an
morale in the navy yards and will
result in a serious situation.
Shortage of Funds Blamed.
Some of these sailors are semi
skilled. having received their train
ing on the ships. If the Navy De-
partment can furlough hundreds of
old employees in the yards, however,
and give their jobs to sailors who
are bound by terms of an enlist
ment contract for given period Of
years and to work for $40 a month,
a new situation has arisen which
will have to be met"
The Navy Department defends its
action, according to the machinists,
on the ground that 1t is without
funds to employ the workers re-
Gently discharged and that there.
fore, it is justified in using sailors
to do the navy yard work wherever
practicable. Naval officers blame
the "parSimony of Congress for the
situation that has arisen"
The labor, officials reply to this
defense by saying that the present
enlisted personnel of $1,000 men
was sanctioned by Congress only
upon the most urgent representa-
lions by the Navy Department that
any reduction in this number would
mean that the battleships and
other vessels would not be ade-
ouately manned and that the bat
tie efficiency of the fleet would be
gravely impaired. II the navy now
finds IL can spare sailors from the
fleet to do work in the navy yards.
Congress will be placed under pres
sure to make a further drastic re-
ductfon in personnel when the naval
appropriation bill comes up for con-
sideration at the next session. The
little navy" men in both House
and Senate, 1t is said, believe that
an enlisted strength of $1,000 men
for the navy is sufficient.