The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-01-08
BY II. BAXTER

BALTIMORE, Md. - Seamen here
have won an outstanding victory
under the leadership of the Water
front Unemployed Council and the
Marine Workers Industrial Union
against forced labor instigated 81
YMC.A. officials in the Anchorage
taken over by the federal govern
ment.
The seamen won the following de-
mands:
THAT a committee of Seamen be
elected at a meeting at the relief
headquarters to function with two of
the Relief Administration as a sub
committee to meet every two weeks
and take up the problems that con-
front the seamen. The seamen
through their committee having voice
and representation in all matters
pertaining to the relief station.
"a house committee to handle all
small grievances that arise in the
building.
'The right 10 free speech and
reading or distribution of any kind of
literature. The right to hold open
| forums.
''The problem of work for meals TO
be applied only to caring for the
building, a test to be made actually
To determine the necessary work and
hours to perform il. All work con-
sidered as construction work or repair
work to be paid for. The cook to get
full wages.
Financial reports to be made out
regularly. All problems dealing with
the personnel of the relief staff, to be
taken up through the sub committee
Of seamen and relief board, and other
problems that the seamen may have.
"AlI grievances must be first pre-
scented to the Relief Administrator on
the station, and If no satisfaction is
gotten it will be taken mp through the
seamen'S committee"
Resisted Forced Labor
When the YMyCA. officials at
tempted to inject forced labor ~. NJ.
Q. A. style) into the part of the An
chorage that has been taken by the
Federal government as an emergency
relief station for seamen, the sea-
men resisted it and under leadership
of the Waterfront Unemployed Coun-
Gil and the Marine Workers Industrial
Union, went out on strike.
The seamen came to a decision
that they would all go in at noon and
demand their dinner without forced
labor. They were refused fatty by
P. T. Hardin, who stated, This is not
forced labor. but if you want to eat,
you must work" He was greeted
with Bronx cheers.
The seamen then held an open air
meeting outside the Anchorage and
beween rs and a hundred marched
up to the local federal relief station.
The committee went inside and pre-
sented their demands to Mr.. Kelly,
another Y,M.C.A. fiunl1y, who stated
| that he was Sick of Seamen's COM
mittees" He was told to look out the
window and he would see about
seventy-fiVe or a hundred seamen
who were damn sick of the YMC.A.
starvation policy and intended to
fight for relief. He then threw out
the old Y.M.C.A. line of bologny
Establish Picket Line
A picket line was established
around the Anchorage and only six
teen seamen showed up for supper,
the majority Of these being patients
who had just gotten out of the hos
pital and did not have to work.
This action was heard in Washing
ton when the committee was inter
viewing Mr.. Morris Lewis, the ma
tional head of the Transient Relief
Bureau. He had called up the Bal
timore relief authorities and I'M
doubtedly was informed that the
seamen were taking action.
The committee talked to Mr.. Lewis
for two and one half hours and he
admitted that the Y.M.C.A. was a
racket. He said he would be in Bal
timore himself the following day and
arranged meeting where all the
state and city relief administrators
would be present and with the COM
mittee of seamen would take up all
problems and see if things couldn't
be Strengthened out. When he was in
formed that the seamen were on
strike and had no place to sleep or
eat, in the presence Of the committee
he called up Mr.. GreenStien, Federal
Relief Administrator of Maryland
and told him to see that the seamen
were fed and housed without forced
labor until the committee met and
settled things
A telegram was sent by the COM
mittee to the striking seamen cling
them to go into the Anchorage and
register for relief without forced Ia
Dor and that the committees would