Seward seaport record., 1954-02-26
Public Information From Longshore
 Union Locol 1-82

The membership of Local 1-82 wishes to voice their objection to a double barreled missive directed against them and against a Seward citizen who is employed via the Local 1-39 I L w U hiring hall. The derogation appeared in the February 1st issue of the An chorage Daily News, therein placed as an United Press dis patch from Washington, D. c. anent the appointment of one Homer Boe, Seward Longshore- man to the opposition of Labor member of the Territorial Elm ployment Security Commission. The News item, which in truth it cannot be called, contained a libelous quote from an American Federation of Labor official, who thus far has remained an onymous, in effect that MT. Boe's appointment pertended threat to American Security because of his being employed on the Seward waterfront where the I L w U holds labor jurisdictional rights. We cannot presume the infamous quote to have any other import or intent than was clearly given-a slur to our Union and s1ur to MT. Boe.
 We want to express our appre- citation to the Seward Chamber of Commerce for their open let ter to the Secy. of Interior, Douglas Mckay, in which they voiced their objection to the mis- sive and announced their sup port of Seward citizenry and it's labor units. More can be said in behalf of our Union which subsequent paragraphs will re- veal. Although the Chamber of Commerce letter admirably de- tended MT. Boe, we feel obliged to expatiate thereupon.
 To say that Mir. Boe is a citi- zen of excellent quality, up- right in character and honest in his efforts, is only to support the consideration respected him by Governor Heintzelman who made the appointment. We of this Local stand critical of our Governor for not having defend ed his appointee in the face of defamatory assault made by that malicious AFL huckster who peddled his unwholesome wares in the political bazaar and from all appearances found an audience.
 In defense of our Union there are number of facts per haps not known by much of the public and most certainly being ignored by many of those who are acquainted with labor groups and their policies.
 In the autumn of 1852 the United States Coast Guard screened the Seward water front workers as Port Security measure. This was a lenghty, costly and tedious procedure. Of all the workmen so procesSed in Seward there was not one who was rejected as a security risk and each and every longshore- man was given Port Security Card identifying him as. an Am erican citizen having undergone the ecurity examination. Whether or not we approve of Security examinations is no point at this time; but, if we are going to have them, why not move the examination up the street and into the core of the community, or, is it presumed that the sinister fungus of un- Americanism is always to be found among the ranks of labor? 2.
 This Local has on record, as it has had in the past with the Ma tional Labor Relations Board, non-communist affidavits signed by all of the elected officers of the Union. This is one of the many requirements under the Labor Management Relations Act that must be fulfilled in ord CT to maintain the services of the NLRB. Our Union is in full com pliance with the respective pro visions of that act.
 3.
 This Union has, as far as we know, the lowest International per capita dues of any other in the nation. Our Local Union dues also, as far as we know, are lower than any other. Said dues being levied as the mini mum required for the mainten- ance and support of the Union and the building from which it operates. Much could be said about the whole exhorbitant ex- traction of dues and assessments by some Unions to support their