" -•• "-.I»nv.V'-^*:>%". !» » * Vol. XXIV March No. 3 SEAFARERS^LOG 1962 OFFICIAL OP.®.*.H'OP 7HS SEAFARSR^ !N7S*NATiON Al UHSON » ATLAriTiC AND 6ULi> OiSTRtCT • AFL.CIO • I 'i I iSll I c#ll . Nsi-i:; MTD, Venezuela Docfc Union Agree On Join! Aid An agreement for joint action by the International Division of the Maritime Trades Dept. and the longshoremen's union of Venezuela was reached in NY on March 12. Signing the document is Martin Correa, president of the Venezuelan union, the Fed- eracion de Trabajadores Portuarlos de Venezuela. Looking on are Thomas W. Glea- son, exec, director of the ID-MTD and exec, vice-pres., ILA; Crisanto Quintero, sec­ retary of the Venezuelan imion; Cal Tanner, SIU exec, vlce-pres., and Jos# Perez, ID-MTD Latin American rep. (standing). (Story on Page 2.) COAST SIU NEW NORFOLK SEA-LAND, HALTS ALL SEATPAIN PMA SHIPS HALL PLANNED TO BUILD •v ^ •Story On Page 2 Story On Page 3 -Story On Page 3 mte TW* SEAWdRERS LOG Mwoh, IMS MTD, Venezuela Dock Key To Venezuela: Oil, Ore Resourees Union Reach Aid Pact The preliminary agreement Just reached with the Vene- ruelans brings Into the ID-MTD camp a group of trade tmion- NEW YORK—The militant, 14,000-member longshoremen's union In Venezuela has ists who have proven themselves time and again as staimch signed a memorandum of understanding with the International Division of the Maritime friends of democratic unionism. It also involves a Latin American Trades Department, which will greatly strengthen the campaign of maritime workers in nation which is the most important single country at present in the both countries against run-"^ Western hemisphere's oil and bulk ore trade. "away shipping and cheap ship Federation on February 15. gangs on the ships In Venezuelan Venezuela rates second only to the United States among free world operations. Signing for the Venezuelans ports, but the Venezuelans will not nations as an oU producer. Its annual output is greater than snch fabled Signed here on March 12 be­ were Martin Correa, president, and put this into effect until the ILA oil-rich countries as Saudi Arab'a, Iraq and Iran. As such, it is a major tween the Federacion de Traba- Crisanto Quintero, secretary of the is satisfied on this end of the run. supplier of both US and Euro. ;i oil imports. Jadores Fortuarios de Venezuela longshoremen's union. An imme­ The memorandum of understand­ Among the biggest operators in the Venezuelan oil trade are StaodU and the ID-MTD, the memoran­ diate result of the understanding ing specifically provides that an ard Oil of New Jersey, the Royal Dutch-Shell group and Texaco. dum paves the way for a close al­ was a pledge by the Venezuelans agreement be worked out with the Standard Oil's producing subsidiary, Creole Petroleum, is the number liance between the MTD and the not to work the Grace Line con- Confederation of Labor in Vene­ one producer in the country. entire Venezuelan Confederation tainerships until that company had zuela to deal with the following Despite the enormous quantities of petroleum moved between of Labor, a two-milllon-member settled satisfactorily with the In­ problems among others: Venezuela and the US and between Venezuela and Canada, not a single organization. ternational Longshoremen's Asso­ • Unorganized maritime American-flag or Canadian-flag tanker participates in this trade. Nor do The agreement followed a week ciation here. workers; Venezuelans themselves have much in the way of shipping on these of conferences between the Vene­ The Grace ships have been Idle • Runaway-flag operations; profitable runs. Besides the runaways, ships flying the flags of Norway, zuelan representatives and MTD two years while the company vain­ • Exploitation of seamen and Greece and Great Britain dominate the movement of cargo. officials. It was the second such ly tried to persuade the Venezue­ In recent years, Venezuela also has become a major supplier of iron agreement signed, the first one lans to fire up to 90 percent of maritime workers in the western ore to such industrial giants as United States Steel and Bethlehem. being the mutual aid agreement the normal longshore complement. hemisphere in any shape or form; Here too, runaway-flag vessels completely dominate the huge tonnage signed with the Chilean Maritime Grace finally agreed to employ full • Employment problems con­ moved. No US-flag vessels participate in this trade. fronting seamen and longshoremen, The Venezuelan union men who signed the memorandum, as well including containerization and au­ as the other leaders of major unions in the Confederation, are all tomation; and veterans of the struggle against the dictatorship of General Perez • The threat of Communism and Jimenez, who ran the country with an iron fist for many years. Both totalitarian movements. Correa and Quintero served years in Jail and in exile for their "It is our conviction," the mem­ opposition to Jimenez, as did the other leaders of the CTV. orandum stressed, "that the better­ Since the ouster of the Jimenez regime, leaders of the CTV have ment of the conations and living been active in combating pro-Communist and pro-Castro forces in standards of North American and Venezuela. As a result, the once-powerful Communist apparatus in . Latin American workers will de­ the Venezuelan trade union movement has been reduced to relative stroy the totalitarian menace. Our impotence. mutual experience in combatting totalitarianism on the waterfronts of the world has convinced us of this fact. "In order to implement this pro­ West Coast SIU Strike gram, we will meet in Caracas at a mutually-acceptable time within the next three weeks, at which time Common bonds of all maritime workers were demonstrated representatives of our organizations Seeks Real Wage Offer in Baltimore when MTD's International Division brought to­ and other affected unions in the SAN FRANCISCO—Enforcing the "no contract—no work" gether top ofFicials of Venezuelan longshore union and Span­ Venezuelan Confederation will be policy previously authorized by the membership, the SIU ish seamen on Liberian-flag Oswego Defender that runs into able to participate. This meeting will develop the specific program Pacific District struck Wesi Coast steamship companies in Venezuela. On hand (l-rj are Crisanto Quintero, secretary, needed to carry out the purposes all ports on March 16. The^ Confederacion Trabajadores de Venezuela; Jose Perez, agreed upon in this memorandum." walkout came after seven cargoes arriving in port and to ID-MDT rep; Daniel Torres, Antonio Calleja, Oswego De­ The Venezuelan unions are par­ months of negotiations with sail vessels loaded with essential fender crewmen; Martin Correa, president of the Confed­ ticularly anxious to develop a pro­ the operators. military cargoes. One of the car­ eracion, and Monroe Diaz off the Defender. gram against runaway shipping. goes affected, and which ultimate­ Major oil companies, including Close to 60 ships have been tied ly sailed. Involved specialized up by the strike action in II ports equipment bound for A-bomb test­ Standard Oil of New Jersey, have by the Sailors Union of the Pa­ recently transferred Venezuelan- ing grounds in the Pacific. cific, Marine Cooks and Stewards The three unions have received MTD Assist Helps End flag tankers to runaway operation and the Marine Firemen, Oilers and laid off Venezuelan crew­ 100 percent support from other & Watertenders, acting as the maritime unions, all of which ara members. Pacific District. Argentine Job Dispute An agreement with the Venezue­ respecting the joint picketlines. The SIU has received the thanks of the International Trans- lan Confederation of Labor would The strike call went out on Contracts with a number of portworkers Federation for its help in enabling Argentine involve the petroleum workers, who March 14, allowing the companies smaller companies, including handle the loading of oil tankers, a 48-hour notice to discharge per­ steamschooner operators, have maritime workers to settle their beef against the Argentine- ishables. Seventeen operators are not yet expired and these con- flag Rio Tunuyan. and the mine workers, who load the ore ships. Consequently, such a party to the Pacific Maritime cems are not involved in the In a cable to SIU president was not obligated to obtain crews Association agreement negotiated walkout against PMA. from the Argentine union. an agreement would cover the pro­ Paul Hall from Buenos Aires, duction and transportation of Jointly by the three West Coast The union collective bargaining ITF Latin American regional di­ The seamen, members of SOMU, major cargo items in the trade be­ unions. sessions with management began rector Fernando Azana said: "Con­ the recognized maritime union In tween Venezuela and the United Subsequently, the strike com­ in September and foundered when flict SOMU successfully solved. Argentina, picketed the ship In States. mittee reached an agreement to the "final offer" of the shipowners Deeply thankful your solidarity." protest against the firing and re­ ^move all perishable and military completely ignored the basic min­ SOMU Is the Argentine maritime ceived full support from the Inter­ imum demands of the three unions workers union. national Division of the Maritime in the areas of supplemental pay, The beef began when the own­ Trades Department and its mem­ pensions, welfare and other items. ers of the Rio Tunuyan, the Argen­ ber unions. Including the SIU and In other specific areas of the tine States Lines, fired union the International Longshoremen's contract, the unions and the PMA crewmembers, and replaced them Association, previously reached 'general agree­ with non-union seamen. The com­ Although the company was able ment on a revision of the basic pany claimed it had the right to to obtain an injunction after two offshore contract, most depart­ hire seamen from any source and days of joint picketing and the mental working rules and provi­ ship was finally able to sail, the sion for a medical center program court injunction was subsequently for Pacific District seamen.