Evening star., 1936-11-01
Seamen's Union in New York
Demands Sympathy Walk.
out, Overriding Officers,
Who Seek to Halt Action.
PACIFIC COAST is IDLE;
RAIL EMBARGO ORDERED
Four Overland Lines Ban Freight
Destined to Points Beyond.
Arbitration Fails Despite Efforts
of Federal 0fficials-Anxiety
Felt for Hawaii and Alaska.
BACKGROUND

BACKGROUND
Since September 80 Pacific Coast
maritime unions and employers
hare been unable to agree on the
t1orkers' Fundamental demands"
concerning the hiring of labor. on
that date expired their agreement,
reached after the bitter S3-ddy
strike of 1884, in Which seuen Dere
killed, giving the unions control OF
hiring halls" places where sea
toorkers are engaged Jor a particu-
lar Uoyrge or job. Arbitration eff
forts t1ere made before dnG after
expiration of the agreement, but
last Friday the unions called out
$1,000 tDorkers on the Coast and
the strike has been spreading since.
By the Associated Press.
NEW YORK. October 3i.-Members
of the International Seamen's Union
tonight voted to call an immediate
strike on their own initiative after
officers Of the organization opposing
the proposal were noisly overruled.
The action climaxed an uproarious
meeting at the Coopers' Union, during
which more than five persons were
evicted.
The vote, in line with proposals to
support dissatisfied marine workers
on the Pacific Coast, threatened to
complete an incipient tie-up of ship.
ping throughout the country.
The Pacific maritime strike extended
its grip yesterday to certain overland
railroad cargo, tied up more Eastern
ships, spread farther along the busi-
ness front, and caused official con-
cern over Its effect on Alaska and
Hawaii.
1900 Assent to Strike.
Jack Lawrenson, a delegate Of the
Machine Firemen, Oilers and Water
Tenders Union. said there were 1900
votes asserting to the strike at the
New York meeting. None dissented,
he said, after he put the question as
temporary chairman.
Immediately afterward he charged
the seamen: Every ship is on strike.
Establish your picket lines, and those
men on boats sit down."
Joseph Curran, chairman of the
Seamen's Defense Committee, an in
surgent group of the International
Seamen's Union, was barred earlier
in the night with "a others because
of their insurgency several months
ago.
Then Curran's rank and file" group
sought to overturn the officers Of the
I. S. u, charging they had made
agreements with shipping lines With
out submitting the questions on wages
and hours to the membership. When
Curran finally gained admittance he
called for another vote, and got 1t.
Offshore Ships Affected.
He emphasized that the strike would
be not only intercoastal, but would
affect the so-called offshore ships
plying between foreign ports.
"The idea is to leave this hail."
Curran shouted. land set up picket
lines and show the Pacific Coast men
that we are 100 per cent behind
them. 1t is the point of the officials
of the I. S. U. to see that there Is
no maritime federation, because they
will 60 into the ashcan. They wiz
anyhow"
Curran's Seamens Defense Commit
tee was named a temporary striks
committee and delegates from the ships
were ordered to report Sunday morn
ing and sign up for crew members.
The crews were ordered to sit down"
in their strike.
The Maritime Engineers Union at
San Francisco ordered its icense-bear-
ing members to resign and leave the
engine rooms of strike-bound coast
(See STRIKE, Page Asp