Word: seamens
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Dates: during 1940-1949
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C.I.O.'s National Maritime Union had started it. N.M.U. demanded a $17.50 a month wage boost, which the Government approved. Then rival A.F.L. seamen demanded $22.50-$27.50 boosts. The Wage Stabilization Board, believing that its duty was to hold the wage line, tried to limit A.F.L. to the C.I.O increase. Warned brilliant, 34-year-old Willard Wirtz, onetime law teacher, ardent puzzle fan and chief of WSB: this is a "stepladder" approach to further demands which would mean the end of Harry Truman's badly bent stabilization program...
Ever since Harry Lundeberg led the A. F. of L. Seamen down the plank to the most concerted strike effort since the railway debacle, the public has been aware that this was no ordinary strike. No one seemed to be talking about company profits or dictatorial union practices. It seemed that the seamen wanted more money and the companies were willing enough to give it to them, but that Washington, the wettest blanket at a sweet party, had said a lond and determined...
During the War, the CIO's National Maritime Union and the A. F. of L.'s Seamen's International Union and Sailor's Union of the Pacific managed to keep whatever strife occurred with the companies entirely within the family. When the sailors "hit the bricks" in June of this year the companies looked to Washington to find out how much the government would subsidize them, so that they could, in turn, give their sailors a wage boost...
...June, Washington was amenable. Now it is not so pliable. It knows that the Wage Stabilization Board is not acting as referee to two outside parties, but realistically determining how much of the taxpayer's money is to be spent in underwriting seamen's pay (still low according to American standards) and company profits. And every time jolting Joe Curran and Harry Lundeberg feel itchy and sailors on the nation's waterfronts tumble off the ships, they cast a longing thought back over the hectic thirties. For then the villian was rich, boated and all capitalist, and not wearing...
A.F.L.'s Johnny, who dominates West Coast shipping (C.I.O. dominates the East) watched all this with interest. A.F.L.'s seamen's unions have enjoyed a slightly higher wage scale than the Communist-dominated C.I.O. maritime union. But this boost put C.I.O. out ahead. The A.F.L. bosses howled for a boost too. They threatened to strike. They ordered occasional work stoppages so everyone would get the idea...