The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-10-11
Ford Explains Why Every Negro Should Vote Communis
Open Letter Is
Issued to Officers
Continued from Page y

win these demands, they have re-
fused to do so. Therefore. we are
forced to conclude that the lead
ers Of these organizations are not
interested in our welfare but are
looking after and working hand in
hand with the shipowners.
Gentlemen, we realize the OPP
position which you will encounter
against taking strike action on your
ship. So we wish to clarity for you
the situation existing on the At
lantic and Gulf Coast.
Probably the first thing will
occur to you is that the men on
the beach will scab on you Your
Port Captain, Port Engineer, and
other officials of your company will
intensity this belief. We wish to
Danish this fear as we assure you
that the unemployed officers are
well organized. They are on the
picket lines and they are 100 per
cent behind the strike.
II-If the officials of your com
pany and of the various officers
organizations fail to convince you
that the unemployed will scab on
you, they will use the threat of the
blackball.
This vicious thing is one of the
principal things we are fighting
against. Hardly is there a licensed
officer who is not blackballed in one
or more companies; the vast ma
| jority unjustly so. Therefore, in
order to stamp out this vicious
practice, we have endorsed and in
corporated into our demands the
Centralized Shipping Bureau, con-
trolled by the elected rank and file
members of licensed officers of or
CARNATIONS in the industry and also
the unorganized. This will eliminate
all discrimination and it will be no
longer necessary for us to- tramp
from Office to Office humiliating
ourselves in the eyes of the office
employees, of the shipowners and
Of all seamen. ell
III-The shipownersi officials will
also tell you that the strike is over
and that the I.S.U. has siend a
truce and that this strike is called
by the Communists. ....,
Well, the IS.U. did sign. a truce,
It's true enough, but it was only
the officials and labor takers who
signed it, selling out the member
ship of the IS.U. who have not
had a word to say about this truce.
And today we find that the rank
and file seamen Of the IS.U. are
in the forefront in taking strike
action and striking ship after ship
despite all efforts Of the IS.U. off,
Gals. They are in the employ of
the shipowners to fool the workers
and are not interested in the work
ers but only want to collect dues
from them to feather their own
nests with.
We licensed officers who are SUP
posed to have better than average
intelligence will not be fooled BY
the cry of Communism.
1V-This strike will positively be
won. Never in the history of the
American Merchant Marine have
we seen the deck and engine room
licensed officers united in COM
mon struggle for our rights. We
see it in this strike. Not only that,
but we are united shoulder to
shoulder with all seamen and before
long we will be united with. the
longshoremen as we'll.
We do not claim that we will tie
up all ships at once. But we are
not worrying about a few scabby
ones getting away because they will
be tied up on the other side by the
International of Seamen and Har-
Dor Workers, so Mr.. Shipowner will
find his ships scattered all over the
world rotting at their moorings un-
TIL our demands are met.
Gentlemen, we sincerely urge
your support to shorten this strug-
gle to win better wages and condi-
tons for ourselves. Many licensed
officers have already struck and are
on the picket line.
V-This strike is a test case
against arbitration. We find that
the workers who have struck in
many great industries who have &C
cepted arbitration have not gained
anything. So our slogan is nc
Arbitration" The eyes of all in
dustrial unions are on us. They are
assisting us financially, physically
and morally. They throw their en-
tire resources at our command
Therefore, we say. with the help we
are given BY the workers of this
country, the shipowners cannot
force us to accept arbitration. They
cannot starve us out and cannot
make us go back to work against
our will until our demands are met
So, gentlemen, consider this let
ter. Strike your ships with your
crews. With all of us doing our
part, a speedy victory will be as
sured.
If YOU decide to strike your ship
report to our headquarters by tele-
phone so that we can send Out
pickets Immediately.
EDWARD F. DROLETTE,
Chairman, Licensed
Of1cers Section,
United Front Strike Committee,
40 Broad ST., N.Y.C.
505 W. 18th ST.. N.Y.C.
Is Union St., Brooklyn