Evening star., 1946-09-20
Clio Maritime Leaders
Meet With Murrav
10 Discuss Strike End
BY Jones Y. Newton


Prospects were brighter today
for early end of the 16-day-old
Shipping tieup as CIO maritime
leaders met with President Philip
Murray for discussions of the
current strike and another
threatened for September 80.
Although there were indica tions
that a ruling in favor of higher pay
by Federal Arbitrator James L. Fly
would end the strike of the CIO Ma
tional Maritime Union, the outlook
for any lengthy maritime peace was
gloomy.
Mr.. Murray met with the executive
board of the CIO-dominated Com
r1ittee for Maritime Unity and the
main topic of discussions concerned
the threatened strike of two men,
Der unions in 10 days. The unions,
whose contracts expire September
80, are the West Coast longShore-
men, headed by Harry Bridges, and
the Marine Engineers Beneficial As
sociation, both CIO.
Engineers Ask 30 Per Cent More.
The engineers have demanded 30
per cent higher pay, while Mr..
Bridges has not made known his
wage demands. However, he has
broken off negotiations with Pacific
waterfront employers All signs
point to a new strike unless the
issues are cleared up. The two groups
claim support of the other five
unions OF the Committee for Mari
time Unity.
On the brighter side, Joseph Cur
ran, president of the National Mari
time Union and co-chairman with
Mr.. Bridges of GNU, said he believed
that a membership meeting of his
union in New York today could re
suit in the mems return to work" and
that he would recommend it-"all
Things being equal" He did not
elaborate on the latter phrase.
!, Mr.. Curran said he was in receipt
OF a telegram from j. Godfrey But
der, labor relations director for the
Maritime Commission. to Frank J
Taylor. head of the American Mer-
chant Marine Institute, which repre-
sents East and Gulf Coasts shipping
advising him that the commission
had accepted the higher wage award
of Mr.. Fly.
( AFL Parity Awarded.
4 Mr.. Fly ruled that NMU seamen
should receive increases ranging
from S. to $50 a month, bringing
them to parity with AFL seamen.
More Importantly, the arbitrator
granted CIO able-bodied seamen a
boost of $40 1t was an argument
over able-seamens pay that led to
the AFL strike September S. which /,
was carried on by the CIO a week
ago when the higher AFL pay was
approved.
Two other unions besides the NMU
are currently on strike. These are
the CIO Marine Cooks and Stewards
and the Marine Firemen's Union,
Independent The two operate large
by on the West Coast. Both are
members of the Committee for Mari
time Unity. s Z Z "a
In San Francisco the GNU said
in statement relative to the
Fly award that it hoped that by noon
today "the United States Maritime
Commission or the West Coast ship
owners would give assurance" that
the higher pay would be applied /
throughout the industry.
Within a few days, Mr.. Fly will
hand down another ruling concern
ing wage demands of the marine
cooks. The award yesterday con-
cerned only the NMU, largest CIO
maritime group.
Shipping Still Paralyzed.
Mr.. Taylor's East and Gulf ship
operators group accepted the Fly
ruling late yesterday.
. Meantime. American shipping still
was largely immobilized Foreign
ships, American tankers and those
dry cargo vessels manned with AFL
crews were operating. Troop ships
also were working Cargo was piled
high in all ports as result of the
long strike.
West Coast shipping interests
have refused to negotiate with the
Marine Cooks and the Firemen until
they end the strike. which, the own
ers say, is in breach of contract.