Evening star., 1936-11-27
What's Behind Sea Strike!
Conflicting Claims Serve to Becloud Shipping
Controyersy-Underlying Issues Dis.
cussed in article.

the San Francisco strike Is the ques-
ton Of how the so-called hiring halls
are to be conducted.
The settlement Of the 1884 strike
provided that men be hired OF the
docks, or anywhere else. but all the
unions, with the exception Of the long
shoremen. set up their own hiring
halls as they gained in strength. As
result, the ship owners had to come
to the unions for their crews, and soon
began to complain that they had no
control over the men they might de-
sire to hire or dismiss.
To this the unions replied that the
hiring halls resulted in better rotation
Of work and protected militant union
men from being blacklisted by the
owners.
Cash Asked for Overtime.
Other demands include cash in
stead Of time Of for overtime in sea-
going work and an eight-hour day
for ships officers, cooks and stewards.
In New York and other East Coast
cities, the strikers originally made no
demands of their own. but recent de-
velopments indicate that they intend
to hold out for the same concessions
demanded in the West.
The strike Of the ships officers was
called by the Masters. Mates and
Pilots Association and the Marine
Engineers Beneficial Association, both
EAInrafiAv ~ . fYflf-
ates. They are demanding higher
wages. better working conditions and
new contracts with their employers,
but the hiring hall dispute, apparently,
Is no concern Of theirs.
Ofilcials of the two associations say
that 5000 officers will have joined
the walkout within 10 days, leaving
their ships as fast as they reach port.
Should this prediction come true. the
effect on shipping will be disastrous,
since it is extremely difficult to re-
place the striking officers.
One Strike Called Outlaw.
The strike of the officers was regu-
larly called. despite the fact that the
American Federation of Labor q few
days earlier had condemned the strike
by the seamen on the Atlantic Coast.
The latter. according to union rules,
is an outlaw strike, while the West
Coast walkout represents a revolt on
the part Of the union members against
their old leaders.
The Pacific strike was called by
the Maritime Federation Of the Pa
cific, a strong industrial union organ
lied after the 1884 strike. The mari
time union was formed after the In
ternational Seamen's Union had sus-
pended an affiliate. the Sailors Union
of the Pacific, following years of bit
ter fighting within the organization.
The result was that the oficers OF
the 1. S. U. lost control of shipping
workers in the West. This revolt
spread to the East Coast. where the
! Seamen's Defense Committee was or
ganized under the leadership Of Jo-
seph Curran. chief of the so-called
''mutiny" strike in New York last
Spring.
Officers of the parent union have
accused the insurgents Of Communist
afiIiation and have actually sided
with the ship owners in many in
stances against the strikers, asserting
! that the strike is in violation Of con-
I tractual agreements.
Betrayal Is Counter Charge.
The rank and file reply that they
have been betrayed by their former
leaders and contend the working con-
tracts were signed by the officers with
out the approval and over the oppo-
sition OF the union members.
As result Of this internal bitter
ness it has been extremely diflcult
to conduct negotiations for the settle
ment In many respects 1t seems to
be as much a fight for control OF the
union set-up as q battle for improved
working conditions.
Secretary Of Labor Perkins, Edward
F. McGrady. Assistant Secretary OF
Labor. and the newly created United
States Maritime Commission have
been trying to settle the strike, but
with little success so far. In San
Francisco the union representatives
walked out on q commission hearing,
asserting:
THE unions cannot recognize the
authority of the Maritime Commission
to determine any Of the issues in dis
pute, or to deprive the members Of
the unions of their legal right for col
iective bargaining"
On the whole. it would appear that
the unions are opposed to arbitration.
possibly because they do not feel past
awards have been fair to them.
There are many who believe. how
ever, that the real impediment to set
tlement lies in the internal warfare
among the union members. and pre-
dict that no lasting peace will be pos
sible until this battle has been fought
mt n n Anal decisiOn