Evening star., 1946-06-02
Ship Operators
Bar Pay Boost,
40.Hour Week
Deadlock Continues:
New Session With
Union Set for Today
by the Associated Press

Atlantic and Gulf ship opera
tors last night fatty rejected the
demand of the CIO National
Maritime Union for a 4O-hour
week and higher pay.
But the parties to the dispute
agreed to meet again at pm
today.
After last nights session, Edgar
Warren, chief of the Cancellation
Service, told reporters:
'It was good session of genuine
collective bargaining Hours and
other problems were discussed. Both
sides were cooperative in discuss
ing their complex problems. No
procedural difficulties arose"
No Comment on Progress.
Asked whether any progress was
made toward settling the maritime
labor crisis and preventing sched-
uled CIO shipping strike on June
Is, Mr.. Warren said nothing.
Frank j. Taylor, chairman of the
Negotiating Committee for Atlantic
and Gulf shipping companies which
operate Government-owned ships,
issued statement earlier in the
evening saying that acceptance of
the CIO demands will place our
merchant marine in an impossible
competitive position"
1t was later learned that he had
taken the same strong position in
the meeting. He told a CIO mari
time committee representing the
NMU that obviously a 40-hour
week at sea is impossible in the
maritime industry"
Called Political Strike.
Earlier, in New York, Joseph P.
Ryan, president of the AFL Long
shoremen, said the threatened CIO
strike is "a political strike to turn
over the shipping industry to Rus
sia"
Mr.. Ryans blast recalled a re-
cent statement of AFL President
William Green that AFL maritime
workers will fulfill their contracts
during the strike of CIO maritime
unions
Mr.. Taylor, in his public state
ment before last nights session, said
the MINUS new demands presented
Friday by an overall CIO maritime
committee virtually torpedo and
eliminate the American Merchant
Marine as a factor in our world
trade and national defense"
May Withdraw Ships.
Mr.. Taylor said the Government
now is operating about 80 per cent
of the merchant fleet and the
American taxpayer is meeting all
costs, "but when American shipping
is returned completely to private
operation, the costs will be so pro-
hibitive that vessels may have to
be withdrawn"
He said the CIO proposals which
include increases for seamen rang
ing from % to IS cents an hour
far exceed those previously de-
manded."
He said the National Maritime
Union originally asked a 80 per cent
wage increase but now they are
seeking increases which average
about 100 per cent over present
wages which were increased As per
cent as recently as last October"
The Committee for. Maritime
Unity, an association of CIO unions,
issued a statement earlier saying
present wages for ordinary seamen
are only SO cents an hour. Mr..
Taylor said the present wage is
about 66 cents an hour.
Mr.. Ryan's blast at the June Is
strike injected a new factor into a
situation.
AFL Support Expected.
Or the other hand, CIO leaders
said they have received assurances
that the AFL seamen of the At
lantic and Gulf coasts will support
the CIO strike by refusing to cross
picket lines.
At hotel here, the CIO group
exhibited the text of a letter to
that effect from John Hawk of
New York, secretary treasurer of the
Atlantic and Gulf district of the
AFL Seafarers' International Union.
Mr.. aRyan said in his statement
go MARITIME, Page A-5D