U.S. MARITIME STRIKE

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24984, 19 September 1946, Page 5

U.S. MARITIME STRIKE

Foreign Ships Not Picketed ACTION BY C. 1.0. UNION (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) XRec. 9 p.m.) NEW YORK, Sept. 17. The first break in the 13-day-old United States shipping strike occurred to-day, when the president of the C. 1.0. National Maritime Union (Mr Joseph Curran) said that the union would not picket foreign ships, with which it did not possess a contract. Moreover, it would not picket ships manned by the American Federation of Labour Seafarers’ International Union x except where ships were berthed at the same dock as National Maritime Union vessels. He added that the union’s action would permit about 40 American Federation of Labour ships to sail from New York. Longshoremen this morning resumed work on the New York piers. . The National Maritime Union’s action has opened the way to a general easing of the strike. The National Maritime Union order also exempted all foreign ships not under contract to it

Questioned regarding the effect on a ship going to New Zealand or Australia, a union official said that such ships would not be interfered with in New Zealand and Australian ports, as so far no request for aid had been made to the World Federation of Trade Unions. The Associated Press says that the union’s statement followed a request by the American Federation of Labour maritime trades department that the National Maritime Union should withdraw the pickets around all vessels on the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf Coasts, except C. 1.0. ships, to prevent possible warfare between the unions. The order does not apply to the West Coast, and it affects only 16 per cent, of the 1200 vessels idle. The strike so far has meant the delay of 250,000 tons of grain, about half the total amount due to be sent this month to India and the British aone of Germany. In addition, several UNRRA ships are held up. Five were to carry wheat to China, Poland, and Albania, and others were to take oats to Austria and Italy.