The daily worker., 1933-07-17
BALTIMORE PORT
WORKERS GAIN SOC
SHIPS IN 6 MONTHS
Report OtherAdvances
at Marine Convention


York, which opened today and
will last until Tuesday, tbs dele
gates from Baltimore will be able to
report definite progress during the
past six months. Since Jan. las
new union members have been lined
up in the local union. More than
+ 300 ships have been boarded by Port
Delegates, bringing aboard the Ma
/ rine Workers Voice and other litera-
ture, signing up new members, col
lecting dues-spending time with the
crew aboard ship.
4 In March job strike was pulled
IN the Munson liner "Munmystic, :"
+, with the men winning their demand
for immediate payment Of long over
due wages. AS result, the union
gained considerably in prestige on
the Baltimore waterfront.
Action On Ell Captain
Another important and more re-
cent action, carried through on the
steamer Ell Captain in May, was one
against the slave labor workaway
system. A group of rs seaf1en boldly
forced their way aboard the ship and
demanded that five workaways aboard
men who get no pay other than
cent monthD should be removed
and that the ship take on full crew
at regular wages. Although police
we're called in, the action was sue
cessful and the workaways we're re-
moved. In this way the union and
the Waterfront Unemployed Council
set fine example of united action
of employed and unemployed.
Munson Line Concentration
The local Is issuing special Mum
son Line bulletin, of which five num-
bers have already appeared The
/ task of developing actions on the
Munson ships, and spreading these,
on the basis of company demands
and Issues, into general company
action, remains one of the important
tasks, not only of the Baltimore To-
cal, but of the union as whole, to
which the convention will have to
give serious attention.
Among the unemployed seamen,
the union and the Waterfront Un-
employed Council have led num-
Der of struggles against the sea-
mems" Y M. G. A. anchorage, run
by the racketeer and tool of the ship
owners, Mitchell. Because of these
struggles a number of concessions
, have been won in the form of bet
ter treatment and relief.
A definite weakness in the unem-
ployed work has been the tendency
ito regard struggles only as spectacu-
lar and demonstrative actions and to
belittle the small day to day griev-
ances and issues. This oyer-em-
phasis of big" struggles, which led
to the recent weakening of the Wat
erfront Unemployed Council, has
been criticized, and is now being COR
rected.
Work Among Lonsshoremen
The Baltimore local has found its
greatest difficulties and very little
actual progress can be recorded in
lonashore work. However, during the
last month, as a result of greater ef-
fort, some results are noticeable.
There are about 1900 longshoremen
\ on the Baltimore waterfront, and of
Nhese about 1000 are organized in
swo locals Of the International Long
Ehoreman's Association, one Negro
local These locals have headquar-
ters in two adjoining buildings in
Locust Sta new building for the
whites and an old one for the Ne
groes. This Is one of the ways the
l. L. A. takers use to sharply fence
off the whites from the Negroes, to
keep them separated and divided
Speakers of the M. w. I. U. every
week address hundreds of the long
shoremen right outside the union
halls, and are s seeding in break
ing down the Jim Grow barriers.
With the /. L. A. agreement ex-
piring Sept. l, and with the bosses
sure to ask for wage reductions, and
Ryan sure to help to put them over,
the prospect for the starving long
shoremen is black indeed unless, with
the help and guidance of the M. w.
I. u, they organize to defend their
interests. They must demand in
creased wages. with a minimum of
$40 week. They must fight against
the murderous speed-up, and for full
gangs and smaller drafts. The long
shoremen must organize themselves
inside the locals to demand reduce
ton in dues, exemption from dues
payment for the unemployed, no ex-
pulsions Of men behind in dues, and
for consolidation Of the Negro and
white locals
1t must be stated that there has
been an underestimation of the inn
portance Of work among the long
shoremen. not only on the part of
the M. w. I. u. but on the part of
the other militant workers organ
izations.
Urgent Problems
Pressing questions, which confront
not only the Baltimore local. but the
union as q whole, and which the pres
ent national convention will undoubt-
edly do much towards solving, are
lhe organizational and financial
Questions. These problems, which
lre very difficult, are interlinked.
} The problem OF keeping contact
with new union members who are
constantly on the move from port
to port, and even from ship to ship,
is o key problem. Developing these
men as active ship delegates, as or
ganiSers of the union. and through
them the building of ship groups and
committees to lead struggles-this
must be thoroughly discussed at the
convention. Only by building firm
union apparatus on the ships will
ths M. w. I. U be organizationally
roli6ified, and will the financial prob