Apr. 14, 1972 - ILWU Archive

ILWU Takes
Pay Board
To Court
Published by the International Longshoremen's and Warehousemen's Union
7
•
Published semi-monthly at 150 Golden Gate Ave., San Francisco, Cal:91102. Second class
postage paid at San Francisco and additional mailing place. Subscription $2.50 per year
SAN FRANCISCO — The ILWU
took the Pay Board to Court this
week in an effort to save the wages
and benefits taken by the Board
from the Coast longshore agreement.
The union is asking for a ruling
that the Pay Board—acting through
its chairman George Boldt—illegally
interfered with collective bargaining
by telling the PMA that it could not
put those funds in escrow for distribution at a later date.
In a related development, the
ILWU Coast Negotiating Subcommittee has served notice on the PMA
that it has reserved the right to cancel the present agreement as of April
15, 1972.
The chain of events which led to
the filing of the suit began last
month when the Pay Board dumped
the proposed ILWU-PMA agreement;
slashing at wage increases and other
cost items in the contract.
In late March ILWU negotiators
sat down with PMA to try and find
a way to get the money back. PMA
negotiators recognized, in principle,
that they had an obligation to pay
the money deducted from the settlement by the Pay Board.
The issue then was how this money should be paid. The union subcommittee — composed of International president Harry Bridges, vice
president William Chester and coast
committeemen William Ward and
rred Ihmisinger — suggested that
PMA "escrow the amount deducted
from the settlement (approximately
32 cents per hour straight time) in a
special account to be payable to each
eligible employee by July 1, 1973, or
whenever Pay Board regulations are
changed permitting such payment —
whichever is earlier."
This payment would cover all
hours worked since December 25,
1971. Negotiating committee chairman Bridges said: "We believe this
proposal legal, non-inflationary and
constitutes a forced savings, which is
accepted government policy."
The ILWU lawsuit charges that
the Pay Board directed the PMA
that they could not pay the wage increase into an escrow fund as requested by the union "or otherwise
. . . take any steps to safeguard the
said sums of money for their possible
future disbursement to longshoremen and ship's clerks.. ."
In so instructing the PMA—which
then rejected the escrow arrangement—the Pay Board acted illegally,
the union charged. Neither the Economic Stabilization Act under which
the Pay Board has its authority, nor
its own regulations, nor its own decision on the contract, give the
(Continued on Page 8)
Executive Board Will
Meet April 17
The ILWU Executive Board will
convene at International headquarters in San Francisco on April
17. Main items on the agenda will
be reports and discussions on the
status of ILWU-PMA longshore
talks and the Pay Board's decision
to dump the recently negotiated
pact. Also, the Board will discuss
the recent Hawaiian sugar contract and the longshore situation
on the islands.
52
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April 14, 1972
•
•
and spoke their minds at their 2nd Biennial Convention.
Stresses Unity, Autonomy
NEW WESTMINSTER, BC—"Progress Through Unity" was the main
slogan on the banner which served
as a backdrop for the 2nd Biennial
Convention of the Canadian Area of
the ILWU held here April 4-7, 1972.
Unity within the ranks of the ILWU
and unity of the trade union movement emerged as the dominant
themes as the 66 delegates, plus officers debated union policy on the eve
of negotiations for a new contract.
Key issues up for discussion included constitutional and structural
changes, unemployment, inflation
and wage controls, political action,
port development, pollution, and a
peace policy for Canada.
"There is no strength like that of
a united labor movement," the convention affirmed, in petitioning the
Canadian Labor Congress and the
BC Federation of Labor to admit the
Teamsters Union and the United
Fishermen and Allied Workers' Union. The convention rejected out of
hand a resolution calling on the
ILWU to withdraw from the BC Federation of Labor and to establish a
new labor federation in the province.
Islanders Vote on Sugar Pact
HONOLULU — After more than
three months of negotiations, despite
an unusually hard-nosed employer
attitude, ILWU Local 142 has negotiated a contract covering 9,000 sugar
workers.
The agreement was reached at 4
a.m., Monday morning, April 3, well
past the midnight strike deadline.
Negotiators had worked all day
Easter Sunday.
The agreement was thoroughly
discussed for two days by the full
100-man sugar negotiating committee. After two days of discussions the
committee recommended ratification
by the rank and file.
As The Dispatcher went to press,
ILWU sugar workers at plantations
all over the islands were holding
unit meetings to discuss and vote on
the contract. Full details of the contract will be printed after the vote
is in.
However, it was announced that
the negotiators had won their major
demands,including across-the-board
wage increases, a good agreement on
the disposition of the liquidated Kohala plantation, and assurances that
there will be no other liquidations
during the life of the agreement.
ILWU secretary-treasurer Lou is
Goldblatt and vice president George
Martin were in Hawaii almost continuously to work with the local negotiating committee.ILWU president
Harry Bridges and vice president
William Chester also joined the negotiations for several sessions toward
the end.
Action taken by the convention on
structural changes aimed at
strengthening the Canadian Area
and securing greater Canadian autonomy within the International.
The delegates requested International assistance in establishing a financial structure in Canada covering the Canadian Area account and
the International account administered in the Canadian Area. The
Canadians also asked for the power
to grant or revoke charters and
make certifications when required.
By an overwhelming majority the
convention rejected a minority report to abolish the Canadian Area
and Area Officers; it also reprimanded an "irresponsible attempt at
sniping and disruption when unity
in program at this time means so
much."
Unemployment was singled out as
a major problem facing the country
with the official government figures
admitting a rate of 7.3 percent in
Canada and 7.6 percent in BC. The
steps taken by the BC Social Credit
government to allegedly combat unemployment have been about as effective, the convention declared,"as
a band-aid would be in mending a
broken leg," while the steps taken by
the federal government were criticized as being "equally ineffective."
While calling for public works projects such as port development, the
building of a Canadian merchant
—Continued on Page 8
WC:DISPATCHER.Page 2
April 14, 1972
HE DECISION of the Federal Pay Board to cut back certain money items of the strike settlement agreement was
a high level political decision. Of this, there can be no doubt.
This year is a year of political elections, the top one
being the race for President of the USA. The leading contender for the job, as of right now is Richard M. Nixon.
Mr. Nixon pledged to the nation to stop inflation and, as one
step in the process, to freeze wages and to limit wage increases. Our West Coast longshore division has become the
leading scapegoat in this political fight. The proper handling
of this problem calls upon our union to consider not only
its own welfare, but how any action to frustrate the Board's
attack upon us will not damage other unions or the labor
movement as a whole.
It just so happens that it was our longshore agreement
coming before the Pay Board at the time and in the form it
did which created a situation where four of the five Labor
Board members, led by George Meany, president of the AFLCIO, resigned from the Board. In resigning they gave as
their reasons for doing so that the Board was a fraud and
a rigged deal and that unions and workers had no fair
chance before the Board no matter how good and deserving
their case.
In writing here in our official newspaper, as to what the
union program may be or will be under the circumstances,
it's not always wise to spell out just all our union's plans now
or for the near future. I am leery of the daily press, whose
job it is to pick up and distort what the union is trying to do
with respect to the Pay Board.
Such is the case right now because every leading newspaper, tv or radio station in every single city in the whole
USA has attacked the four labor members of the Pay Board
for leaving the Board and condemning it.
And every newspaper likewise has supported the Pay
Board in its cutting our union's settlement agreement negotiated with PMA.
T
Back to Negotiations
THIS IS NOT a heading for LongshorePMA negotiations. It is a call for the
United States, South Vietnam, North Vietnam and the National Liberation Front to return to the negotiating table in Paris. We
know from our own experience that no dispute, strike or disagreement can ever be
settled unless the parties sit down and negotiate.
Unfortunately the United States broke
off the Paris Peace Talks on March 23, 1972.
The talks were broken off by the direct
orders of the President of the United States.
For the last few weeks the North Vietnamese
and National Liberation Front have been appearing at the Peace Talks which have been
boycotted by the US and South Vietnam.
Meanwhile, the war in Vietnam has
escalated tremendously. The North Vietnamese army, supplied with the most modern
weapons, seems to be accomplishing its major objectives and is successfully destroying
the South Vietnamese army. The "Vietnamization program" is not working. According to
most news reports the South Vietnamese
soldiers are not too anxious to fight and
many of them are returning to their homes
to look after their wives and children.
C0 FAR, the American answer to the destruction of the South Vietnamese army
has been terror bombing. This is not the socalled tactical military bombing but the systematic destruction of city after city in both
North and South Vietnam by the US Air
Force. This "terror bombing" reduces cities
of that unfortunate country to rubble. It
does not restrain the ability of the North to
continually wear down and destroy South
Vietnamese forces.
The great danger is that the US military
will once more say—give us one more chance;
let's commit US land troops for one more
short offensive like Cambodia or Laos. Newspaper reports all over the country report
military installations on the alert, ready for
shipment to Vietnam.
From West Coast ports, US aircraft carriers, guided missile cruisers and destroyers
are sailing to Vietnam. Practically our entire
Pacific Navy is now actively committed to
shore and air bombardment of Vietnam.
Reports indicate that once again Travis
and Hamilton air bases in California are
sending squadrons of bombers to join the
battle. It has been reported that even the
101st Airborne, recently returned home from
Vietnam, may be sent back.
The Nixon Administration, in response
to the wishes of the American people, has
withdrawn many of our troops from Vietnam and Cambodia. It cannot replace army
withdrawals by increased escalation of air
and naval war and get peace. These actions
only mean further involvement and escalation.
Ever greater is the danger of those in
our military circles who shout "let's bomb
Hanoi and Haiphong" so that we can sink
a few Russian ships and possibly provoke a
few incidents with the Soviet Union. After
all, "Russia is a worthy military opponent
compared to those gooks." We could then
have another "Cuban Missile Crisis" just in
time for the elections. The American people
want an end to the war — not a new and
bigger ciisis.
HE CONTINUED escalation of the war in
Vietnam bodes no good for the American
people.
It means that de-activated units will
have to go back to the hated front. It means
that draft calls will increase. As far as the
ILWU is concerned we have been against
US participation from the start and we are
against US escalation now.
Obviously no good will come from the
US position of No Negotiations. We think
that the American people don't want any
new involvement in South Vietnam, Laos or
Cambodia nor do we want "just one more
try." We've had enough!
T
The government of the United States,
since it broke off negotiations unilaterally,
should allow the Paris Peace talks to reconvene and, hopefully, get on with the business
of ending the war.
AiikLiett_virk
HE COAST Negotiating Subcommittee, in deciding what to
do, has mailed out letters in the last couple of weeks to
all locals bringing them up to date on the union's discussions
with PMA. One proposal made to the PMA with the idea of
settling the Pay Board issue, was for PMA to put into an
escrow account the amount of money (roughly $20 million)
that the Board sliced from the strike settlement. So far the
PMA has said No. We have said if PMA agrees to escrow the
money we will accept the Board's decision.
It would be simple, easy and completely acceptable to
the Pay Board, the Administration and PMA to accept the
Pay Board's decision and for the Negotiating Subcommittee
to tell the rank and file that the Board's action cutting the
negotiated wage increase from 72 cents to 40 cents per hour
should be accepted.
Naturally, the PMA favors this position and, it must
be admitted they have an argument when they say they
cannot legally pay any more in the form of wages or fringe
benefits than allowed in the Pay Board's decision. Therefore they urge the union to accept the Board's decision,
allowing the pension increases and welfare changes to be
paid while other matters are worked on or arbitrated.
Our union has already taken a position against accepting the Board's decision. It reaffirmed its determination and
agreement to work with the East Coast ILA. That union's
agreement comes before the Pay Board by the first week in
May. The agreement of both unions to work, and, if necessary,
fight together has received the approval of George Meany,
president of the AFL-CIO. The key issue in this whole picture
is not just what happens to our longshore agreement, but
how best our union together with the rest of the labor movement can put the Pay Board out of business, or at least make
it ineffective in its program of thwarting the attempts of
unions to secure legitimate gains.
T
Y THE TIME this issue of The Dispatcher reaches the
ranks of our union, most of our longshore and clerk locals
will have had first-hand reports from members of the Coast
Subcommittee indicating what has been done and what the
Subcommittee recommends should be done in the near
future. Without going into the subject too deeply in this
column,I would like to have all our longshore and clerk ranks
remember and understand that until our union accepts the
strike settlement agreement as cut back by the Pay Board
there is no agreement; although it is true right now, temporarily, we are working under the strike settlement agreement
without the improvements negotiated at the end of the
strike.
Negotiations will again take place with PMA this week.
It should not take long for the union to find out whether
some acceptable compromise can be found. If not, the locals
will be advised immediately as to what action should be
taken, and when.
B
IDISPATC11111
10•111121m1 Imp tbe tsterustlesal Itsagsbemisa's sae Illerebeseemea's Salsa
Published semi-monthly by the International Longshoremen's & Warehousemen's Union at 150 Golden
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HARRY BRIDGES
President
WILLIAM CHESTER
Vice President
Assistant to the President
LOUIS GOLDBLATT
Secretary-Treasurer
GEORGE MARTIN
Vice President
Director of Organization
BARRY SILVERMAN
Research Director
(Next Dispatcher Deadline: April 21)
April 14, 1972
Page 3 rirIMINPATCHEI:
Longshore Division Announces
Assessment for Welfare Deficit
SAN FRANCISCO—The membership of all longshore, clerk and
walking boss locals have been assessed $53.41 per member to pay for
welfare coverage from January 21,
1972 through February 20, 1972.
This money will be collected along
with dues — either in one lump sum,
or over the three months from April
to June, 1972.
The assessment became necessary
when Welfare Fund monies became
exhausted during the last 30 days of
the strike. During this period, the
Coast Negotiating Committee instructed the Coast Committee to
make arrangements with all welfare
carriers for continued coverage during this period.
To guarantee continuation of coverage for longshoremen, clerks pensioners and their dependents, the
Longshore Division promised to the
insurance carriers and Kaiser Foundation that the money would be paid
after the strike.
The recent Longshore, Clerks' and
Bosses' Caucus approved the action
of the Negotiating Committee and
instructed the Coast Committee to
decide how the money should be paid
once the members were back at
work.
The Welfare Plan coverage for
12,994 active longshoremen, clerks
and bosses and 7,176 pensioners and
widows on the coast costs roughly
$27,000 per day, and totals $806,132.30 for the 30-day period, January 21
through February 20, 1972.
medical or hospital coverage. The
Fund operates when hours are
worked and the employers put money
into the Fund for the hours worked
by each longshoreman and clerk.
During the strike no money was
put into the Fund except for the
exempt military and passenger ship
jobs. Even though a man qualified
for welfare coverage the year before,
no more money was available to pay
benefits after the surplus was used
up.
The Coast Committee will apply
$112,148.95 in undistributed strike
fund donations to ward the debt,
leaving $693,983.35 to be paid off by
the assessment.
The monies collected each month
should be forwarded to the Coast
Pro Rata Committee as soon as possible so disbursement to the medical
and dental carriers can start.
"It is imperative," said the Coast
Committee in a letter to all locals,
"that the members be aware that the
total obligation could increase by
some 7 or 8 percent in interest
charges if this indebtedness is not
paid quickly."
Other unions have been faced with
the same problem of maintaining
welfare coverage when they go out
on strike. After the big UAW-General
Motors strike, the UAW had to borrow about $25,000,000 from the Teamsters Union to pay for the auto
workers' welfare welfare during their
strike.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The welfare agreement expired on
June 30, 1971 simultaneously with
the contract. On July 1, the Welfare
Fund had $2,606,374.33 on hand.
The employers refused to use any
of the balance of $2,606,374 to continue welfare payments during the
strike. But by an arbitrator's award
won by the Union this money was
use until it was exhausted; welfare
payments were met from the existing funds until the return to work
under Taft-Hartley.
Only one day's surplus remained
at the end of the strike.
The Welfare Fund operates on a
pay-as-you-go basis with approximately a three-month reserve, in
line with Welfare Trust policy.
There is no provision for prepaid
STORMVILLE, NY — Inmates at
Green Haven State Prison here want
to form a union. Over half the 1800
inmates have signed with District
65 of the Distributive Workers of
America, union 'spokesmen said.
They are asking higher wages —
most earn between 25 and 50 cents
a day in prison shops — better working conditions and other benefits.
Prison authorities say that the
request would violate state law.
Price Controls:
What's Wrong
George Meany summed up his complaints about price controls last month
in a statement before the Price Commission:
"The rigid, political nature of wage
controls and the virtual elimination of
price controls is only one reason for
the ever-widening gap of disenchantment, disbelief and dissatisfaction.
"The others include the failure of
the Administration to come to grips
with profits and the high cost of
money, the failure to impose controls
on all foods; the opposition to the
clear marking of all items with base
and current prices; the reluctance to
establish ,adequate enforcement machinery; the refusal for many months
to report to complainants about the
disposition of their complaints; the
failure to recover overcharges for consumers; the confusing guidelines; the
contempt for consumer participation in
the determination of policies, guidelines and pricing decisions; the opening of new loopholes; the failure to
protect the public from price gaugers;
the refusal to insist that, under certain
conditions, prices should be rolled
back."
Prisoners Want a Union
Discussing upcoming food industry negotiations at the recent Food and Drug Council
meeting in San Diego were: From left; Los Angeles Joint Council Board chairman Robert
Giesick, operating Engineers Local 501 secretary Bob Fox, Retail Clerks International
vice president Thomas G. Whaley,ILWU Local 26 Secretary Lou Sherman, Joint Council
of Teamsters president Pete Kurbatoff and Amalgamated Meat Cutters vice president
Max Osslo.
Southern California
Food, Drug Unions Organize
For Mutual Assistance
SAN DIEGO—Southern California
food and drug unions, representing
over 100,000 workers, took a major
step last week toward consolidating
their power.
Delegates to the Southern California Food and Drug Council—including ILWU Local 26 president Joe
Ibarra and secretary-treasurer Lou
Sherman—met here and unanimously adopted a constitution to solidify
the Council and facilitate the coordination of bargaining in the industries.
(Other unions represented on the
Council are the Machinists, Teamsters, Engineers, Bakery Workers,
Meatcutters, Retail Clerks and Culinary Workers.)
The Council delegates also unanimously adopted a resolution sup-
Seattle
Port Sues ILWU and PMA
SEATTLE—The Port of Seattle, a out of business." The suit alleges
nonmember of PMA, has filed suit that under this contract provision
in federal court here charging the the ILWU and PMA have refused to
ILWU and the PMA with violations release containers from container
yards unless and until such conof federal anti-trust laws.
tainers
were first delivered to CFS
ILWU
and
The suit charges the
the PMA with an attempt, "to mo- transit sheds for unstuffing by emnopolize.... the business of moving ployees of defendant PMA members
containerized cargo in foreign and who belong to defendant ILWU lointerstate commerce from and to cals."
This action is scheduled for a preWest Coast ports"; and, "to force
shippers and consignees to deal with liminary hearing on April 21 before
nonmembers of the defendant PMA," Judge Morell Harp.
including the Port of Seattle, "on
NLRB ACTION
terms substantially less advantaAlso, in Richmond, California, Ingeous than with members of the ternational Cargo Services, Inc., has
PMA, thereby enforcing a concerted filed a complaint against the ILWU
boycott by shippers and consignees, and PMA with the National Labor
of nonmembers of the defendant Relations Board also dealing with
PMA."
the issue of container handling.
In so doing, the suit charges, the
International Cargo, which uses
defendants are attempting either to Teamster members to pack and unforce the Port of Seattle out of busi- pack shipping vans, charged that
ness, or force it to join the PMA. The the contract is an illegal attempt to
Port draws particular attention to force steamship companies to quit
Section 1.55 of the ILWU-PMA Mem- using its services.
orandum of Understanding of FebThe contract requires steamship
ruary 10, 1972, which stipulates:
companies to pay $1 a ton penalty
"Containers originating at or des- on container cargo not packed or
tined for delivery to a non - PMA unpacked by members of the ILWU.
member facility employing ILWU laIt also requires steamship combor within the port area CFS zone, panies to stop subcontracting conshall be stuffed or uns tuffed by tainer work to cargo firms located
ILWU labor employed by employers away from the waterfront area.
ILWU attorney Norman Leonard
signatory to the Pacific Coast Longshore and Checkers Agreement or the said that the container section is "a
Container Freight Station Supple- legitimate work preservation clause
ment..."
which simply says that if you are
The Port claims that the "stated doing longshoremen's work off the
purpose of defendants in adopting waterfront, bring it back where it
this provision put the Port of Seattle belongs."
porting the ILWU longshoremen and
clerks, urging the Pay Board to reconsider its recent action and approve the ILWU-PMA agreement.
NEW STRUCTURE
To tighten up the Council structure, the delegates voted to establish
a per capita schedule of three cents
per member per month which will
enable the Council to hire full-time
staff to coordinate labor-activity in
the food and drug industries.
ILWU Local 26 secretary-treasurer
Lou Sherman was elected to the
Council's executive board. The ILWU
has about 2,000 members in the drug
industry.
Sherman pointed out that the
Council has already been helpful in
organizing support activity in several
sets of negotiations in the food and
drug industry. He predicted the
Council would be extremely important in the ILWU's 1973 negotiations
with Thrifty Drug.
Retail Clerks and the ILWU warehousemen at Thrifty share a common July 1, 1973 expiration date,
while the Teamsters' pact with
Thrifty expires only a few months
later, Sherman pointed out.
Meatcutters vice president Max
Osslo chaired the constitutional session and declared that the strengthened council was essential in order
to negotiate with the conglomerates
in the food and drug industry.
Jerry Veracruse of Teamster Local
595, was elected president of the
Council's executive board. Los Angeles County Federation of Labor
representative Bill Robertson promised full support and predicted that
the combined strength of the unions
would guarantee improvement of
wages and hours and working conditions in the industry.
PAY BOARD EFFECT
In a discussion of the Pay Board's
decision on the ILWU-PMA longshore contract, Teamster joint council president Pete Kurbatoff pointed
out the bad effect this would have
on other unions.
Citing negotiations now going on
between the food industry and the
Retail Clerks, Kurbatoff predicted
that the management would use the
atmosphere created by the Pay Board
to beat the union.
He called on all unions in the food
industry to unite behind the Clerks,
support them in negotiations, and
keep the channels of communication
open in the present crisis.
Yhrli1SPATCHEle Page 4
April 14, 1972
Unemployment Pay
ILWU Helps Win
Benefits for
'B'Men,Casuals
"Hello, Mr.President, this is Chairman Grayson. I'd like to report a violation."
US Weakens
Safety Act
Enforcement
WASHINGTON, DC—The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970
says that workers have the right to
accompany federal safety inspectors
when they're checking out a plant for
safety hazards.
Almost.
The Nixon administration has
weakened this important safeguard
by ruling that workers who want to
use this "walk-around privilege"
must do so on their own time.
The labor department recently
ruled that Mobil Oil did not discriminate when it refused to pay workers
who had accompanied safety inspectors around a New Jersey refinery
during working hours.
George Taylor, AFL - CIO safety
specialist, charged that the ruling
again shows that the Labor Department is at work to weaken the effectiveness of the law. He said that the
decision was a "serious blow" to all
but the strongest of unions, and
even further limits the extent to
which the safety law can be used to
protect the unorganized.
A. F. Grospiron, president of the
Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers,
commented that "when an employer
can withhold wages of a workman
exercising this right, and the government supports the employer, the
worker is clearly inhibited against
exercising his rights.
Morse Praises Labor for
Leaving Pay Board
PORTLAND — Former US Senator Wayne Morse recently praised
labor members who have resigned
from the federal Pay Board and denounced board policies as the "rankest type of discrimination toward
middle and low income wage earners."
Addressing the executive board of
the Oregon Public Employes Council, Morse also said bluntly that pay
board chairman George Boldt has"no
background" for the post. He scored
congressional action creating the
board as "unconstitutional delegation of legislative authority."
The municipal workers at the same
meeting endorsed Morse for re-election to the Senate.
PRICE CONTROLS ARE A SHAM, charged AFL-CIO president George Meany, as he
arrived to testify before the Price Commission armed with four cartons of groceries
as evidence. He illustrated how food processors have increased prices by lowering
the actual content of cans and packages, and selling them for the same price.
The American Economy
Staggering Along with Nixon
but reduce the content. So it still
comes out as a price increase.
"Wage controls are enforced by a
volunteer army of willing and able
Meany said. "Price conHow foolish. The March figures are employers,"
they are, are assigned
as
such
trols,
out and the Labor Department says
of some 3,000 Interforce
a
small
to
that after a few months of small deService agents who find
Revenue
nal
clines, unemployment is back up to
it virtually impossible to understand
5.9 percent, up .2 percent from Feband interpret complex,confusing and
ruary.
changing Price Commission guideIt's been up in that area for about lines, rules and regulations—let alone
18 months.
enforce them."
Meany pointed out that the old
Herbert Stein, chairman of the
President's Council of Economic Ad- idea that high prices are caused by
visors, said it was really OK. Stein wages has finally been laid to rest.
told the press that the March job- "Wages, in fact, are at a standstill.
less figures were expected and did But prices and profits continue upnot conflict with Nixon Administra- ward," he said.
He told the Commissioners that
tion predictions that unemployment
would be down to five percent by the "the very composition of the Price
Commission is an affront to fairend of the year.
ness" because there is not one single
By election time, he means.
representative on the Comconsumer
On the price front, AFL-CIO presmission.
ident George Meany—armloads of
"Instead there are so-called public
overpriced groceries in hand—apmembers, all of whom have a history
Commission
Price
the
peared before
of corporate connections. The public
last month charging deliberately inis composed of consumers, not just
.
effective enforcement
corporate consultants or directors or
"There is no program for price re- trustees."
ductions as such," Meany said. He
"We will not be a party to hoodcharged that the Price Commission winking the American people," Meais more concerned with profit margin ny concluded. This Commission has
maintenance and total profit expan- got to decide who it is serving: the
sion," than with controlling price in- Administration, big business or the
flation.
public. The only fair answer would
The veteran labor leader then pro- be 'the public,' but it is obvious that
duced several cartons of groceries as in price control—as in wage control
evidence, graphically illustrating the —concern for the worker and conway in which many companies main- sumer is at the botton of this Adtain the price on a can or package, ministration's priority list."
WASHINGTON, DC—A reasonable
man might think that after eight
months of "Nixonomics," one might
expect some results.
SEATTLE—Nearly 800 "B" men
and casual workers here have been
ruled retroactively eligible for unemployment benefits during the 134day longshore strike of 1971 and
1972.
The precedent - setting decision
was made by appeals examiner Daniel S. Bigelow, who ruled in favor
of the "B" men and casuals on the
grounds that they did not have an
opportunity to participate in the
strike vote nor was there any evidence that they helped finance the
strike.
The ILWU Puget Sound District
Council was particularly active last
summer in getting a hearing on the
issue of unemployment compensation for these men. The hearings began in October, 1971, and were not
concluded until last month.
ILWU ROLE
Delone Bausch, Local 52, Olympia,
president of the Puget Sound District
Council, and Ed Palmer, secretarytreasurer of the Council and business agent of clerks Local 52, represented many of those appealing.
Joe Jurich, business agent of Fishermen's Local 3 Seattle, and Eugene
Hutcheson, former secretary and
business agent of warehouse Local 9,
Seattle, represented many of the
casual workers who have been dispatched to the waterfront.
There was no immediate estimate
of how much money might be involved,but if all of the 771 waterfront
workers who were denied benefits
were paid for the 19 weeks of the
strike, it would amount to more than
a million dollars.
Examiner Bigelow denied benefits
to 66 "A" men on the grounds that
they participated in the vote to
strike, helped finance the strike and
did picket duty.
Stevedore Firm Cited
On Safety Violations
SAN FRANCISCO — Occupational
Safety and Health Administration
examiners ruled last month that
California Stevedore and Ballast
Company of San Francisco violated
four standards of the Occupational
Safety and Health Act (OSHA).
According to Warren H. Fuller,
Regional Administrator of OSHA
here, the company was charged last
year with the violations, incurred
while loading and unloading ships
at San Francisco and Oakland docks.
Maritime compliance officers issued the following citations:
• For failure to properly secure
screw pin shackles used aloft on a
spreader bar assembly;
• For failure to secure a hatch
beam left in place adjacent to a section through which cargo was being
worked;
• For failure to equip bridles for
lifting hatch beams with hooks of
such design that they could not become accidentally dislodged; and
• For failure to provide grab-rails
or taut lines around a trunk hatch
for the protection of employees
handling beams and hatch covers.
CS&B has sixty days to appeal the
judgment and fines.
Local 6 Dues Increase
SAN FRANCISCO — Members of
warehouse Local 6, by an overwhelming majority have voted to increase
dues by $1 per month starting
April, 1972.
Next Dispatcher
Deadline April 21
April 14, 1972
Page 5 hir.:111SPATCHEIt
Joint Cal Councils Meet
FRESNO, Calif.-ILWU Northern
and Southern California District
Council delegates held their annual
joint meeting March 25 here to plan
their legislative program for the next
year.
The delegates discussed the introduction of new legislation on occupational safety and health, auto insurance, workmen's compensation,
unemployment benefits and other
matters of interest to labor.
They asked that an investigation
be held of the operations of the auto
insurance lobby in California, which
has been described as the most powerful lobby in the state.
The delegates also instructed their
legislative representatives - Cleophas Williams, Local 10, Northern
California; Nate Di Biasi, Local 13,
Southern California - to work for
the introduction of anti-scab legislation and to work against moves to
initiate anti-labor laws such as
right-to-work legislation.
DEATH PENALTY
The meeting applauded the recent
decision of the California State Supreme Court outlawing the death
penalty and warned against any effort by the Reagan Administration
to introduce laws or constitutional
amendments to circumvent the decision.
The National Labor Relations
Board, "which never raised a finger
in 35 years of existence to help the
farm workers win their rights," was
attacked for taking legal steps to
prevent the farm workers from using
their most effective weapon - the
boycott.
Another resolution attacked the
Pay Board for cutting gains made
in the recent waterfront negotiatations, and praised the four labor
members who walked off the Pay
Board in protest.
The delegates to the Joint Council meeting also asked the International officers to arrange for a joint
meeting with the Columbia River,
Puget Sound and Hawaii legislative
representatives and council officers
to formulate a joint program to recommend to the members in time for
the November elections.
'Dusty' Miller Named
IBT Secretary
Seated at the bargaining table after approving a new two-year dock pact covering
Alaska longshoremen are members of the All-Alaska Dock Caucus, left to right,
G. Johnny Parks, ILWU regional director; Bernie Hulm, Local 60, Seward; Oliver
Olson, International representative; Charles Erickson, Local 84, Sitka; Joy Guy, LoWASHINGTON, DC - Murray W. cal 16, Juneau; Jim McSwain, Local 60, Seward; Treasham Gregg, Local 65, Haines;
(Dusty) Miller has been appointed Sayers McAlpin, Local 62, Ketchikan; Mike Ellers, Local 16, Juneau; George Inman,
general secretary-treasurer of the Local 62, Ketchikan; Jack Parrish, Local 84, Sitka; and Morris Larson, Local 87,
International Brotherhood of Team- Wrangell. Parks and Olson were called in by the caucus to aid in negotiations. Not
sters. His appointment fills the va- shown are delegates Paul Pitts, Local 65, Haines; and Cliff Purvis, Local 87, Wrangell.
cancy created by the recent death
of Thomas E. Flynn.
Miller was formerly International
vice president and director of the
Teamsters Southern Conference. He
became associated with the Teamsters in his native Indiana during the
mid-thirties and served as an organizer in the Midwest and in the
South for many years. He was appointed general organizer in 1947,
then became head of the Southern
Conference in 1951. In 1957 he was
elected International vice-president..
He will be replaced as vice president by Weldon Mathis, who is president of Local 728 in Atlanta. Mathis
has also served for the last five years
as executive assistant to President
Fitzsimmons, and as an IBT general
organizer.
Alaska Dockers Get New Pact
SITKA, Alaska-As this issue of
The Dispatcher went to press Alaskan ILWU longshoremen were voting
on a new two-year contract.
The contract was signed on March
25 after several days and nights of
hard bargaining between the ILWU
and the All-Alaska Employers Council.
Retroactive to July 1, 1971, and
expiring July 1, 1973, the pact covers
approximately 375 registered dock
workers.
Wages and pensions were increased
to conform with the recently negotiated ILWU-PMA agreement on the
ILA Contract Goes to Pay Board Soon
International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) contracts covering
all ports on the East and Gulf coasts
are now before the Pay Board. Formal hearings on them are slated for
late April or early May.
Following past practice, the basic
agreement on the cost items was
worked out in negotiations between
the ILA Atlantic Coast District and
the Council of North Atlantic Shipping Associations (CONASA) representing steamship and stevedore operators in the ports of Boston, Providence, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Hampton Roads, Virginia.
Wage rates are the same in all
ports. Although employer welfare
plan and pension plan contributions
are uniform in all ports, there are
substantial variations in welfare and
pension benefits from port to port.
The general agreement provides
$1.50 in wages, an additional 301/2
cents an hour in welfare plan contributions, and an additional 47 cents
an hour in pension plan contributions over a three-year term.
Under the terms of settlement, a
70 cents an hour wage increase is
scheduled to take effect on November 14, 1971, bringing the hourly rate
to $5.30 and the daily rate to $42.40.
Additional increases of 40 cents per
hour are scheduled for October 1,
1972 and October 1, 1973, bringing
the daily rates of pay as of those
dates to $45.60 and $48.80.
LASH
The ILA-CONASA settlement also
sets forth manning scales for LASH
operations in all ports. For LASH
ships the basic manning is two 18man gangs, plus additional machine
operators as needed. For LASH lighters (barges) carrying general cargo
the basic manning per lighter is 14
longshoremen plus one checker and
one foreman. For lighters carrying
steel or other heavy cargo the basic
manning is 11 longshoremen plus
one checker and one foreman.
These LASH manning scales are
effective on a month-to-month basis, and are cancellable by either
party on ten days' written notice.
They are then subject to re-negotiation with the right to strike and
without resort to arbitration.
It is our understanding that these
manning scales have been cut down
as a result of negotiations between
the ILA and the New York Shippers'
Association Contract Board.
With reference ONLY to the Port
of Greater New York, the increased
pension plan contributions will provide:
• A basic benefit of $400 per month
at age 62 to longshoremen with 25
years of service who retire after April
1,1972;
• Pensioners retired prior to April
1, 1972 receive an additional $25 per
month over the amounts they were
receiving previously. There were different levels of benefits provided for
pensioners who retired as of certain
dates in the past; and
• The Port of New York Agreement, and ONLY the Port of New
York Agreement will now provide a
special early retirement option on a
one-shot basis, the intent of which
is to shrink the work force and thus
limit the employers' obligations on
the wage guarantee.
To be eligible for special early retirement a man must apply for it no
later than June 1, 1972, must be eligible for the wage guarantee in the
Port of New York, and must be on
an employer's list of active steady
employees and be replaced on that
list by another employee who is also
eligible for the guarantee but not
then on an employer's list.
If a man meets these three criteria
he is then eligible for a pension for
life of $350 per month if he has 25
years in and is age 55 by December
31, 1972; or, he is eligible for $300 a
month for life if he has 20 years and
is age 50 by December 31, 1972.
A man going out under special
early retirement will be covered for
welfare benefits only through 1974,
and if he should die, his widow will
not receive the $100 widows' pension
until he would have reached age 62.
The special early retirement benefit described here is not a continuing
feature of the ILA New York pension
plan. It applies only to qualified employees who make application by
June 1, 1972, and is specifically designed to shrink the size of the work
force. It is not applicable in any
other ports.
Pension plans under the ILA contracts vary from port to port both in
monthly benefits and qualifications.
Also, as regards only the Port of
Greater New York, the additional
welfare contributions will be used
only to continue in effect those welfare and clinic benefits which existed as of October 1, 1971. Travel
time benefits have been completely
eliminated.
GUARANTEE
The Guaranteed Annual Income
Plan (GAI) in New York is being
continued at pay for 2,080 straight
time hours per year. The employers'
liability has been limited to $10 million, with the right to take certain
other actions if this is not enough,
as compared to a cost of about $30
million last year. The dispatching
and hiring systems have been modified so as to eliminate certain employee abuses of the system which
caused the guarantee costs to skyrocket in previous years.
The pay guarantee plan which has
now been extended to all ports varies
from 1000 hours in the South Atlantic to 2,080 hours in New York and
Boston. Eligibility requirements and
the employers' liability also fluctuates widely.
West Coast. The pact will not go to
the Pay Board, however, until the
present situation on the Coast is
cleared up.
Because of the higher cost of living
in Alaska, dockers here also get an
additional 271/2 percent on wages and
25 percent on pensions. Another new
item, known as the "Alaska inclement weather differential" will provide about 12 cents per hour over the
basic longshore rate.
Skill rates were also raised to coincide with the coast agreement.
HOURS STANDARDIZED
Hours of work and lineshandling
rules were lifted from the port working rules and made uniform for all
ports under the master agreement.
Thus, hours are now standardized
. from port to port as well as rules regarding lineshandling.
Hours of work were set at 12 hours
per shift with a maximum of 15
hours for shifting and sailing. Any
work over 12 hours must be paid at
the penalty overtime rate.
Other new items include dental
care, a prescription drug program
and a medical care program with 90
percent coverage.
The new agreement also firmly
nails down ILWU jurisdiction over
dock work, and includes a container
agreement which covers the stuffing
and unstuffing of containers on and
off the dock. The only exception to
this rule is the movement of an entire container from a ship directly
to a single recipient.
The grievance procedure was overhauled to provide for a two-step procedure, naming the Puget Sound
PMA-ILWU area arbitrator as the
all-Alaska arbitrator. Immediate,onthe-job beefs are to be settled by a
telephone conference with the arbitrator.
In other gains, walking bosses were
made part of the agreement where
two or more gangs are employed;
life insurance was increased; off the
job indemnity was raised from $62
per week to $100 for 26 weeks; shelters for winch drivers and slingmen
were also written into the pact.
The new agreement is subject to
ratification by both parties and the
pay board. If approval is not obtained within 30 days after filing,
either party may cancel the pact by
giving written notice.
Longshore demands were worked
out in full by an Alaska caucus which
met March 17-20. The delegates
named Joe Guy, Local 16, Juneau
and Bernie Hulm, Local 60, Seward
to meet with the employers.
ILWU Northwest regional director
G. Johnny Parks and International
representative Oliver Olson also participated in negotiations,as requested
by the caucus.
WEI:DISPATCHER Page 6
April 14, 1972
Portuguese Mozambique
The Conservation Caper
The labor movement is being forced more and more to differ with
extremists in the field of ecology. What should be a natural alliance
between progressive forces is becoming instead a bitter struggle between unions and those who couldn't care less about unemployed
workers.
Last November in San Francisco the people were forced to vote on
a destructive anti-social, anti-worker proposition that would have
limited the height of new buildings to six stories. It was defeated
thanks to labor's political activity.
The San Francisco attack is being repeated throughout the state
by people who want to turn cities into villages and stop any highway
or dam construction that would displace a flower or tree.
Labor is aware of the need for environmental reform. Urban centers
have become death traps for the aged suffering from respiratory diseases. In some cities children are frequently forbidden to play outdoors
because of air pollution.
A civilized nation deserves a clean urban and rural environment
but we won't get it by surrendering to the cranks and fanatics who
won't be satisfied until they paralyze industrial life and ridicule our
unions in the process.
The ecological extremists believe they know what's best for the
working people. They are frequently socialite liberals out to build
political careers at the expense of labor and community progress.
Environmental reform will succeed only if it is an integral part of
economic and social reform. Environmental change based on contemptuous disregard of the bread and butter needs of working people
must and should be opposed.
—from the California AFL-CIO News
Canadian Labor Defeats
Union-Gutting Legislation
VANCOUVER, BC — United political action by the BC labor movement has defeated Bill 88 which
would have destroyed many of the
gains unions have made here in recent years.
Introduced by the provincial government the bill was put up as an effort to minimize problems arising out
of jurisdictional disputes between unions, especially in the building trades.
But along with this, Bill 88 also
threatened the entire concept of collective bargaining by encouraging
"contracting out"—the practice of
sub-contracting jobs covered by an
agreement to employers using lowpaid, non-union labor.
Bill 88, strongly backed by construction industry employers, would
have also challenged the union shop
agreement in many contracts by encouraging the so-called "right-towork."
Also, the bill contained clauses designed to force workers to cross picket lines under the threat of fines and
imprisonment. And finally, with its
invitation to raiding of one union
by another, the bill would have
brought about more, rather than
less, jurisdictional disputes.
The trade unions met the bill head
on. Over 5,000 plumbers immediately
called a one-day work stoppage. The
155,000 member BC Federation of
Labor—with which the ILWU Canadian Area is affiliated—called a spe-
Local 142 Auto Caucus
Sets Demands
HONOLULU—A caucus of representatives of all Local 142 auto industry workers was held last month
to draft demands for a new contract.
All ILWU auto contracts expire on
May 30, 1972, except for one—Honolulu Ford, which expires in 1974.
The caucus demands emphasized
wages and pensions. Delegates from
the neighbor islands also wrote in
provisions for wage parity with
Honolulu auto companies.
Other new demands include basic
contract improvements, additional
vacations and holidays, improvements in separation allowances and
seniority sections, noncontributory
medical-dental and group life plans
and classification adjustments.
The union is also seeking a statewide automotive master agreement.
cial convention to deal with the issue,
and to put pressure on legislators to
oppose the bill.
Labor spokesmen informed the
government that they were prepared
to deal with the issue of jurisdictional disputes, but that this matter could not be handled by the government. With this understanding,
and faced with rank-and-file outrage, the government withdrew the
bill.
Hard Hats Must Be
Worn Starting April 18
SAN FRANCISCO—Hard hats must
be worn on all longshore operations
both aboard ship and on dock facilities, beginning April 18, 1972.
Employers have purchased and are
in the process of distributing the
protective headgear. The hats will
be distributed to all registered class
A and B men without charge. Casuals
may purchase hats at $2.50 each via
payroll deduction.
Lost hats must be replaced by the
employee; hats damaged in workrelated incidents will be replaced by
the employer.
The Joint Coast Labor Relations
Committee, meeting April 4, has
agreed that the wearing of a hard
hat—as provided for under federal
law (Occupational Safety and Health
Act of 1970) and the ILWU-PMA
agreement (Pacific Coast Marine
Safety Code, Rule 612)—shall be a
condition of employment effective
April 18.
(For a full discussion of the other
provisions of the Occupational Safety
and Health Act, see The Dispatcher,
April 2, 1971.)
African Leader Explains
Peoples' Struggle to ILWU
"Please explain our struggle to your
people! We need understanding from
anyone who will listen. We need people who will tell your Senators to
stop helping our oppressors! Some of
the people who vote in the U.S. Senate know nothing about Africa."
The black man addressing 50 ILWU
leaders in Honolulu is speaking for
Africans fighting for their freedom
from Portugal.
He is Ilunga, the political secretary
of FRELIMO (Mozambique Liberation Front). Since 1964 FRELIMO
has been fighting a war of independence—part of a liberation struggle in
Portugal's African colonies of Mozambique, Angola and Guinea Bissau. Today it controls 35-40% of Mozambique and is hanging tough in a
little-known war against an army of
250,000 Portuguese soldiers.
After leaving Hawaii, Ilunga came
to San Francisco where he spoke at
a meeting of approximately 20 ILWU
leaders chaired by International vice
president William Chester.
PORTUGUESE PEOPLE OK
"We are not fighting the average
Portuguese in Africa," says Ilunga.
"Most of them have been in Africa
several generations. They are our
neighbors.
"We don't consider the people of
Portugal our enemies either. They
are the victims of an undemocratic
government controlled by a few
wealthy families.
"We are the colony of the poorest
country in Europe. In Portugal 50%
of the people cannot read or write.
The average laborer earns 920 a day.
Rent for a decent apartment costs
$65 a month ... so the worker can't
afford it and must live in a makeshift in shanty town. They have the
highest infant death rate in the
world.
"If Portugal treats its own people
this way, imagine how much worse
off the people are in Portuguese colonies. In 1964 in Mozambique, 98%
of the people could not read or write.
"If Portugal is so poor where does
it get the money to maintain a 250,000 man army in Africa?
"The money comes from international trusts and corporations which
are not interested in the Portuguese
or African people, but are interested
in gold, oil, diamonds and uranium
which is found in that part of Africa.
"These corporations employ a Portuguese army to keep us in slavery,
and then they hire Portuguese to
mine this gold and oil for them, and
then these financiers go to Paris or
New York or Las Vegas and live a
high life.
USING U.S. MONEY
"Indirectly American government
policy now helps Portugal hang on in
Africa. The U.S. pays $350,000,000 for
a base in the Azores. Instead of us-
Her-Ex Printers, Mailers
Win Unemployment Pay
This hard hat probably saved PMA safety
man Bruce DellaSantina from serious injury recently. The heavy black marks show
where the hat was struck by a wire rope
guy which had broken loose during a
routine operation.
LOS ANGELES — Approximately
$1 million in unemployment insurance denied locked-out employees of
the Hearst Herald-Examiner, was
awarded retroactively to 650 mailers
and printers March 17.
The appeal on their unemployment insurance claims, which had
been dragged out since the Her-Ex
strike-lockout began in 1967, was
decided by referee Wallace W. Rock.
Rock found, contrary to Hearst's
claim, that the printers and mailers
had not walked off their jobs voluntarily, and were therefore eligible
for unemployment benefits.
ing this money to improve housing,
schools or health of its own people,
the Portuguese government squanders it for war on the Africans."
Also, as a member of NATO (North
Atlantic Treaty Organization) Portugal gets arms, supposedly for the
defense of Western Europe. "But
they are used in Africa. We get our
arms from NATO," says Ilunga with
a smile, "we capture them from the
Portuguese."
He urges American workers to explain these facts to their fellow citizens.
Canadian
Fishermen
Demand Full
Protection
VANCOUVER, BC—The United
Fishermen and Allied Workers' Union
held its 27th Annual Convention here
March 11-18.
The 110 delegates present passed
resolutions urging full collective bargaining rights for all commercial
fishermen, and protection of their
rights to employment pay.
Although commercial fishermen
have been able through their unions
to compel the fishing companies to
sign agreements covering such issues
as prices, these agreements have no
legal status under provincial or federal labor law.
And now, several legislators are
moving to take away unemployment
benefits, on the grounds that Fishermen are "self-employed."
The delegates, representing 33 locals with 7500 members, also discussed the possibility of merger with the
Canadian Brotherhood of Railway
and Transport Workers. Negotiations
between the two unions are now
going on,the officer reported.
The convention also took a strong
stand for equal pay and seniority
rights for women shoreworkers. Noting that inequalities for women have
become a built-in feature of the industry, the delegates pledged to reverse the situation in the next round
of bargaining.
A resolution adopted by the convention noted that such inequalities
adversely affect men and women in
the industry and that "women workers are not a threat to men,but cheap
labor is."
SF Mayor Aquitted
In Fee Split Case
SAN FRANCISCO—Major Joseph
Alioto was acquitted recently of all
charges of alleged fee splitting in a
successfully prosecuted anti-trust
suit against major manufacturers of
electrical equipment in Washington
State.
Also acquitted were former Washington State attorney general John
O'Connell and former Washington
state assistant attorney general
George Faler.
A resolution calling for the resignation of Washington attorney general Slade Gorton, who initiated the
suit against the mayor has been
adopted by the executive board of
the Washington State Labor Council,
AFL-CIO.
The Council charges Gorton with
"incompetence and blatant misuse of
power" in connection with the suit
against Alioto. Alioto himself has always maintained that the suit was
"politically motivated."
April 14, 1972
Page 7
WDISPATCHER
Still Dangerous
-
Compulsory Arbitration Bill
Stalled in Senate Committee
WASHINGTON, DC—The immediate danger of passage of compulsory
arbitration legislation for the transportation industry seems to be over,
as Democrats have successfully
bottled up the Administration's
"Crippling Strikes Prevention Act"
in the Senate Labor Committee.
But ILWU Washington legislative
representative Pat Tobin warns that
President Nixon is still pushing the
bill, and will use any excuse to try
to pry it onto the floor of Congress.
The Adminisration-backed bill (S560 or S-3232) proposes to empower
the President to end strikes in the
railroad, airline, longshore, maritime
and trucking industries by giving
him a series of permanent options.
One of these is called the "final
offer selection," and authorizes the
President to appoint a three-man
panel that would impose a settlement by picking between the final
offers of labor and management
without modification.
Under the Administration's bill
the President could also extend the
present 80-day cooling off period
called for under the Taft-Hartley
Act, or force partial operation of
struck facilities.
TESTIMONY
In testimony before the committee, veteran East Coast labor mediator Theodore Kheel said that such
a scheme would throw collective bargaining "out the window."
He warned that without the threat
of a strike, neither side would have
an incentive to act in a responsible
fashion in negotiations, and that the
panel would find itself choosing the
"least unreasonable" final offer
rather than the "most reasonable."
Such a process, he said, would be
comparable to Russian roulette —
"you take your chances on who is
going to make the least unreasonable offer."
East Bay Labor Fights
Compulsory Arbitration
MARTINEZ, Calif. — The Contra
Costa County Labor Council, AFLCIO has gone on record to "protest
and oppose all attempts at compulsory arbitration . . . for the striking
longshoremen or any other section
of labor."
The Council resolved also that all
candidates for national office will
be asked their position on compulsory arbitration or "legislative settlements."
Finally, the Council voted to support a call for an emergency labor
conference to plan "concerted action
to defeat this latest threat to all organized labor."
The Council was joined in its resolution by Local 9401 of the Communications Workers of America.
Hearings Set on Dock
Benefits Increase
WASHINGTON—Hearings will begin May 3 here on bills to increase
benefits paid under the Longshoremen's and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act.
This act has not been amended for
12 years. The maximum benefit has
been frozen at $70 a week — even
though the law states that an injured worker should receive twothirds of his weekly wages.
An amendment introduced by Senator Harrison Williams (D.-NJ)
would eliminate the $70 ceiling and
raise the minimum benefit from $19
to $54.
Kheel urged that Congress "concentrate... on how to make the bargaining process work better — and
there is much room for improvement
—instead of wasting our time on ingenious but unworkable devices that
substitute compulsion for collective
bargaining."
He also noted that the final offer
selection process is "anti-democratic
to the extreme," in not permitting
rank-and-file ratification.
STILL A DANGER
In executive session, the labor
committee agreed to take no further
action for now on the administration bill. But labor representatives
on Capitol Hill recalled that in February the administration bill for
compulsory arbitration came within
three votes of passage in the Senate.
"The votes are there," said Tobin,
"and it is still important," he continued, "to let your representatives
know how unionists feel about compulsory arbitration."
Tobin also pointed out that business pressure for compulsory arbitration is still heavy. The Chamber
of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers — which
have historically opposed compulsory
arbitration—have now thrown their
considerable weight behind the bill.
In the meantime legislative representatives of both longshore unions
the railway unions, teamsters, maritime and air unions have met weekly, and have been coordinating their
fight aginst such anti-labor legislation.
Railway Union Charges:
'Nixon Bans
All Transport
Strikes'
WASHINGTON, DC — Invoking
provisions of the Railway Labor Act,
President Nixon last month prohibited walkouts scheduled by the United Transportation Union and the
Sheet Metal Workers Union for at
least 60 days.
John O'Brien, vice president of
the Sheet Metal Workers, said that
the President's action showed his
unwillingness to tolerate any strike
in the transportation industry, even
if only a small number of railroads
are involved.
"No matter what the reasons are
for a strike, the administration virtually is banning them in the transportation field," he said.
Speaking of the imposition of the
cooling-off period, the Sheet Metal
Union official said, "It's another obstacle we've got to get over. This administration will run out of obstacles.
Our dispute should have been disposed of months ago."
Al H. Chesser, president of the
United Transportation Union —
which has a separate dispute with
the Penn Central Railway—charged
that the crisis was brought about by
the company's unilateral attempt to
eliminate 6,000 jobs.
"We regret that the President, was
forced to resort to an emergency
board when across-the-table bargaining could have solved the problem without creating another crisis,"
Chesser said.
The President has appointed two
mediation boards to investigate the
issues in both disputes, and make
non-binding recommendations within 30 days. During the succeeding 30
days, negotiations are to resume
within the framework set out by the
mediators.
l___11101)
BIG SHUTS AND LITTLE FISHES
BY Ftat
goet3-7.
HE BOUNTIES and joys of the
great outdoors are embodied in
the following letter and photograph
from Jay Sauers of Redwood City,
California, a member of Local 10,
San Francisco who retired from the
workaday world and is now "living it
up outside."
He writes:
"To me, Fred, the pleasant recollections of past hunts and the anticipation of more to come are a big
part of the hunting and fishing
pastimes. I'm enclosing a photograph of 'yours truly' taken during
last year's migratory waterfowl season which was a good one for me.
T
Oregon City Falls has been completed, both big improvements in the
ecology picture which we trust will
result in an increased run of this
great game fish.
Northwest ILWU anglers who pursue this prime specimen of Chinook
know that you don't catch one every
time out but when you do score, the
time and effort is well worth it for
it's usually bright as a silver dollar
and may weigh anywhere from 15 to
25 pounds.
Here's a recent photograph taken
by your columnist of friend Steve
Elliott who nailed one in February,
2-pounder. Any
/
a chrome-bright 221
of you Local 8 members top that this
year?
"Thanks to our pension plan which
I have been on since retiring in 1963,
I have plenty of time to hunt and
fish. I guess the older you get, the
faster time flies; I'm pushing 73 but
I'm already looking forward to next
October when the bird hunting season begins and I'll have another
chance to bag a few more of the
Canadian honkers which I'm holding on the enclosed photograph.
"For the entire season, I managed
to bring home 30 ducks, 4 honkers
and 4 lesser Canadas. Keep the outdoor columns rolling as I enjoy
reading about the outdoor exploits
of other ILWU members."
*
*
*
Washington state ILWU fishermen
have a good thing going for them in
their home state, mainly the annual
run of smelt which comes finning
into the Columbia River in late January and continues in upstream
spawning migration in the main
stream, from the mouth up to
Bonneville Dam,'til May.
This silvery little finster is no target for hook and lure anglers, rather
it's dipped by net wielders along the
bank of the Cowlitz River, a lower
Washington - side tributary which
has not failed to entertain a run of
'em for as long as I can remember.
It must be noted however that
the smelt is a rather unpredictable
little critter as far as other Columbia River tributaries are concerned.
In 1970, after a 12-year absence, it
decided to run up the Lewis River of
Washington, just upstream from the
Cowlitz and to everyone's surprise
made a repeat visit to the Lewis last
year.
Then, after a 14-year absence, it
decided to use the Sandy River, an
Oregon-side tributary, as a spawning river.
Because of the Columbia's great
Another avid scattergunner who depth and width, only the commercan look back on many pleasant cial fishermen can reap a harvest of
hours spent in pursuit of winged smelt in the main river but when
game is Don Brown of Gardiner, they move into the afore-mentioned
Oregon, a member of Local 12. He's tributary streams, the sport dippers
pictured here with part of a "bag" have their day.
of chuckers he downed in the arid
Here's a photograph of a smelt
Owyhee country of east-central Ore- fishing scene on the banks of the
gon. With Don in the photograph is Sandy River near Troutdale, Oregon,
one of his favorite hunt-pals and "when she was good."
helpers, the good dog "J."
* * *
It's that time of year when the
Spring Chinook come finning up the
Willamette River. Many Oregon and
southwest Washington longshoreDo you have a photograph depictmen will be "out there," trying to ining
an outdoor trip you've been on:
tercept a few before they ascend the
camping, fishing, hunting,
Hiking,
falls at Oregon City.
mountain climbing, bird
skindiving,
For the past ten years, the run of
nature walking? We'd
or
watching
this great game fish has been holdlike to run it in this column and
ing its own and provides many a
a hotrod fishing lure for
happy and sun - flecked hour for send you
your trouble. The offer is made to
northwest fishermen.
all members of the ILWU, the memUnder pressure from environof the family and,of course, rement-minded sportsmen (which in- bers
members. Send it, and a few
tired
cludes a good number of ILWU
words of explanation, to:
which
Willamette,
members), the
Fred Goetz, Dept. TD
knifes right through the middle of
2833 S.E. 33rd Place
in
upswing
Portland, has enjoyed an
Portland,Ore. 97202
water quality and most recently a
Please mention your local number.
new and larger fish ladder at the
•Na
7&'DISPATCHIEle Page 8
April 14, 1972
Canada ILWU Stresses Unity, Autonomy ILWU Takes
Pay Board
To Court
Continued from Page 1—
marine and school and low cost
housing construction, the convention
emphasized that the most effective
remedial action would be "the building of secondary, manufacturing industries to process our raw materials
at home instead of subsidizing their
shipment to foreign lands."
NO WAGE CONTROLS
Place the blame for inflation on
"the staggering economic cost of the
Vietnam War" and on corporations
who are "profiteering as never before, charging all the traffic can
bear," the delegates came out
strong against any and all forms
of wage ceilings and wage controls.
They warned that the provincial
government would try to apply Bill
3 (which limits salary increases for
teachers to levels set by the government) to all employees of the provincial government, to all municipal
employees and eventually to workers
employed in private industry. They
also warned that the federal government is preparing wage control legislation under the pressure of employer demands. "The whole labor
movement must be on the alert, the
convention declared, "to arrest and
defeat any such attemps."
The convention welcomed the defeat of Bill 88, which would have
taken away many collective bargaining rights won by labor over the
years, by the "united determination"
of the labor movement. At the same
time delegates warned that big US
and Canadian corporations are pressuring the Canadian government to
introduce legislation to ban all
strikes in the transportation industry, including those of longshoremen.
A new policy on political action
adopted by the convention pointed
out that the union cannot reman
neutral in the pending provincial
election when the BC Social Credit
government "is making a series of
such sweeping attacks on labor, on
democratic rights and on the living
standards of the people."
It proposed that in the event of a
provincial and/or a federal election
being called, the union should take
steps to publicly put forward its own
independent position on major
issues. Action proposed by the union
would include press releases, leaflets,
newspaper and radio ads, pressure on
each party and every candidate to
endorse the union's proposals, and
steps to make their position known
to the union membership.
The convention decided also to
support progressive reform measures
at the municipal level and to "join
with other unions and progressive
groups in sponsoring broadly based
coalitions that will sponsor slates of
candidates that offer a genuine alternative to the big business and
real estate crowd."
PORT DEVELOPMENT
On port development, the delegates called on the federal government to allot sufficient money to develop BC ports and called for a $10
per ton charge against all cargo
Nominations For
Canadian Officers
As a result of primary elections
conducted at the Canadian Area
Convention the following nominations for Canadian Area officers will go out on a referendum
ballot:
For area president: Don Garcia
and R. Peebles; for first vice president: Vernon Goodfellow; for
second vice president: Ken Gregory; for third vice president: Les
Copan and Dave Lomax; for secretary: Frank Kennedy; and for
trustees: Dan Cole and Johnny
Johnstone.
'.g:#447emr
•CCIN,
siddigagati
Canadian Area president Don Garcia opens the convention.
imported or exported from Canada
through ports other than Canadian
ports. The convention welcomed the
appointment of Canadian Area
ILWU president Don Garcia to the
Vancouver Port Authority.
Charging that the provincial government had failed to stop industrial pollution and that its pollution
control legislation is "actually designed to license pollution," the convention adopted a three-point action
program of union involvement including joining with other anti-pollution groups.
The convention demanded an independent peace policy for Canada,
free of US control, which would include Canada's withdrawal from
NATO and NORAD; recognition of
the German Democratic Republic,
and its admission to the UN.
The convention strongly con-
demned President Nixon's"two-faced
policy" of pretending to de-escalate
the war through troop withdrawals
while actually escalating it by increased bombing. "The policy of the
Nixon government," the convention
stated,"seems to be that everything
that lives and breathes, every man,
woman and child, every leaf and every tree, every crop and flower must
be destroyed by bombs and chemicals and the land rendered uninhabitable for .generations to come."
It called for the withdrawal of all
foreign troops from Indochina and
for the right of the people of that
area to decide their own future free
of US interference.
At the same time the convention
strongly criticized the Canadian
government for encouraging "the
production of arms in Canada for
the US in Vietnam for these dreadful crimes against humanity."
Continued from Page 1—
Board or its chairman authority to
issue such advice or directions.
This action, the suit charges, was
"disruptive and destructive of bonafide collective bargaining."
The union brief argues that the
ILWU clerks and longshoremen may
never recover the money due them
unless this money is placed in escrow, and that the Pay Board has
overreached its authority.
Therefore, the ILWU asks that the
statement of the Pay Board which
prevented PMA from escrowing the
money be declared null and void.
(The authority of the Pay Board
expires with the Economic Stabilization Act in April, 1973, long before
the July 1, 1973, deadline set up by
the ILWU.)
The ILWU suit was filed in United
States District Court for the Northern District of California by union
attorney Norman Leonard.
MANNING INCREASE
In discussions with the PMA, the
Negotiating Subcommittee also offered another alternative which
would involve increasing manning
scales for the life of the agreement.
This would be done in such a way as
to compensate for the amount taken
away by the Pay Board.
But this suggestion was also rejected by the PMA.
This impasse led Bridges to inform
all dock locals that "we have stopped
the clock and reserved the right to
cancel the agreement, if necessary,
on April 15, 1972.
"We are also notifying President
Gleason of the ILA and President
George Meany of the AFL-CIO our
decision, and advising them that we
will defer any action until the Pay
Board acts on the wage settlement
negotiated between the ILA and
their employer," Bridges said.
Bridges: 'We Will Wash Up Pay Board'
NEW WESTMINSTER, BC—American longshoremen appreciated the
help they received from Canadian
longshoremen during their recent
West Coast strik e, International
president Harry Bridges told the Canadian convention of the ILWU held
in New Westminster, April 4-7, 1972.
"I am glad to be able to be up here
and thank you in person," said
Bridges. "I can assure you that the
people down there appreciate the assistance that you offered and gave in
the recent strike. I don't only mean
the assessments and financial assistance which were very welcome, but
later in the last go-round, the economic assistance. The substantial donation you sent down came in very
handy and did a lot of good."
Bridges dealt at some length with
and strike in the US and the action
of the payboard in turning down
part of the wage package won in the
strike.
"We had a strike, we made a settlement, and Ks a damn good agreement," he said. "No union in the
United States is going to come up
with a better one. But we got dumped
by the Nixon payboard.They whacked
away at our settlement which called
for a 72c an hour wage increase the
first year, effective Xmas Day and
going to July 1, 1972, then on that
date a further increase of 40c an
hour making the total wage $5.40
straight time to the end of the contract on July 1, 1973.
"The employers agreed. But the
cockeyed payboard decided 40c an
hour was enough so they lopped off
32c an hour.
"Our No. 1 job is to wash up this
payboard. It's a fraud, a rigged deal
and no union can expect a fair deal
before it no matter how good its case.
The payboard operates in such a way
as to freeze your wages and even cut
them back while profits run wild and
prices are the highest in 14 years, especially on working class items.
"By accident we have been placed
in the forefront to battle this thing
out. We'll take on the battle. We are
confident of our ability to handle
the battle backed by the whole labor
movement.I can't go anywhere without running into workers telling me
they are with us. That.is the reaction of the workers of the United
States."
Bridges assured the Canadian convention that work performed in Canada on cargo diverted from the US
during the strike did not affect the
outcome of the strike to any great
degree.
The effectiveness of any longshore
strike, said Bridges, "depends upon
nailing things down on the ship's
hook and keeping the ship there. A
diverted ship doesn't bother you very
much at all."
Bridges assured the Canadian convention that steps aimed at more autonomy for the Canadian section of
the union would meet with the support of the International officers.
The proposals being considered for
restructuring the Canadian area organization "seem constructive," said
Bridges, and will meet with the "assistance and cooperation of the International."
"To move in the direction of more
autonomy is sure fine and dandy with
the International. Anything that
doesn't weaken your organization,
that consolidates it, that gives you
more unity, determination and
strength is all to the good. It won't
only help you, it will help the International. You will receive what support and help we can give you."
Dealing with the effectiveness of
the longshore force in helping other
sections of the union, and giving Hawaii as an example, Bridges stressed
that "the economic power of our
union resides in the longshore force."
That does not, he said, "reflect on
other sections of the work force. With
modern technology more and more
economic power is constantly concentrated in the hands of individual
longshoremen on the ships and
docks.
"When I talk about the concentrated economic power of longshoremen and how to use it in support of
other branches of our union, in no
way does that reflect on the militancy,determination,classconsciousness of the workers in other
sections of our industry. It happens
to be a matter of economic fact in
modern day operations."