Vol. xxviii No. 12 SEAFARERSaLOG OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE SEAFARERS INTERNATIONAL UNION • ATLANTIC, GULF, LAKES AND INLAND WATERS DISTRICT • AFL-CIO -A", • MERCHANT MARINE ACT, 1936 [48 S»l.1*. wpW"!•!»" ®' ^ „£ an adequate aud To further oatloMl defense, to repeal certain form Eepresenta- . is? assebled, „ I__DECEAKATION OF POLICT '}\ • •*?. " ,• STORY PAGE 3 I if)- si'r' t' *-« f'«v . Ar ti- * -<- r " „ ,• '• i • V I 5 n . ''."J I Li!'. / Jooa 10, 1966 Page Two SEAFARERS LOG Z Meony Urges Civil Rights Bill Passage Report of White House Civil Rights Conference International President by Paul Hail Charts Program To End Racial Injustice Maritime Day has once again come and gone amid speeches all WASHINGTON—An action program to bridge the gap between America's promise and per­ across the nation lauding the contribution of the maritime industry formance in overcoming centuries of racial injustice was laid before 2,400 delegates summoned by to the nation's history and calling for the development of a strong, mod­ President Johnson to a White House civil rights conference. em American-flag merchant fleet to meet the future commercial and Sea­ defense needs of the nation. Representatives of the by a 30-member leadership coun­ gates began the dialogue—seek­ Many of these sentiments are expressed in good faith by men who farers International Union were cil, headed by Ben. W. Heineman, ing to break down broad generali­ are truly interested in the future of the American merchant marine and among conference delegates, chairman of the Chicago & North ties into specific actions they can alarmed at its steady decline in recent years. who were urged, in a message Western Railway. AFL-CIO Vice undertake in their home com­ For some others however, this is merely standard procedure for Mari­ from AFL-CIO President George President A. Philip Randolph, munities and programs they can time Day. Then, after the speechmaking is over and the news cameras Meany, to keep in mind the over­ served as honorary chairman. present to their organizations. stop grinding, most of the high resolve to do something about our riding importance of a full em­ Vice President Hubert H. Joining in the two days of dis­ deteriorating martime situation is quietly shelved until next Maritime ployment economy to make equal Humphery sounded the keynote, cussions was a cross-section of Day, and pretty soon it is again only the maritime unions and a few opportunity meaningful. declaring the 20 million Negro concerned America — Negro and truly interested parties who continue to call for action and make con­ Meany's message called for pas­ Americans "will no longer be paci­ white, college deans and slum structive suggestions for putting the brakes on U.S. maritime's down­ sage of the pending civil rights fied by slogans or tokens . nor dwellers, union ofiicials and cor­ ward slide. bill and urged "a far faster pace" should they." poration presidents, civil rights The lip-service paid to maritime once a year represents a substantial of school desegregation aided by Fulfilling the legitimate expecta­ militants and moderate white about-face when compared with the lack of interest displayed by most "a special multi-billion dollar fed­ tions of the civil right revolution, southerners, clergymen of all legislators and government officials during the rest of the year. Obvi­ eral school fund." Humphrey said, "will be faiths and ranks. Labor's contin­ ously, as their speeches indicate, they recognize the important role that Above all, he said, "there must America's most urgent domestic gent of about 100 came from maritime has played in the nation's histor y both in peacetime and war­ be jobs at good wages for all who task for many years to come." large and small unions and from time, and acknowledge that a strong maritime capability is one of the can work. There must be an ade­ /In a dozen workshops, the dele­ state and.city central bodies. major foundation blocks for the nation's future greatness. Yet, when quate system of income main­ it comes to doing something about assuring that we have a strong, mod­ tenance for those who cannot." em merchant fleet capable of meeting our future needs, constructive The program drawn up by con­ 3More Free WorU Ships Blacklisted action becomes bogged down in red tape and petty bureaucratic rival­ ference leaders called for bold new ries and nothing is done. steps at every level of government An example of the way this type of thinking continually works and by private groups to: For Cuba Trade; Total Now at 255 against maritime is the Interagency Task Force report, which, under the Three more ships have been added to the list of Free World guise of proposing constructive action to assure the future strength of • Create immediate job oppor­ the U.S. merchant fleet, would actually, if adopted, lead to the certain tunities for Negroes at all levels of vessels which have called at Cuban ports since Jan. 1, 1963, ac­ cording to a Maritime Administration report issued last week death not only of the U.S. merchant fleet but of the nation's shipbuild­ skill, coupled with stepped-up ing capability as well. It was the SIU and other maritime unions that training for better jobs. The three vessels are the Brit­ their eligibility to carry govern­ pointed out the dangerous contradictions of the Task Force and sup­ • Provide "quality education ish-flag Ardrossmore, of 5,820 ment-financed cargoes from the ported instead the report of the President's Maritime Advisory Com­ for all" equal to that now available gross tons; the Italian tanker United States have reacquired that mittee, which contains many truly constructive proposals regarding to "the fortunate few," while re­ Elia, of 11,377 gross tons, and the eligibility since the last Marad the rejuvenation of American maritime. ducing racial concentrations in Cypriot-flag Aktor, of 6,993 gross report in May. Both reports are presently before the President of the United schools through "color-conscious" tons. States and have been for some time, yet nothing has been done to planning. Of the 255 ships that have (The Aktor was reported sunk called at Cuba since Jan. 1, 1963. act on them. Testimony is taken, proposals are made, many platitudes • Provide adequate open hous­ 800 miles southwest of San Diego, British-flag ships led with 73. The are mouthed, yet nothing constructive is done. This is typical of the ing for low and moderate income Calif., on June 1. The 441-foot rest consisted of 57 Lebanese, 36 attitude of neglect and lack of interest which the government is dis­ families and, in the process, break ship, believed to be carrying a Greek, 19 Cypriot, 18 Polish, 15 playing towards maritime. down the ghetto walls of inner cargo of sugar to the Orient, sank Italian, nine Yugoslav, seven For these reasons. Maritime Day is usually a tragic farce. Speakers cities and the exclusion barriers stern first after pumps dropped by French, five Moroccan, five Mal­ recall the vital role played by American maritime I'uring the two of the suburbs. a Coast Guard plane failed to curb tese, four Finnish, two Dutch, two world wars and Korea in making victory possible by supplying our • Assure equality in justice and the flooding. The Coast Guard Norwegian, two Swedish, and one fighting men with huge masses of supplies and equipment in the face law enforcement, protect Negroes rescued the 27 persons aboard.) Monacoan. of enemy fire and the ravages of the sea. But they continue to ignore seeking to exercise new-won rights the fact that the American merchant fleet has been allowed to fall into According to the Maritime Ad­ such a condition of decay that it cannot meet the needs of our fighting in the South, and strive to defuse ministration report, none of the men in the present conflict in Vietnam. the powder-keg relations between ships which formerly called at President Johnson has promised a new policy towards maritime, yet police and Negro communities. Cuban ports and were placed on SIU Beats Teamos The action program was drafted all that the responsible government agencies have come up with is the the U.S. blacklist and thereby lost Maritime Task Force report, which if adopted would spell the doom of In Balto. Vote the U.S. maritime industry,, and the proposed inclusion of maritime in a new Department of Transportation—which would have the same Leon Climenko, Labor Aide, BALTIMORE — The SIU effect of destroying what is left of the maritime industry by submerging United Industrial Workers Union it in such a maze of red tape and petty bureaucratic rivalries that it has been certified bargaining agent could not survive. for employees of H. Klaff and At the same time, the President's Maritime Advisory Committee Dies at 53; Was SlU Member Company here, following a recent Report and other concrete and constructive proposals to aid maritime NEW YORK—Leon Climenko, Deputy Industrial Commis­ NLRB election victory over Team­ and stop its continuing decline are ignored, gathering dust on some sioner of the New York Labor Department and a member of the sters Local 311. Contract nego­ bureaucrat's shelf. Seafarers International Union, died suddenly on May 29. He was tiations with the Baltimore scrap It is no wonder then that the yearly Maritime Day speechmaking 53 years old. metal processing firm are already comes with a hollow ring. Brother Climenko terested in refugee problems, an underway. tending a civil interest he maintained after he Of the 71 eligible voters among Gov. Brown and Seafarers rights seminar at joined the Labor Department.