Montana labor news., 1936-12-03
Nationwide
Struggle Seen in
Maritime Industry
By Federated Press

SAN
tons that the maritime tieup would
be a long drawn-out struggle, quite
probably nationwide in scope, were
seen as striking members of seven
Maritime Federation of the Pacific
unions dug in, detailing personnel
for collection of funds, feeding and
housing and legal defense.
Picket lines are on the job the
whole length of San Francisco's IA
nous Embarcadero, with the heavi-
est concentration at docks of the
Dollar, American-Hawaiian and
Matson lines. These are richly-sub-
sidized lines, whose stiff-necked re-
fusal to accept a continuance of basic
union conditions won in 1884 was the
chief factor in making the strike
inevitable.
With 10000 men out at Pacific
ports from Alaska to the Mexican
border, the walkout was making
rapid progress at gulf and Atlantic
ports as well. East coast walkouts,
largely unofficial rank-and-file
movements called over the head of
old-line officials, had solidarity with
the west coast as their immediate
aim. However, equalization of wage
scales to make the higher west coast
scales effective on the Atlantic as
well, lurked in the background as
a potential demand.
Mayor Rossi of San Francisco de-
clared a state of emergency, and
appointed Florence M. McAuliffee,
1884 chairman of the Citizens Com
mittee, his representative in peace
efforts. Shippers were not in a con-
ciliatory mood and represented
themselves as ''too busy with the
federal maritime commissions in
quiry into the industry to confer.
No immediate attempts were being
made to man west coast vessels.
Marine engineers have left the ships
and steam is not being kept up
symptom that a long tieup is ex-
pected. Shipowners, however, were
talking of seeking U. S. navy men
for Safety crews" Attempts to use
skeleton crews were also under dis
cussion to prevent fire and other
hazards"
T. G.. Plant, spokesman for the
holdout deep sea shippers, says no
attempt will be made to import
strikebreakers until the public de-
mands opening of the port" The
shipowners' strategy is to lie low and
do nothing-possibly for four
months-until businessmen, running
short of supplies, make a public pro-
test. Then they will be able to ex-
cuse any trouble that arises by say
ing the public" demanded scab-
hiring. Both sides are far stronger
than in 1894, and a long struggle
with a definite showdown is antici-
pated.
Eighty to 100 vessels were report
ed tied up at Atlantic and gulf ports,
with New York, Philadelphia, Bos-
ton, Baltimore, Providence, Newark,
Poughkeepsie, New Orleans, Port
Arthur, Texas City, Mobile, Charles
ton, Norfolk, Albany and Galveston
affected. Sit-downs were a COM
monty employed method.
In New York the Manhattan,
American Trader, Exocorda and nu-
merous lesser vessels were struck. A
meeting of the Seamen's Committee,
led by Joseph Curran, voted to de-
mand strike authorization of Init.
Seamen's Union officials. The fol-
lowing night, at a meeting called by
the L. S. U. officialdom, Curran
mounted the platform after the
meeting had been declared adj
journed and a strike vote was
passed.
At Seattle, $500 shipyard workers
struck in sympathy. In San Fran
cisco, warehousemen, Init. Long
shoremen's Assn. members, are
striking for 85c an hour, a 40-hour
week and preferential hiring. The
Hearst press clamors that the mari
time situation threatens a food short
age. But grocery stores are well
stocked. Milk, eggs, meat, vege-
tables and bread, moreover, are ex-
| emnt from strike restrictions