The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-08-16
Aboard
Vessel Described
byMarine Worker
Plan to Send Delegate
to Norfolk Convention

BY a Marine Worker Correspondent.
(The following is a report from
a delegate of the Marine Work
ers Industrial Union aboard on
Atlantic coastwise freighter. For
obvious reasons the name OF the
ship is omitted.-Ed.)
committee working on the ship
shortly. We have men promised to
line up when we pay off, and there
will probably be more by that time.
This includes all hands on deck and
in the engine room except the deck
engineer, and a water tender. The
engine room is all Fflipinos except
three, and at least one OF these Is
o. K.
We have some swell chances on
here. The mate is thine back" mad
and we have been able to get In
some great work on this basis. The
sailors have all promised to kick in
a buck each for convention greet
ings.
We have several good issues be-
sides the overtime, such as bum toilet
which is flooded all the time as the
drain pipe is plugged up. The crew
has warned the bosun several times
to do something about it, or we will
not be responsible for what hap
pens.
Undermined.
Then there is the question Of low
pay and undermining. We are one
man short on deck. The mate has
promised faithfully to get a full crew
in the next port. One left the ship
the last minute when we sailed and
few minutes before sailing we
chased work-away ashore. GA
workaway works for his bed and
board and cent a month to keep
from starving on the beach.-Edo
Delegate for the Convention.
I have raised the question of send
ing a delegate to the convention
from Norfolk, but we are not sure
whether we will get back there in
time to get one to New York. The
Filipinos fully approve such q move,
and it only needs little plugging
in this focsle to put 1t across. The
crew would meet the expenses OF
travel
This ship is plastered with safety
first" signs. A stool pigeon fell
down in No. 2 hold last trip and got
killed. So right over the door is a
sign that reads tx marks the spot.
Watch your STEP" 1t now reads tx
marks the spot. Elect delegates to
the M.WIU. convention, July 1918"
Another one in the mess room shows
a guy throwing human figures out OF
a dice box, and reads: Don't gamble
with life". 1t now has a convention
sticker added to it, and an attractive
lot of comments from the crew. They
can damned easily see how silly the
bosses safety signs are, as nothing
has been done outside of the signs
to lessen the speed-up and overtime.
So the stickers make quite an ap-
peal in connection with it,
The big kick in the engine depart
ment, as I said before, is wages. It
seems that they have recently re-
ceived a real cut, and are sore az
hell about it, Water tenders and oil
ers were cut from $50 month to
$40, the firemen from $40 to $35. No
wipers aboard. The firemen do the
wiping, and the water tenders fire.
Building Up Leadership.
It's no trick to line men up to-
day on ships, but it's another thing
to consolidate this organization into
| an instrument of struggle. This ID
the thing that all hands must learn
to do. We have decided already on
leaving leadership on this job in casa
anything happens and we have Ia
get off. The material is here. AL
it needs is developing, and little
time to do it.
Already we hear men say: well
if any new man comes aboard he'l
got to line up, if he wants to enjoy
his job" This idea has been given
them by making each one responsible
to help organize the ship.
Every evening discussions take
place out on the hatch, and the fel-
lows are propagandizing each Other
without realizing it.