Evening star., 1949-12-25

Most important of all, no regu-
lar employe can be discharged ex-
cept for certain criminal acts.
such as stealing, and then only
after exhaustive Investigations.
trials and procedures so compli-
Gated that it is hardly worth tlls
effort. The business of firm may
fall of so that the services Of
certain people are not required or
justified. The law provides for the
possibility of dispensing with the
services Of employees in such cases,
but in actual practice most COM
panies have found that this is al
most impossible.
Stevedores and roustabouts reap
the greatest benefits and privi-
leges. The basic wage of steve
dore on the Havana waterfront
today is $3.50, plus all the social
assurances and other benefits. He
is paid at the rate of 48 hours
for A hours work a week. Work.
ing hours are from 7 to II am.
and l to 5 pm. The average
stevedore may not work for you
but half an hour before he moves
to another dock, but he must be
paid for four hours work, and q
little over 8 per cent must be
added to cover vacation and other
social benefits.
Arbitrary Demands
In the unloading of a ship. .
dock worker cannot be employed
for less than a four-hour period.
whether there are 100 pounds or
100 tons Of freight to be handled.
He must be paid double time for
overtime and double-double time.
or four times the regular pay, for
unloading certain types of cargo
on a holiday. For night work on
a holiday the pay might run as
high as eight times the regular
rate. Since 1941 the regular legal
cost Of operating ships in and out
Of Havana and other Cuban ports
has gone up from 260 to 300 per
cent. Freight charges have not
increased in proportion.
But it Is not these regular legal
requirements and restrictions.
rigid as they are, to which the
employers particularly object. It
is the arbitrary demands exacted
by the unions on their own &C.
count, and often in defiance Of
the federal laws and DEGREES. The
chief problem is the inefflciency
Of labor or the slowdowns, along
with the whims Of labor leaders,
too numerous to mention even
briefly, that make life so diflcult
for any shipping firm.
+ The union keeps a representa-
tive in your Office, in your ware
house or your place Of business.
This delegate becomes, in fact,
the boss Of your establishment.
No work is performed by any
employe without his permission.
He may suspend operations at
his own discretion for what he
deems a breach of regulations,
and usually there are no deduc-
tions from the pay Of employees
on this account. On the docks
he decides when it is or Is not
raining. whether a drop of water
is falling or not.
All loading and unloading Of
ships is largely a mechanical pro-
cess. Freight is hoisted from or
lowered into the holds of ships by
powerful winches, capable Of
handling tons at a time. A decree
Of the government prohibits the
handling Of more than a ton In
any single operation, except In
the case OF q tractor or other
piece Of machinery that cannot
be broken down.
Unload Half as Much
After it has been taken out Of
the holds, freight is moved away
from shipside on small rubber
tired handtrucks or trailers pulled
by small tractors, but only a min
imum amount of cargo is allowed
by the union leader to be placed
on any one truck or trailer. For
instance, one 200 pound bag Of
flour is all that may be moved, al
though one truck would easily
carry four or five.
At any moment, the union dele
gate may decide that bundle or
other package of certain commod-
tiles, such as q bundle of iron or
steel rods. or a bundle of sheets
Of tin plate, is too heavy, too
bulky. and demand that the
bundle be opened up and handled
in individual units. Several COM
modities, such as refrigerated
fruits, vegetables and other prod
ucts, are, by government de-
cree, paid for at double rates. But
the delegate may decide that cer-
tain other cargo should also be
paid for at the double-time rate.
You may cite the law and regula-
tions. The delegate usually re-
plies, But you want to unload 1t.
don't you? You want the ship to
sail, do you not?" The company
knows it would require hours,
days and maybe weeks to get any
action out of the government. So,
to prevent delay in sailing the
ship. it. goes ahead and pays un-
der protest.
Only recently a corpse, the body
OF a member of one Of the most
important families in Havana, was
shipped down from New York.
The bereaved relatives stood wait
ing to receive the casket. The
union leader demanded extra and
exorbitant pay before he would
permit it to be lowered to the
dock. This inspite of the fact
that his gang was being paid on q
time basis, and the law specifically
states that stevedores shall per-
~~,. ~->~~4s1- oce;,r..nl - taxv