Evening star., 1946-06-11
U. 5. Official Hopeful texas Veterans Deer,
NBreak Today Which C|assmate' System
Will Avert Ship Strike In OPPOSING Clark
By jones Y. Newton


Federal officials were hopeful
of a break today in the maritime
labor dispute in the form Of an
offer from Eastern ship oper-
ators which one predicted would
settle the controversy without
strike.
Capt. Granville Conway, War
Shipping Administrator, told news
men he believed a settlement is
shaping up" and that he believed
a strike unlikely. The Eastern ship
offer, which may come today, would
be made to the CIO National Mari
time Union, largest of the group in
the Committee for Maritime Unity,
which has scheduled strike for
Friday midnight.
Meanwhile, a House Labor Sub
committee was to meet at 2:30 pm.
for investigation of the dispute. The
group, which last week postponed
its probe in the interests of a posi-
BILE settlement, will hear President
Joseph Curran of the NMU and
Harry Bridges, head of the CIO In
ternational Longshoremens Union
More Negotiations Slated.
Labor Department conciliators
met with the disputing parties until
I2:13 this morning in an effort to
find compromise solution to union
demands. Another negotiating ses-
sion was set for 10 am.
The opinion of Capt. Conway
about the dispute was considered
significant, since the Government s
War Shipping Administration owns
most of the merchant fleet. He made
his comment after talking with rep
resentatives of the shipping COM
panies who operate the ships for
VISA.
Representative Kelley, Democrat,
OF Pennsylvania, chairman of the
Labor Subcommittee, hopes to find
a solution to the dispute in the
public hearings to be started this
afternoon. Labor Department off,
Gals oppose the investigation on the
grounds that it would jeopardize a
settlement through negotiations they
are conducting.
Spokesmen for the ship operators
will testify tomorrow and Capt. Con-
way on Thursday, according to COM
mittee schedule.
Shorter Work Week Sought.
The CLIO demands include. A re-
duction of the 56-hour work week at
sea to A hours; wage increases
ranging from % to 35 cents an hour
for seamen: an increase of IS cents
an hour for longshoremen.
Through the night hours, expert
conciliators of the Labor Depart
ment held the union leaders and the
ship operators in separate sessions
and shunted back and forth between
them.
They announced compromise
plan on the 56-hour week Yesterday
afternoon in the following state
ment:
"Conciliators today suggested dis
cussion of the possibility of the pay
ment in cash for time worked over
a certain number OF hours as a DOS
sible method of solving the problem
arising from the 56-hour-work week
at sea.
Pattern for Other Unions.
If the parties indicate that they
regard this as an appropriate meth
od OF settlement of this problem.
the discussion could then@ move to
the question of the point at which
the extra payment should start and
the manner and method of pay
ment' -. -.-.o4
That is, fseamen might continue to
work S. hours at sea and receive
monthly check for their labor.
But in addition, they could receive
extra pay for an unspecified por-
ton of the Sc hours.
Under the present overtime sys-
tenn, seamen get IS cents an hour
for any time worked beyond Sc
hours at sea and beyond A hours
in port. (The unions have already
demanded an increase in this 85-
cent rate)
Any settlement reached on hours
and wages by Mr.. Curran,s union
and the Eastern operators was ex-
pected to be adopted in the case
of the other sea-going unions in the
negotiations here-such as marine
firemen, engineers, cooks, radio op-
orators.