Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-09-11
DOCKS
Longshoremen Go Out
As Leaders Of Union
Protest Cleanup

As Leaders Of Union
Protest Cleanup
When the movie, ION the Water.
front" was released last year, ON.
cials Of the International Longshore.
mems Association complained that
the picture-which showed the
docks az Observation-Disclosures anti.
labor" This Is roughly the same
tune they have been singing about
the two-man, two-State New York.
New Jersey Waterfront Commits.
sion, which for the past two years
has been trying to bring decency
to the piers Of New York Harbor.
Last week the strange leadership
Of the port workers moved In o
strange way against the commits
sion. Though they had valid con.
tracts with shipping interests and
alleged no grievance against the
shippers. they struck the New York
waterfront and tried to tie up all
East Coast shipping from Halifax.
Nova Scotia. to Galveston. Tex.
While the strike did not spread
as planned, 1t did tie up New York.
the Nations No. / harbor. This
stoppage caused q business loss
estimated at $40 million a day.
Shippers, charging contract breach,
went to court for an Injunction.
So did the waterfront commission.
DeodIine Tomorrow
New York Supreme Court Justice
William c. Hecht ordered the
unionistS back to work, then ex-
tended the deadline for the orders
execution until tomorrow. At the
same time, he postponed action on
the waterfront commissions In.
junction suit.
The union. meanwhile, sedulously
maintained that the no-work ac-
ton was not q strike. Whatever Il
was. it was tying up the port.
Capt. william v. Bradley, head Of
the longshoremen, said 1t would
continue until the Governors Of
New York and New Jersey allowed
the union to present It's grievances
against the waterfront commission.
The union contends the commits.
sion has been overly jealous In
policing the waterfront and that
it has Disseminated against men
with criminal records who seek
work on the piers.
The latter complaint obviously
strikes sympathetic note in the
hearts of many Americans, since
the basic thesis Of modern penology
Is that a man goes to prison to b
rehabilitated, first, and punished.
second. If an ex-convict cannot
get mental job as dockwallop-
er. where in the world can he ind
honest employment?
Criminal Element
On the face of it, this is good
question. but it does not take into
consideration the background of
the New York dock union. Inves-
tigation after investigation has
found the criminal element to DO
influential in the union.
But gangsterism on the water.
front, in hiring and policing"
workers, was not the only problem
facing the commission when it was
created. Another was the large
amount of pilferage from ship
ments passing across the piers.
Since the commission has taken
over control of waterfront person.
mel, such footing is reported to have
diminished sharply.
At any rate, the LILA work stop
page in New York was designed to
run the waterfront commission
out OF business. That has been the
avowed aim of the union since the
two-man board was appointed to
clean up New York Harbor. The
Governors of the two States. how
ever. appeared to be having none
of this pressure.
In Trenton. Gov. Robert B.
Meyner said the New Jersey gov
eminent would not sknuckle
under" to the union. In Albany.
Gov. Averen Hartman told the
lila that lawful authority cannot
be defied."
In Philadelphia and Baltimore
last week brief stoppages were or
dered, but real coast-wide strike
never really got OF the ground. It
was obvious that, away from the
big city. longshoremen did not have
their hearts in walkout.
Punch in the Nose
Did they have their hearts In
one in New York? That was q good
question, but one difficult to answer
about the rank and file Of the LILA.
The union Is not noted for adher-
ence to the democratic process in
the conduct Of its affairs. An
example of how the union operates
occurred at Newark. N. j.. last
week.
Newark LILA members were called
to a meeting convoked by union
officials for the purpose Of dis
cussing" the stoppage. At the
meeting one rank-and- filler got up
and put the following question to
the chair:
What are the principles for
which we are going out?"
For his pains the unionist got q
poke In the nose from an alert
strong-arm man and this explains
ton from the chairman:
1.-THE principles are these: You 60
home and you don't work. We don't
want you guys asking questions"
There the matter rested this
vaek end