Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-10-30

mittee for offshore operators, headed
by four major companies, that the
sailors demands for control of hiring
and overtime pay in cash instead Of
time off could not be negotiated.
Longshoremen though offered full
hiring and other settlements by 26
Eastern and foreign companies operat-
ing out Of coast ports. refused to break
the united 'front.' with other unions
Under bylaws of the Maritime Fed
Grafton of the Pacific, which unites
maritime workers, all union contracts
must be signed simultaneously.
Efforts toward peaceful settlements
with another employers group, coast
wise freight operators. were reported
progressing as the strike call came.
The present dispute was precipitated
September 80. Then the offshore
operators, headed by the Dollar, Mat
son, American-Hawaiisn and Swayne
q Hoyt lines. terminated working
agreements based on the 1884 strike
awards.
They and the unions presented de-
mands for modification of the awards.
particularly on the hiring question.
The truce" until last nights strike
call was at the request of the United
states Maritime Commission. which
took over administration of the ship
subsidy act October 20.
Admiral H. G. Hamlet, here as a
representative of the commission. gave
no indication what his next move viii
be. He had postponed an investiea-
ton OF the dispute to next Monday.
saying he did not want to interfere
with peace negotiations.
A statement from the San Fran.
cisco Bay Area District Council. Mari
time Federation of the Pacific, said
Harry Bridges, leader in the 1884
strike, will act as chairman of the
districts Joint Strike Committee.
Bridges now is coast district president
OF the International Longshoremen,s
Association.
T. G. Plant, spokesman for the
of1shore operators, said:
I'VE have no plan at this moment
TO continue operations.
Unions in the Maritime Fedora
ton, formed after the 1884 strike.
are: The International Loneshore-
mems Association, the Sailors Union
OF the Pacific, the Marine Cooks and
stewards, the Firemen, Oilers. Water
tenders and Wipers'; the Marine En-
gineers, the Masters, Mates and Pilots
and the American Radio Teleera-
phists' Association,
All are members or the American
Federation of Labor except the sailors
union. Its charter was revoked bv
the International Seamen's Union
earlier this year, largely because
OF its membership in the Maritime
Federation of the Pacific. The
sailors union has petitioned the A.
F. OF L. for readni;ssion, stating it is
older than the /. S. u.
Inc maritime federation, which
includes all seagoing and waterfront
workers of the West Coast. was
formed as result Of the 1894 strike.
That walkout was called by the
longshoremen. Others followed.
Shipowners attempted to operate
with non-upion help then, billeting
stevedores in heavily guarded pier
sheds where they worked, ate and
slept. As the strike spread to other
unions, shipping steadily fell of
until waterfronts were paralyzed.
Use of non-union workers led to
sporadic violence in every port city.
San Francisco's bloody Thursday"
came when employers used non.
union truck drivers to move cargo
from a pier to q nearby warehouse.
Union teamsters refused to handle
shipments. Similar action by team
sters was expected by union men If
steamship companies attempt to oper-
ate during the current strike.
Two union men were killed by
police guns during bloody Thursday.
The National Guard was called to
San Francisco and the general strike
followed. Business was paralyzed for
the three days it lasted. Conditions
were not returned to normal for
weeks. Some unions, notably the
Market Street railway car operators,
remained out until demands they pre-
sented during the general strike were
met.
A closed shop on th water front