r > I ¥ r S/l/W>^ ; S f- I [ V ^ ^ ' Convention <•' (s^ Pa^f 3-8) AFL-OO President George Meany addresses the 15th Biennial Convention of the Seafarers International Union of North America. SEAFARERS*LOG OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE SEAFARERS INTERNATIONAL UNION . ATLANTIC, GULF, LAKES AND INLAND WATERS DISTRICT a AFL-CIO . • ^^spifpp people's forum' Gibson Predicts Probes Question Prosperity In Of Privacy ^ Maritime Fields ISee Page 2) (SeQ Page 2) 'V h ¥ i: • w MARAD's Gibson Sees Problems Bright Maritime Future Washii^ton, D.C. ships and would benefit the Andrew E. Gibson, insistent American-flag merchant fleet Of Privacy Secretary of Commerce for Discussing cargo differential Maritime Affairs and the Nix­ subsidies, Gibson told the com­ on Administration's top mari­ mittee that his agency was in­ time advisor, has told the volved in final negotiations to Aired House Merchant Marine and grant subsidies for construction Fisheries Committee that he of nearly $200 million in ship­ Sen. Ervin Ed Carlough believes this nation can achieve building contracts for Lighter- J the goal of construction of 300 Aboard-Ship G-ASH) vessels \( Washingtmi, D.C. said he was in favor of action to insure com­ new American-flag merchant and that agreements for the Sen. Sam Ervin (D-N.C.) has introduced a plete privacy for aU individuals. vessels during the next 10 years. grants would be signed this bill to ban the use of lie detectors in federal After the keynote had been sounded, the Testifying at oversight hear­ month. Among the shippers in­ employment and in some parts of the private forum participants were involved in worlnhop ings, Gibson declared that not tending to build new vessels sector of the economy, The senator annoimced sessions where two sides of problems like gov­ only could the United States are the SlU-contracted Delta his intention to introduce the legislation at the ernment surveiUance of citizens, the role of reach this shipbuUding goal es­ Steamship Lines and the Water­ first people's forum. credit bureaus and the use of lie detectors were tablished in die Merchant Ma­ man Steamship Co. The people's forum, which considered various debated. rine Act of 1970 but he pre­ Gibson said that he thought facets of the problem of privacy, was co-spon­ Varying Views dicted that the American share that the proposed construction sored by the AFL-C30 Maritime Trades De­ At the three luncheon sessions, participants of foreign trade would expand was only the beginning of a partment, with which the SIU is affiliated, and heard Prof. Allan Westin of Columbia Univer­ to utUize these new ships and marked increase in the amount by the Transportation Institute, a Washington sity describe the growth of the surveiUance busi­ guarantee them cargoes. of ships built in American shipyards. He also predicted based research organization. ness; Sen. John McQeUan defend the use of Gibson's remarks came in Temicious Instrumeiit' court ordered surveiUance for protection of the that larger vessels would be the prepared testimony and during rule in the future. Sen. Ervin accompanied his announcement government; and AFL-CIO President George a question and answer session "As you know, when the of the bill he later introduced by calling the lie Meany voice his opposition to surveiUance ex­ before the committee under the new maritime program was detector, "one of the most pernicious of all the cept in national security cases. chairmanship of Rep. Edward originally announced, we pro­ pseudo-scientific instruments of the twentieth Workshop speakers came from labor, gov­ A. Garmatz (D-Md.) who posed the construction of 300 century soothsayers." ernment, Congress and the campus. Labor was wanted to know if the goals of ships over the next 10 years," He was the speaker at a banquet on the sec­ strongly represented among those attending the the Merchant Marine Act could he said. "For purposes of esti­ ond day of the three-day conference. forum. be attained. The conference at the Washington Hilton A questionnaire distributed to the participants mating the number of bulk Hotel began with a challenge to the 250 partici­ revealed that 61 percent of the people who at­ Subsidies Forthcoming type ships in the 300 ships, a pants issued by SIU President Paul HaU, who tended felt that many surveiUance techniques Gibson's remarks brought bulk vessel in the 75,000 to is also president of the MTD. were unfair and were used to attempt to learn the committee up to date on 100,000 ton range was used as HaU called on the participants to squarely things that should remain confidentid. current progress in implement­ a typical vessel. Since that time face the issues, ask the probing questions and And, 87 percent of the participants said they ing the 1970 legislation. He there have been many indica­ get the information necessary to make an intelli­ felt that privacy is less secure today than it was also advised the Congressmen, tions from the industry that the gent judgment about the problem of privacy. 10 years ago. in answer to a question by market demands the construc­ The keynote speaker was Edward J. Carlough, At the conclusion of the forum, SIU President Rep. Thomas M. Pelly (R- tion of much larger tankers in president of the Sheet Metal Workers Union and HaU said he was "encouraged by the success of Wash.), that President Nixon's t h e 200,000-250,000 t o n chairman of an MTD committee on privacy. this first people's forum," and that the MTD recent easing of trade restric­ range." Carlough recited several cases of invasion of and Transportation Institute were planning tions with Red China would Gibson called the larger ves- the privacy of unions and union members and fonuns on other topics for the future. provide more cargoes for U.S. (Continued on Page 7) THE PRESIDENTS REPORT by PilHL HUl he Seafarers International Union of North Amer­ full compliance with cargo preference rules by all ing number of foreign imports is "seriously reducing T ica held its 15th Biennial Convention in Wash­ government agencies and departments. or even totally destroying" the purchasing power of ington, D.C., last month and proved once again that They also demanded that the SIUNA "vigorously thousands of American workers. men and women with common problems can best oppose any efforts to weaken the Jones Act," an Act Delegates called for legislation to protect workers solve those problems by working toegther. which they termed essential to the nation's security— and industry from unfairly-produced imports. At the Convention, some 200 representatives of military and economic." They said the government should set up programs 90,000 workers—including a delegation from our One of the major problems on which delegates took of assistance to industries and to communities ad­ own District—sat down and expressed their concern action is our ctirrent fight to save the United States versely affected by the import competition. They ^so over the rights and welfare of all kirids of Seafarers. Public Health Service hospitals and clinics. called for new programs for the rehabilitation, re­ The result is that these fully autonomous unions, Through our collective strength, we've already training or relocation of workers hurt by the in­ tied together under the SIUNA banner, now will made Congress aware of the need to keep these crease of imports. , present a united front in the fight to solve our com­ facilities open. Delegates backed up these demands with fact and mon problems and attain our common goals. figures showing that the nation suffered a net loss As expressed by the delegates themselves, one of ut delegates recognized that the battle is not yet of 400,000 jobs in 1969 because of imports, many these gods is the funding and implementation of the B won. They issued a new call to Congress to of which are produced by American subsidiaries at Merchant Marine Act of 1970. The Act holds prom­ move quickly to provide new funds for the main­ substandard wages. ise for rebuilding our obsolete merchant fleet and tenance of these facilities, and for their moderniza­ The interesting thing about all of these actions is for breathing a new spark of life into all phases of tion. that they were taken by representatives of nearly 40 the maritime industry. In another action. Convention delegates called for unions. Unions engaged in many different maritime Through our collective power, through our own an immediate end to the illegal seizure of U.S. fishing activities. Unions with different problems. And goals. ability to recognize the needs of our industry, we vessels on the high seas in open violation of inter­ And interests. fought for the law and it was a major victory to national law. Delegates declared that government ac­ have it passed. tions so far have "been neither strong enough nor et, in the Convention hall, these differences were Our job now is to make the law work and dele­ successful." Y put aside. They were put aside in an effort to gates to the SIUNA Convention were quick to recog­ Instead of "jawboning," the Convention called on achieve the best for all men and women who make nize this fact. They pointed out that all parties con­ the government to end these "piratical attacks" by their living from the sea. Any proUems which existed cerned—government, labor and management—must Latin American nations, backing up action by the between the various affiliates were resolved on an work together and "work diligently" to make the use of the U.S.