-• ,ir' Official Organ of the Atlantic and Gulf District, Seafarers International Union of North America Vol. VII, NEW YORK. N. Y.. FRIDAY. SEPTEMBER 21. 1945 No. 38 We Demand End Of RMO—Freeing Of Seamen From War Restrictions Amid cries of "close the fink halls" a resolution calling for the end of WSA and Coast Guard control over the lives and affairs of mer­ chant seamen was passed unanimously by membership meetings up and down the coast last week. Introduced by Secretary-Treasurer John Hawk and New York Agent Paul Hall, the resolution pointed out that the WSA and the Coast Guard were foisted upon the seamen over their strenuous objections on the excuse that "a war is going on," and that the purpose of the new set-up was to further the prosecution of the war; and that the ending of the war has removed any possible need for these organizations in maritime. On the War Shipping Administration th3 resolution called for: 1. The closing of all RMO of- •?- —— — — flees on a nation-wide basis. 3. The closing of all WSA a branch of the armed forces. qualified physically. it belongs legally, of all func­ 2. Discontinuance of the WSA schools training ordinary sea­ 5. The surrender by the WSA On the Coast Guard, the reso- tions that the Coast Guard now medical program, and the rever­ men, wipers and messmen. of its illegal control of the is- lution stated that since its con- has dealing with merchant sea­ sion of all matters dealing with 4. An end to the WSA policy suance of seaman's papers, and a of the United States Steam- men and ships, such as issuance the health of the merchant sea­ of encouraging seamen to wear return to l!he old policy that any boat Inspection Service and the of papers, inspection, etc. men to the United States Public uniforms, and an understanding American citizen shall have the! Shipping Commissioner's office Text of resolutions follow; Health Service. that seamen are civilians and not right to apply for papers if he is was limited by the President's RESOLUTION Executive Order to "duration of WHEREAS, during the war the war and six months there­ rules, regulations and restrictions after." that the Order be lived were imposed upon the seamen up to, and that these bureaus by various government bureaus be transferred back to civilian against violent opposition by the status, under the United States seamen. Those rules and i-egula- Marine Inspection Service. tions have all, more or less, The Coast Guard was also ask­ taken away certain rights belong­ ed to abolish its Hearing Units, ing to the seamen. The govern­ which were established as a war­ ment boards re.sponsible for the time measure. Seamen who issuance of these rules and regu­ have charges against them have lations used the excuse that "a a right to be heard before the war is going on," and that the United States Steamboat Inspec­ object was to further the war ef­ tion C-Board Hearing. fort. The seamen, as a whole, The resolution further called did not agree, and our organi- for the turning back to the De- zation at all times" has protested partment of Commerce, where (Continued on Page 4) SlU Greets Returning Vets With Man Te Man Program While so-called friends of the Many did sign. veterans are rushing around slap­ The pro-union attitude of the ping them on the back and mak­ servicemen, despite the anti-la­ ing promises they can only keep bor program that had been fed at someone else's expense, the them during their military service Seafarers International Union is has been apparent for some time. making a practical demonstra­ Tne July 6th Log reported that tion of welcoming the returning U.S. newsmen were told by soldier into a civilian occupation. troops arriving home, "Don't for­ Inviting veterans to enter the get the merchant seamen. They maritime industry, the union has brought us the guns with which already instituted a program de­ to fight." And in June 29, writ­ signed to speed up the obtaining ing to the Log. a GI said, "... GIs of seaman's papers, and thus jobs returning from the front don't aboard SIU ships, and further as­ want to return to the open shop, sist in the veterans' rehabilitation low wage conditions of years ago. into a peacetime economy. I.abor must advance, not retreat The former GIs for their part . " Just two instances among show a decided interest in be­ many which indicate the feeling coming seamen, union seamen, among the veterans. and many cases of vets seeking Shipboard union conditions, out the union delegates have quality and quantity of union- been reported. Typical is the case made weapons with which to of SIU volunteer organizers fight and the i-ecognition that the aboard an Isthmian Line ship Washington back-slappers are in­ when during their discussions sincere, have probably been with crew members they were among the major .causes for the approached by a spokesman for friendliness shown by the GIs the soldier-passengers who asked towards organized labor. Few if the GIs would be allowed to GIs seem to take the GI Bill of sign SIU union pledge cards. (Continued on Page 3) . .. - • •• Page Two THE SEAFARERS LOG Friday. September 21. 1945 FORE 'n AFT SEAFARERS LOG By BUNKER Vublished Weekly by the Back in '42 some of the lads in SEAFARERS INTERNATIONAL UNION Baltimore who were "keeping OF NORTH AMERICA them sailing" decided they might as well mix pleasure with patriot­ Atlantic and Gulf District ism and piled on the Liberty ship Afiliated with the American Federation of Labor Joseph Hughes, which was re­ ported "on the best of authority" At 51 Beaver Street, New York 4, N. Y. around Pratt Street to be making a five or six weeks' trip to Vene­ HAnover 2-2784 zuela, with calls at such pleasant spots as Haiti and Porto Rico. % ^ The cold winds of winter were HARRY LUNDEBERG ------- Vresident howling in Baltimore at the time 105 Market Street, San Francisco, Calif. and. as the Hughes blew her three long blasts of farewell to the icy JOHN HAWK - -- -- -- - Secy-T reus. north, the crew meditated Joyful­ ly on visions of coy senoritas with P. O. Box 2 5, Station P., New York City buxom bosoms. MATTHEW DUSHANE - - - - Washington Rep. The Hughes went south, as ex­ pected, but the visions of shapely 424 5th Streetj N. W., Washington, D. C. senoritas were roughly shattered when she failed to keep her Entered as second class matter June 1 5, 1945, at the Post Office course and headed right through in New York. N. Y., under the Act of August 24, 1912. the Canal. From there it was 72 •267 days before the lads on the Hughes set foot again on shore. Instead of senoritas, rum and cokes, the boys found themselves Auto Workers Face The Test in the midst of air raids at Suez, it being the time when the Axis One of the biggest showdown fights in the history of was going all out to drive the organized labor is brewing in Detroit between the auto­ British out of Africa. While the ship lay at Suez the mobile tycoons and the United Automobile Workers. The old man charged them all with union is demnading a 30'i wage boost to compensate for being drunks, spies, saboteurs, disrupters and a varied, list of the loss of overtime pay, reconversion unemployment and other things not to be found the general rise in the cost of living. among Webster's epithets. For­ tunately the Army Intelligence The auto barons, bloated with war profits and look­ hadn't arrived yet in this part of ing toward a cheap labor market with thousands of un­ the world and the British were Oil workers in East Chicago contract with independent em- / too busy fighting to worry about have stopped work this week ployers. ^ employed, have apparently chosen this moment to launch discontented crews, so the lads and called upon other refinery suffered the captain's ravings 4, it S. a counter-offensive aimed at the complete destruction of workers to join them and the with impunity. At Linden, N. J.^ 90 Simnxons organized labor in their plants. After a long period of discharg­ 500 Detroit oil workers as the ing at Suez, during which broth­ threat of strike action spread plant machinists still refused to UAW leaders, no longer able to dam-up rank and er Paul Hall was caught in a Suez to all Gulf Oil and Texas Oil resume jobs until their wage dis­ file demands for militant action in defense of fundamental cinema and was nearly trampled refineries in Texas. pute is settled. The men are union security, have announced that they are setting aside to death by barefoot Arabs when members of the I AM-AFL which the air raid siren sounded, the S. 1 S. has ordered them to stop the four million dollars for the struggle and will "go all out" Hughes pulled out for home. Union officials of the 15 un­ strike pending negotiations. The She stopped at South Africa. In strike action to win their demands. ions involved in the movie strike When 12 days out of there on the local, however, has ignored the in Hollywood declared this week Present strategy indicates that the auto workers will way to South America, the skip­ international union's request, that they would place 2,000 to per lost his charts and the Hughes 8,000 pickets around key New continuing their shut down which take on the "Big Three" (Ford, Chrysler, General Motors) groped its way back to Cape York theatres which persist in started September 1st.