Evening star., 1953-12-20
Eastern Dock Workers Head Into Big Week
By jones Y. Newton

Ot1IOA d11O 1dUOI 1CldblOIlo
problems along the miles Of
New York's troubled water
front are as complicated as
the work situation there is
uncertain. But one things's
for sure. And end to the labor
troubles is not now in sight.
This is a big week on the
docks of New York and across
the Hudson in New Jersey.
The whole blurred picture may
be clearer by Saturday. What
happens will have a direct
bearing on conditions at every
other major Atlantic port from
Maine to North Carolina. The
week, however. will not bring
waterfront peace.
Here's the stage setting for
the next act of the water
front drama, which has been
for years, and still is, largely a
crime story.
On Tuesday and Wednesday,
some $4,000 workers around the
Port of New York will vote in
secret, Government-conducted
elections whether they wish to
be represented in bargaining
with waterfront employers by
the International Longshore-
mems Association, AFL, the In
ternational LongShoremen'S As
sociation. i pend n t, or
neither union.
On Thursday there will ex-
pire a Federal court injunction
which, except for various Wild
cat strikes, has made it possible
for the ships to be loaded,
unloaded and serviced the past
80 days.
The big question is whether
there will be a new tie-up of
shipping at the Atlantic ports
after the injunction runs out
Thursday midnight. If there
Is a strike, a chaotic situation
could result, because the Gov
ernment will have run out Of
ways on the statute books for
ending such emergencies.
This Taft-Hartley Act in
junction was issued in early
October and it ended a five
day strike which had brought
shipping to a halt along the
Atlantic. The dock workers
struck after union-employers
contracts ran out, and there
was no agreement on new ones.
NotionoI Emergency
The injunction was obtained
by the Federal Government
after President Eisenhower.
acting under Taft-Hartley, had
declared the strike a national
emergency situation. 1t has
applied to both the old lila
and the AFL, to which gen.
orally is applied the shop-worn,
though apt, description of
"crime-infested" so far as its
New York operations are con-
cerned. 1t also applied to the
other strike bound ports and
lasted for 80 days as prescribed
by law.
There is the feeling, and
apparently shipping interests
share it, that the union that
wins the coming election in New
York will agree to a truce
for say 80 dayS-to allow
time for contract negotiations
with waterfront employers.
However, Federal mediators
concerned with such things
say anything can happen.
Even if there is a truce as
the injunction expires, it most
likely will be an uneasy truce
and will by no means signal
the end of the waterfront
troubles. There are two rea-
sons for that.
l. Neither the old lila nor
the AFL likely will regard an
election defeat as a final set
tlement of the jurisdictional
fracaS. The defeated party
could legally call for another
election a year hence, and 1t
will bend every effort to in
crease membership before that
time. Then, there may be
many wildcat strikes as a re-
suit of this organiZational
activity and the bitter feeling
between the factions.
2. Contract agreement must
be worked out between the
winning union and the en-
ployers. That won't be easy
to do. AFL spokesmen frankly
admit they foresee great diff
ficulty negotiating the wage
increases and other contract