The Seattle Star Newspaper, April 18, 1919, Page 16

Aa em cen agree nate eR IE ore net NT ssonantantnal adtacubediech tneanseaeticiaen ass: dis PeaeaeA RR SITUATION As is evidenced by press reports, as well as the pamphlet entitled “A Call to Arms,” which is reproduced hereunder, a certain faction of the International Longshoremen’s Association is endeavoring to so misconstrue the situation on the water front that we feel it necessary to place the true facts before the public. A CALL TO ARMS. BY THE International Longshoremen Association The International Longshoremen’s Association appeals to all Or- ganized Workers, Soldiers and Sailors to read the following statement: / Workers of Seattle: The gauntlet has been thrown down by the h ; the open shop in Seattle and eventually the whole country, was fired at the G N Docks and the I. L. A. were selected as the first vactims We realize that we have the whole of organized capital to fight, and it may t aid to the everlasting disgrace of the U. S. Railroad Administration officials that they have taken the side of ex ploiters of labor so you workers will see the dastardly plot to crush all organization of labor. We submit these facts. The Railroad Administration through their spokesman, Mr Gilman, has submitted some of the most degrading propositions to us, some that would make the very worst of the old slave owners in the South turn over in their "eed with anvy. For instance, they say all workers must line up at the gates of the docks to be pieked over like a lot of cattle whereas the Dongshoremen’s Union has always main tained a work list insuring justice and a square deal to all workers We ask you workers what would be more unfair, more tyrannical than to have several hundreds, or possible thousands of men standing in front of a dock in all kinds of weather, knowing that probably one out of every twenty would get a job, to say nothing of the time and the money the workers would have to expend under such @ deplorable system Another point to show the fairness and the brand of democracy that the employers and our own U. 8. Railroad Officials believe in, our business agents are not allowed to visit our own members while at work. These are some of the hellish conditions they are trying to force on us, knowing full well that no self-respecting body of work ing ‘men will submit to them. Therefore we say that the open-shop fight which was to bave started on April | has now begun and that the employers have selected the Longshoremen’s Union as their first victims, therefore we say to our Brother Unionmen in Seattle, this is your fight as well as ours. The workers of Seattle are confronted with a crisis. The Chamber of Commerce has decided on a plan to destroy the Unions of Seattle. They are going to reestablish what they term pre-war labor conditions. This war is to be fought silently and stealthi The victim is to be choked to death slowly, and with as little noise as pos sible. ¢ general plan of operations is to strangle the smaller unions of Seattle dur ing the coming summer one at a time, and about the first of December, declare a lock-out on all the Metal Trades for ninety days. They figure a ninety days lockout would make labor listen to reason, not only accept a reduction in wages, but, they fondly hope, they will then be in a position to impose the open shop in the Metal ‘Trades, ¢ bosses, acting on their decision, to squelch all Organized Labor, have selected the Longshoremen’s Union as the first victim. The Chamber of Commerce, in doing this. used good judgment, because in any time of emergency, when the other Unions need help, the Longshoremen can stop all operations on ten miles of water front, thereby preventing the movement of steamers in and out of this port, With the Longshoremen stranded and what would amount to slave conditions, reestablished on the water front, they will quietly begin to knife the teamsters and truck drivers If you allow the exploiters to crush the I. I. A., your turn comes next. There- fore, if they persist in their efforts to crush us, it may become necessary for us to call on all the workers of Seattle to stand by us as we stood by you in the recent strike Local L L. A. 38-12 says that if the open shop is going to be forced on us, let us go down fighting and not like a lot of servile licked curs, The I. L. A. 38-12 has tried to be a progressive Union; any wage worker who is loyal to his class is eligible to mew- bership; and we do not discriminate against race, creed or color; and therefore we want and expect the support of all workers against the combined force of the ¢xploiters who would crush out the last vestige of Liberty of the workers. And so on and on, the Seattle employers have set their faces in the direction of the open shop which to them would be a beautiful state of affairs. Workers of Seattle, arouse yourselves. You know what it costs to live nowadays. If we allow ourselves to be maneuvered into a position where we will be compelled to accept statvation wages, we don’t deserve the name of Men. While the soldiers were sent to Europe to make the world safe for democracy, the profiteers were busily engaged in taking advantage of the Government to squeeze ont all the traffic would bear, and then when the War is over, they seek to lower the standard of living for the very soldiers who fought to make the world a better place to live in. Workers, we are sounding the alarm, and as the first victim that has been selected, frankly warn you that in the very near future, you will be called upon to stand by the L L. A., the same as we have stood by you in the late strike. Remember, Brothers, we are not asking for more money, we are not even on strike, we are locked out in the strictest sense of the word. Remember, Brothers, we never know when conditions will be such that it will be necessary for us to call upon each other for assistance. Some organization had to be first. The bosses evidently considered the I. L. A. the most vulnerable point of attack in their present Union-smashing campaign. To say that we are striking against the Government is entirely beside the point. No such thing is being con- templated. The officials controlling the U. S. Railroad Administration are going to make the attempt to kill two birds with one stone. The main idea is to co-operate with the Seattle Chamber of Commerce in smashing the Unions in what has come to be one of the strongest organized labor towns in the United States. Their next motive is to make it ay r that it is a Bolshevik movement against the Government, but in reality, one of their ideas is to so discredit public ownership and control of public ntilities that the Government, after spending hundreds of millions of dollars fixing up their old bankrupt, decrepit railway systems, which have been loaded with tens of millions of watered stock, that the Government will gladly hand them over to private inch once more, and the merry game of commercial exploitation will go on unham- pered. Workers when you were called npon to buy Liberty Bonds yon little realized that some of the money you paid in was to be used for a national union smashing campaign. Earnestly appealing for your co-operation and hearty support in the very near fu- ture, we, the members of the International Longshoremen’s Association, beg to assure you 6f our willingness to help any other organization out any time it becomes neces- sary for us to do so. Respectfully, INTERNATIONAL LONGSHOREMEN’S ASSOCIATION, Seattle, Washington. organized employers, the first gun for ‘The Equity Printing Co, Co-operative, Seattle, Wash. THE FACTS | n January 14, 1919, after more than two and one-half years of Open Shop conditions, solely with a view to giving the officials of the International Longshoremen’s Association an opportunity to demonstrate the efficiency which they claimed could be had by working under such an agreement, the Water Front Employers’ Union signed a Closed Shop agreement with them. This agreement was very broad in character. It provided a Court of Arbitration and other means by which it was hoped that industrial strife could be done away with. It was specifically provided that under no conditions were men to stop work and hold up vessels, but that any point of disagreement would be referred to the proper parties for discussion and arbitration. In spite of this agreement, the International Longshoremen’s Association struck with the other unions in the general sympathetic strike on February 6th. Work was stopped on the local water front for several days and numerous vessels tied up. The Interna- tional Longshoremen’s Union was informed by the Employers by letter that such action on their part was considered a violation of the contract, and they were requested to immediately return to work. This they refused to do, with the result that Employers were forced to employ others to carry on the water front work. The great majority of union men were, however, again employed as soon as they made application for employment. On March 4th the Employers posted notices on various docks, at pay windows, and in other con- spicuous places, reading as follows: Notice to Longsuoremen and Truckers The following qualifications are the only ones necessary to secure employment: 1, American citizens or those having declared their intention to become such, who have been regularly employed on the Seattle water front, will be given first consideration. It is the intention that eventually none but American citizens-shall be employed. Returned service men will be employed as much as possible. Members of the I. W. W., Anarchists, Bolshevists, or any man who does not support the principles of the American Government will not be employed. Wages and working conditions will not be altered, except to meet changed conditions. Employes, individually or collectively, are invited to present for discussion and adjustment any matter of mutual interest. The object of this notice was to advise all employes, regardless of whether they were unionized or independent, that water front work was open to them if they met the requirements mentioned. Work continued without interruption and apparently without dissatisfaction on the part of any of our men until April 4th. On that date a representative of the firm of Griffiths & Sprague Steve- doring Co. picked a crew of men, both independent and union, for the discharging of the steamer “DARIEN MARU” at Smith Cove—these men being picked in the same manner as had been the custom — _ the agreement of January 14th and subsequent to the breaking of that agreement on Febru- ary 6th. A few hours after picking this crew, the Stevedoring firm was notified that the Union men would not work on this steamer with the independent men. Rather than stop the work on this vessel, whose engagements were pressing, Griffiths & Sprague Stevedoring Co. conceded and agreed to employ all Union men for this particular steamer, which they did. _ The Agent of the Longshoremen’s Union then notified the Agent of the Great Northern Docks at Smith Cove that unless he — 100% Union men on the dock that the union stevedores on the steamer would leave the vessel. _. The yO of the Great Northern Dock refused to accede to this demand, as it would be in direct violation of the policy of the Railroad Administration not to discriminate for or against men by rea- son of their labor affiliations, i periors. Since this incident the trouble-making faction of the local I. L. A. have used every endeavor to create trouble and mislead the public into believing that the Employers were endeavoring to break up their union. They have in several instances resorted to violence. A returned soldier in uniform was beaten up on one of the main downtown streets yesterday. Why? Sim because he chose to exercise his rights as an American citizen and accepted work when offered him on the water front. The present trouble on the water front is being caused by the Union longshoremen of this city refusing to work with American citizens who do nat choose to belong to their Union. They have brought this condition on themselves by breaking a contract with the Employers referred to in the beginning of this article. _, There is no lockout, but there is a strike on the water front that deserves the consideration of every citizen in Seattle, for the reason that efforts are being made to call a general or sympathetic die A certain class of men will not work, and they do not propose to allow any one else to work. The movement is Bolsheviki in its nature. Do we want an increase or decrease of this doctrine? The Pacific Coast District officers of the International Longshoremen’s Association th lv os mit that the Seattle organization is in the hands of a very radical element, and that ag co aoe beyond control. This is very evident by reason of the fact that the action of the I. L. A. in’ joining the sympathetic strike was in direct violation of telegraphic instructions received from their Interna- tional President. THIS IS YOUR BUSINESS, MR. AND MRS. CITIZEN, AS WELL AS THAT OF THE EMPLOY- ERS ON THE WATER FRONT. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT? SIGNED Waterfront Employer's Union, Balfour, Guthrie & Co, 94 Spring Street. International Stevedoring Co. A Pacific Steamship Co. North Coast Stevedoring Co. Border Line Transportation Co. P. S. Stevedoring Company. W. R. Grace & Co. : Pacific Ligh Company. Griffiths & Sprague Stevedoring Co. Virginia St. and Warehouse Co. In this attitude the Agent has been strongly supported by his su-